Still Some Questions

[kaaskaas]

Hey,

So i've ordered the Askoll Pure L (http/tinyurl.com/btcauso). Gonna get it next week and start cycling, but had some more questions:

-As for the substrate, I'll get sand, but do i need to put anything under it? Heard about people putting cat litter and other things under it, does this really have any benefits?
-I've heard that when you do a water change, you should always put the water in your bucket a day before the change.. Do i need to do this for getting water in there for the first time? Don't have enough clean buckets for 70l...
-Do i need to let my lights on for several hours a day when I'm cycling?
-Do I put my wood and plants in there before the cycle, or after the cycle?

If I can think of some more questions, i'll update them.

Thanks!

 

[fluttermoth]

The reson people put cat litter etc under their substrate is for the plants to use as a fertilizer. If you stick with easy to grow plants, you don't really need it; I don't use any kind of fetilizer (apart from poo from the fish!) and my plants do fine in just plain sand.

Leaving water to stand was something we used to do in the 'old days' to let the chlorine gas off. Many water companies now use chloramine as well, which doesn't dissipate as readily, so you'd be better off using a good dechlorinator (which works instantly) rather than letting the water stand.

Leave the lights off while cycling; ammonia + light = algae.

You can put the wood in, but plants are best left until after the cycle is finished, as they can interfere with the cyle by absorbing some of the ammonia.

 

[kaaskaas]

Wow, thanks!

Another thing, do I need to do water changes during my cycle?

 

[fluttermoth]

You only need to do water changes if your cycle stalls for any reason; usually low pH or very high nitrate.

 

[KittyKat]

What fluttermoth said. I recommend that you use a dechlorinator which "deals" with ammonia and nitrite once you finish cycling, just in case there are any problems.

For list of suitable fish species (after you finish cycling the filter with household ammonia), see http/aquariumadventure.wordpress.com/species-for-a-60-litre-aquariums/

By the way, the fish which are in the photo and look like they are 5 cm long actually grow to around 20-30 cm and need a lot more space, so I hope you do your research and aren't disappointed that small tanks can take only small fish!

p.s. if you like, try my cycling method, I'm still trying to figure out if it reduces the chances of stalls: dose to 1 ppm ammonia, wait for double 0s, dose to 2 ppm ammonia, wait for double 0s, dose to 3 ppm ammonia, wait for double 0s, dose to 4-5 ppm ammonia then proceed as normal, redosing at double 0s until you're redosing once every 24 hours for 7 consecutive days, then do water change and add fish and plants.

 

[kaaskaas]

By the way, the fish which are in the photo and look like they are 5 cm long actually grow to around 20-30 cm and need a lot more space, so I hope you do your research and aren't disappointed that small tanks can take only small fish!

I am not going to take these fish, it's just a picture, will be having neon tetras, harlequin rasboras (both around 6), some shrimp and maybe 2-3 dwarf gouramis

 

[KittyKat]

By the way, the fish which are in the photo and look like they are 5 cm long actually grow to around 20-30 cm and need a lot more space, so I hope you do your research and aren't disappointed that small tanks can take only small fish!

I am not going to take these fish, it's just a picture, will be having neon tetras, harlequin rasboras (both around 6), some shrimp and maybe 2-3 dwarf gouramis

I really strongly recommend against harlequin rasboras because in my experience, a 60 cm tank is small enough to harm their health. If you want fish which look like harlequin rasboras, I very stongly recommend T. espei (espei rasbora) because they only grow to 30 mm instead of 50 mm and are perfect for your new tank.

I also recommend that you go for at 10 neons and 10 espei rasboras (both species will really benefit from the larger numbers), some shrimp and 1 dwarf gourami (because a male is quite likely to be able to harass any females in a tank this size if he has normal or aggressive temperament and two males are almost guaranteed to kill each other). A better alternative to dwarf gouramis would be 1m 3f honey gouramis (by the way, sex is important for gouramis) or a pair of the more peaceful species.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

+1

Although, I would instead recommend T. hengeli (Hengels rasbora) over the espei. I just like the orange racing stripe above the "pork chop". But everything else remains the same.

 

[KittyKat]

I did not recommend T. hengeli because I have no personal experience with them in a 60 cm tank and have never observed them in a 60 cm tank. Given the quick big difference I have seen between 30 and 50 mm fish, I cannot honestly say that I am able to guess at the impact that the difference of 10 mm will have on the fish, if any at all.

In recent times, I have chosen to keep fish that are 30 mm and smaller in standard 60 litre aquariums and these seem to do well. For example, I am currently keeping D. margaritatus and Yunnanilus sp. 'rosy' in a bio-tope style setup which is almost identical in size to that of kaaskaas with good success.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Fair enough. I just like the T. hengeli a little more, but my reason is more to taste than anything else. I didn't realize there was a size difference between the T. espei and T. hengeli.

 

[KittyKat]

Aye, there is: espei are 30 mm, hengeli are 40 mm and heteramorpha are 50 mm, according to published works. I can confirm at least the latter of the three from personal experience.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I have the heteromorpha, and I've seen the others in the LFS (obviously juvies). I knew the heteromorpha were bigger, but I thought the others were the same size. Good to know. Thanks.