New Tank Concerns.....

[Ando]

Hi there

this is my first post on what appears to be a really great forum.

I've just set up my 40 gallon tank 4 days ago. I've got the filter running, heater on 76 deg. lights on 1 aqua glo and 1 sun glo, plants in and the reccomended dosage of cycle starter, dechlorinater and plant food etc. that came with the kit. I have black sand from my LFS in there and the water is just beginning to clear niceley. PH is 6.5 and all seems well or does it? There is milky clear filaments in small clumps over my sand aswell as some brownish patches. The filamentous stuff looks like algae but clear. Isnt it too early to develop algae in a 4 day old tank?
Any suggestions please..

I'm looking at introducing four ickle tetras on friday if my waters up to it. what do ya'll think?

John

 

[dwarfgourami]

Have you checked out the pinned topics on fishless cycling? A more humane way of preparing the tank, takes a little longer before you can add fish, but is much safer, particularly if you want to start with tetras.

 

[Stacy84]

I would definitely wait awhile before adding fish. I don't really think the even the cycling chemicals do a good job of getting the tank ready for fish. The best thing to do is wait until you have enough bacteria to support fish. Right now I would say that you don't.....best idea is wait another couple of weeks and redo your tests. As far as the white clumps if you're using a white tablet fertilizer they could be undissolved bits of that. I would also look into what your plants were being fertilized with in the store before you purchased them. The brown "algae" on the sand is something I have never experienced with my black sand in my aquarium. I would try cleaning the sand well, making sure to mix it up to prevent pockets of gas from forming.

 

[voo]

Before adding any fish, you should cycle the tank (filter) first, so that it fills with the bacteria needed to keep your fish alive. Have a good read of this thread, it will tell you what to do: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

When it's complete, then you can think of adding fish and they will have the best chance of them surviving.

As for tetras, which did you mean? Neon tetras aren't a good choice for new tanks as they are unlikely to survive. It's best to add them to a mature tank, one that's been going to 3 months or longer.

 

[Ando]

Thanks for the input guy's!

I'm thinking I may have accidentally overdosed with the Iron based plant food and this may have caused the sudden bloom. It looks quite like filamantous green algae but it is clear/white......
I'm gonna try sucking it out with the vacum and do a partial water change at the end of the week to see if that helps.

Fishless cycling:
OK I read some stuff about this and I suppose it gives you a crash course into water testing before you put any fish in, but isnt this just the latest fad? I mean, Ive not had an aquarium now for a number of years so I'm rusty to say the least but in the past we dechlorinated the water, let everything settle for a week and started adding fish slowly, no real problems with fish going belly up! Did they suffer psychologicaly , who knows

I'm gonna submit to the fishless cycle as it seems that it's only fair to my tanks bio-system to give it the best chance at life!

The kids are gonna be made up when I tell them ' You know those fish we were getting on Friday, we'll they're out of stock for another eight weeks!"

Thanks for the advice and I'll keep posting my progress........

John

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Thanks for the input guy's!

I'm thinking I may have accidentally overdosed with the Iron based plant food and this may have caused the sudden bloom. It looks quite like filamantous green algae but it is clear/white......
I'm gonna try sucking it out with the vacum and do a partial water change at the end of the week to see if that helps.

Fishless cycling:
OK I read some stuff about this and I suppose it gives you a crash course into water testing before you put any fish in, but isnt this just the latest fad? I mean, Ive not had an aquarium now for a number of years so I'm rusty to say the least but in the past we dechlorinated the water, let everything settle for a week and started adding fish slowly, no real problems with fish going belly up! Did they suffer psychologicaly , who knows

I'm gonna submit to the fishless cycle as it seems that it's only fair to my tanks bio-system to give it the best chance at life!

The kids are gonna be made up when I tell them ' You know those fish we were getting on Friday, we'll they're out of stock for another eight weeks!"

Thanks for the advice and I'll keep posting my progress........

John

ha ha ha

you know I thought the same when I heard about fishless cycling. My Dad set my first tank up for me and he's definately from the old school, he wouldn't know how to fishless cycle a tank at all. So when I got told about it my response was 'nah, just stick the water in, leave it for 2 weeks and stock slowly' however I did loose a few fish at the start, and the more I've read into fishless cycling and learnt the science behind it the more I see it's a good thing. Although I doubt if I'll ever have to do it as I can just clone the tanks now as we have so many (6.... soon to be 7 ). It's worth looking through another pinned topic, the list of members willing to donate mature filter media, maybe someone can help you kick start your cycle.

 

[Ando]

Just checked the dosage of the plant food and it appears Ive put in the correct amount so I'm still stumped about the white fluffy stuff.......

Oh,,,,I've also put in quite a bit of sand (3-4 cm in places) can I have this depth as long as I have the right type of fish to turn it over?

John

 

[dwarfgourami]

Fishless cycling:
OK I read some stuff about this and I suppose it gives you a crash course into water testing before you put any fish in, but isnt this just the latest fad? I mean, Ive not had an aquarium now for a number of years so I'm rusty to say the least but in the past we dechlorinated the water, let everything settle for a week and started adding fish slowly, no real problems with fish going belly up! Did they suffer psychologicaly , who knows

I know how you feel, having also been around long enough to have cycled the tanks in the old-fashioned way. Last year, when I started up again, the members of this forum twisted my arm to try the new ways, and I have to say, I have had fewer longterm health problems with my fish than when I started in the old way; I reckon there is a riskt of longterm weakening brought on by exposure to ammonia and nitrites. Also, having a tank already cycled when I got to add the fish meant I did not have to take up space with fish I didn't want just because they happened to be hardy. I reckon, like antiobiotics and tetanus shots, this is a fad that is here to stay. No going back to the Middle Ages for me! (sorry, my son is watching Horrible History).

 

[Stacy84]

Just checked the dosage of the plant food and it appears Ive put in the correct amount so I'm still stumped about the white fluffy stuff.......

Oh,,,,I've also put in quite a bit of sand (3-4 cm in places) can I have this depth as long as I have the right type of fish to turn it over?

John

With sand you generally want an inch or more. I have about an inch in a half to two inches in my tank. I would still suggest mixing it around a little when you clean your tank to prevent the gas pockets. I have GSP in my tank so I can't have sand sifter fish because he would eat them so honestly I don't know that much about the freshwater sifters or how much sand they turn over. On intuition alone I say that they won't do enough and that as a preventive method you should stir up the sand during water changes....but someone else probably knows more.