My First Tropical Tank

[rousell]

I thought i would start one of these to log my progress on setting up my new Fluval Roma 90 litre tank, which i shall be keeping tropical fish in.
I've always wanted a tropical fish tank but never had the chance to have one. I decided to go for the Roma 90 litre do to size restrictions in my living room. After quite alot of reading i guess this size is not too much of a bad size to start with.

I purchased this tank, c/w new style stand off of Seapets. They seemed to be a good deal and they did throw quite a bit of stuff in with it. The tank itself comes with a Fluval U2 internal filter, 100w heater and T8 lighting etc..
While i was waiting for this to be delivered i spent most of my time (on this forum) reading up on what i had to do to get everything going. I was looking into what substrate to use and cycling the tank. Reading up on cycling was a bit confusing to start with (quite alot to take in), but after a couple of days reading i managed to understand everything.
I decided in the end to go for the fishless cycle as i didn't want to do harm to any fish.

09.02.12

Tank arrived today (yipeeee!). I decided to put half days holiday in as i coudn't wait till the evening to set it up (sad i Know!).
I got everything in my living room and started to set everything up, starting with the cabinet. The instructions were easy to follow and this was up in no time. I couldn't put my doors on as the hinges they sent me were too big for the pre drilled holes and the handles they sent were black as opposed to the nice silver ones they show in the picture. I rang Seapets straight away and they said they were sending them out in the post next day (which they did).

I then positioned my tank on the cabinet and then added the heater, filter (unplugged) and fitted the lights on my lid.
I decided to go for sand for my substrate. Luckily i work in a builders merchant, so the day my tank came, i bought some play sand and a couple of buckets on the cheap to take home with me.
I washed the sand and added a 1" layer to the bottom of my tank. Next was the water. I added the treated water, 10 litres at a time. This way i new exactly how much water was going into my tank so i could work out how much ammonia to put in later on. I also put a large dinner plate onto the bed of sand and poured the water directly onto that to reduce sand movement and a cloudy tank. I know its recommended to leave the sand to settle for a day but i was very careful when pouring in the water and it looked very clear so i turned on my heater and filter. Both of them fired up fine. Thats all i could do until my tank settled and my water temperature reached the correct temperature. Also my API test kit wasn't going to arrive till the next day so i left the tank.

10.02.12

I got up in the morning and checked the tank. The water was very clear and the temperature had reached required level. Off i went to work.
Got home to find my API test kit had arrived. I had a quick read through the instruction book to get familiar with all the different tests.
I decided to do a test on my tap water before i add ammonia to the tank to begin the cycle. results below:

PH - 7.0 - 7.2 (inbetween colours)
Ammonia - 0ppm - 0.25ppm (also inbetween colours)
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 5.0ppm

I also found out that our areas water is slighty hard.

Are the above results ok to keep fish in or would i need to alter anything

After those tests it was time to add ammonia and start the cycle. I worked out that for the amount of water in my tank, it would take 4.5ml of ammonia to raise it up to 4ppm. Ammonia was added so time to wait.
An hour and a half later i decided to check that the ammonia was at the right level. I got a reading of 4.0ppm. yesssss! happy with that so decided to leave the tank alone till the next day.

11.02.12

checked the tank in the morning and everthing looks the same. I turned the heater thermostat up to 30' the previous night as i read in this forum that higher temperatur promotes quicker bacteria build up. My tank felt a little warmer but the LCD thermometer that came with the tank still said 27'. I'm not happy with the LCD thermometer. I dont think it is accurate. Im going to get a alcohol filled one later as i have read that these can be more accurate.

I managed to get a thermometer from a LFS near where i work. I think i have also found where i shall be getting my fish and decorations from when the time comes as they seem to have alot of choice and the guy i spoke to there seemed to know what he was talking about. I got back home and put the thermometer in the tank and it instantly went to 30' confirming my view on LCD thermometers.
Later on i checked the tank PH and the Ammonia level. Results below:

Tank PH - 7.6
Tank Ammonia level - 4.0ppm

Hopefully if anybody is reading this and they think thst i am doing anything wrong or they tink my levels should be different then please tell me. Also i have a question on my heater. As i said above, i turned my heater up to 30'. The heater itself only goes up to that so will i be causing damage to the heater having it on full for a month? Thanks for reading.

 

[paulyoung666]

As i said above, i turned my heater up to 30'. The heater itself only goes up to that so will i be causing damage to the heater having it on full for a month? Thanks for reading.

if it wasnt meant to do that then you wouldnt be able to do that , thats my logic anyway ...

 

[fluttermoth]

Hi there, to the forum!

It looks like you're doing everything right so far

We'll all be happy you've chosen do a fishless cycle! It's always better; as you say, you don't risk harming any fish, and it gives you time to get used to testing and water changing before they become neccessary for fish.

A 90l tank is a nice size for a beginner; not so big that you feel overwhelmed, but big enough to have a nice variety of fish to choose from and easier to keep the levels stable.

Your water doesn't need changing; in fact changing the hardness/pH of water is not easy, and tends to result in fluctuating levels, which is far worse than having it stable, even if they're not exactly in the 'ideal' zone for the fish you want.

Your tap water may have a trace of ammonia in it, although I find a zero ammonia level on the API test is not as yellow as it looks on the card. Also, make sure you read the test in daylight rather than under artificial light, as that (especially with energy saving bulbs) can make it look greener than it is. If you are worried and think it's not zero from the tap, use a dechlorinator (Seachem Prime is a good one) that locks up ammonia until your filter can deal with it.

You won't damage your heater by having it turned up fully. It will still switch itself on and off when the water reaches the set temperature.

 

[rousell]

As i said above, i turned my heater up to 30'. The heater itself only goes up to that so will i be causing damage to the heater having it on full for a month? Thanks for reading.

if it wasnt meant to do that then you wouldnt be able to do that , thats my logic anyway ...

Ok Great! Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[rousell]

Hi there, to the forum!

It looks like you're doing everything right so far

We'll all be happy you've chosen do a fishless cycle! It's always better; as you say, you don't risk harming any fish, and it gives you time to get used to testing and water changing before they become neccessary for fish.

A 90l tank is a nice size for a beginner; not so big that you feel overwhelmed, but big enough to have a nice variety of fish to choose from and easier to keep the levels stable.

Your water doesn't need changing; in fact changing the hardness/pH of water is not easy, and tends to result in fluctuating levels, which is far worse than having it stable, even if they're not exactly in the 'ideal' zone for the fish you want.

Your tap water may have a trace of ammonia in it, although I find a zero ammonia level on the API test is not as yellow as it looks on the card. Also, make sure you read the test in daylight rather than under artificial light, as that (especially with energy saving bulbs) can make it look greener than it is. If you are worried and think it's not zero from the tap, use a dechlorinator (Seachem Prime is a good one) that locks up ammonia until your filter can deal with it.

You won't damage your heater by having it turned up fully. It will still switch itself on and off when the water reaches the set temperature.

Thanks again for the quick reply. I've been constantly reading up and reserching for about a week now and this forum seems to be the best for information.
The first test i did with the API kit was the ammonia in the tap water. I think i'm going to test it again and read the results outside this time. I will post back and let you know.
while im cycling my tank, and have plenty of time on my hands, im going to find out which fish and decorations to have. I would like a school of some sort and various others. How many and what size limit of fish would i be able to have? any recomendations? Thanks

 

[jenjen_82]

When i got my 1st tank (21 ltr) i found the heater that came with it (25w) wasn't heating it properly so had to get a 50w heater as my room is cold. I didn't realise the heater I had only heated to 5 degrees above room temperature

What builders merchant do you work for? I also work for a builders merchant never thought to go there for my buckets n stuff thou

Where are you based? I got my fish from a place called oasis in Manchester which is a fantastic place to buy fish from

 

[rousell]

Your tap water may have a trace of ammonia in it, although I find a zero ammonia level on the API test is not as yellow as it looks on the card. Also, make sure you read the test in daylight rather than under artificial light, as that (especially with energy saving bulbs) can make it look greener than it is.

I have just tested the tap water again and it looks like a very light yellow and not as dark as the one on the card. so i'm going to presume that this reading is zero. When i did the test before it was in my kitchen, under halogen lights and my walls are painted magnolia so i'm guessing that's why i have different results. Is it common to have ammonia in tap water? Thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

It's not common, but some people do. As long as it's only a trace, it'll soon be dealt with in the tank, once you filter is cycled

As for stocking, the best thing to do is have a good look round your LFS and make a note of the things you like the look of. Then you can come here and ask people's advice on them

 

[rousell]

When i got my 1st tank (21 ltr) i found the heater that came with it (25w) wasn't heating it properly so had to get a 50w heater as my room is cold. I didn't realise the heater I had only heated to 5 degrees above room temperature

What builders merchant do you work for? I also work for a builders merchant never thought to go there for my buckets n stuff thou

Where are you based? I got my fish from a place called oasis in Manchester which is a fantastic place to buy fish from

I work for a place called Jacksons Building Centres in Chesterfield.
I've found a nice little garden centre locally, which has its Fish section. They do tropical and marine there.
I've been into places like pets at home to have a look and i get a more proffesional feeling at the garden centre.
Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with pets at home....

 

[fluttermoth]

No, you're right P@H can be great; it depends on the individual store, but they're really not fish specialists

Many great fish stores are in garden centres; mine is too!

 

[rousell]

It's not common, but some people do. As long as it's only a trace, it'll soon be dealt with in the tank, once you filter is cycled

As for stocking, the best thing to do is have a good look round your LFS and make a note of the things you like the look of. Then you can come here and ask people's advice on them

Ok thanks! I think i'll do that. I'm going to go on my dinner hout tomorrow me thinks. Thanks For all your Replies!!

 

[jenjen_82]

When i got my 1st tank (21 ltr) i found the heater that came with it (25w) wasn't heating it properly so had to get a 50w heater as my room is cold. I didn't realise the heater I had only heated to 5 degrees above room temperature

What builders merchant do you work for? I also work for a builders merchant never thought to go there for my buckets n stuff thou

Where are you based? I got my fish from a place called oasis in Manchester which is a fantastic place to buy fish from

I work for a place called Jacksons Building Centres in Chesterfield.
I've found a nice little garden centre locally, which has its Fish section. They do tropical and marine there.
I've been into places like pets at home to have a look and i get a more proffesional feeling at the garden centre.
Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with pets at home....

I work for Jewson I have not had any good experiences with P@H only 2 out of 10 fish have survived from my local branch not pleasant at all loosing so many fish practically over night.