Tank “Revamp”

[Banafish]

Hi, so about a week ago I decided I wanted to have a go at fishkeeping again.

Previously I had set up a small planted tank (52l ~ 13gal) but had problems with pH fluctuations, which can be seen in this previous thread.

I had left the tank running for a few months and only turned on the light at random times (which I know is bad) and most of the plants have died. I have done a 50% water change but am unsure about how to proceed to save the plants/restart.

Any help would be welcome, and thanks to everyone in advance!

 

[Colin_T]

You had major pH issues before didn't you?
Has that changed at all or still the same?
I just read the old threads and it might be related to the filtration system you have cleaning the river water before it's put into the house water pipes. What sort of filtration system are you using and what components does it have? There might be something in it affecting the pH.

If the tank doesn't have fish in, you could drain it and refill it. Use a gravel cleaner to clean the substrate and change all the water. Then fill it up and start again.

If you have a timer you can put the light on that and have it set for 8 hours a day and see how the plants go.

 

[Banafish]

You had major pH issues before didn't you?
Has that changed at all or still the same?
I just read the old threads and it might be related to the filtration system you have cleaning the river water before it's put into the house water pipes. What sort of filtration system are you using and what components does it have? There might be something in it affecting the pH.

If the tank doesn't have fish in, you could drain it and refill it. Use a gravel cleaner to clean the substrate and change all the water. Then fill it up and start again.

If you have a timer you can put the light on that and have it set for 8 hours a day and see how the plants go.

Yes, though I am not sure it has changed because I haven’t tested it since. This time though, I have a large bucket to decarbonise(?) it before using the water (water came out at 6.0 and became 7.0 after from what I remember). It is a UV filter so it probably shouldn’t affect the pH.

I will do a 100% water change tomorrow, apart from cleaning the substrate should I also clean the glass, filter etc?

Is there a recommended time to turn on the lights or just any 8-hour window?

Thanks so much!

 

[Essjay]

Have the lights on when you are at home so you can see and enjoy your fish. The fish don't mind whether their 8 hours are in the morning, the afternoon or the evening. They need just two things - the tank lights being on at the same time every day and a period of several hours total darkness at the same time in every 24 hours.

 

[Colin_T]

You can wipe the glass down with a clean sponge to remove the algae.

What sort of filter is in the tank?
If it's an undergravel filter, just gravel clean the substrate to clean it.
If it's a power filter, wash the filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn outside.

As Essjay said, just have the lights on when you are at home. Maybe have them come on at 2pm and go off at 10pm or something like that (depending on your work hours and sleep pattern). My tank lights would come on at lunch time and go off at midnight because I am a night owl. Other people have them on from noon till 9pm because they go to bed early.

Plants can have anywhere up to 16 hours of light per day but need 8 hours of darkness to rest. The fish also need 8 hours of darkness. You don't normally have the lights on for 16 hours a day unless you have heaps of plants and add lots of fertiliser. If you only have a few plants and leave the lights on for too long, you will have algae problems.

Yes, though I am not sure it has changed because I haven’t tested it since. This time though, I have a large bucket to decarbonise(?) it before using the water (water came out at 6.0 and became 7.0 after from what I remember). It is a UV filter so it probably shouldn’t affect the pH.

Can you clarify this for us?
Do you have a bucket with carbon in and the water is filtered by carbon before being used, or something else?

 

[Banafish]

You can wipe the glass down with a clean sponge to remove the algae.

What sort of filter is in the tank?
If it's an undergravel filter, just gravel clean the substrate to clean it.
If it's a power filter, wash the filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn outside.

As Essjay said, just have the lights on when you are at home. Maybe have them come on at 2pm and go off at 10pm or something like that (depending on your work hours and sleep pattern). My tank lights would come on at lunch time and go off at midnight because I am a night owl. Other people have them on from noon till 9pm because they go to bed early.

Plants can have anywhere up to 16 hours of light per day but need 8 hours of darkness to rest. The fish also need 8 hours of darkness. You don't normally have the lights on for 16 hours a day unless you have heaps of plants and add lots of fertiliser. If you only have a few plants and leave the lights on for too long, you will have algae problems.



Can you clarify this for us?
Do you have a bucket with carbon in and the water is filtered by carbon before being used, or something else?

So previously you and another person told me to leave my tap water out to let the CO2 escape, that is just what I did, sorry for the confusion and (probably) misuse of a term. When my tap water comes out it is at 6.0 and the next day (there are bubbles which I assume is the CO2) it is 7.0.

I’ve just left a large bucket of water overnight to do this and avoid large pH swings.

As a side note there aren’t any fish in there, just plants.

Thanks!

 

[Colin_T]

Ok got it, you are letting the water stand so the dissolved gasses get to their normal levels and the pH is stabilising in the bucket.

If you have an air pump you could try aerating a bucket of water and monitoring the pH every 24 hours for a week and see how much the pH changes. If the pH goes up as high as it does in the aquarium, that would explain your tank's pH. If it doesn't go up as high as the aquarium water, then something in the tank is raising the pH a bit more.

 

[Banafish]

Ok got it, you are letting the water stand so the dissolved gasses get to their normal levels and the pH is stabilising in the bucket.

If you have an air pump you could try aerating a bucket of water and monitoring the pH every 24 hours for a week and see how much the pH changes. If the pH goes up as high as it does in the aquarium, that would explain your tank's pH. If it doesn't go up as high as the aquarium water, then something in the tank is raising the pH a bit more.

Haha yes, can I try this experiment without an air pump?

And also for the tank, should I just let it sit for 2 weeks and observe? Thanks!

 

[Colin_T]

You can try it without an air pump.

You can do the experiment and leave the tank running for a couple of weeks. Monitor the pH in the aquarium and bucket of water during that time and see what happens.

 

[Banafish]

You can try it without an air pump.

You can do the experiment and leave the tank running for a couple of weeks. Monitor the pH in the aquarium and bucket of water during that time and see what happens.

Some weird results here.. What should I do now?