Introduce Yourself!

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Offline Extreme_One

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #520 on: February 23, 2016, 07:58:02 PM »
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We're thinking about fitting an RO unit to the kitchen cold water tap. Why is there a lot of waste water?

The following quote is taken from another site on the subject.

Quote
Depending on the model, most RO filter systems* will discharge 4 to 20 gallons (15.1 L to 75.7 L) of backwash water for every gallon of filtered water it produces.

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Tiger Barb (1) - Cardinal Tetra (17) - Otocinclus (1) - Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid (2) - Ornamental Snails (50) - Assassin Snail (2) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Sue

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #521 on: February 23, 2016, 09:20:00 PM »
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    Hello!
    I currently have a 190L Juwel corner aquarium with:
2 bronze catfish (Corydoras Aeneus)
5 Kribensis (1 male 4 females)
1(was 2) tiger hillstream loaches
3 clown loaches
2 pearl gouramis
4 small angelfish
If any tips on keeping these fish come up please notify me!
Thinking about getting some Otocinclus
My catfish laid eggs on the glass so any ideas how to get them to lay on a piece of glass to be moved into a breeding tank would be helpful!

Apache6467  :fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1:



You did ask.....

The cories need to be in a group of at least 6 of the same species. Bronze cories also come in an albino form so you could mix standard and albinos if you don't want 6 that look the same.
Kribs - if you get a pair, the other 3 might get picked on
Clown loaches grow huge, and should also be in a shoal. be prepared to get a much bigger tank, or find a new home for them before they get too big or they'll get stunted.
Angelfish - see comment on kribs

Otos are nice little fish. You'll need a shoal of them. They commonly just die shortly after purchase because of the way they've been caught and handled in transit. Otos need to be fed carefully and they often don't get the right kind of food after capture. Once they reach a certain stage of starvation they can't start eating again. Buy fish that have been in the shop a couple of weeks so the weak ones will already have died, and choose the ones with rounded abdomens as those are eating OK. And make sure you have plenty algae in the tank before you buy.

As for the cory eggs - see your other threads.

Offline apache6467

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #522 on: February 23, 2016, 09:39:03 PM »
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Thanks for the advice sue...
If I add in more catfish, will it mess up my current catfish breeding?
As for the kribs... I shall see what I can do as they squabble a lot. The angelfish are small and I don't know the genders...
The clown loaches are small and grow slow, got them last week so when they grow big I probably will regime them
Once again
Thanks very much sue :cheers:
Apache6467

Offline Sue

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #523 on: February 23, 2016, 09:46:20 PM »
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Adding more cories will probably encourage breeding as they'll be happier with more of them. Provided they are all the same species, that is.

Offline Paddyc

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #524 on: February 25, 2016, 07:39:40 PM »
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Hi there,

Newbie just registered, I will soon be setting up my first tropical aquarium but have experience from my teenage years helping my dad look after his own aquariums. I want to give myself the best chance of creating a good clean and hygienic environment before buying any fish, I obviously realise it takes sensibility and patience by the bucket load... And after a quick browse through the forum, a hell of a lot of reading!

I don't have ANY equipment yet but have been provisionally offered a tank, filter and heater by a friend and colleague so I will update the specs of what I will be working with. I have been reading about tank cycling (which I was never aware of my dad doing) so I'm learning already.

A few initial questions...

1. What testing kit is best value for money?
2. Other than Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph and temperature, what else should I monitor?

The rest of my questions I will search the forum for, I struggled to find anything about testing kits.

Many thanks in advance, glad to be here!

Paddy

Offline Sue

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #525 on: February 25, 2016, 07:59:57 PM »
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Hi Paddy  :wave:

Test kits - liquid reagent ones work out cheaper per test than dip strips (though they cost more to buy initially, they do more tests for the money) and the strips don't test for ammonia. I use the kit by API which contains ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and high range pH.
I've also heard good things about the JBL set but not having used it myself I don't know exactly what's in it.

With pH, test your tapwater straight from the tap and let a glass of water sit out on the worktop and test that after 24 hours. You'll probably find them to be different. You need to know both.

Liquid nitrate testers have 2 or 3 bottles (depending on the make). One of the bottles needs shaking well as a reagent tends to settle on the bottom of the bottle and the shaking is important to redissolve the reagent. Failure to shake enough is the main cause of inaccurate readings. The instructions will say which bottle it is.


Those are the main things you need to test for. Hardness is also useful to know and you can either buy a separate tester, look on your water company's website or ask a shop to test a sample of tapwater for you.
GH (general hardness) is what fish websites mean when they talk about hard or soft water, and that's what water companies mean by hardness. There are several unit in use; fishkeeping uses two but water companies can use any of half a dozen. If you find the info on their website, make a note of the number and also which units they use so if necessary it can be converted to one of those used in fishkeeping.
If your water turns out to be soft, it would help to know your KH (carbonate hardness). Most water companies don't give this so you have the choice of buying a tester or getting a shop to test for it. Carbonate buffers against pH changes. If it is low, like mine, it is possible to get a pH crash; if it is hard it will be impossible to change the pH so get fish that like hard alkaline water.





Your father probably never cycled a tank as the understanding of that is fairly recent. A lot of shops don't believe in it so they may well ridicule the idea.

Offline Paddyc

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #526 on: February 25, 2016, 08:07:32 PM »
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Thanks for the comprehensive reply Sue, I have now found some info on the API Test kits and will add that to my shopping list, along with an auto-feeder since my missus and I work shifts and I want to keep a rigid feeding routine. Initially for my setup I'm aiming for a gravel substrate and live plants, which I assume I will have to assemble before commencing a cycle?

Could you clarify the logic/science behind doing a >75% water change once the tank is cycled? My naivety ont the subject leads me to think this "undoes" the cycle process?

Offline fcmf

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #527 on: February 25, 2016, 08:13:09 PM »
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Welcome, Paddy  :wave:

Sounds like you're doing everything in the right order in terms of doing the reading/research first, etc, and Sue's excellent advice should keep you on the right tracks.  I'll leave Sue/others to answer your further questions but just wanted to say hello in the meantime.  :)

Offline Sue

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #528 on: February 25, 2016, 08:19:54 PM »
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During the cycling process you don't do any water changes so adding ammonia ends up as quite a bit of nitrate. The big water change is to remove all that nitrate and get it back to the level in your tapwater. It doesn't undo the cycle, provided you remember to add dechlorinator to the replacement water, as all those bacteria you have grown are attached to the surface of the media inside the filter, and to the glass, and all the decor in the tank. Newly grown bacteria colonies are susceptible to the chlorine or chloramine that your water company adds to kill bacteria which is why we use dechlorinator.

If you want live plants you can either wait till the cycle is finished then plant them, or plant right at the beginning then wait a week or two to make sure the plants don't die before starting the cycling process. Dead and dying plants make ammonia and will mess up your results.
Plants use ammonia as food so they can help speed up the cycle; and they are likely to have filter bacteria on them which will also help.
It is possible to do something called a silent cycle where there are a lot of well growing plants which use all the ammonia made by the fish, but I would wait till you have confirmed your plant growing skills before going down that route  ;)

Offline Paddyc

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #529 on: February 25, 2016, 08:53:17 PM »
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Great info, thanks again Sue and @fcmf cheers for the welcome  ;D

Having checked the water tables for my supplier, I appear to have a very soft water supply so I foresee some challenges with the pH levels... Time will tell, I suppose.

I reckon I will go for live plants and leave for 2 weeks , then cycle, then get the fishies  :D It's going to be torture for my 5 year old daughter who expects the tank to arrive then off to Pets at Home to pick out loads of fish  :-\

Looking forward to the process though and of course, the reward once it's up and running  :D

Offline Sue

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #530 on: February 25, 2016, 09:04:28 PM »
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As your water is soft I suggest you add some bicarbonate of soda at the beginning of the cycle. Use at the rate of one level 5ml spoon per 25 litres, and monitor your pH every couple for days once ammonia starts to fall. You'll find small tubs of bicarb in the home baking section at the supermarket if you don't already have some in the kitchen.
The bacteria you will be growing prefer high pH (and bicarb will increase that) and they need carbonate to help them grow.

Sodium isn't very good for fish so when you do that big water change at the end of the cycle make it more like 100% to get rid of the bicarb. Once you have fish, make sure to do a water change of at least 25% every week, or even more often if you feel like it. I have a KH of 3 german degrees and I prevent pH crashes that way. Back about 10 years ago I did get lazy about water changes (errrmmm, every 3 weeks  :-[ ) and my pH crashed down to below 6 - this is how I first found the site, looking for advice.

Offline Paddyc

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #531 on: February 25, 2016, 09:20:10 PM »
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Aah yes we keep a stock of baking essentials in the kitchen so good to know there is a low-cost solution to the pH problem I probably will have since my water carries a KH of 1.94 German degrees  :o

Offline Sue

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #532 on: February 25, 2016, 09:27:24 PM »
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With a KH that low, once you've finished the cycle and removed all the bicarb you may want to think about using something to increase GH and KH a bit. Things like limestone or tufa rocks, or shells or coral as decor, or even crushed coral mixed in the substrate or in a bag in the filter, space permitting.



And I've seen you admiring sailfin plecs in another post - be warned that sailfins are one of the tankbuster species which grow HUUUUGE.

Offline fcmf

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #533 on: February 25, 2016, 10:08:11 PM »
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Your water hardness is very similar to mine. Take a look at my signature and 'community creator' tanks for some ideas on fish which are suitable for very soft water aquariums.

Offline Paddyc

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #534 on: February 25, 2016, 10:30:27 PM »
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I could sit and read these threads all night but I must get some sleep now, the alarm is set for 0430  :o

This forum is an absolute goldmine of information... Much respect to the moderators and the members for accumulating such a depth of knowledge and advice for novice aquarium enthusiasts like me... I will definitely be losing many hours of my life on this forum but I will enjoy it immensely.

@fcmf, I have gathered on what I have read so far that you may indeed be the very chap I will come to with my questions but I will try not to pester you, I am a firm believer in searching for the answer in the forum content before jumping straight in screaming for help  ;)

Sue, I have indeed read in the forum about Limestone/Tufa and crushed coral. Should I do specifically as you say ie. complete a cycle, 100% water change then add these?

I am aware of the capacity for growth in the Plec species... An old plec of my dads grew to nearly a foot long! I will choose carefully when it comes to the fish. But I'm doing my best to be disciplined and take the baby steps required to get the best out of my setup.

Rough plan for initial setup (having been reading for 2 hours now)...

1. Assemble tank with filter, heater (30degC), substrate, dechlorinated water and live plants (start as I intend to carry on)
2. Leave for 2 weeks, monitor pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels
3. Begin Ammonia treatment tank cycle (keeping pH under control using bicarb)
4. 100% (as close as possible) water change
5. Add fish.

6.... cross fingers and toes

Offline Extreme_One

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #535 on: February 26, 2016, 07:40:06 AM »
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Welcome aboard Paddyc.  :wave:

One thing you might want to consider adding to your plan is 2cm of John Innes No 3 potting compost beneath your gravel substrate.
This will act as a relatively cheap but effective slow-release fertiliser for your plants.

The recommended ratio is something like 2cm depth of soil and 3cm of gravel on top.

Good luck. :cheers:
I look forward to hearing how it goes and hopefully seeing some photos of your set up in future.

A Selection of Fish in my Fish Community Creator Tanks
Tiger Barb (1) - Cardinal Tetra (17) - Otocinclus (1) - Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid (2) - Ornamental Snails (50) - Assassin Snail (2) -
Note: The user may not necessarily own these fish, these are tanks that they may be building or researching for stocking purposes


Offline Paddyc

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #536 on: February 26, 2016, 09:00:30 AM »
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@Extreme_one, many thanks, I'm quite excited to get going. I have read quite a few very helpful comments of yours in the forum, I'm grateful to be able to learn from folks like Sue, fcmf and yourself.

I will be going to view the tank tonight so I'll get the pics up tonight or tomorrow. It won't be in my home til at least Tuesday next week so for now I'll be ordering an API test kit and some compost for the live plants I will definitely be wanting to use. Are there different test kits for tropical water or should the freshwater kit suffice?

I have been offered the tank (80w x 40d x 70h (cm)) with wooden cabinet stand and top, gravel, rocks, plastic plants, heater and lights and I have been told a substantial external filter unit... Make and model unknown. All of this for a very reasonable price so I'm delighted!

I calculate the empty capacity of the tank to be 224 litres so realistically I should be looking at 200-210 litres of actual water.

Is there a section of the forum where people create their own progress/project threads? If not I was thinking of starting my own in the New Fish Keepers section as I think this to be the most appropriate place.

Offline Sue

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #537 on: February 26, 2016, 09:45:39 AM »
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It's freshwater testers you need, they cover both cold water and tropical. The kind to avoid is marine testers.

That sounds a nice sized tank for starting. Bigger tanks get out of control more slowly than small ones giving you time to do something about it  :) It's bigger than my biggest tank! 70cm tall sounds quite big, I hope you have long arms  ;D
At just 80cm long you will need to stick with smaller fish though as they won't have the swimming length usually associated with 200 litre tanks. [For example, my old 125 litre was 82cm long and my current 180 is 107cm long]

New Fishkeepers sounds fine for a journal. If you want to do a photo journal rather than lots of text, try Gallery Showcase.

Offline apache6467

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #538 on: February 26, 2016, 05:01:48 PM »
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 :wave: Hi PaddyC :wave:
I am also a bit of a fish keeping newbie!
What fish are you hoping to get? Maybe this will help you decide! http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/article/first-fish-for-your-tropical-aquarium
Keep me posted as when i am older i will probably get my own tank as i share one with my dad!
Best Of Luck :afro
Apache6467 :cheers:

Offline Paddyc

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Re: Introduce yourself!
« Reply #539 on: February 26, 2016, 08:34:27 PM »
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:wave: Hi PaddyC :wave:
I am also a bit of a fish keeping newbie!
What fish are you hoping to get?

Thanks Apache, many thanks for the welcome. My fish shopping list is still under advisement. I intend to be sensible from the outset and I aspire to collect some of the prettier species once the tank has matured. Initially I'm thinking of some Barbs (not Tiger) and Mollies, a few plecs and MAYBE a hardier species of Tetras. I have a soft spot for the Neons but these won't appear for at least a few months without any issues.

 


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