completely new to fishie world

[gaz-man]

Hi there, I'm Gary with my girlfriend nicolle.
We have not long started keeping some tropical fish! And have come here for any advice or tips/tricks and help if we need any. (Which we do) the tank has been established for the last 2 to 3 months, and we have 6 harley quins, 6 Neons, 4 mollys, 3 shrimp and 2 snails!
So far all good we had a couple of losses when we first had fish put in with new tank syndrome. But all been replaced and everythings peachy. Also think our shrimp will have babies soon!
Now my first question is this. My water keeps going yellow. All my tests are okay but it looks off putting. I'm not sure if its made worse by the white background wall, but the water is clear. I do have wood in there which I'm sure it is making tannins in the water but do you guys think that this tinge of yellow is acceptable?
We also have 3 moss balls and what ever the plant is in the back I forgot what it was.
Thanks for any help!
G+N

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Now my first question is this. My water keeps going yellow. All my tests are okay but it looks off putting. I'm not sure if its made worse by the white background wall, but the water is clear. I do have wood in there which I'm sure it is making tannins in the water but do you guys think that this tinge of yellow is acceptable?
We also have 3 moss balls and what ever the plant is in the back I forgot what it was.
Thanks for any help!
G+N

Hello and welcome to the forum!

As for the background, I suggest using black card stock or a black trash bag. IMO, black backgrounds look better than white backgrounds.

What are your exact water parameters? (KH, GH, pH, etc.)

It could be the tanks from the driftwood. When did you get the driftwood and from were did you get it? Also, what type of shrimp do you have?

Tag me if you ever need help with bettas or live plants. Hope to see you around the forum!

 

[FishkeeperLinz]

Hi there, I'm Gary with my girlfriend nicolle.
We have not long started keeping some tropical fish! And have come here for any advice or tips/tricks and help if we need any. (Which we do) the tank has been established for the last 2 to 3 months, and we have 6 harley quins, 6 Neons, 4 mollys, 3 shrimp and 2 snails!
So far all good we had a couple of losses when we first had fish put in with new tank syndrome. But all been replaced and everythings peachy. Also think our shrimp will have babies soon!
Now my first question is this. My water keeps going yellow. All my tests are okay but it looks off putting. I'm not sure if its made worse by the white background wall, but the water is clear. I do have wood in there which I'm sure it is making tannins in the water but do you guys think that this tinge of yellow is acceptable?
We also have 3 moss balls and what ever the plant is in the back I forgot what it was.
Thanks for any help!
G+N

Hi. Welcome to the forum.

The colour will most probably be from the wood, leaching tannins into the water. It's harmless and in fact, many fish prefer it. It can also help to show up their colours a little more.

I agree with @PheonixKingZ , you could could with a background on the tank. That'll help make the fish feel more secure, too.

 

[gaz-man]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

As for the background, I suggest using black card stock or a black trash bag. IMO, black backgrounds look better than white backgrounds.

What are your exact water parameters? (KH, GH, pH, etc.)

It could be the tanks from the driftwood. When did you get the driftwood and from were did you get it? Also, what type of shrimp do you have?

Tag me if you ever need help with bettas or live plants. Hope to see you around the forum!

Hey thanks for the quick reply!
My water parameters as of yesterday were gh 0, kh 0, pH was about a 6.7/7 is no2 was 0 and no3 was 0-20 is was very inbetween (that scale goes 0 20 40 80 etc). As for the drift wood it was new. Bought second hand though I got everything new but unused from an enthusiast the tank was used but we cleaned it beforehand. And filter was new too so we cycled it first.. and as for my shrimp I think they are ghost shrimp? I forgot the name but they are mostly clear! I added a photo of one of the males who is on the drift wood. I would like some more plants which my friend who has loads in his tank will give me cuttings once ready.

 

[Salty&Onion]

These are amano shrimp, discovered by Takashi Amano who was the first one to keep them in an aquarium and was one of the best aquascapers I've ever heard of. The one, that you did a picture of, is a male. Male amano shrimp have straight backs and tend to stay small, however female amanos have curved backs unlike male amano shrimp and females have also an ovary (called a "saddle") where they store eggs which will be stored until their molt and will be fertilised by male amano shrimp.
Amano shrimp will breed in fresh water, but the eggs won't hatch in fresh water as they need brackish water in order to hatch.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I agree. They are very hard to breed. Even the professionals can’t agree on the correct salinity levels for the eggs.

The yellow color in your water is probably due to the driftwood. Try to do a 40% water change and see if things clear up.

 

[gaz-man]

I agree. They are very hard to breed. Even the professionals can’t agree on the correct salinity levels for the eggs.

The yellow color in your water is probably due to the driftwood. Try to do a 40% water change and see if things clear up.

I had the 2 male shrim racing round the tank the other day after the female had shed so maybe that was them fertilising the eggs if they could? As for the changing of water I do that regularly and it just comes back to that. I have tried doing about a 50 percent if not a bit more water change to see if it helped. It just went back to what it is now. ‍

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I had the 2 male shrim racing round the tank the other day after the female had shed so maybe that was them fertilising the eggs if they could? As for the changing of water I do that regularly and it just comes back to that. I have tried doing about a 50 percent if not a bit more water change to see if it helped. It just went back to what it is now. ‍♂

They do fertilize the eggs, they will just never hatch in freshwater.

About the driftwood... I suggest you remove it for now, just to see if that if your problem. If it doesn’t clear up in a few days (with constant water changes) then we will know it’s not the driftwood, and hat something else is wrong.

 

[gaz-man]

Okay I will remove it tomorrow for a few days and see how I get on thank you

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Okay I will remove it tomorrow for a few days and see how I get on thank you

No problem! Keep us posted.

 

[JuiceBox52]

The color is from the tannins in the driftwood. It is harmless and actually beneficial to most fish, but some dont like the look

 

[gaz-man]

So small update I have added a black background. Did about a 40 percent water change as my levels rose a bit. Took out the bogwood. And I read somewhere that if you boil the bog wood up it releases the tannins alot more so i have been doing that too and wow! This is after about a hour (30 mins each end as I can't submerge it all at once). I'll do this a few more times and then put it back see how it goes

 

[seangee]

Boiling it softens the fibres which makes it break down and decompose quicker. As other have said the tannin causes no harm and is actually beneficial.

I've just noticed your tank parameters. I am afraid your mollies will not survive for very long in such soft water - but the water is ideal for the harlequins and neons.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Your parameters can’t be correct. A KH/Gh of 0? Are you sure? . What size is your tank also?

 

[gaz-man]

Boiling it softens the fibres which makes it break down and decompose quicker. As other have said the tannin causes no harm and is actually beneficial.

I've just noticed your tank parameters. I am afraid your mollies will not survive for very long in such soft water - but the water is ideal for the harlequins and neons.

Even if I just get more tannins out so it doesn't dye it so much so quick I'll be happy. And as for the readings that was after about 2 weeks I i just did a water change now and done tap safe etc but my mollies have survived for the last 2 and a half months so I must be doing something right haha