Your current Fish tank Setups!

[BDEE]

Can anyone help me with my fishless cycle...

I seem to have had my nitrite spike as it hit 7-8ppm and is now down to 0.25 again but my ammonia has never dropped below 1ppm is this normal?

Sounds to me like you have used too much ammonia (assuming you are using pure ammonia for the cycle?).

Are you measuring nitrate AND nitrite?

You should be dosing the ammonia to about 5ppm then not re-dosing until it has dropped all the way back down again to zero before adding any more.


Unless you are doing the add daily method, but tbh dont know why anyone would choose this over the add and wait method.

Also if you have nitrites of 0.25 then you are still not cycled anyway. Nitrite needs to be 0.0 as any level can be lethal.

 

[King4aDay]

Well, I've got a whole bunch of new plants and hardscape cluttering up my room, but still in two minds about whether I'm going to redo my big tank.

Got some lovely new fish yesterday (Sawbwa resplendens) which have really brought the tank alive. I should point out at this point that as there's someone home almost all the time now the fish are getting a lot more supplemental feeding, so I'm not convinced the tank is really self sustaining any more. Certainly still low input though.

My macro kit is at work at the moment so just a couple of quick snaps. I'll try and bring the macro rig home this week and get some of the danios and loaches as well.

 

[greengiant]

Will giving my fish their evening meal, I noticed this wee patch of white clear eggs covered in a clear jelly substance stuck to the side of the tank.

The patch is ~15mm in size:

Any idea what these are?

Currently I have 4 pentazona barbs, and two corydora's schwartz in the tank (Juwel rekord 700).

I think I saw two snails mating the other day, could these be snail eggs?

 

[King4aDay]

Yeah those are snail eggs. Prepare to see tiny little mini snails everywhere in a few days time.

 

[Brookert]

Yeah those are snail eggs. Prepare to see tiny little mini snails everywhere in a few days time.

Wish my snails would have laid eggs. They were great at rasping off algae from the glass. Since they died, I have to scrub every few days.

 

[BDEE]

Wish my snails would have laid eggs. They were great at rasping off algae from the glass. Since they died, I have to scrub every few days.

If you have to scrub every few days then you should identify the root cause and deal with it that way!

 

[RoachycaL]

Yeah those are snail eggs. Prepare to see tiny little mini snails everywhere in a few days time.

They'll probably get eaten by the fish before they have time to hatch!

 

[dokko]

Got myself the greediest mandarin on the planet!

Sorry, just seen this thread for the first time, that fish is awesome.

 

[lewism]

My new (and small) fish tank:=

Although the chap in the local fish shop is helpful, I could do with some advice from the OCuk fish guru's please....

The tank I bought is only a 19l and has been switched on for only a week. I'm not contemplating putting any fish in just yet and would like some advice on water ph levels etc.

I treated the water initially and added some API filter start to get things going. I just used the test kits tonight and a couple of the readings are very high but some others not too bad.

GH (general hardness) level is 180
KH (carbonate hardness) level is 240
pH is 7.5
Nitrite is 0
Nitrate is 20
Amonia is 0

I live in an area where the local water is very hard and the chap in the fish store said that it should'nt be too much of an issue as of course all his fish are in the same water.

I've also set the small water heater to 26deg

Any recommendations on fish type for my small tank would be most welcome as i've always wanted to keep a small amount of tropical fish.

My goal is to eventually get at least one clown fish in there.

Just a quick note. Is that a totally enclosed tank? would be perfect for me if it is.

 

[Brookert]

If you have to scrub every few days then you should identify the root cause and deal with it that way!

well i've been upping my water changes. The problem is the stuff is so hard to get off (with the magnet cleaner) I barely get any off.

Can anyone reccomend a good bottom feeding fish that doesn't get enormous

 

[BDEE]

well i've been upping my water changes. The problem is the stuff is so hard to get off (with the magnet cleaner) I barely get any off.

Can anyone reccomend a good bottom feeding fish that doesn't get enormous

The only "algea eater" worth getting which wouldn't add to the problem is a bristlenose. They don't get huge. Common misconception that plecs etc help eliminate algae - They dont, they only add to the problem because of the added bioload on the tank.

Is your tank in direct sunlight? What is your fish stock / water volume and what media do you use in your filter?

 

[Baz]

Cleaned the tank out this weekend, I get a lot of algae build up as well thats hard to get off, though the tank is in the room next to our conservatory, so it gets a bit of sun.

Currently got:
2 Platys
2 White angel fish
3 pearl gouramis
2 other gouramis
3 Hillsteam Loaches (love these)
6 Polka dot Loaches (bonkers mad things)
1 lonely goby

 

[Brookert]

The only "algea eater" worth getting which wouldn't add to the problem is a bristlenose. They don't get huge. Common misconception that plecs etc help eliminate algae - They dont, they only add to the problem because of the added bioload on the tank.

Is your tank in direct sunlight? What is your fish stock / water volume and what media do you use in your filter?

Its not for the algae, its just something to add to make it interesting. My tank is 90 odd litres, with 5 neon tetras, 5 zebra danios, 2 otto's, one dwarf gourami and various shrimp.

The algae isn't a massive problem, its the green dot stuff the seems to grow slowely, and it makes good grazing for the ottos and shrimp. The tank is planted, and the whole back section of the tank is a large inbuilt filter.

 

[King4aDay]

A group of pygmy corydoras would work well in there.

 

[Brookert]

Little pic of my tank, needs something adding to it, like a piece of wood or something.

 

[MeatLoaf]

Heres mine, currently houses :

3 Zebrea Danios
3 Leopard Danios
11 Neon Tetras
2 Kribensis
3 Marbled Hatchetfish - my fave by far.

 

[Brookert]

How quickly does that hornwort grow? (I think its the stuff in on the right)

 

[MeatLoaf]

How quickly does that hornwort grow? (I think its the stuff in on the right)

The one on the right is Cabomba and it grows very rapidly in decent light. Thats only 2 plants there on the right

 

[peter212693]

Starting to get stocked up now

12 Neon Tetras
6 Zebra Danios
6 Five Banded Barbs
5 Cherry Barbs
4 Clown Loachs

Took a little video with my phone earlier today! Clown loachs, cherrys and five bands where all added only 24 hours ago so are hiding away and swimming around like mad still at the moment!

http://youtu.be/KClqr1y2U8U

Please let me know any advise!

 

[MagicBoy]

Looks good

4 Clown loaches in a 3ft tank is pushing it. They are quite long lived and can get to well over a foot long! At least you've got a decent external filter.