Houston, We Have A Problem!

[angel308]

Hey Lukk,

The murkyness is probably due to the sand not being cleaned fully It took me FOREVER! to clean mine, I only had about an inch and a half in mine but it took 3 hours of washing and cleaning to get it right!

 

[Gvilleguy]

Today being a holiday in the US (not at work), I'm planning to start rinsing my Tahitian Moon black sand today!

 

[Gvilleguy]

We will see if I did enough rinsing today. I put 9 pounds of sand in my aquarium bucket, took it in the yard, and clipped a garden hose to the side of it, with a current strong enough to cirulate the sand, but not cause it to wash out of the bucket. So the overflow rinsed all of the non-sand particles into the grass. I left it like this for four hours, just periodically moving the bucket to water a different section of grass, and stirring up the sand at the same time.

Seems really clear in the bucket right now...

 

[lukkbox]

Hey Lukk,

The murkyness is probably due to the sand not being cleaned fully It took me FOREVER! to clean mine, I only had about an inch and a half in mine but it took 3 hours of washing and cleaning to get it right!

yep, i reckon i swished it round and emptied it and refilled the bucket for about two hours, and its still filthy lol so today i syphoned off the entire tank water, as much as i could, need to add another bag of sand anyway, and when i've washed that bag of sand (properly) i will add it to the tank then fill it very carefully, i can see this sand business being very laborious in the beginning!

apparently you need to stick the sand in a big bucket, then stick a hose down to the bottom and let it just run and run till it goes clear, if only i had an outside tap!

why is nothing good ever easy?

 

[lukkbox]

We will see if I did enough rinsing today. I put 9 pounds of sand in my aquarium bucket, took it in the yard, and clipped a garden hose to the side of it, with a current strong enough to cirulate the sand, but not cause it to wash out of the bucket. So the overflow rinsed all of the non-sand particles into the grass. I left it like this for four hours, just periodically moving the bucket to water a different section of grass, and stirring up the sand at the same time.

Seems really clear in the bucket right now...

4 hours of rinsing, blimey, and the bag it comes in says 'washed' on it! hahahah i dont think it could be any filthier if i picked it out of a sewer!

anyways filter heater and pump should be here tomorrow or day after, then im gonna seed my tank, then when its ready ..... fish!

at the moment of thinking tetra's and barbs and some algae eaters like catfish or plec and snails etc, maybe a mollusc and possibly a crab or shrimp or both

ill have large shoals of tetras and barbs (more than 5) so apparently that should stop them fighting etc, anyone have any experience with this or tips?

all help very much appreciated as ever!

Dan x

 

[vikkibanks]

hi

Put your fish in slowly , not all at once otherwise you will have major problems with Ammonia and the like... also let your tank cycle for a week or so before adding fish, but add a bit of fish food everyday to help get the cycle underway. Then test the levels (liquid kit is best) before putting any fish in. Then add more fish once a month as long as your levels are ok, if not wait.... good luck

 

[lukkbox]

hi

Put your fish in slowly , not all at once otherwise you will have major problems with Ammonia and the like... also let your tank cycle for a week or so before adding fish, but add a bit of fish food everyday to help get the cycle underway. Then test the levels (liquid kit is best) before putting any fish in. Then add more fish once a month as long as your levels are ok, if not wait.... good luck

Thanks Vikki

I'm thinking of adding the snails and algae eaters/bottom feeders first once the tank is cycled, what is a good mixture for a cleanup crew?

Dan

 

[vikkibanks]

algae eaters are good for eating all the green stuff, but in another way they are very 'messy' eaters, so what u gain by getting these u lose in other ways, person preference i guess

 

[lukkbox]

algae eaters are good for eating all the green stuff, but in another way they are very 'messy' eaters, so what u gain by getting these u lose in other ways, person preference i guess

i am liking shrimps and hermit crabs at the mo, just reading up on all this, fascinating stuff!

 

[angel308]

Blimey if I'd have thought about that bucket hose thing that would have saved me alot of time of swishing and tipping! lol But hey it got it clean and looks great!

I've got tetra's, love them, they look great together. I've also got a plec, he's amazing at keeping the tank and orniments clean! I wouldn't be without him, becareful with snails my friend got a couple but they mutiplied and took over!

And as people have said add the fish slowley and make sure it's cycled before hand with the liquid test kits, my tank is 6 weeks old and only just finishing it's cycle....today is the first day of test with NO ammonia! I unfortunatley think I added some fish too fast and lost 4 guppies along the way so becareful and you'll be fine

 

[Gvilleguy]

This morning I filled the sand bucket back up with water before I left for work - the water still seemed really clear on top of the sand, but I'll see how it looks when I get home tonight. Getting the new 6.6 gallon tank in the mail today at some point. Will have fun this week setting it up!

 

[lukkbox]

This morning I filled the sand bucket back up with water before I left for work - the water still seemed really clear on top of the sand, but I'll see how it looks when I get home tonight. Getting the new 6.6 gallon tank in the mail today at some point. Will have fun this week setting it up!

Hey guys and gals! LOOK!

one tank, with sand, and clean water! woopdeedoo!

got the filter, heater and pump through today aswell! woohoo!

now then, i'm going to probably sound a bit crazy but bare with me, if i take the fresh filter sponges/bioballs and soak them in my urine (im a strict veggie so not gonna be toxic lol) then i cover them in my tapsafe stuff which contains beneficial bacteria, and add a bit of media from my friends tank etc, will this kickstart the colonisation of the filter with good bacteria by giving them some ammonia to feed on immediately and cut down my cycling time significantly?

i do have a degree in bioscience and did use to work in a lab making cultures etc so i cant see any reason why this wont work, but has anyone ever tried it?

gonna whack the heate ron now, 29 celsius for cycling right?

 

[Gvilleguy]

Correct on the temperature. Raise the pH if you can, also. Seems like you have a valid ammonia source plan to me.

 

[lukkbox]

Correct on the temperature. Raise the pH if you can, also. Seems like you have a valid ammonia source plan to me.

Very cool GV!

how much baking soda are we talking for a 150 litre tank? 1 or 2 tsp?

 

[Gvilleguy]

It's been too long since I've done it. I don't remember. I would do trial and error...add a bit and test pH, etc. 1 tablespoon sounds like a good starting point for that size tank.