New Face, New Tank, Many Many New questions.....

[HiJaC]

Hi,

Have been reading these forums for a while now and decided to take the plunge and register. This mainly to pick your collective minds with questions and document my new tank setup (with piccys).

Bit of background first....

I've had a small 35L (yes im in the UK - Scotland) tank for 2 years now and have enjoyed it massively. With a combination of Tetras, Barbs and some other stuff (including some funky shrimp action).

Came into a bit of cash lately so decided to slash out on a upgrade for the lounge and bought a Venezia 190. Beautiful tank and i'm really looking forward to getting it setup. Pic below (will post actual pics later) -

Already i'm showing my big tank inexperience in a number of ways but i'm happy with the progress so far.

Mistakes made so far...

Only had a 3 litre bucket to fill a 190!!
Start filling said tank with said 3 litre bucket on Sunday night at 11:30!!
Buying bog wood on the same day as getting the tank and having to wait 2 weeks of soaking before being able to put it in the tank!!!
Buying big bits of Bog Wood requires Big buckets to soak them, had to go buy a couple of plastic waste bins to do the job!!

The tank is sitting idle atm with water up to temp and conditioning stuff in filter circulating water while i wait for the wood to be ready + plants to go in.

So...

Questions....

Bog Wood... wanting to go big style with an Amazon style setup.

Went out and got myself some lovely bits from the local aquarium shop, aiming to get a nice balance of width and height. Similar to a decaying trunk for the middle back of the tank. Leaving a band of clear space along the front curve of the tank.

But...

The glorous peice i got for the "length" is too long for the tank in the original position i bought it for!!

So..

1. Can I cut/saw bog wood down to size and not have it effect its water changing properties? ie will the newly exposed side have any extra effect?

2. Rather then waiting the 2 weeks of soaking time I was shown something to add to the filter in the shop to remove Tannins from the water if I just put the wood straight in now (obviously with no fish in). Would anyone recommend this stuff to speed things up a bit?

Best Regards,

John

 

[rich311k]

1. Yes you can cut it if you want. Wont change anything about the wood except its size.

2. As long as it is clean and it sinks you can put the wood in right away, no need for a soaking. Activated carbon in your filter should remove the discoloring from the water.

3. Welcome to AA!!!

 

[cabezon]

since you have to cut the wood, and have to cycle the tank, I don't see putting the wood in now as a problem. I think that activated charcoal will take out the tannins.

 

[HiJaC]

Hi,

Its got an external Fluval 205 filter which comes with two layers of carbon.

Am i right in saying this is the "activated" carbon listed above?

I do not mind a bit of discolouration in the water as im aiming for Amazon look. So a bit darker is good.

Thanks for the answers so far,

Next Topic....

Materials for Decoration...

I am looking at adding a touch of "ethno tat" to my Amazon theme in the form of a discarded statue of either a budda head or olmec head.

1. What type of material can I safely put into the tank? A lot of the statues I find online are either varnished wood, cast resin or stone. Obviously the stone part will be none active types only. But for wood what should I avoid? And the resin, is most chemically inactive?

2. I've been browsing through the gallerys and found a number of tanks with the exact head (the olmec one) I was looking to use. Can anyone point me in the right direction for buying one? (uk preferably)

Thanks again,

John

 

[rich311k]

Resin and most types of stone will be fine. I would avoid the varnish.

 

[STARFYRE]

Welcome to AA John!
I ran into a similar dilemma. When I set up my 2nd tank, I wanted to put a Buddha in there to match the chinese theme in my bedroom. I was concerned about leaching harmful stuff in the water. I asked around (this was before I knew there were chat sites) and no-one could be certain of anything. I didn't want to risk infecting my tank, so I ended up finding some cool chinese-themed decorations made specifically for aquariums to throw in there. I'm very happy with the way my tank turned out, but I never did get my buddha. You are at an advantage because there are so many experienced aquarists on this site that may be able to help you. Maybe, I can finally get my buddha too!
Again, Welcome to AA

 

[Plecosterone]

I know most people want crystal clear water but if you are going for an amazonian biotope why not leave some tannins in the water? It is much more like thier natural habitat. I myself kinda like the golden tinge in the water but that is just my taste.

 

[HiJaC]

I know most people want crystal clear water but if you are going for an amazonian biotope why not leave some tannins in the water? It is much more like thier natural habitat. I myself kinda like the golden tinge in the water but that is just my taste.

Aye,

Was thinking the same. I presume that even with the carbon in my filter the wood will still be leeching out tannins for a long while.

I know the bit ive got in my 35L tank did.

I think ill go get a wire brush after work tonight and give the bits a scrub down to dislodge the extra wood and dirt. Saw down the bit that was too big and back in the buckets for a couple of days.

The local good aquarium gets their good plant stock in on Friday so it would be good to get the wood ready for that time.

More questions later, i should pretend to do some work for a bit.

John

 

[locorosa]

Welcome to AA. You are in a great place!

Is theFluval 205 big enough for this tank. From my calculations the tank is a 50 gallon (US) and that filter is good for up to 40 gallons? I am looking to upgrade to one for my 46 gallon bow front and that's what I found I needed...just curious btw.

Everything else looks good to me. Are you going to do a silent cycle or fishless?

As for the decorations, make sure they are aquarium safe. Alot of ceramics can leach unwanted chemicals into the tank.
Have you checked E-Bay for local sellers in the U.K.? You'd probably find alot of unique things there...

 

[HiJaC]

Welcome to AA. You are in a great place!

Is theFluval 205 big enough for this tank. From my calculations the tank is a 50 gallon (US) and that filter is good for up to 40 gallons? I am looking to upgrade to one for my 46 gallon bow front and that's what I found I needed...just curious btw.

Everything else looks good to me. Are you going to do a silent cycle or fishless?

As for the decorations, make sure they are aquarium safe. Alot of ceramics can leach unwanted chemicals into the tank.
Have you checked E-Bay for local sellers in the U.K.? You'd probably find alot of unique things there...

Hi,

The 205 came with the tank from the makers and is the one they list as the right spec for the tank in the manual. So here's hoping it will do. I'm going to add a large amount of wood so the actual amount of water will be less then the maximum spec for the tank. Hopefully this might offset the filter being on the upper limits of the size required.

I've already added water conditioners to try and get my bacteria started in the filter material but overall i'm planning on going plant heavy.

So i guess this would be a "silent cycle" (had not heard that term before you mentioned it).

I'll get all the testing kits out tonight and see whats gone on with the water over the last few days while i have been messing about with the wood hassle.

More questions when I get home tonight. I swear my work are gonna take away my net access soon

Thanks,

John

 

[locorosa]

A silent cycle, from what I understand is acceptable for a heavily planted tank. You can add fish slowly over a period of weeks as the plants will absorb the N2's and N3's as they give it off. With this method there is no waiting for a tank to cycle.
My 46 bow has tannins in the water and all my fish are healthy and happy...yay for tea colored water!!!!

As for work and trouble with internet, tell them it's making you a better person and thus a better employee...lol!

 

[HiJaC]

Moonlights...

Hi again,

Have hosted a couple of pics of the work so far...

The Tank

The Tree (several bits of bog wood really)

I'm going to take a saw to the big bit later on tonight and then leave it to soak again as i'm not expecting to get any plants until Friday or Saturday.

Next Question

Moonlights

I'm liking what I see of these and am really thinking of adding them to my "to buy" list.

1. Do they mess up Freshwater Fishes sleep?
2. I'm going to have a shuttle (silent) computer constantly running in the base unit cupboard for a media PC in the room. Are there any moon lighting rigs & software that link to the USB port of the PC?
3. Do I need a certain strength of light (wattage) to penetrate deep enough in the water to give a decent effect?

Best Regards,

John