Setting up an aquarium!

[micrometers]

here's something weird: the male platy acts aggressively towards the female platy. He will chase her around the tank.

The aquarium is basically activating the same desires in my psyche that building computers from newegg parts did. interesting.

 

[BoomerD]

meh, given the amount of plant life, I don't think any nitrogen cycling will be that bad. plants way outnumber fish in this tank.

Famous last words...just before the ammonia builds...then turns into nitrite...and the fish start dying.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Yeah I can see this isn't going to end well. Thanks for keeping it in a small tank so you don't kill too many fish, and thanks for keeping it freshwater because you probably would have killed a lot more marine fish by now if you went SW.

So I"m thinking that he needs brine shrimp.

I looked into hatching them...needless to say it's a bit of trouble. I'm wondering if it is possible to set up a colony of them. Maybe even in the aquarium, just throw a bunch of eggs into it. I know that they're saltwater, but some should still hatch in freshwater and there's probably a bit of salinity in the tank at this point, given all the junk I've thrown in.

Millions of kids successfully hatched sea monkeys. Best leave that to the pros. :\

Well, I haven't seen any evidence of a nitrogen cycle. The fish appear healthy.

Are you doing any testing whatsoever? If you're relying on the fish "appearing healthy" to clue you in to the water quality in the tank, you're going to kill the fish, and never figure out why. Then factor in the previous quote above with "...there's probably a bit of salinity in the tank at this point, given all the junk I've thrown in." D:

If you can't even be bothered to monitor the initial nitrogen cycle, this is the wrong hobby for you. Seriously, you'll be tossing the tank and bitching about all the money you've thrown away in this hobby, just like everyone else that jumped into blindly the same way you have.

If you're actually serious about it, don't give anything else a death sentence by putting it into your tank until you do some reading, and lots of it, so you know what you're actually dealing with and how to deal with it. There's a ton of resources for it all over the internet.

 

[micrometers]

here's something funny.

My stupid cat cannot hunt.

I picked her up and put her in front of the aquarium. The fish were fairly active and swimming around.

She ignored them.

Instead? She goes for the fish food.

Yes, the fish food.

and she starts to eat the fish food.

The old cat OTOH was a vicious killer. She would sit in front of aquariums for hours at a time. She once killed fish that I had left out during a water change. I placed them in a plastic container and weighted them down with at least 20 lbs of books.

When I come home I discover how the cat has solved the 20 lbs of books problem: she pushed the entire thing over the edge of the table.

 

[RPD]

Anyone else feel trolled?

 

[Jodell88]

Anyone else feel trolled?

Yup.

 

[MetalMat]

I just setup a 10g freshwater myself, been running it for a little over a week and just added my first few fish last night ( couple mollies and a platy). First time noob here but I did my research.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Anyone else feel trolled?

If you read his posts in P&N, you'll realize he's a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.

 

[BoomerD]

I just setup a 10g freshwater myself, been running it for a little over a week and just added my first few fish last night ( couple mollies and a platy). First time noob here but I did my research.

Errr...the mollies and platy MIGHT survive the cycle...MAYBE. They're not the toughest of fish...
A week isn't enough to cycle a tank...and with a bio-load, is barely enough to START a cycle.

 

[MetalMat]

Errr...the mollies and platy MIGHT survive the cycle...MAYBE. They're not the toughest of fish...
A week isn't enough to cycle a tank...and with a bio-load, is barely enough to START a cycle.

Well then what should I have put in there? Guys at the pet store said that should be fine, had my water checked out as well

 

[BoomerD]

Well then what should I have put in there? Guys at the pet store said that should be fine, had my water checked out as well

The folks in the pet stores are in business to sell you fish and equipment...

Your water tested fine because it hasn't cycled yet. It SHOULD be fine...for a few days to a week...then the ammonia will start to build up...then that will change to nitrites as various bacteria eat the ammonia and convert it...nitrites are almost as poisonous (toxic) to your livestock as ammonia...a couple of weeks later, other bacteria starts to convert the nitrites into nitrates...nitrates, while not totally healthy, isn't toxic in low levels...and you control THOSE levels by doing regular water changes.

Read this:

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

 

[Soccerman06]

Guys he will be fine with a couple fish, as long as he does a decent water change once a week (50%+) until the filters are good. If you have a friend with an aquarium, just go pinch a little bit of the goo from their filters and put it on your filter. Do that and you instantly have a completed cycle filter.

Also this should be relevant:

 

[micrometers]

the fish are pretty hardy.

everything else not so much.

The plants look awful. Even the Java Moss looks really bad.

how could the plants be doing badly?

 

[jtvang125]

Many plants will need a week or two to acclimate to your tank. During that time they may look like they're dying but should spring back once they've acclimated.

 

[BoomerD]

Since you seem to be unwilling to listen to advice here...try this site:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/

 

[Jodell88]

Since you seem to be unwilling to listen to advice here...try this site:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/

You linked to aquaria central before. I highly doubt he'll follow your advice again.

 

[BoomerD]

You linked to aquaria central before. I highly doubt he'll follow your advice again.

Yeah...I know...but it's worth a try.

 

[Rubycon]

Well looking at it this way with freshwater the pH is a lot lower so the ammonia is less toxic to the life forms. If you want to cycle a tank quickly just add some cycle and a few hardy fish. You can also use the inorganic seeding method that uses no livestock but (by far) most hobbyist prefer not to do this because it can be boring. For rapid cycling of a farm for RFS (ready for service) capacity it's proven and works with little nitrite shock to added heavy fish loads, etc.

If you want a hobby with immediate results perhaps an aquarium screensaver would be more suitable.

 

[micrometers]

would you believe me if I told you that I have a big cross in the tank, dedicated to the Lord Savior Jesus Christ?

 

[Rubycon]

would you believe me if I told you that I have a big cross in the tank, dedicated to the Lord Savior Jesus Christ?

Only if it says "No Fishing" on it.

Jesus didn't have to use a fishin' pole!

 

[micrometers]

Well looking at it this way with freshwater the pH is a lot lower so the ammonia is less toxic to the life forms. If you want to cycle a tank quickly just add some cycle and a few hardy fish. You can also use the inorganic seeding method that uses no livestock but (by far) most hobbyist prefer not to do this because it can be boring. For rapid cycling of a farm for RFS (ready for service) capacity it's proven and works with little nitrite shock to added heavy fish loads, etc.

If you want a hobby with immediate results perhaps an aquarium screensaver would be more suitable.

I have 2 platys, a baby betta, 1-2 shrimp, and 2 snails.

A bunch of plants, which by the way absorb ammonia and nitrite.

The tank temperature is around 80 degrees right now. I threw in some sea shells and baking soda to raise the PH, since I suspect that my water must be slightly acidic. Plants are getting pretty green now. About a quart of water evaporates every day.

platys look healthy. baby betta has been eating more brine shrimp lately. looks fine.

 

[Rubycon]

Plants love nitrate nitrogen not ammonia or nitrites!
This is why you only see algae growing in established aquaria!
Ammonia will peak as high as 10ppm in a tank with a load on it before sufficient colonies of nitrosomonas bacteria are established. They will also need oxygen. Oxygen exchange occurs at the surface of the water. An airstone/bubbler will enhance oxygen exchange by bringing water from the bottom to the top.

On a small tank a hang on power filter is sufficient. Sponge types are recommended. The pad types are not as effective and when you change pads you're tossing a lot of beneficial bacteria! The use of activated carbon is not needed or recommended until after establishment of both nitrosomanas and nitrobacter colonies. This takes 4-6 weeks. Once you see a measurable level of nitrates, ammonia is near zero and nitrites are coming down you can begin partial water changes and introduce the use of activated carbon. Always use a good carbon, that will crackle, hiss and get hot when rinsed with distilled water. If your home water is chlorinated do NOT use it to rinse your carbon! Carbon should always be rinsed to remove excessive dust before adding it to the filter system.

As a beginner at the very least you should have a reliable way to measure pH, temperature, and ammonia.

 

[micrometers]

http://www.aquariumgarden.com/info.php?doc_base=info/faq/cycle.php

There is no real benefit in waiting for the cycle to finish prior to planting the tank. In fact, planting the tank before even starting the cycle would accelerate its duration. This is because plants also consume ammonia/nitrites and therefore a planted tank would need smaller colony of beneficial bacteria than the one without the plants.

I'm just using the default filter, which I think is carbon. I basically run it an hour or so after feedings to clear away any excess food that might be in the tank.

 

[Jodell88]

I'm just using the default filter, which I think is carbon. I basically run it an hour or so after feedings to clear away any excess food that might be in the tank.

Wait what?

 

[randay]

2 years of my tank at work:

relocated some anubias, crypts, bought some HC, a crinum, and uruguayensis amazon. tanks already established, forget what i had in there prior though. but i kept the substrate.

HCs looking pretty pitiful, but growth is happening anyway.

now i just have to wait.

crinum was doing super good. i think this was the peak period for this tank as far as aesthetics.

soon after crypts start propagating like wild, java moss gets out of hand, uruguayensis too big, i begin to neglect the tank

scorched earth- the substrate was so full of roots, roots started growing up into the water column. I cut a ton of crypts right at the substrate and trim the hell out of the uruguayensis

to no avail

I pull out what is a carpet of aquarium(think transplanting squares of grass) and start fresh. hopefully something that cant get out of hand this time.

HC are doing well, new crinum leaves have shrunk, hopefully itll stretch out soon.

fear not, the carpet found a home in my "outside" tank. yesterday i find out the uruguayensis is happier there.