Some new tank upkeep questions

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youronlysin

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Jun 1, 2004
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Toano, Virginia!
I'll re-post these questions here, in the right area. 8O

I'll tell you a bit about my setup then I have some questions regarding the filter, air and plants.

I have a ten gallon tank, Whisper Power Filter for up to 15 gallon tank, 50 watt submersible heater, colored gravel substrate, several plastic plants, a "cave structure", a synthetic rock with a nice tunnel through it and a good sized synthetic coral decoration. I keep tank temp at 80 degrees.
I have 8 Neon Tetras, a male Betta and a small Pleco. The tank ran with a seeded filter for a week, then the Pleco was added for a week before adding the rest of the fish. The water parameters were tested by the lfs before I added the new fish, but I test the water daily. I can see the Nitrite levels rising a bit now, but the parameters are still safe. I dont have an ammonia test kit, but will get one in the next day or two. The lfs tested that before I added the fish, but I know that will change rapidly now. I know the cycle wasnt the best, but I was told by the lfs (idiots) that it was great. That was before I found this forum.

My questions about the filter are, should I let the return water "fall" into the tank from say an inch or so above the surface? As it is now, the water just runs into the tank at about surface level and doesnt cause much current. Also, should the intake tube reach the bottom of the tank or close to it? The tube that came with it only reaches mid level. I also have a bubble wall which runs extremely low (only a few bubbles emit from a couple of places); it tends to make the filter run a little noisy if the bubbles are too high, the intake tube must be sucking air or something. There is also a single airstone in the corner near the heater that runs at a moderate level. Do I need to watch the air bubbles and create more water movement with the filter or am I ok?
 
I forgot to ask about the plants. All plants in the tank are synthetic now, but I was thinking about adding, or changingto live plants. Also, I read twice that people have had luck growing the houseplant pothos in the tank. One person had it on top with roots in the water, the other had the whole plant in the water with roots in the substrate. Does anyone else have any input on this? I dont know if the plant is toxic or whatnot, but the other people seemed to have luck with it in their fish stocked tanks. Just wondering if it would be a good idea.
 
As it is now, the water just runs into the tank at about surface level and doesnt cause much current.
There's a difference between current and surface agitation. The more surface agitation (ripples), the more oxygen in the tank. Current (downward flow in this case) is good for some fish and stresses others out. Fish in a river are usually more tolerant of current then fish in a lake for instance.

should the intake tube reach the bottom of the tank or close to it
I can't think of any reason why that would make a difference.

Do I need to watch the air bubbles and create more water movement with the filter or am I ok?
Again, this goes back to the surface agitation. The bubble don't actually add air to the water. The agitation of the surface by the bubbles is what causes the oxygen to enter the water.

I forgot to ask about the plants.
I don't run live plants. You may get a better response in the freshwater/planted tank forum, but I'm sure that someone will come along with some answers for you in this one.
 
Some live plants can be grown successfully in a tank. I've got 3 planted tanks right now. Most plants grown in aquaria are true "aquatic" plants, such as Hygropila polysperma ("Hygro"), Microsorium pteropus ("Java Fern"), Egeria densa("Anacharis"), and Anubias barteri. Some others grow emersed, such as Bamboo and Mangroves. Most houseplants would die submersed, though they'd do well floating on the surface, if you could find a way to do this with few logistical problems.

I think you'll find that the most rewarding plants to grow in this tank will be true aquatics. The 4 species I mention above are all appropriate for low-light tanks, and could almost certainly be grown by you with success if planted in the present substrate, and supplemented with a "fertilized" substrate such as Fluorite or Eco Complete. Most other aquatic plants will not do well without 3 or more watts of light per gallon and a CO2 injection system designed to supplement their CO2 needs... You can read about these issues on other threads in the Planted Tanks forum if you're interested. A true, fully planted tank is a spectacle to behold, but a LOT of work. The best method for anybody starting out is to go with low-light plants.

HTH
 
youronlysin said:
The tank ran with a seeded filter for a week, then the Pleco was added for a week before adding the rest of the fish. The water parameters were tested by the lfs before I added the new fish, but I test the water daily. I can see the Nitrite levels rising a bit now, but the parameters are still safe. I dont have an ammonia test kit, but will get one in the next day or two. The lfs tested that before I added the fish, but I know that will change rapidly now. I know the cycle wasnt the best, but I was told by the lfs (idiots) that it was great. That was before I found this forum.

My questions about the filter are, should I let the return water "fall" into the tank from say an inch or so above the surface? As it is now, the water just runs into the tank at about surface level and doesnt cause much current. Also, should the intake tube reach the bottom of the tank or close to it? The tube that came with it only reaches mid level. I also have a bubble wall which runs extremely low (only a few bubbles emit from a couple of places); it tends to make the filter run a little noisy if the bubbles are too high, the intake tube must be sucking air or something. There is also a single airstone in the corner near the heater that runs at a moderate level. Do I need to watch the air bubbles and create more water movement with the filter or am I ok?

Hi and welcome. Get a freshwater master test kit and post the water parameters here. Running a seeded filter in a tank without an ammonia source for a week may have killed the bio filter, no food for them. Checking the water before the fish were in their and no other ammonia source doesn't tell you anything as you know.

I keep my tanks water level right at the outflow from the filter, no waterfall so the filter creates ripples on the surface. With your filter and airstone/bubble wall you should have plenty of 02 exchange. I don;t think it matters if the filter intake is in the middle or near the bottom of the tank.
 
Hi youronlysin (cool nic) :D . I think you've asked some very good questions. I would suggest doing 25% daily water changes until you're certain the tank has fully cycled. This will slow down the cycling process a bit, but reduce the stress your fish are going through. Make sure to use a chlorine/chloramine remover when you change water.

Side note: Plecos like water movement. You can increase the water agitation and benifit the fish.
 
Well, its been two days since I added my final batch of fish and I can really see things changing fast. The first group of fish I put in were a really bad choice; 1 small Angel and 5 various Barbs including 2 Tigers. Those fish were a little large, approaching 1.5" each (large for my ten gallon tank). I removed all of those fish and have since settled for a small school of Neon Tetras and one male Betta.
Ive been doing daily 20-25% water changes since I added the new fish because I could really see the gunk the bigger bunch left behind after only one day in the tank. All of my current fish "seem" to be quite happy. I can really see a difference in the behaviour of the Tetras since I removed the barbs, and the Betta just acts a whole lot better since hes been freed from his "cup".
The main changes Im seeing now are the effects of the tank cycle. My Nitrite levels are approching unsafe levels and the Nitrates are now starting to climb as well. I know thats expected as the cycle continues, but Im afraid of the ammonia levels (mainly because I dont have a test kit for that yet). I'll run and get one this afternoon. I just did another water change on the tank and I think it will be ok as long as I keep that up while the tank cycles. Just looking at my log program, I can see now that I can't afford to go even one day without doing a water change as those levels seem to climb very fast. The fish seem to be ok at this point and Im not noticing anything odd yet.
 
At this point, the levels will change quickly. Daily water changes are a must. Since the nitrites are climbing, my guess (and hope) is you already had your ammonia spike.

Bettas do not like a lot of surface agitation. If you want to increase surface agitation, make sure you have a quiet area in the tank for the betta.
 
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