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Help Help Help Fish arriving... dont know if tank is cycled


aaron11

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54 bucks on trademe for 3 foot with bulb..

Maybe i will get that and sell those two?

not sure yet as both my other tanks have built in lights ... mind you i sell my spare stuff to buy more fish stuff then end up buying fish stuff again ha

oh didnt notice that female

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Good to see my guppies again there my old breeders :thup: Any platinum blues??

See that turtle ramp well the shelf is siliconed into the silcon ont he right side of the tank so dont watn to rip that bit out

BUT. I could I take the ramp off and just leave the shelf or would it make it unstable?????

Dumb me should of removed it when i cleaned it out from the turtle

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See that turtle ramp well the shelf is siliconed into the silcon ont he right side of the tank so dont watn to rip that bit out

BUT. I could I take the ramp off and just leave the shelf or would it make it unstable?????

Dumb me should of removed it when i cleaned it out from the turtle

I would remove at least the ramp, maybe even the landing.

I have found the best way to cut the silicon is it drag some braided fishing line through the joints with a gentle sawing motion.

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I would remove at least the ramp, maybe even the landing.

I have found the best way to cut the silicon is it drag some braided fishing line through the joints with a gentle sawing motion.

Thanks ill do that

i dont want to take the ramp off as its joined to the main silicon on the sides

that shelf is really good for tiping the water in

I could gravel it and put a few plants..

Guppys seem happy changed water today again aint touched the filter thou

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Guppys seem happy changed water today again aint touched the filter thou

A well running filter should only need minimal cleaning. ie just the wool/fine sponge maybe every 2 months and never clean more than 1/3 of the media. The media just needs to be dipped/ shaken in tank water once every 6? months.
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A well running filter should only need minimal cleaning. ie just the wool/fine sponge maybe every 2 months and never clean more than 1/3 of the media. The media just needs to be dipped/ shaken in tank water once every 6? months.

Thanks no wonder i use to loose all my fish

I use to wash it under the tap !!!!

I only have wool in my Ehiem filter as the sponge is had it

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You should have various grades of sponge to help gradually filter out debris etc or you can block up your canister, causing "dead spots" where aneraobic bacteria can create sulphurous by-products that are lethal to fish.

Other problem being that a blocked up canister won't flow very well at all.

You should have some sort of movement (bubbles, powerhead, output from canister) aimed under that shelf to stop it from also developing a "dead spot" .

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You should have various grades of sponge to help gradually filter out debris etc or you can block up your canister, causing "dead spots" where aneraobic bacteria can create sulphurous by-products that are lethal to fish.

Other problem being that a blocked up canister won't flow very well at all.

You should have some sort of movement (bubbles, powerhead, output from canister) aimed under that shelf to stop it from also developing a "dead spot" .

I don't believe that anaerobic bacteria are a problem to worry about, the accounts that I have read about "sulphurous by-products" are from when a deep substrate is stirred releasing "gas" and the fish died. stirring a deep substrate could equally increase the TDS and substantially change the pH causing similar deaths. I have had no issues with anaerobic bacteria in my tank (very deep sand bed).

I would also not be worried about any dead spot under the shelf, it is a large open space and many tanks have much more enclosed caves/driftwood etc.

I do agree that the filter should have sponge before the wool though.

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I don't believe that anaerobic bacteria are a problem to worry about, the accounts that I have read about "sulphurous by-products" are from when a deep substrate is stirred releasing "gas" and the fish died. stirring a deep substrate could equally increase the TDS and substantially change the pH causing similar deaths. I have had no issues with anaerobic bacteria in my tank (very deep sand bed).

I would also not be worried about any dead spot under the shelf, it is a large open space and many tanks have much more enclosed caves/driftwood etc.

I do agree that the filter should have sponge before the wool though.

Doesn't have to be stirred, if build-up is enough it gets to a point where it releases all at once. Many ponds (similar, but not the same, I know) have gone over-night due to this, and is well documented.

Anaerobic Bacteria can be beneficial, though this is usually in the Salt-water scene.

Any dead spot/eddies can build up toxic amounts of by-products/have different parameters that can lead to shock changes, depending on situation and the susceptibility of a particular organism.

A small cave is different than a 1/4 of the tank being cutoff...

Free professional advice take it or leave it... :thup:

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Thanks guys all this info is great

The Ehiem filter has wool in it which is dirty as in a week

And the small aqua one filter has a sponge they are in there until I get the external

I have seen an aqua one external filter for 140 new on trademe pumps 900 litres an hour that should be ok for my 3 foot tank aye/

BUT new light is next on the list hehe

36 bucks for a new bulb for a 2 foot light of 56 for the light and tube on trademe i get that..

sell the other bits

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:thup: Fish are happy as being doing daily water changes about 3 buckets is that enough???

And how long do I have to keep doing this for

I think guppies are more hardy than other fish..

And i will wait until the filters are not flowing the best before I wash them out

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I find dead spots to be quite useful as that's where the waste all settles, and so makes it easier to siphon out.

HUH you mean the parts where you find lots of muck????? whats that got to do with how many times i got to clean it???

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It probably applies more when you have sand as a substrate as all the crud then settles in the dead spots and so you don't have to clean the whole tank, just the dead spots. Removing that stuff reduces the amount of ammonia that will be created. If you have gravel as substrate, it won't help as much as the crud gets trapped between the gravel.

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It probably applies more when you have sand as a substrate as all the crud then settles in the dead spots and so you don't have to clean the whole tank, just the dead spots. Removing that stuff reduces the amount of ammonia that will be created. If you have gravel as substrate, it won't help as much as the crud gets trapped between the gravel.

OH got ya !!!!! Amazing what you can find when your having a good clean

Everyone is like :dunno: when they see my fish but i try to explain too them that it only takes 20 mintues if that once a week to clean them

Can't wait until I get my external filter

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  • 2 weeks later...
How much longer do i keep doing the changes

Forever and ever :slfg: now seriously you will still be doing 30% WCs when it is cycled.

But as per Blueether, when you're tank is cycled (0ppm Ammonia, 0ppm Nitrites and xppm nitrates)

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blueether no but its on the last had to sort the car out which was more imporantat at the time

Will get it asap.

so obviously when the readings are clear??

Ive had to wash out the main filter a few times as it got clogged i did what you or other person said and just cleaned it a bit in tank water.

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