Show me your aquarium

[Breeks]

So my daughter's tank is up and running - she has 2 Platys in it at the moment as the chap in the aquarium shop suggested they were a good , hardy starter fish.

A few concerns and questions.

1) Fish favour the top of the tank and a particular side - read that this may be due to poor aeration....but any thoughts on this and if it's something to be concerned about.

2) They have both developed tiny white spots - which as far as I can gather is a type of parasite so I've ordered a treatment for this - is it likely the fish had this all along or is it something to do with the water

3) I was going to do a partial water change (20%) - what's the view on dechlorination of the water to be added into the tank - is it safe to add the dechlorinator to the water to be added and just pour straight in or let the water sit for a while before adding?

This fish keeping lark is a nightmare :-(

[Caddyshack]

White spot is stress related. Keep testing the water for nitrite and ammonia, change water when they show levels- 20% is fine.

Adding dechlorinator to the tank as the water goes in is fine.

Feed sparingly- maybe twice per week until the tank is about 4-6 weeks old.

They will gulp at the surface if the ammonia or nitrite is high as their blood cells cannot take up as much oxygen from the water…make sure you have loads of surface rippling- that is what adds aeration…the bubbles you see from an air pump add very little oxygen through the bubbles being absorbed, it is the popping on the surface that added aeration.

[HustleRussell]

Breeks said:

So my daughter's tank is up and running - she has 2 Platys in it at the moment as the chap in the aquarium shop suggested they were a good , hardy starter fish.

A few concerns and questions.

1) Fish favour the top of the tank and a particular side - read that this may be due to poor aeration....but any thoughts on this and if it's something to be concerned about.

2) They have both developed tiny white spots - which as far as I can gather is a type of parasite so I've ordered a treatment for this - is it likely the fish had this all along or is it something to do with the water

3) I was going to do a partial water change (20%) - what's the view on dechlorination of the water to be added into the tank - is it safe to add the dechlorinator to the water to be added and just pour straight in or let the water sit for a while before adding?

This fish keeping lark is a nightmare :-(

It's only been up and running for a week, max? Way too early to have fish in there.

[Ilovejapcrap]

hampshire-370z said:

Some nice looking aquariums in this thread. Always been into fish for as long as I can remember, here is my current setup. 8' x 3'

Are you doctor evil or something similar?

[extraT]

My well documented troubles are now behind me (fingers crossed), I’ve sorted the algae out and stabilised the tank (thanks to a UV light and some extra plants)…it’s actually about the plants I’m going to ask about… which are looking brown and yellow and in some places even clear. I know that is down to lack of nutrients but wanted to wait until the fish population stabilised (no deaths) until I started on the plant side of things.

I bought a JBL CO2 advanced set which I’m planning on installing today (it has everything included + I also have plant food etc from earlier)…

My question is: the fish shop said I should look for “one bubble per second”…ok, clear… but for the fish, I’d this too much? Basically would I be slowly poisoning the fish? I know the signs to look for if they are affected (at bottom of tank /gasping at the top)… I guess I just want to hear some experiences??

I have a 196l tank, with mollies, neons, armoured cat fish and two pearl gouramis. Around 20 fish in total.

Thanks,

ET

[Sway]

Won't be a problem for the fish - you're essentially replacing what the plants have consumed, not adding much 'additional' CO2.

The plants 'melting' may be normal, lots of aquarium plants are grown on 'emersed' and once planted in a tank replace their air leaves with water leaves.

[extraT]

Sway said:

Won't be a problem for the fish - you're essentially replacing what the plants have consumed, not adding much 'additional' CO2.

The plants 'melting' may be normal, lots of aquarium plants are grown on 'emersed' and once planted in a tank replace their air leaves with water leaves.

Thanks Sway, that was exactly what I was hoping to read! After all the troubles I’ve been through, the fish are more important than the plants (obviously!) and we are now really enjoying the aquarium so I don’t want to do anything that will hurt!

One more question: the filter’s spray bar is currently pointed down to provide oxygen to the fish. It works well. Very few waves /ripples on the surface but the tank is properly oxygenated. Would I need to change this position at all to consider the co2?

[HustleRussell]

Really glad you’ve persevered up to this point and managed to establish a healthy aquarium.

Surface agitation of the water helps to degas the water of CO2 so if you are injecting CO2 it is counter-productive.

CO2 is not the only thing that plants need- they need a range of macro and micronutrients. You will probably find that you’ll need to supplement the plants as well as adding the CO2. Depending on what sort of plants you have, it could be root tabs or a liquid fertiliser which is best,

[extraT]

HustleRussell said:

Really glad you’ve persevered up to this point and managed to establish a healthy aquarium.

Surface agitation of the water helps to degas the water of CO2 so if you are injecting CO2 it is counter-productive.

CO2 is not the only thing that plants need- they need a range of macro and micronutrients. You will probably find that you’ll need to supplement the plants as well as adding the CO2. Depending on what sort of plants you have, it could be root tabs or a liquid fertiliser which is best,

So ripples down to a minimum- got it!

Re: Nuterients, I think I’m covered, I’ve got some EasyLife professional plant food + extra iron for intense green colours. But I’ll be doing some more reading on this, later this afternoon!

[Turn7]

If you are worried about co2 for the fish, then put it on a timer and only run during lights on.....

[otolith]

In terms of adjusting the CO2, my only advice would be never fiddle with it and then leave it unattended. Keep an eye on it for an hour or two, particularly if it’s been off and you might have water in the tubing. The pressure to get one bubble a second while forcing water out of the system will be catastrophic once it’s clear.

I assume that the kit includes an in-tank tester, if not, get one, at least you know where you stand then. And I would recommend getting a solenoid valve to shut it off at night on a timer.

[extraT]

Thanks guys! , yes I have a timer and will be putting it on that!

Edited by extraT on Sunday 9th January 12:54

[Thisonepotato]

Quick question on cleaning filters.

I have a 60litre tank with two Interpet PF2 filters. One contains just filter floss and the other contains just alfragrog.

How often should I be changing the floss and cleaning the other filter?

[extraT]

I need the fountain of all knowledge again, aka this thread…

Re hours of co2 operation, I found this on aquarium gardens.co.Uk, is it correct? I’m just about to program the timer…

Turn your CO2 OFF 1 hours before the lights go out. There will be enough remaining CO2 in your aquarium for your plants during the last hour of your photo period. This will save you on CO2 consumption.

To start with, set the solenoid to turn ON the CO2 1-3 hours before lights come ON (may require a longer period in larger tanks). This will ensure the CO2 levels in your water are brought up to optimum concentration for the plants when the photo period starts. The most important time for your plants when they photosynthesize is at the beginning of the photo period. Aim for a nice green colour on your drop checker at the start of the photo period.

Thank you!!

[Caddyshack]

Thisonepotato said:

Quick question on cleaning filters.

I have a 60litre tank with two Interpet PF2 filters. One contains just filter floss and the other contains just alfragrog.

How often should I be changing the floss and cleaning the other filter?

Do you mean a foam insert as opposed to floss?…I think it should be open cell foam. Only ever clean it in old tank water (remove a bucket full) squeeze out the sponge as much as possible and put back dirty…if you run it under the tap you will kill all the beneficial bacteria. When the sponges are too old you really want to float the new sponge in the tank for a week or two before swapping or cut the foam in half and change half on rotation. Only ever clean one filter out so you have one old at all times. The alfagrog can just be rinsed in old tank water.

[HustleRussell]

Caddyshack said:

Thisonepotato said:

Quick question on cleaning filters.

I have a 60litre tank with two Interpet PF2 filters. One contains just filter floss and the other contains just alfragrog.

How often should I be changing the floss and cleaning the other filter?

Do you mean a foam insert as opposed to floss?…I think it should be open cell foam. Only ever clean it in old tank water (remove a bucket full) squeeze out the sponge as much as possible and put back dirty…if you run it under the tap you will kill all the beneficial bacteria. When the sponges are too old you really want to float the new sponge in the tank for a week or two before swapping or cut the foam in half and change half on rotation. Only ever clean one filter out so you have one old at all times. The alfagrog can just be rinsed in old tank water.

If it were me, I’d set both filters up as 2-stage filters- I’d have a medium foam to catch debris at the inlet end and the bio media downstream of that. Ideally you don’t want solid waste matter reaching your bio media. If you do this then you’ll basically never have to clean the bio media, just squeeze out the sponge periodically.

[Caddyshack]

HustleRussell said:

Caddyshack said:

Thisonepotato said:

Quick question on cleaning filters.

I have a 60litre tank with two Interpet PF2 filters. One contains just filter floss and the other contains just alfragrog.

How often should I be changing the floss and cleaning the other filter?

Do you mean a foam insert as opposed to floss?…I think it should be open cell foam. Only ever clean it in old tank water (remove a bucket full) squeeze out the sponge as much as possible and put back dirty…if you run it under the tap you will kill all the beneficial bacteria. When the sponges are too old you really want to float the new sponge in the tank for a week or two before swapping or cut the foam in half and change half on rotation. Only ever clean one filter out so you have one old at all times. The alfagrog can just be rinsed in old tank water.

If it were me, I’d set both filters up as 2-stage filters- I’d have a medium foam to catch debris at the inlet end and the bio media downstream of that. Ideally you don’t want solid waste matter reaching your bio media. If you do this then you’ll basically never have to clean the bio media, just squeeze out the sponge periodically.

Bio media clogs due to sludge build up which is dead bacteria, the sludge is a byproduct of a healthy filter as the bacteria dies off and new grows.

[HustleRussell]

extraT said:

I need the fountain of all knowledge again, aka this thread…

Re hours of co2 operation, I found this on aquarium gardens.co.Uk, is it correct? I’m just about to program the timer…

Turn your CO2 OFF 1 hours before the lights go out. There will be enough remaining CO2 in your aquarium for your plants during the last hour of your photo period. This will save you on CO2 consumption.

To start with, set the solenoid to turn ON the CO2 1-3 hours before lights come ON (may require a longer period in larger tanks). This will ensure the CO2 levels in your water are brought up to optimum concentration for the plants when the photo period starts. The most important time for your plants when they photosynthesize is at the beginning of the photo period. Aim for a nice green colour on your drop checker at the start of the photo period.

Thank you!!

I don't know for sure but remember that CO2 will be accumulating naturally outside of the photoperiod so it may be worth being a bit conservative with the amount of CO2, how early before lights on it begins, and how late it stays on up to lights off to begin with.

Also you are relying on your plants to convert that CO2 into oxygen, and your plants are not yet established and may or may not flourish depending on other factors. In my experience you can expect some of your plant species not to succeed due to the specific parameters within your aquarium while others will.

Remember that your fish can be impacted very quickly by a surplus of CO2, much faster than your plants will be impacted by any shortage.

[extraT]

After declaring earlier up this thread that the tank is stable I came down this morning to see my female pool Gourami lying on her side… Pictures below… Any idea what this is and how to treat it?

I have medicine for white spot and also Sara Bactopur both liquid form (mouth and fin rot) and tablet form (against internal and external bacteria)… I guess the tablet form is what I should use?

Last water change was just yesterday. Everything is testing ok.

Should I dose the whole tank to be sure?

Edited by extraT on Saturday 15th January 08:09

[HustleRussell]

Diagnosing and successfully treating things like this isn’t easy. I don’t know if that’s bacterial or fungal, for example. And then- are the external symptoms the root problem or is the fish susceptible to infection because of some other problem, parasites for example? The fish looks a bit emaciated.

Does the Gourami still eat?

How are the rest of the fish in the tank?