My first tank! 10g

[Alaris]

That's going to be a very pretty tank! I love the color of the sand you found. I bought pool filter sand in a closed bag, and it was such an ugly rust color in the water that I never used it. Then I bought some sand that looked just like yours in the bag, but now under my lights it looks pure white. Oh well.....white is okay for me.

Yours should look very pretty with the plants and fish in it!

Actually my pfs is very much the color of poo. Well it looked that way wet in a bucket after rinsing. It's a bit lighter now that it's in the tank, but the light definitely blanches it out into a nice light sandy color. ^_^

 

[Alaris]

My husband and I re-arranged the furniture last Thursday. I now have the tank to the side of the TV and also in front of a window.

I've read that indirect sunlight and ambient light won't grow algae. I have TONS of ambient light because I have 3 floor to ceiling (15' high) windows. The blinds are usually closed, but they're worn and weak so the slats don't close tightly. I don't have any drapes or curtains up.

I never have direct sunlight. My windows face north and there is a large "forest-y" field in front of my apt, so no direct light coming in whatsoever. And of course I'll be putting a background on my tank.

I plugged in my heater last night and the red light came on and nothing got shocked or shorted out. I still don't know if this heater is submersible, so I have the top dial poking out the top of my tank.

Ho hum...just waiting on my order from aq to get here. It has my test kit and my chlorine and I can't start cycling without those.

 

[AndrewH]

Nice tank I love the black sand and the rocks.

I plugged in my heater last night and the red light came on and nothing got shocked or shorted out. I still don't know if this heater is submersible, so I have the top dial poking out the top of my tank.

Ditto on that I too have a heater that I'm unsure if it's sumbersible or not. The box says "fully submersible heater" but the directions tell you to hang it on the side and not put it completely in . So I just hang it on the side.. better to be safe then sorry .

 

[Alaris]

nice tank i love the black sand and the rocks.




Ditto on that i too have a heater that i'm unsure if it's sumbersible or not. The box says "fully submersible heater" but the directions tell you to hang it on the side and not put it completely in . So i just hang it on the side.. Better to be safe then sorry :d.

Thanks! But my sand and rocks aren't black.
The problem with my heater is that it's used, no instructions, and I can't identify it online. But it's in there and didn't shock me when I stuck my hand in.
I set it to 82 and the thermometer read 84. Last night I turned it down to 79 and the thermometer now reads 82.
Oh and when I said my ambient temp is 74, I was wrong. One tick on the thermometer is 2 degrees, not 1. So my ambient temp is 78, which is very nice. But I will still use the heater to keep that temp from fluctuating.

My order from Aquarium Guys will be here today!! I can start cycling when I get home from work.

 

[Purrbox]

Ditto on that I too have a heater that I'm unsure if it's sumbersible or not. The box says "fully submersible heater" but the directions tell you to hang it on the side and not put it completely in . So I just hang it on the side.. better to be safe then sorry .

In some countries the manufacturers aren't allowed to tell the consumer that the heater can be put completely below the water. Rather than have separate directions for each country, they print the directions for the most restrictive regulations.

 

[Alaris]

Yay I got my shipment in today! I picked it up after work. I received my API Master test kit, Prime, some suction cups for the airlines, and a net.

I tested my tap water for pH and ammonia.
pH test: 7.6+
high pH test: 7.8
ammonia: 1.0 ppm

I assumed this would be the results of my tap water. I already had my tank full since Sunday. I didn't test the tank water. I dechlorinated the tank with Prime at 1.5 of the dose. I then added a cap full of ammonia. WOW does that REEK!! I was not prepared.

I turned the heater back up to 82 (which is really 84). I also added the filter media to the filter. I've been running the tank on a full basket of polyfiber to clear the dust. So I added the sponge, BioMax bag, and topped it off with polyfiber. Air stones (2) are running.

I now have a tank that is becoming foggier by the minute. I am to assume this is the bacteria bloom, yes? /yay

I am going to have my brother-in-law swipe some gravel/ceramic rings from his parents' tank on Friday.

 

[brutus]

can ed lift that big rock on the left? he looks strong lol

 

[Alaris]

can ed lift that big rock on the left? he looks strong lol

I'm sure he could! He used to carry money for a living.

I tested the ammonia in my tank 1 hour after adding the cap full of ammonia and the result was a very dark 8.0+. I guess a cap full was a lot. Also my tank is now clear again.

 

[Hogie]

can ed lift that big rock on the left? he looks strong lol

Hey, he does look strong... now I know who to ask to help me move stuff this weekend!

--
Ed's older brother Daniel

 

[Atl300zx]

hahah Prime...first time i smelled that i was stunned.

 

[Purrbox]

I would recommend doing a water change to get the Ammonia level down to somewhere between 4-5ppm. If Ammonia or Nitrite levels get to high it can cause the cycle to take longer than it would otherwise.

 

[AndrewH]

For some reason on my laptop the monitor makes the sand and rocks look black. But on my desktop it's normal, still very nice =)

 

[Alaris]

I would recommend doing a water change to get the Ammonia level down to somewhere between 4-5ppm. If Ammonia or Nitrite levels get to high it can cause the cycle to take longer than it would otherwise.

Well, poop. Thanks for telling me, though. ^_^ I'll do it tomorrow cuz I'm too tired right now to do a 50%. Next time I'll just add a couple drops. I only put in a teeny capful.

 

[Purrbox]

You can stop at your local pharmacy and request a Children's Medicine Shringe. It makes it a lot easier to does smaller amounts of liquids more precisely.

 

[Alaris]

Day 1 (8-26): ammonia = 8.0+
Day 2 (8-27): ammonia = 8.0+ nitrIte = 0
Day 3 (8-28): First: ammonia = 8.0+ After 50% PWC: ammonia = 8.0+

Well I did the 50% change and my ammonia is still 8.0+, but the color is dark green and not the death blue/black color I was previously getting. I'll change another 50% tomorrow. My husband is picking up seed on Sat.

 

[Alaris]

Did another 50% change yesterday and it brought my ammonia down to between 4.0 and 8.0. I checked the nitrItes again today and it was definitely a different color than 0. I added some gravel from my in-law's tank. I'll be checking the params again in an hour.

I bought some black glittery felt yesterday for my background. It looks really cool! Like a starry night sky. ^_^ b

 

[Hogie]

Cool! I hope the gravel helps. Mom was pointing (from across the room) where Ed should get the gravel from in the tank...

 

[FishEggs]

lookin good so far

 

[Alaris]

Day 6 (8-31): Ammonia = 4.0, nitrIte = .25, nitrAte = 5.0

I forgot to check the tank after I added the gravel last night. So I did it first thing this morning. I know that the nitrAte reading may be incorrect since I have some nitrItes, but I wanted to test for it anyways.

Cool! I hope the gravel helps. Mom was pointing (from across the room) where Ed should get the gravel from in the tank...

She's more than welcome to have it back when I'm done. lol

Thanks, FishEggs!

 

[tabbycat0282]

Black felt with glitter...what a fun choice. What is the plastic shelf on the right side of the picture/tank?