Your current Fish tank Setups!

[NoobCannon]

Are you using live rock NoobCannon?

Yeah live rock.

Never had this problem in last tank but added more rock from lfs as new tank bigger and the plague started

 

[rebel rebel]

Could be phosphates from the live rock.

 

[Haggisman]

I found that a 7 day blackout after a good clean is great at killing off the algae resurgance whatever type it is.

Fix the cause (the extra gunk) then do a blackout.

No light at all for 7 days (I think it was 7 days, check it out online). I put a blanket over mine when I did them many years ago.



I also tested my tap water pH and found it came in at 7.6- to 7.8. So that explain my higher then I expected pH.

I never got round to posting those pics did I!

However I tried this, and so far 3 weeks later the tank is still crystal clear.

In sadder news, I just had to put my Betta down noticed this morning before work he wasn't looking quite right, a bit bloated and not his usual perky self. By the time I got home he was completely pine-coned, laying on his side at the bottom of the tank, and something had taken a bite out of him, he had camallanus worms a few months ago, which we cleared up, but I think he must have gotten an infection from it and developed dropsy

He let me scoop him up in my hand and just sat on my finger under the water; looked on his last legs and I doubt he would have lasted the night so felt it would be kinder to put him out of his misery using the clove oil method. Really gutted

 

[Ace Modder]

Feeling much happier about my tanks levels now....

Not quite 100%, but certainly loads better after doing 10-15% water cycles daily.
Also been vacuuming the rocks at the bottom once a week to clean out the poop, its amazing what the vaccum pulls up.

Fish seem quite happy too.

 

[LizardKing]

Mollys are not far off goldfish on how much waste they can create! Dont be afraid to do a big water change, 80% ish its an old myth about "old water". a few live plants are also good for reducing levels, not sure how they fair with cold water i'm guessing room temp should be more than enough for them though.

Picking up a 350l tank later on today, i'm still torn on setting it up as a marine tank, setup costs i can live with but the thought of running those lights day in day out

 

[Haggisman]

Mollys are not far off goldfish on how much waste they can create! Dont be afraid to do a big water change, 80% ish its an old myth about "old water". a few live plants are also good for reducing levels, not sure how they fair with cold water i'm guessing room temp should be more than enough for them though.

Picking up a 350l tank later on today, i'm still torn on setting it up as a marine tank, setup costs i can live with but the thought of running those lights day in day out

What about LEDs? Bit more expensive to start with but a lot cheaper to run

 

[LizardKing]

What about LEDs? Bit more expensive to start with but a lot cheaper to run

I was looking at the razors but even there 120/160, tbh i think i'm just trying to put myself off committing myself to the requirements of doing it well

 

[Logsi]

Had a second hand Trigon 190 set up for the last month. Fully cycled and just letting the clean up crew do it's business before we out fish in. Also treating for Cyanobacteria.

The tank is scratched really bad and wasn't apparent when we bought it. Got some cerium oxide and a glass polishing kit to polish them out but nervous about doing a bow front and making it look worse. Or even cracking the tank! The scratches are on the inside so will be an empty to 20% water and leave a suspended canopy over to stop anything getting in the water. Sort of thinking that I'll just leave it.

Anyone polished a tank before?

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

I never got round to posting those pics did I!

However I tried this, and so far 3 weeks later the tank is still crystal clear

Sad news on the Betta, but glad the blackout worked out for you!

 

[Ace Modder]

Mollys are not far off goldfish on how much waste they can create! Dont be afraid to do a big water change, 80% ish its an old myth about "old water". a few live plants are also good for reducing levels, not sure how they fair with cold water i'm guessing room temp should be more than enough for them though.

Picking up a 350l tank later on today, i'm still torn on setting it up as a marine tank, setup costs i can live with but the thought of running those lights day in day out

When I do my weekly vaccum it takes about 60% of the water.

 

[UTmaniac]

Mollys are not far off goldfish on how much waste they can create! Dont be afraid to do a big water change, 80% ish its an old myth about "old water".

"Old tank syndrome" is a very real and deadly phenomenon.

If water is not changed frequently enough and in too small a quantity for a period of months, followed by sudden large water change of ~50%+, the sudden change is water chemistry can and will often kill the fish through toxic shock.

In such circumstances, water changes should be no more than ~10% daily for ~3 weeks, to very gradually improve the water chemistry of the tank water and make it closer to the chemistry of your tap water.

In an extremely crude comparison, compare it vaguely to "the bends" phenomenon for divers.

Then you can safely get back to a much better routine of ~33-50% water changes weekly.

 

[famas]

The trouble with changing a lot of water on tiny tanks like that is you're also removing a large part of the eco system with the water.
Doing this frequently is detrimental to bacterial growth and you can see spikes in water levels.

Like UTmaniac says changing smaller amounts more frequently is recommended.

I'd also look into getting a small external filter to increase water volume and aid in supporting bacteria growth.

 

[rebel rebel]

I was looking at the razors but even there 120/160, tbh i think i'm just trying to put myself off committing myself to the requirements of doing it well

It maybe worth noting that a lot of people don't run their leds at full strength, I ran my Ecotech Radion at around 70% max. And it only hit that for approximately one hour, the rest either ramping up or down. Once setup, the costs of running a marine aquarium really aren't that much.

 

[nightrider1470]

Just bought a 4ft tank.

What's the best and safest way to setup, before I add fish?.... I have read it's best to cycle for a month before adding fish.

Also Can I add water direct from my tap? For initial setup and 10% weekly water changes?

I have heaters and filter and light so far

 

[NoobCannon]

Best off asking in the huge fish tank thread me thinks

And in answer to questions.

You need a tap water safe chemical to remove chlorine etc

And for tropical id use a quick start like seachems one and add fish slowly over course of weeks

 

[nightrider1470]

How do I correctly setup a tropical fish tank?

 

[b0rn2sk8]

How do I correctly setup a tropical fish tank?

You'll get lots of answers on here, non will be the same.

In general there are two methods are refereed to cycling a tank, it is the process of building up bacteria in the tank (mainly the filter) to process the ammonia produced by the fish into nitrate. The first is 'fish in' the second is 'fish-less'.

Fish in:
Stock the tank with a very light load for the size of tank and slowly build it up over a matter of months, this can take anything from 3-6 months to complete.
Pros: instant gratification of having some fish in the tank
Cons: potentially more work with lots of water changes and if you make a mistake with the fish load then you will kill fish.

Fish-less:
Simulate fish by adding a source of ammonia either by using household ammonia or fish food. This can take anything from 3-8 weeks. You then fully stock the tank once complete.
Pros: its less work as there is no need to change water while cycling the tank, easier on the fish, less likely to make a mistake.
Cons: could be awhile before getting any fish, you may still get fish loss if you haven't cycled the tank properly and you essentially revert to method 1, some fish are just too sensitive to add into a newly cycled tank.

I would suggest googling both methods. Both have huge pitfalls for getting it wrong and in reality both need a test kit of time kind whether that be liquid tests or strips.

Both methods can be kick started by using a bacteria supplement product, some swear by them, others say they are complete 'hokum'. You can also get the same thing by taking some filter material from an established tank and adding it to your filter. The more skank on the donor filter media the better.

When you clean your filters you want to do it in water you have taken from the tank and you are only there to remove physical debris. You want all the bacteria to live, never replace the media unless its falling apart or its completely clogged and you can not un-clog it. Ignore all manufacture instructions to replace any sponges or ceramic type media every x weeks.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

double post

 

[nightrider1470]

You'll get lots of answers on here, non will be the same.

In general there are two methods are refereed to cycling a tank, it is the process of building up bacteria in the tank (mainly the filter) to process the ammonia produced by the fish into nitrate. The first is 'fish in' the second is 'fish-less'.

Fish in:
Stock the tank with a very light load for the size of tank and slowly build it up over a matter of months, this can take anything from 3-6 months to complete.
Pros: instant gratification of having some fish in the tank
Cons: potentially more work with lots of water changes and if you make a mistake with the fish load then you will kill fish.

Fish-less:
Simulate fish by adding a source of ammonia either by using household ammonia or fish food. This can take anything from 3-8 weeks. You then fully stock the tank once complete.
Pros: its less work as there is no need to change water while cycling the tank, easier on the fish, less likely to make a mistake.
Cons: could be awhile before getting any fish, you may still get fish loss if you haven't cycled the tank properly and you essentially revert to method 1, some fish are just too sensitive to add into a newly cycled tank.

I would suggest googling both methods. Both have huge pitfalls for getting it wrong and in reality both need a test kit of time kind whether that be liquid tests or strips.

Both methods can be kick started by using a bacteria supplement product, some swear by them, others say they are complete 'hokum'. You can also get the same thing by taking some filter material from an established tank and adding it to your filter. The more skank on the donor filter media the better.

When you clean your filters you want to do it in water you have taken from the tank and you are only there to remove physical debris. You want all the bacteria to live, never replace the media unless its falling apart or its completely clogged and you can not un-clog it. Ignore all manufacture instructions to replace any sponges or ceramic type media every x weeks.

Perfect thanks

Think I will do the fishless method and add food slowly... I'm in no rush.

My filter was last used in a marine tank so I think it's obvious I need to replace all filters for new?

 

[Unicorn]

Perfect thanks

Think I will do the fishless method and add food slowly... I'm in no rush.

My filter was last used in a marine tank so I think it's obvious I need to replace all filters for new?

Yep, replace all pads, replace pipework too if it's external as coraline can still clog pipework, clean inside filter area too just any visible crud off