General knowledge stuff...(a LOT of questions)

[monsterz3ro]

Ok...so I have my aquarium chugging along so far...but I'm far from done. What I would really love, is to just pay someone to come here and give my aquarium a once-over/check up and let me know what steps I need to take next...short of that, I'll just ask on here =)

SETUP:

Tank - 56 gallon "column" (base is more square than the long-narrow typical of this sized aquarium)

Lighting - stock lighting (aquarium is beneath two lamp-type light fixtures, so more radiant light than just from the not-so-great stock hood/bulb)

Filtration - over-the-side system (AquaClear 50)

Heater - none yet! [household temperatures are very steady, and water is around 73 degrees, with very little fluctuation, though regardless, I will be getting a heater...though not sure what to do when the house inevitably gets warmer this summer...old row house in the city- no central AC...window units =(...]

Substrate - pea-sized gravel for substrate (not ideal, but, at this point I don't think its worth uprooting the entire aquarium to change to something else, even though I would love to and wish I'd purchased sand instead of gravel)

STOCK:

1 - Shrimp (trying to ID him...can't find the type on a shrimp farm website...brown and some areas translucent...tiny little guy)

6 - Scissortail Rasboras

1 - Tangerine Angelfish

3 - Carolina Fanwort clusters (closest ID I can find...shar pei ate the aquarium notepad where I had scientific name written down...will have to confirm on next trip to fish store...looks like fanwort, but darker in color, and with small white flowers at the top of some of the stalks)

2 - "generic" leafed stem clusters...again, lost the notepad...per the pet store, they are "tall-growing, low-light plants"


I am going to start a spreadsheet to keep track of this stuff so that the dog can't make me look a fool again =)


Things I know I need:

Heater
Proper lighting (probably T5)

Things I think I need:

Additional filtration (per Mr. Limpet, two 50-gallon filters are better than one larger-scale filter)

Things I don't want:

CO2 system. I understand it can be great for plants/aquarium environments in general, but its not something I'm ready to commit to yet, and not something I particularly have the room/resources for currently.


Questions:

1. First and foremost...I am itching to get this all taken care of, but have some other big purchases on the horizon as well...this week I have about 200 (absolute max) to play with towards the aquarium...would like some help prioritizing here...and now on to the rest of the questions...

2. It is all but impossible to find T5 lighting to actually fit this aquarium...so...does anyone know if (the light fixture resting on its "legs", an inch or two higher from the top of the water than it would be if the light fixture fit properly) this will affect the effectiveness of the lighting for plant growth? Glass lid (not acrylic) so I don't think too much light should be disbursed in spite of the light sitting above the tank instead of the "legs" clamping properly to the aquarium frame)...any info/suggestions on this?

3. The fish are all getting along swimmingly (HA!) without a heater, but I know this (even if not critical currently) will greatly enhance the plant growth and will make life even rosier for all the fishies...when the house inevitably warms up some over the summer months (we won't be living in 90-degree indoor temperature...shar pei won't allow it...ha...but probably it will be upper 70s in here, just given that its a large house and quite drafty), should I take the heater out/turn it off? How high a priority is the heater currently with the other things i need to get?

4. Given the substrate I have, does it affect my situation in terms of adding plants? My understanding is that most (many, at least) aquatic plants do not pull many nutrients from the roots- that these are more for keeping it in place- and that the majority of their nutrients come from the water through their leafs/etc.

5. I have looked around on here and some other sites to try to find information about plant/fish interaction with regards to water quality/stability...can't find much of what I'm looking for...my general question is, how much do plants/fish offset each other? I know plants get more oxygen into the water, and fish get more nutrients into the water for the plants to absorb...are there general rules of thumb with regards to this? E.g. can I add "too many" plants to the number of fish, or vice versa?

6. Should I be adding any nutrients for the plants to the water, or will the fish and lighting supply everything they need? As noted above, I'm trying to (intend to) avoid a CO2 set-up...if it becomes an absolute-must, then I'll bite the bullet, but otherwise, unless absolutely necessary, I would like to avoid that.

7. How does a lack of CO2 system affect/inhibit (if at all?) the number of fish/plants I can stock? What is the biological mechanism in nature that achieves what a CO2 system does in an aquarium? Organic decay at the bottom of the river/pond/whatever? I don't want a brackish set-up...but if it helps, I can vacuum the gravel less and let more muck accumulate down in the rocks, if this helps offset a lack of CO2 setup...

8. One random question...I have at various locations on the glass, little tiny feathery-looking things stuck to the glass...they come off easily, even just in the water current, and obviously very easily when I run the magnetic glass cleaner across them...I'm not sure what it/they are (I had purchased some bulbs at a chain pet store and planted them, only for them to turn moldy under the gravel...I have removed them and scooped out all the mold, though little bits of it broke loose...I am wondering if these little feathery parts are from that...), and they don't seem to be affecting anything. The fish don't seem to pay attention to them (not trying to eat the stuff)...is this a major concern? Think its related to the mold from the rotten bulbs? Would my shrimp (who barely ever comes out from under his rock) or a bottom-feeder eat this up for me? I've tried to take pics, but, they refuse to come out in focus...need a macro lens...



Sorry, I know this is an extremely long post...I'm just trying to nail down a bunch of things at once, because right now the aquarium is sailing along and I know it's not going to keep doing it forever if I don't address some things I'm lacking in the system...any and all feedback is appreciated...

 

[Fishguy2727]

1-Filter first.
2-What is the length of the top (and lighting you would need)? Coralife makes a 96watt quad compact fluorescent light fixture you may want to check out.
3-Set the heater at the higher end of what the tank will run so it will be on less but the water temp will still be stable.
4-Sand is better than gravel for plants (and any fish tank IME) but you can stick with it if you can't change it. I use Estes' Ultra Reef sand (doesn't alter any chemistry). Sand or gravel can be enhanced with root tabs. This should not alter your plant options much, based on lighting and lack of CO2.
5-Can't have too many plants. Plants remove nitrate which many people equate with water quality, but there are other things that build up that plants do not remove. This is why it is important to keep up on water changes, even with plants. However, the size of the water changes doesn't have to be as large.
6-There will always be a limiting factor too plant growth in your tank. It may be lighting, CO2, certain nutrients, etc., but it will always be something. go with minimal. Get some good lighting, use a basic general supplement, if needed add iron or other specific supplements. When in doubt try one bottle of a product. If you see an improvement while using it or a negative effect after stopping keep using it. If this doesn't happen don't keep wasting money on that product.
7-Most waters in nature are not well aerated, so they have higher CO2 levels. I don't use CO2 on any of my tanks because it isn't worth it to me in my tanks. My tanks are fish tanks with plants, not plant tanks with fish. What that means to me is I don't do anything to benefit the plant that would risk the fish. CO2 systems rarely fail, but if something does go wrong it can crash the pH and kill all the fish. That just isn't worth it IMO. So I stick with well planted fish tanks.
8-need pics

 

[monsterz3ro]

FISHGUY, a huge thank-you.

Worth getting the T5s then, in spite of not going the CO2 route?

I'll get that and the additional filter today.

Is there any way of determining (aside from waiting for a plant to turn not-so-healthy-looking) what iron/other supplements I should consider adding? Also, can you give me any recommendation on any specific all-purpose supplement (and, is this in addition to root tabs...and if so, do you have a recommendation on those as well)?

Thanks for your response, I truly appreciate it.

 

[monsterz3ro]

Additionally...

Will the additional filter put any "strain" on the system while the bacteria get established in it? Should I hold off (was gonna do a partial change of about 10% today, plus vacuum the gravel) on changing the water for a few days while the new filter is getting established, or just continue as usual?

 

[Fishguy2727]

Which T5 fixtue are you looking at? You want a lot of light, just not too since you won't have CO2. Start with two bulb HO T5 fixture with individual curved reflectors. You may need to add a second later to get enough light (even without the CO2).

I would start with Seachem Flourish Root Tabs and Seachem Flourish general liquid supplement.

Another filter will not strain the system, just add a second. I would do an AquaClear 70.

In that size tank you may want to do a canister. I would do a Fluval 405. This could replace both of the HOBs. If you can still return the first one this is what I would do.