allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
it's not leaking at all it's just kind of old didnt know if it will wear off or something
New Tank Build: 29 Gallon GSP Adventure
- Thread starter Mr. Limpet
- Start date
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
What I look for in a used tank is:
Scratched glass- I'd pass since deep scratches can weaken glass and they can be unsightly even when the tank is filled.
Soft well formed silicone seals/seams- If it looks dried out, beaten up or ratty, then there's a good chance it can fail.
Level panel edges- If the panels are skewed off line, it's an indication that the tank wasn't on a level surface for a long time and this could affect seam strength.
Price- There was one joker that had a 10g with no light, filter and some junky decco and he wanted $50 for it
. I really did laugh out loud when I saw the ad lol.
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
haha yea it's in good shape and came with most everything i needed for 40 dollars and i made him show it to me with water in it b4 i bought it
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
allaboutfish said:
Man, that's a good deal. Around here some people want retail on craigslist lol.
HA! Just got a stand for my daughters 20g for $5! Sweet
.
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
wow haha! im having to builed one.
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
WooHoo! Cycle almost complete in 1 week & 1 day.
Ammo 4ppm -> 1ppm
No2 0ppm -> .25+ppm
No3 5-10ppm (planted tank)
pH 7.8-8.0
I'll let it continue to cycle FW for a few more days, but I guess I better get my refractometer in fast so I can slowly convert to brackish over the next 2 weeks.
Ammo 4ppm -> 1ppm
No2 0ppm -> .25+ppm
No3 5-10ppm (planted tank)
pH 7.8-8.0
I'll let it continue to cycle FW for a few more days, but I guess I better get my refractometer in fast so I can slowly convert to brackish over the next 2 weeks.
Reiner
Aquarium Advice Activist
That's awesome that's its going so fast! I think (hope) I'll be buying a new tank tomorrow so I can get my BW tank started here pretty soon!
Bud
Aquarium Advice Freak
Fantastic work, Mr Limpet! Can't wait to see it with the GSP!
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks. I had some seeded material from a 1g, but still thought it would take a lot longer to see no2.
That's what my GF says almost everyday lol. But I just reminder her that patience is a virtue and it still needs to convert to brackish.
Got the refractometer ordered today, so I should have it before weeks end.
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Refractometer in hand, IO salt and distilled water to calibrate the refracto and I'm ready to start converting to brackish today.
Cycle is eating most of the ammo in about 18hrs and no2 is wavering so I know it's getting used/produced/used.
I'd say 10 days to convert to a SG of 1.002-3 and it'll be ready for some blue legged hermit crabs and bumblebee gobies.
Cycle is eating most of the ammo in about 18hrs and no2 is wavering so I know it's getting used/produced/used.
I'd say 10 days to convert to a SG of 1.002-3 and it'll be ready for some blue legged hermit crabs and bumblebee gobies
.
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
First salt mix into the tank tonight, pulled the FW only plants and they'll go into my daughters fry tank tomorrow.
Found a pond snail living in the tank and I'm surprised it could live thru 4ppm of ammo. Wonder if it can take a SG of 1.002? At least the GSP will have a meal waiting lol.
Found a pond snail living in the tank and I'm surprised it could live thru 4ppm of ammo. Wonder if it can take a SG of 1.002? At least the GSP will have a meal waiting lol.
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
What's causing SG to drop?
I added 2 tbsp of IO salt raising SG to 1.001 (refracto is deadly accurate), then 24hrs later SG drops back down to 1.000. Can the system (sand, filter, etc.) absorb the salt dropping it till the system is loaded up? I don't understand that, but added another 2 tbsp tonight as planned. Guess I'll see what happens tomorrow.
Ammo dropping a full 4ppm in 24hrs, no2 1-2ppm, no3 40ppm, pH 8.4 (big jump after first salting).
Plants looking fine, but don't expect too much harm (if any) to show till I get the SG up to 1.006-8 in a few months.
I added 2 tbsp of IO salt raising SG to 1.001 (refracto is deadly accurate
), then 24hrs later SG drops back down to 1.000. Can the system (sand, filter, etc.) absorb the salt dropping it till the system is loaded up? I don't understand that, but added another 2 tbsp tonight as planned. Guess I'll see what happens tomorrow.Ammo dropping a full 4ppm in 24hrs, no2 1-2ppm, no3 40ppm, pH 8.4 (big jump after first salting).
Plants looking fine, but don't expect too much harm (if any) to show till I get the SG up to 1.006-8 in a few months.
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sg holding at 1.001 and added another 2 tbsp to boost SG to 1.002 (I hope lol). Ammo is getting used down to .25ppm no matter how high I dose it, no2 back up above 2ppm and ph dropped to 7.4 (common during cycling) and I'm not too worried about no3 as plants seems to be doing good and seeing growth with BW conversion.
Interestingly enough I saw a pond snail cruising around on the front glass today and I wonder how it can survive given the toxic levels during cycling.
Interestingly enough I saw a pond snail cruising around on the front glass today and I wonder how it can survive given the toxic levels during cycling
.
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Cycling+ Update:
The bacteria is eating 4ppm of ammo in less than 24hrs, the no2 is holding at 2ppm and the no3 is bouncing between 5 & 20ppm. pH seems to have stabilized at 8.0 over the past few days which is perfect for the GSP.
Got the SG up to 1.002 and holding, the plants are doing great and the snail that some how got by my short QT of plants is still alive and moving around the tank (GSp snack time lol).
I also got the light kit ordered from Compact Fluorescent Lighting Kits and will have that built and working before too long. I hope I made the right choice of a 55w 10000K/Actinic range for the split tube bulb, but I can always change it out if the plants seem to suffer any.
My GF is ready to see something in the tank soon, so we should have 6 bumblebee gobies in soon along with some blue/red legged hermit crabs.
The bacteria is eating 4ppm of ammo in less than 24hrs, the no2 is holding at 2ppm and the no3 is bouncing between 5 & 20ppm. pH seems to have stabilized at 8.0 over the past few days which is perfect for the GSP.
Got the SG up to 1.002 and holding, the plants are doing great and the snail that some how got by my short QT of plants is still alive and moving around the tank (GSp snack time lol).
I also got the light kit ordered from Compact Fluorescent Lighting Kits and will have that built and working before too long. I hope I made the right choice of a 55w 10000K/Actinic range for the split tube bulb, but I can always change it out if the plants seem to suffer any.
My GF is ready to see something in the tank soon, so we should have 6 bumblebee gobies in soon along with some blue/red legged hermit crabs.
BfishLpond78
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Limpet, I will be starting a BW tank soon, i noticed you said something about distilled water, what is the importance of that. Can you not use tap water when doing BW tanks?
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
I use the distilled water to calibrate my refractometer only, I use tap water for the tank water. Although some have suggested RO|DI water for the tank to avoid the mineral content, I actually want the minerals from my tap to help feed the brackish converted plants.
BfishLpond78
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Oh ok, i'm sorry if i had read that wrong. I went on plantgeek and it looks like you can keep a good amount of plants in a BW tank. I'm pretty excited for my build. I do have to wait until i move though, 2 months away, i dont want to start a tank just to have to break it all down and move. When you add the IO, are you just adding 2 tbsp to the 29 gal?
OP
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Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
There are a number of plants and plantgeek.net is my go to link as well
. No, you want to premix the IO in a bucket (I do 5g of water removed from the tank) until it dissolves and pour it back in.
BfishLpond78
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Ok, now is this level tbsp or rounded? How much would you say for a 55 gal? double it?
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