Doug Posted August 4, 2006 Report Share Posted August 4, 2006 new 4 foot tank arrived by freight last night. (soooooo happpy, it looks huge, well it does to me) I had it made by Greg Kingston in auckland, he is a great guy to deal with, I need to get a bigger house so he can make me more tanks anyway lets get to the silly questions. how thick should the polystyrine underneath be? (I'm gonna go to para pools tommorow and get them to cut it to the right size.) would a sheet of plywood to go under the poly be overkill or advised? is putting all the hide holes and driftwood in going to effect the settling period of the glass? (only ever setup a 20l tank before, so prob just being overcarefull) can you name a few easygoing plants that arent too light hungry? I dont have lights setup for this tank yet, or should I just wait till i get lights to add plants? I'm thinking java fern and moss, but I'm looking for some taller plants to grow in the back. heres what I'm thinking of puting in it (slowly bought over time ofcourse ) Red Tail Black Shark (currently housed in a 20l tank) 6 or more corydora's catfish (aparently these guys arent bothered by RTB's, and I like bottom feeders) atleast 6 Zebra Danios (I love these guys, wanted to breed them, but didnt get the chance) 6 or more Swordtails (wanted to try some livebearers and heard these guys are pretty hardy) was thinking tigerbarbs, or something a little more colourfull. what do you guys think, forsee any problems with the mix so far? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 4, 2006 Report Share Posted August 4, 2006 Hi Doug. Congratulations on your new tank. The polystyrene needs to be about 2.5cm (that is what is under my tanks anyway) Depending on what the tank is going on, plywood may or may not be overkill. Putting stuff in the tank is not going to affect the glass, unless you drop a rock on it Good plants would be Java fern, moss and Anubias. Hygrophila is a fast grower too. Nothing wrong with the fish mix but tiger barbs tend to be nippy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissie Posted August 4, 2006 Report Share Posted August 4, 2006 we had tiger barbs and swords together when we first started out with a community tank and i found the barbs nipped the male swords tails all the time.... they say if you keep a larger school of tiger barbs they aren't so bad but i never tried more then 12 at a time and they were still into the swords.... hope this helps... cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted August 4, 2006 Report Share Posted August 4, 2006 also your RTBS might snack on the smaller danios. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 Hi Doug, awesome. Quiz away with your questions and let me know if you want to check out my set up or need something. Sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 Congrats on new tank :bounce: :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 thanks guys I got para pools to cut up some poly, except that the sheets are just shorter than the tank, so over the phone I asked them to cut up 2 2ft peices, when the poly was picked up it was a sheet sized peice and an extra 5cm long piece, is this going to work? or will any gaps cause a stress point? also got the gravel and backing today, its starting to look like the fishie haven I have been dreaming about. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 The gap will not cause the tank stress (not sure about you though :lol: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 kool, thanks for that caryl, I'm gonna start washing the gravel then. thanks again for all your congratulations and help. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 At one point I did have styrofoam under a tank that was in 2 pieces, not exactly half, but anyway it was fine. What color gravel are you putting in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 gravel is dark grey, picked it up at the LFS today. got another question for you guys. whats the best way to attach the hoses to the side of the tank so that they dont move around? some kind of clip or clamp? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 If they are cut to the correct length (check the instructions) they should not move around much once in place. You want a little movement so you can wipe around them (algae on inside, drips etc on outside) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 yeah, I have to make up some fittings for the ends of the hoses, at the moment I only have an intake tube and a strainer that doesnt quite fit. thinking of getting some 9mm pvc pipe and 90 degree bends and making a __ | ] | ] __ | sought of shape to have the outtake above the waterline. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 out of curiosity what do the fluval hose attatchments look like? I think this is what I'm after http://www.petsunlimited.co.nz/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=273&category_id=4d61823ec12ec7b8da7757d3fec47d60&PHPSESSID=3f07c6a5c5a755e0a844ce94f6232506 hard to find 9mm pvc pipe evrywhere seems to have 15mm or bigger, havent tried a plumbing stor yet as they are only open weekdays. is it possible to do fishless cycling without adding ammonia? I'm feeding the tank small amounts of fish food, but will the tank fully cycle that way or will I have to add a couple fish before it will really start? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 If you want to cycle your tank in a snap just use some filter material(unwashed, of course) from your other tank in the new filter. It should be fine in a few days that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 the other filter is a tiny HOB, but I will wash the cartridge in the new tank tonight. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 going to go to the LFS this weekend and pick up some 4 foot lights. hopefully I will be able to get some old filter media from there filters and pop that into mine. how long will the bacteria survive in a bag with a little bit of tank water? the driftwood I bought is still leaching out tannins, how long can i expect it to do this? I was going to get some carbon for the filter, but if its going to do this for a long time, I might just wait it out then use some carbon, instead of having to replace alot of carbon. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljtan55 Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 The tannins aint bad, they only stain the tank water a bit brownish. Won't do your fish any harm. Having said my tanks been set up for about 3 months, with carbon in the filter and had the tannin problem for about a month and a half. Only soaked it for about an hour in the beginning though, couldn't wait to set up the tank! Carbon is like 4 dollars for a big bag (I used the aquaclear one in a bag) so its pretty cheap. Just remember to take it out after a while otherwise it just leeches back into the tank. Good luck with the tank! Post some pictures if you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 awhile away from posting pics, but as soon as I can I will, its just too bare and murky at the mo to take any pics. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Tank is well on its way now, amonia is coming down (this may be due to me putting less food in there, or it might be the cycle starting). no nitrites or nitrates yet. transfered one of my potted plants to the big tank, dosed with flourish excel, it was looking a bit worse for wear, with the unfortunate introduction of snails. Hopefully got all the snails out of it before I moved it. starting to plant it now, so if anyone in the hamilton area has some free clippings, I would appreciate a few bits Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Just remember to take it out after a while otherwise it just leeches back into the tank Does this harm the fish? Anxious to see your set up Doug, my new tank is still in the box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 left hand side right hand side took these with my phone, not t clear but it'll have to do the tannins dont harm the fish, even when they come from the carbon. I asked the owner of the LFS and he said I should expect the drift wood to leach for about 3months, after that I will use a bit of carbon, till then I'll just do water changes if it gets too dark to see anything. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 I thought you meant the carbon leeches back into the tank?? What a dandy piece of driftwood, wow I see a plant, will that be staying in this tank? How wide is the tank Doug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted August 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 tank dimensions are 1200mm long by 450 by 450 approx 230L dual 3ft fluro tubes, just the ones that came with the 4ft reflector, but will get some daylight ones if these arent cutting it. should be picking up some plant clippings today. the one thats in there has just been rescued from the snail infestation in my little tank. I might take some cuttings of it, but I hadnt planned on keeping it in the large one. I will try to take a pic of the whole tank tonight, once there is less glare on it. and no the carbon leaches the tannins that it absorbs, back into the tank, the carbon dosent leach carbon into the tank if thats what you meant. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Yep, that's what I meant 8) Looking forward to more pics :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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