New 38 Gallon Fancy Goldfish Tank

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HooKooDooKu said:
I've read suggestions that specifically state to stay away from Duckweek (don't know about Frogbit). Duckweek can take over the top layer of the tank, and from what I have read, once it is in your tank, you can never get it all out.
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Duckweed is a very aggressive plant. I just net out the extra weekly before my PWCs. I have a sponge over my filter intake for my Shrimp, so that keeps the filter clear of plants also. I make sure to compost or throw the excess Duckweed away, not into water of any kind.

My Shrimp and fish love floating plants, but Duckweed is a hard one to get rid of entirely :)
 
jlk said:
Yes! We need to get your nitrites lowered. Just add the dose of water conditioner before refilling your tank. Allow the water to sit for @10mins before restarting your filters (always turn everything off when doing wcs!). Then allow the water to circulate for atleast 15-20mins before retesting. :)
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Oh interesting, I have never turned off my filters while doing the pwcs because I have extended the filter intake so it reaches the bottom of my tank and the water never reaches that low of a level. Is it still required to turn off the filter?
 
ryukins said:
Oh interesting, I have never turned off my filters while doing the pwcs because I have extended the filter intake so it reaches the bottom of my tank and the water never reaches that low of a level. Is it still required to turn off the filter?
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From a safety aspect, its always a good idea to turn off any electrical applicance before sticking your hands in the tank. :)
 
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Just a quick update, I did a 50% pwc and I tested my water after waiting for 30mins. My nitrite reading is presently .5 ppm, I am not sure how accurate this is. I am now starting another 50% pwc and will keep you guys posted.
 
The second 50% pwc is completed and nitrites are now at .25 ppm!!

I am going to leave the tank running and check again tomorrow.
 
This morning my nitrite readings were 2ppm. I have done a pwc to reduce it to .5 ppm. Should I do another one to reduce it to .25? I am afraid this might not provide another food for bacteria to grow.

Also another question, when I take water for testing which part of the tank should I take the water sample from?

Right now I take some from the top and some from the water that comes out of the filter. Is this correct?
 
I would do another water change- .5ppm for nitrite is really high. Dont worry about your bacteria being fed because their is a constant supply of ammonia coming from your fish & their waste. As you are seeing, the levels rise quite quickly in a short frame of time. Stay on top of your testing & water changes to keep your levels of amm/nitrite below .25ppm. You pretty much can take water for testing from anywhere in your tank- your filter constantly circulates all the water you have so the readings should be the same no matter where you take the sample from. Hope this helps!
 
Anubias isn't much of a nutrient sink--it grows too slow. Same with Java Fern--Java moss is good though. Duckweed grows fast enough to soak up nutrients (ie, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate ^_^) but it is hard to get out if you decide you don't want it anymore. Hornwort is another low light fast growing floating plant, but it sheds needles. I have it--I just siphon out the shed needles during the water changes. Anacharis is a fast grower that can either float or get kind of planted/tied down that goldfish are supposed to like to nibble on. Dwarf water lettuce is a fast growing lower light floater too.

Just in case you want some options ^_^ My 55 gallon is planted fairly heavily--I was trying to figure out why my nitrates had never gotten over 20 ppm before I remembered about the plants *lol*
 
I bought some java moss today at the lfs. They had it on sale for 3 bucks.
It came in a ball and I separated it out but it kind of fell apart into pieces. Is this normal?

I have netted out most of the small pieces now and have tried to stick it to my treated piece of drift wood...

Will this help bring down my nitrities and also speed up the cycling?
 
Water changes are the only way to truly bring down your nitrites until your tank is fully cycled. Once its cycled, your ammonia & nitrites will remain at zero. How are things going beyond the moss falling apart?
 
I was able to stick most of the java moss to the wood by pushing the ends into the holes in the wood. The java moss is a little darker color than I expected, hopefully it will turn brighter green. Do I need to buy any special chemicals or fertilizer for this stuff? Or can I just let it grow on its own?
 
ryukins said:
I was able to stick most of the java moss to the wood by pushing the ends into the holes in the wood. The java moss is a little darker color than I expected, hopefully it will turn brighter green. Do I need to buy any special chemicals or fertilizer for this stuff? Or can I just let it grow on its own?
Click to expand...

You can lay the Moss in a thin layer on the wood and tie it with some cotton thread.
You shouldn't need any ferts AFAIK.
The thread will eventually rot, but by then the Moss should have taken hold.

Keep up the PWCs.
 
I would like to hear some opinions about the filter I have in the tank. Currently I have an aqua clear 50 for this 38 gallon tank with 2 ryukins. Is this enough filtration? They are rated for 50 gallon tanks I believe. I also have a bubble wand installed at the back to provide more aeration.
 
I would add another filter. What you need to figure out is the gph (gallons per hour) for the filter you have- most filters 'state' they are rated for a x size tank but their grossly under-rated. With goldfish because of their messiness & high bioload, you want to aim for minimum of 10x your tank size (ie 40g tank needs 400gph filter, 30g a 300gph, etc). Lots of aeration is a good idea as well because goldies have higher oxygen needs than typical fish. :)
 
Hmm. What would you suggest because my tank has not finished cycling and I do not want to remove the filter and the beneficial bacteria right now? Should I invest in a canister system in addition to my aqua clear? Any suggestions on that?

My hood won't allow for another HOB filter (the cut out hole is too small and also there is a horizontal divider).

Another option maybe is that I might be able to return the aqua clear and exchange it for a bigger HOB filter (aqua clear 110?).
 
Currently in my aquaclear filter I have two bags of biological filtration and one sponge (I removed the carbon filter and replaced it with additional biological filtration). Will this allow me to stay with the aqua clear 50 for my tank?
 
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