my new tank - suggestions required!

[mlennox]

hi thanks alot for the feedback..

I know the previous owner had cichlids and he cleaned the tank before giving it to me. I de-chlorinated the water with a water ager as per the specifications on the bottle. Stress Zyme is in the trash can, and the prawns are starting to feel a little on the soft side but are still together.

I went to my local aquarium today and again the staff had absolutely no knowledge of anything other then pulling dead fish out of tanks in my presence.. real let down.

I tested the pH 7.2 and ammonia is now 1 ppm as per picture below.

I also purchased a piece of drift wood and located some stones from a friend, both cleaned and inserted in tank.

i also purchased a co2 diffuser and tubing to setup a yeast bottle... can i get away with a higher wattage with a DIY co2 kit? i believe i have to replace the co2 bottle once a month?

just looking at those hydor koralias they go for about $90AUD which is a bit steep but a cost i'm prepared to pay down the track when the tank is planted..

Age of Aquariums - Hydor Koralia 1

Cheers
Mark

 

[Miss_Stacey]

Just a query.
It looks like you have the prawns in a ziplock bag, am I right?
If so, is it sealed or open? Are you allowing the main column of tank water to have constant access to it so it can pass into your filter?
New unwashed pantyhose are a better option.

 

[Purrbox]

How often you need to replace the DIY CO2 mixture, depends largely on the recipe that you use and the type of yeast. Certain recipes and yeasts will extend the length of the reaction and therefore the time between changes. It could easily range anywhere between 2-6 weeks. I heavily recommend using more than one bottle and then rotating the mixture changes so that you get steadier CO2 levels.

 

[jsoong]

i fired up the pH tester kit and my pH is sitting at about 7.6 so i have added the necessary pH down to bring it down to a more reasonable 7.0 (60 drops, sheesh).

I would suggest NOT messing with the pH. unless you really know what you are doing, it is difficult to buffer your water down to a lower pH. Most fish will do fine with the pH you have at the start, so there is no need to change it anyhow. Adding pH down by titration 9like you are doing will simply get you pH swings, this is way worse than a pH slightly out of the preferred range of the fish.

<Abbreviated science content!!! By adding just enough pH down to a pH of 7.0, you have not achieve a new equilibrium. Buffers (like pH down) get used up. Even if a little of the pH down is used up, the pH will quickly shoot up. (pH of 7.0 is halfway between the equilibrium pH of the pH down & carbonates in your water, the worst place for pH stability!) You can convince yourself by measuring the pH daily during your cycling. I would expect rather unstable readings.>

 

[mlennox]

cheers for the feedback and the pH down/up have left the building

i took your advice and chucked the prawns in a stocking as the bag looked to be growing on the outside of the holes??? (is that the bacteria?) i tested the pH still 7.6 and ammonia is now 2 ppm.

There is also a strange oily glaze on the surface of the water bunched up in circles which i can break with a test tube... what on earth would that be ?

Also should i be getting into the habit of changing the water despite the lack of fish in the tank ? or do i start doing that after the initial cycling?

updated pic below, lots of floaty bits in the water - im assuming there parts of the prawns (god they stunk something awful!)

Thanks again
Mark

 

[mlennox]

i have a feeling that oily glaze may be caused by a lack of oxygen in the water as i submerge the filter at night so i can sleep. Would that be a correct assumption? and if so should i be looking at buying an aerator or will that simply conflict with my co2 when it is installed?

ML

 

[Sahabo]

Definitely do not do any water changes, as it might disrupt the cycling process. I think the only time water changes would be needed during a fishless cycle is 1) if you find that your ammonia levels are off the charts and 2) a large water change when the cycling is finished to bring down the nitrates before you add fish.

 

[Lager]

You need to keep the filter running. The bacteria need O2 and when you have fish they will need the O2 from circulation. It also needs to run all the time to keep your water quality good.

 

[FishEggs]

adding an air pump will off gas the co2 faster and you may not get the levels needed for the system to be balanced (aka lots of algae growth.)

you should also be adding more uncooked prawns as they disintegrate to keep the cycle going.

 

[mlennox]

cool, the strange film has gone as i moved the filter inline with the water level to oxygenate the water... ammonia still running about 2ppm and prawns are getting to the decomposing stage.. i am going away for a week on wednesday so will put some new prawns in the tank for whilst i am away..

heres what i have proposed in terms of fish species, most of these seem to prefer the same water hardness from what i've read and don't have issues being in a community tank ( except i need some confirmation on the guppies & catfish ?!? ) Also should i throw in a few angel fish ?

Cheers

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

Hey lookin good!

There are a couple Aussie's on the site that may be able to help you with good vendors.

On that driftwood and rocks, did you boil them? Its a good idea to kill whatever may be living on them.

Those Cory's like to be in groups, I would look into 4-5 for your tank.

Gouramis can be territorial so I would stay with 2 max.

On the Livebearers(Platy/Guppy) just realize that if you have females they may have fry if they have ever been with a male. They can store sperm for a long time. And if you have males and females then they will quickly multiply.

 

[mlennox]

Thanks again for the feedback will keep the fish suggestions in mind when i go to purchase!

Didn't get around to boiling them... would it be too late now?

just tested my ammonia still 2ppm, the water absolutely stinks - i have replaced the two prawns with two new prawns as i will be away for a week.. pH still 7.5

will purchase a nitrite/nitrate tester for my return.. any way to knock out the odour or is that just the ammonia part working well?

Cheers
Mark

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

Didn't get around to boiling them... would it be too late now?

No its never too late, its highly suggested as you never know where they have been or what may be living on it. Just boil it for 1/2hr or so to be safe.

 

[Purrbox]

just tested my ammonia still 2ppm, the water absolutely stinks

any way to knock out the odour or is that just the ammonia part working well?

You could add some activated carbon to your filter if the smell is bothering you. Once your aquarium finishes cycling, it should only have a slight earthy/fishy smell when you get your nose very close.

 

[mlennox]

i hath returned to find my tank very dirty! i gave the walls a good scrub to remove all the brown grit and replaced the 2 prawns which were looking a bit worse for wear..

also purchased my nitrate/nitrite testing kit today..

currently pH still 7.6, ammonia has dropped to 0ppm... nitrate is at 20ppm and nitrite is at 0.25 ppm

theres a fair bit of white stuff floating around in the tank ( as pictured below ) i've fished out a fair bit of it, i'm guessing its bits of prawn... should i be cleaning this garbage out or leaving it be?

Cheers
Mark

 

[Purrbox]

It's going to need to come out sooner or later. I'd probably remove it sooner to save the headache later when you're ready to add fish.

 

[mlennox]

Ok i'll dump them when i do the large water change.

p.s. i think i'm cycled..

ph7.6 nitrites 0 ammonia 0 and nitrates are 20ppm nitrites dropped overnight.. it's only been 3 weeks, the filter media was still damp from the previous owner and he hadn't cleaned it so i'm assuming some of the bacteria survived and are now thriving?

should i give it a few more days, do the large water change if the nitrite/ammonia stay at 0 and the nitrates are still 20 - 40 ??

Cheers
Mark

 

[Lager]

I would give a couple of days to be sure, but it sure sounds like you are done. A large water change and you are ready for some fish. Congrats.

 

[Alaris]

Well you're not going to see ammonia and nitrItes for a few days because you have no ammonia source. If you want to be safe and check to be sure you're cycled, then go with another round of shrimp. You know you're cycled when ~4ppm of ammonia drops to 0 with 0 nitrItes within 24 hrs.
​

 

[Purrbox]

As long as your Ammonia and Nitrite stay at zero and the Nitrate continues rising them your cycle is complete. After a couple more days you should be able to tell for sure.