http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/ en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:57:30 GMT vBulletin 60 http://cdn.aquariumadvice.com/forums/../forums/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/ http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/red-clawed-crab-134000.html Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:46:29 GMT Hello, just signed up for the forum.

I am interested in getting a pair of red clawed crabs and I am starting from scratch. I don't know much about them so any information on how to care for them/life span/what type of water conditions they need/tank size/etc I would appreciate. I have been reading on the web and it seems like it is mixed reviews as far as water type and living conditions. I just want them to be happy crabs! Thinking about getting them sometime this weekend.

Thanks for any info,
Sara ]]> skovac05 http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/red-clawed-crab-134000.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/some-chemistry-to-bear-in-mind-when-cycling-133991.html Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:44:33 GMT NO2 Then when nitrite is converted to nitrate one more oxygen is added. NO2 -> NO3 Why does this...]]> When fishless cycling the advice is to add about 4ppm of ammonia to start off........

When ammonia is converted to nitrite 3 hydrogen atoms are removed and 2 oxygen atoms are added. NH3 -> NO2

Then when nitrite is converted to nitrate one more oxygen is added.
NO2 -> NO3

Why does this matter, you ask? It matters because ppm is based on mass (weight) Ammonia is 17.04, Nitrite is 46.01 and Nitrate is 62.01.

1 ammonia is converted to form 1 nitrite, 1 nitrite is in turn converted to 1 nitrate. As this is happening the mass is increasing. ppm is eqivalent to milligrams per litre (or liter if you are 'merican). This means the number of milligrams is increasing as the conversion takes place. With out boring you with the calculations, 1 ppm of ammonia forms 2.7 ppm of nitrite then 3.6 ppm of nitrate.

Having said that 4ppm of ammonia -> 10.8ppm nitrite -> 14.4 ppm nitrate

Food for thought when redosing your ammonia because I am not sure at which point too much nitrite stalls a cycle....... ]]> mattrox http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/some-chemistry-to-bear-in-mind-when-cycling-133991.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/to-much-oxygen-133983.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:14:44 GMT is it possible to have to much oxygen in my aquarium i have live plants and a airstone can it ever be overloaded with oxygen that could harm my fish ???:pepsi: is it possible to have to much oxygen in my aquarium i have live plants and a airstone can it ever be overloaded with oxygen that could harm my fish ???:pepsi: ]]> TASHANCRAIG http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/to-much-oxygen-133983.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/72-g-bow-133980.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:04:49 GMT I have a 72 gallon bow that use to be a saltwater systme. I am converting it to freshwater. I was wanting to know about the ligths. Can i use my 48" 6X54 Nova Pro Extreme T5 fixture and if so what bulbs should i use? ]]> cooltop http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/72-g-bow-133980.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/how-often-do-i-change-my-filter-cartridge-in-a-new-tank-133978.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:44:19 GMT My 10gal tank is now fully cycled (YAY) and I have 2 bloodfin tetras and 3 guppies in there. How often should I change the filter cartridge? The LFS people said to change it monthly, but I hesitated b/c I wanted to make sure the cycling was stable. It's been over a month, I'm at zero for ammonia, nitrate and -trite, etc. So about how often should i change the cartridge (it's a whisper filter)? Thank you. Pics coming soon. ]]> http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/how-often-do-i-change-my-filter-cartridge-in-a-new-tank-133978.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/75-gal-newly-setup-aquarium-133973.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:54:41 GMT ok so my name is saul and i just got started into the hobby. well i got a 20 gallon tank about 2 months ago and everything is going great with that tank so i decided to get a bigger tank in order to get more fish. i got a 75 gal used tank and set it up about two days ago . i added the aquasafe to... ok so my name is saul and i just got started into the hobby. well i got a 20 gallon tank about 2 months ago and everything is going great with that tank so i decided to get a bigger tank in order to get more fish. i got a 75 gal used tank and set it up about two days ago . i added the aquasafe to the tap water and also added easybalance (i thought it would help with the cycle). then i added the fish and everything was going good for the first night. the next morning water started looking cloudy and now is starting to smell a little too. i keep reading online but im not sure why this is happening and i am debating if i should take my fishes out. i have three goldfish (about 5 inch) and two blue gouramis. i am thinking is bacterial bloom but im not sure. what should i do? please be kind with the comments. i am just starting and might not had made the right decisions setting up this tank but i dont want my fishes to die. so i need some help. all comments appreciated. thank you. ]]> saulog http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/75-gal-newly-setup-aquarium-133973.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/5-5-vs-10-gallon-debate-133972.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:31:57 GMT After a year without fish, I’m finally getting back into the hobby. I’ve previously kept bettas (loved them), neon tetras (hated them), tiger barbs (fun little fish!), and albino cories (love!). After asking my family to care for the barbs last summer while I was in the Czech Republic I returned to find one skeleton, one completely missing fish, and one half-dead, listless barb. I didn’t really want to go through the effort of cleaning and restocking the tank at that point, so I tore it down. Since I recently got my own apartment, I’d like to set up an aquarium again.

I’ve kept the fish mentioned above in a 5.5 gallon tank (not together!), so my plan was to reuse that aquarium and get a male betta. However, I was cleaning last night and discovered a 10 gallon in my parents’ basement. That got me thinking “Well, maybe I could use this and get the betta, and some cories!” I have a few drawbacks with the larger tank – I don’t have a proper filter or heater for it (Hagen Stingray 5 and a 25 watt heater), and I’m a bit concerned about moving it once I move out. But enough with the rambling and on to my questions!

• Is there much difference between moving a 5.5 and a 10 gallon tank? I imagine it’s not much harder/more delicate, but I could be wrong.
• If I go with the 5.5g, there would just be the one betta. Would he do ok with a snail? I know that likely depends on the betta’s personality and the type of snail. I was thinking maybe a nerite? I think they’re pretty, but I’m also open to any other ideas since picking something just because it looks good is a horrible idea.
• On that topic, does anyone have any good online resources on keeping snails and different varieties? I’ve yet to find something I consider reliable, but then again I haven’t looked too hard.
• For the 10 gallon, I’d need to get a new heater, filter, lid, thermometer, and probably substrate. I’m not thrilled about shelling out extra money to do that (~$65 by my estimate?), but I can be persuaded if enough can provide explanations that it’s worth it.
• For the 10 gallon, if I use it, I was thinking one male betta, and maybe 6 cories. According to aqadvisor.com this would be alright. But I’m wondering: would it be alright to mix cory species? For example if I had three albino and three panda. I was under the impression that the difference between these guys was their color, but apparently they’re different species? Sorry to be so ignorant on this topic, but I really did think they were just different patterns. Also, AqAdvisor has a warning that albino cories should not be kept with bettas, but there’s no problem with pandas. Is there a reason for this? Simply different species/behaviors?

Thanks in advance to anyone with advice or resources for me! I’m sorry to write yet another novel of a “Hi, I’m setting up a tank, what should I do?” post, but I figured you guys would be more helpful than the LFS. Oh! As a post script, is anyone familiar with Aquarium Adventure? Particularly the one in Columbus, but any of them really. ]]> Amaranth http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/5-5-vs-10-gallon-debate-133972.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/75-gallon-stocking-help-133951.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:01:26 GMT Here goes. I've had an empty 75 gallon sitting in my house for the past 4 years. I finally got around to making a stand for it so I wanted to start a stocking thread.

Initially, I had plans on going saltwater. Did my research. Had everything planned out, but just wasn't ready for it. Now I've decided on a freshwater community tank. I've just registered with the site, but I've been reading the forums for the past two weeks.

This is my current setup.

75 Gallon Freshwater currently in week one of a fishless cycle.
Quikrete Medium Sand as substrate.
Rena XP3 canister filter.
Artifical plants and multiple pieces of driftwood.

This is my stocking plan:
10 Neon Tetra
8 Glowlight Tetra
8 Panda Corys
8 Harlequin Rasbora
4 Male Jade Head Guppy
10-12 Female Jade Head Guppy
6 Boesemani Rainbow
4 Neon Dwarf Rainbow


Please tell me if you see any issues. Just about everything I looked at said that these fish were compatible. Am I overstocked? Understocked? Any suggestions on other fish? ]]> ezrhino http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/75-gallon-stocking-help-133951.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/sendiment-133899.html Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:33:57 GMT I'm new to this board. I haven't had this problem with my other tanks. I recently set up a twenty gallon tank for small African Cichlids. I rinsed the sand and washed everything thoroughly and allowed the rocks to dry then filled with water. As I filled the tank the water became white like a thin milk shake. I let the filter circulate the water over night and it is starting to clear up a bit. Now my question is would taking some of the water out help speed this process along? and or should I change out the water? ]]> Peimai http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/sendiment-133899.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/help-needed-133894.html Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:05:24 GMT So I got 6 Neon Tetras on saturday and added them to my 14 gallon tank with my Betta. The problem is that since I got them, the Neons wont eat! They swim around in the bottom part of the tank everywhere, but dont come up for food. My betta doesnt bully them or anything, a Neon ran right into my... So I got 6 Neon Tetras on saturday and added them to my 14 gallon tank with my Betta. The problem is that since I got them, the Neons wont eat! They swim around in the bottom part of the tank everywhere, but dont come up for food. My betta doesnt bully them or anything, a Neon ran right into my betta and he didnt do a thing! I also added the Neons before the betta (I redid my tank so I had to take my betta out) However, I'm wondering why they dont come up to the top part of the tank for food, let alone for swimming. My betta is still eating happily, but the Neons dont even acknowledge the food! I've been trying to feed them Feeze-Dried Bloodworms and Nutrafin Max Tropical Flakes but I dont get a reaction at all from them. They seem happy enough swimming around, but I'm just worried. Any ideas as to the problem? ]]> bettafish http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/help-needed-133894.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/cycling-133874.html Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:38:55 GMT So im a week into the fishless cycle and ammonia was at 4ppm as I've read it should be. Yesterday I ended up getting some used filter media and placed it in the tank. Woke up this morning and tested the parameters and not exactly sure where in the process I am and what I need to do.

Here are the results:

Ammonia is still 4.0 ppm
Nitrites: 5.0 ppm
Nitrates: 10.0 ppm

Should I just let it keep cycling? Or should I do a 50% water change? ]]> rbk001 http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/cycling-133874.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/so-tell-me-what-ya-think-133872.html Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:54:37 GMT Okay, First of all I would like to thank you all for having me here at Aquarium Advice. So here is my situation. About a month ago, for what ever reason I got super jazzed about setting up a tropical freshwater planted tank. Since then, I have been, everyday, diligently researching... Okay, First of all I would like to thank you all for having me here at Aquarium Advice.

So here is my situation. About a month ago, for what ever reason I got super jazzed about setting up a tropical freshwater planted tank. Since then, I have been, everyday, diligently researching away on all the different ideas, blogs, and forums on info to get me started. What I've found is a wealth of knowledge and things I never would have thought to be important. So I have purchased most of the gear minus a few things but I just want to get some of your opinions on weather or not I have the gist of things and the right equipment for it.

Specs:

Tank: Aqueon 29 gallon on oak stand.
Filter: Fluval 205 with bio rings mechanical sponge and polishing pad with Phos-Ban at the bottom of the basket.
Heater: Fluval E 100 Watt.
Lighting: Coralife 130 Watt 6700k 30". I will take of acrylic shield and place on glass top. I will also have them on timers to come on in a cycle.
CO2: I want to use 2 Hagen Plant-Gro Naturals. I know there's a lot of DIY and the best bet would be Pressurized systems but I don't think I'm on that level yet.
Substrate/Ferts: On the bottom layer I am using a bag of Flourite and then a gravel top of conga rock. Not sure if i will use root tabs yet or something like Seachem Equilibrium.
H20: Luckily I have an unlimited free supply of RO water do to a family members job. So i will be using 2 fifteen gallon jugs to fill up and transport my water. I will fill the tank once, then refill the two fifteen gallon jugs (which are food grade BTW) to keep them for water changes. I am using RO Right for reconstituting my water.
Accessories: You know these are cleaning utensils and the such no need for a description here.

To cycle my Aquarium I plan on taking my time adding a little bit of Cycle and then adding plants first then Some starter fish. I was thinkin something like Black Phantoms or some minnos. Later i will Add a few SAE or Ottos. My plants will be amazon sword dwarf baby tears cabomba java fern and java moss. At first i will do weekly water changes of 20-30% and gradually taper of to a 50 Once a month or twice a month.

So what do you think. Please question and comment. I really Appreciate it.

~RedFish~ ]]> RedFish http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/so-tell-me-what-ya-think-133872.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/stocking-29g-133867.html Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:00:57 GMT Hi - I had a really bad algae problem going on for the past month and half or more. In the last week my fish were starting to die. All I have left now is a pleco which is 3-4 inches and a small angel fish. Because i was left with only these two, I thought it would be good time to just start... Hi - I had a really bad algae problem going on for the past month and half or more. In the last week my fish were starting to die. All I have left now is a pleco which is 3-4 inches and a small angel fish.

Because i was left with only these two, I thought it would be good time to just start over - i know i wouldnt have cycled water in the tank, but i was getting tired of cleaning it every week and replacing the filter...it wasnt making a difference.

I did the major cleaning last night, put in new clean gravel, and a new filter. I know to let the tank cycle, but when the water level reaches a good balance, I was looking for advice on what kind of fish to add. previously I had red platys, different tetras, 2 gourami, and 2 cori catfish.

I would really like to add color to the tank. Also I want to add in plants. I had plants before, but they were starting to loose their green - not sure why.

thanks! ]]> dalalhar http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/stocking-29g-133867.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/nitrites-133862.html Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:03:26 GMT how long after i get my amonia down should i start seeing nitrites n nitrates??:p how long after i get my amonia down should i start seeing nitrites n nitrates??:p ]]> TASHANCRAIG http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/nitrites-133862.html http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/were-cycled-133832.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:13:38 GMT Ammonia....0ppm Nitrite.......0ppm Nitrate......40-80ppm !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doing a 50% water change now, and then hopefully get down to the LFS to get our White Cloud Mountain Minnows!!!!!! :BIG: Ammonia....0ppm
Nitrite.......0ppm
Nitrate......40-80ppm

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doing a 50% water change now, and then hopefully get down to the LFS to get our White Cloud Mountain Minnows!!!!!!

:BIG: ]]> Stickleback http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/were-cycled-133832.html