Newbie Needing A Little Help!

[dizzyenglish]

Hiya,

New to all this fish keeping business. As you will guess the further on you reead...

My tank is 170L, has been running for around 10wks, 2 of those with nothing in. I started adding little bits to bring the levels up and now have the following;

5 x Tiger Barbs, 1 x Golden Gourami (it's pal went to the tank in the sky), 1 x Pink Gourami ( it's mate followed suit), 1 x Red Tail Shark, 1 x Bala Shark, 12ish Tetras (Neons, XRays and Cardinals), 1 x Peppered Cory, 1 x plec (so cute!)

So anyway my problem, well the gravel on the bottom has almost overnight gone brown and nasty but only in certain places, and a piece of Tuffa Rock has gone racing car green, whilst the other piece has stayed it's normal colour.

And the other thing is my Tiger Barbs are acting odd. In the last week they have started resting (i think thats the word!) nose down, just bobbing. But they seem healthy, eating well and still have mad laps round the tank just as often as before but now instead of mooching around they just well, bob.

I haven't lost any fish since about week 5 so i thought i was getting something right. And apart from the 2 Gouramis the only things i lost were 2 platys, 1 guppy and a betta that didn't look happy from the start. I haven't got any plants at the mo, altough i would like to maybe introduce them but dont know where to start. And in respect to the Barb thing, i haven't changed or done anything different with food water light etc.

Cheers in advance,

D x

 

[Seidge]

The nasty brown gravel sounds like you might have brown algea. I have this in my tank also at the minute but only at the front of the tank. Don't put live plants in yet until you've got it sorted cos it will turn your plants brown too.

I have been scraping it off the glass with a credit card but have yet to find a cure.

 

[Lesley]

Is this the brown stuff called Diatoms? I had a few spots appear in my tank - apparently its a light issue. I removed the hood and found my light cover was covered in thick green algae - now I check this regularly and the diatoms have all vanished.

Worth a try

 

[Die_Grinder]

I have been scraping it off the glass with a credit card but have yet to find a cure.

hehe thats one way to stop all the spending on the fish tanks, fish, water treatments and all the cr** we buy coz it looks good. humm may try that.

I think brown algae is caused by too little light on ye tank, and green algae appears when you have 2 much. dont quote me on that tho

 

[Lesley]

Thats what I was getting at hehehe too little light causes the brown diatoms - but the horrible green stuff was stopping my light getting through if ya know what I mean LOL.

The green goo wasn't in the tank - just on the lights - as long as this is kept in check the diatoms vanish

 

[Seidge]

Well i will clean my condensation tray and see if it makes a difference. Although i did think the brown algea was due to over exposure to light since my tank is in direct sunlight for most of the day. . I have no green algea and never had.

 

[g-Star]

I haven't lost any fish since about week 5 so i thought i was getting something right. And apart from the 2 Gouramis the only things i lost were 2 platys, 1 guppy and a betta that didn't look happy from the start. I haven't got any plants at the mo, altough i would like to maybe introduce them but dont know where to start. And in respect to the Barb thing, i haven't changed or done anything different with food water light etc.


D x

As for the plants, I suggest you start off with Crypts, these plants are great beginner plants and easy to take care of...make sure you have good lighting

P.S as for the brown algae thats ok and common for new tanks, grab sum chinese algae eaters, probably 3 will do

The nasty brown gravel sounds like you might have brown algea. I have this in my tank also at the minute but only at the front of the tank. Don't put live plants in yet until you've got it sorted cos it will turn your plants brown too.

I have been scraping it off the glass with a credit card but have yet to find a cure.

i bought this magnetic thingy at the store....its basically two blocks of magnets wrapped in velcro or sumptin...anyhoo u put one block into the tank against the glass and the other block goes on the same spot but outside the tank....then clean away !

 

[dizzyenglish]

Thanks everyone for your advice!

This brown diatoms thingy, my tank is in my front room and has naturally a hell of alot of light at most times of the day. I've been leaving the light off during daylight hours as i was worried that it'd create Green Algae. So i take it i've being doing wrong and that i should leave the light on during the day?!

And what exactly is a Chinese Algae Eater??!! Oh God, i'm numb. I need a book!!!!!!!

And can anyone recommended some showy but peaceful fish that aren't liable to eat anything? I dont want to put much more in as i dont want to overstock my tank but i just need something that, well looks WOW! If you know what i mean!

My other half wants another Betta but i'm not sure we have the right thing for one, i thought they liked planted tanks? Or am i talking out my bum?! )

Thanks
D x

 

[blackguppy]

Hmmmmm, brown algae isn't always caused by light duration, but the spectrum of light that's being given also. You might want to change the type of lighting you're using.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Bettas look impressive but are prone to getting nipped at by smaller nippy fish because of their long flowing fins. Don't think the Tiger Barbs would do a betta any favours altough others may disagree.

I think Harlequin rasboras are a great peaceful fish that leave your plants alone, (pic in my avatar), need to be kept in a reasonably large school 8 or more i'd say and like a reasonably long tank as they're very active fish. Bigger schools look really impressive and their body marking look great.

Chinese algae eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri)

Very territorial. Defends own space. Young can be kept in community tank but adults get large 8"+ and will harrass tankmates constantly. Should only really be kept alone. If adults are kept with slow moving fish I have heard that they will suck on to them and that some fish have lost eyes etc as a result.

http/animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cypr...hinesealgae.php

 

[OohFeeshy]

Hiya,

New to all this fish keeping business. As you will guess the further on you reead...

My tank is 170L, has been running for around 10wks, 2 of those with nothing in. I started adding little bits to bring the levels up and now have the following;

5 x Tiger Barbs, 1 x Golden Gourami (it's pal went to the tank in the sky), 1 x Pink Gourami ( it's mate followed suit), 1 x Red Tail Shark, 1 x Bala Shark, 12ish Tetras (Neons, XRays and Cardinals), 1 x Peppered Cory, 1 x plec (so cute!)

So anyway my problem, well the gravel on the bottom has almost overnight gone brown and nasty but only in certain places, and a piece of Tuffa Rock has gone racing car green, whilst the other piece has stayed it's normal colour.

And the other thing is my Tiger Barbs are acting odd. In the last week they have started resting (i think thats the word!) nose down, just bobbing. But they seem healthy, eating well and still have mad laps round the tank just as often as before but now instead of mooching around they just well, bob.

I haven't lost any fish since about week 5 so i thought i was getting something right. And apart from the 2 Gouramis the only things i lost were 2 platys, 1 guppy and a betta that didn't look happy from the start. I haven't got any plants at the mo, altough i would like to maybe introduce them but dont know where to start. And in respect to the Barb thing, i haven't changed or done anything different with food water light etc.

Youch No wonder there are problems on a manyfold level. You didn't cycle, have, in all honesty, a really bad choice of fish and have tuffa rock in there. Too late to fishless cycle now, you have to hope you did it with fish. Talking of the fish....

5x Tiger Barbs- Preferably need to be in bigger groups as they can get nippy if kept in too small a group.
1 x Golden Gourami (it's pal went to the tank in the sky)- Not too bad, I suppose
1 x Pink Gourami ( it's mate followed suit)- Assuming it's a kissing gourami, these get huge, as in, 12" huge.
1 x Red Tail Shark- Very terratorial, many people have found they start to attack everything if not given enough territory.
1 x Bala Shark- Schooling, needs a far larger tank.
12ish Tetras (Neons, XRays and Cardinals)
1 x Peppered Cory- Schooling
1 x plec (so cute!)- Won't be cute if it's either common or sailfin, in which case it could grow to 20".

The tuffa rock alters the tank pH, that's why it should only be in African cichlid setups or marine tanks.

P.S as for the brown algae thats ok and common for new tanks, grab sum chinese algae eaters, probably 3 will do

Well, that's awful advice. Get to 11", very aggro, stop eating algae after a while too.