Your current Fish tank Setups!

[Baz]

Quick daft question, where does the bacteria for the cycling come from? is it already present in the water?

 

[dfarrall]

With regards the fin rot problem what would people advise move the fish over and treat in the new tank, or dont move the fish over until it has been cured?

Wait till its gone prefferably, but it shouldnt be a problem if you do need to move, just treat the other tank straight away.

Quick daft question, where does the bacteria for the cycling come from? is it already present in the water?

It is naturally occuring but without somewere to make home and something to feed off they cannot spread sufficiently

 

[Baz]

OK, just been to the fish centre, they have "bacteria" starter bottles, are these any good, or would you guys recommend the ammonia method.. Also their testing kits for everything were £30, seems a bit steep!!!

 

[utajoker]

OK, just been to the fish centre, they have "bacteria" starter bottles, are these any good, or would you guys recommend the ammonia method.. Also their testing kits for everything were £30, seems a bit steep!!!

thats cheap, my marine single test kits are £10 each.

 

[Baz]

thats cheap, my marine single test kits are £10 each.

I was looking at those!

This was the one I saw, £17.99 isn't bad to be honest then..

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=1260&pf_id=55010

 

[utajoker]

that is the one i had for my tropical tank.

it worked fine for me.

just avoid one that uses strips.

 

[dfarrall]

The bacteria starter bottles are great, yes i'd reccomend them.
The nutrifin mini master is also one of the best test kits so they are always good to have.

 

[Brookert]

I had a proper blonde moment earlier. I've just bought 2 ghost shrimp for my tank, and I noticed one was looking a bit too transparent. On closer inspection, i thought it was dead.

I was ready to scoop and out and go straight back to the pet shop, I was fuming........

Then I saw 2 other shrimp going about their business, was only a the moult leftover.

 

[utajoker]

I had a proper blonde moment earlier. I've just bought 2 ghost shrimp for my tank, and I noticed one was looking a bit too transparent. On closer inspection, i thought it was dead.

I was ready to scoop and out and go straight back to the pet shop, I was fuming........

Then I saw 2 other shrimp going about their business, was only a the moult leftover.

i did this with my first hermit crab, it had shed a skin.

 

[Kristoph]

Sign up at fishforums.net, they have some good advice.

Those bacteria bottles haven't got a great review over at fishforums.net

I personally use the API freshwater master test kit, only cost me £17 or £18.

Also

imo goldfish should not be kept in tanks, they grow to big and really need a pond.

if you are getting a new tank i assume you are also getting a bigger filter (i reccomend a Fluval External Filter 305 for a 300L tank), place one of your new filter pads in with your current filter to try and seed it.

also use the water from your changes to fill the new tank and run the new filter with this water to seed the rest of the filter media.

it should help speed up the cycle process.

If he has things like fin rot and other nasties, is it wise he's re-using that water in a new tank?

 

[dfarrall]

Those bacteria bottles haven't got a great review over at fishforums.net

Really what do they say about them? Theyre pretty much what it says on the bottle so dont see why they could have a bad review!

 

[Baz]

Really what do they say about them? Theyre pretty much what it says on the bottle so dont see why they could have a bad review!

go & find ammonia as all bacteria need food & oxygen, as do all life forms in one way or another. this is why we dont think the cycle in a bottle can work, theya are in a sealed container so no oxegen, the bacteria would perish within days without food, but are in a warehouse for months, then in your lfs for weeks before introduction into the tank.

Kind of see their logic, anyhoo got a API master kit on order and off to hunt down ammonia tomorrow!

 

[Kristoph]

Your best bet would be getting a bit of sponge/filter media from a healthy tank.

Obviously make sure the water you use for the first time is treated/dechlorinated.

It's a good idea to test your tap water so you know what you'll be working with when you do water changes.

Test the water in the tank, dose the water with a measured amount of ammonia (I can't remember exactly what I dosed mine with) - but you want to make sure it's not going off the scale on your water tests.

Get the temps to where you want them.

Make sure you get the sponge from the healthy tank nearer to the moment you get the tank going so the bacteria survive.

Then start monitoring Ammonia and Nitrite (Ammonia is broken down to Nitrite by either nitrosomonas or nitrosoccocus bacteria, cant remember which) You don't want to let your Ammonia drop to 0 as you'll have nothing for the bacteria to live off.

As your Nitrite is produced, you should start to get Nitrobacter bacteria breaking it down into Nitrate.

Eventually after dosing and keeping the Ammonia level at a consistant level you should see your Nitrate levels rising.

Plants should keep Nitrates low, and a small amount of Nitrate isn't going to bother your fish really.

Eventually I let the Ammonia/Nitrite levels drop off slightly (they were dropping fairly quickly once it was finally cycled) and then added some hardy fish. Started with 5 Black Neon tetras and let that run for a while to get settled before adding another 5 Cardinal tetra.

 

[Baz]

I don't know anyone with an aquarium though

Gonna take my time and get some ammonia...

Not going with live plants though, too much hassle for now. Plus haven't got enough light.

 

[utajoker]

If he has things like fin rot and other nasties, is it wise he's re-using that water in a new tank?

With only 1 fish would it matter?

If u don't want to buy ammonia just start dumping food in to get the cycle going.

It's how I did mine. Feed the tank a couple of days worth each day for a few days.

 

[Someone]

I got the new tank home last night which was fun and after inspecting it properly this morning it is obvious that the previous owner didnt look after it at all well. The inside is filthy and they have done a botch job of resealing the inside which I dont like the look of (good job it cost me next to nothing otherwise I would be fuming).

So I have decided that I am going to take the whole thing apart (as in to 5 individual sheets of glass), give it a good clean with a scraper, vinegar and isopropyl alcohol & then put it back together.

I have sourced some aquariaum grade silicone from a custom tank maker which will be delivered tomorrow & they use it on tanks upto 14ft so it will be strong enough to hold the whole thing together.

I have never done this before so it is going to be interesting and probably quite stressful (especially when leak testing). Will try to get some pics up later if I can or might create another thread about it if anyone is interested.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Good luck chap!

Been keeping for years, and never re-built a tank.

Take some pics of the process, would be a nice little project

 

[Kristoph]

Here's a couple pics, excuse the poor quality!

My fave guys in the tank;

 

[krisboats]

I got the new tank home last night which was fun and after inspecting it properly this morning it is obvious that the previous owner didnt look after it at all well. The inside is filthy and they have done a botch job of resealing the inside which I dont like the look of (good job it cost me next to nothing otherwise I would be fuming).

So I have decided that I am going to take the whole thing apart (as in to 5 individual sheets of glass), give it a good clean with a scraper, vinegar and isopropyl alcohol & then put it back together.

I have sourced some aquariaum grade silicone from a custom tank maker which will be delivered tomorrow & they use it on tanks upto 14ft so it will be strong enough to hold the whole thing together.

I have never done this before so it is going to be interesting and probably quite stressful (especially when leak testing). Will try to get some pics up later if I can or might create another thread about it if anyone is interested.

It's really easy to do. Slice the seems with a single razor blade or extended Stanley knife. Use 'silicone sealant remover' which is available at b&q or bathroom stores to get the glue off properly as scraping is a pain in the arse.

Use corner braces to hold the panes together at right angles and put a bead along the join to start it. Once you've joined up all four sides leave it to dry over night. In the morning run a bead around the top edge and fit your base panel. Place weights around the sides to hold the panel down firmly and leave it to dry till the evening.

Fit your braces and then add to the seals inside to improve their water tightness. Leave to dry for 36-48 hours before adding water. Any aquarium silicone will be fine, most pet shops sell it in case you run out.

 

[Someone]

Thanks for the info krisboats. The problem I had with the silicone from the pets shops was that all of the manufacturer's that I spoke to said that it was not suitable for a tank of this size (4.5 foot wide, 2 foot high & 1.5 foot deep) & was only really meant for doing internal seals, or resticking tanks up to 100 litres.

Having looked at it in more detail while cleaning & sorting the top brace out I think the silicone holding the side panels together is alright & I just need to re-do the inside seal, but the base will definitely need to come off and be re-attached as there is movement if I push the back panel. I will add black plastic edge braces all the way round (probably inside & out) just to be sure it is strong enough.


Edit: New thread started & pics moved.