ok as u can see this is my new 1.5 ft tank, arnd 10 gallons. still cloudy from the aquasoil. how densely planted is my tank considered to be? is a small bioload such as 8 dwarf rasboras suitable? how about guppies and endlers?
also is it okay to add them in when the water clears?
oh and also how long before the water clears? I'm using an eden 316 filter. my mum's getting impatient =) she says its boring without movement.(although the plants are moving because of the current =)) and er, i'm seeing some bubbles from the soil and the plants. would those bubbles from the plants be oxygen? If so, would it mean i'm on the right track?
my tank as below:
Last edited by taikiat; 1st Jul 2006 at 20:59.
That's good density
8 dwarf rasboras are definately suitable.
Guppies and endlers are also suitable.
Are your plants growing? The cloudy water seems weird if you're using Aquasoil. Did you seed the tank with water/mulm from another tank?
I'd add them in when the plants are showing new growth and the water has cleared up.
lol i just set this tank up 5 hours ago >< stirred some of the aquasoil up due to replanting of one of the uprooted water sprites. Other than that i think nothing else is causing the cloudiness. about the bioload, 8 dwarf rasboras is only a start, with more to come, like otos and shrimps. is that okay?
i'm also seeing a lot of mini bubbles from the moss and water sprites. this indicates that they're still alive right?
You might want to do 50-80% water change as the aquasoil debris will land on the moss and algae outbreak might occur. Water change also helps to purge the ammonia in the water, plants and especially fish like clean water.
Cheers,
Andrew
I had cloudy water too with my aquasoil when i used them initially. Just do frequent and large water changes within the week and the cloudyness should clear in no time.
Bubbles in aquasoil is normal. Its just the air bubbles that got locked in the soil. They'll dissappear soon.
You shouldn't mix endlers and guppies together because they are different species and will cross breed..
Eugene (^_^)
De Dwergcichlide Fanatiek
Now swimming: Plecos and Apistogrammas
ok i'll start with the water changes, I'm just worried that cycling may be disrupted due to wc. I've seen some people discussing about how wc disrupts the nitrogen cycle. But now I'll aim for a crystal clear tank first. ^^ I'll do water tests after it clears and then decide to add some shrimp.
oh and how much is a test kit? for ammonia, ph, and anything else needed to check before adding in fauna?
Last edited by taikiat; 2nd Jul 2006 at 10:16.
Test kits are very affordable now. Like the sera test kits... You can try to do the frequent water changes within a day to clear the water. Slightly chalky water is normal with new aquasoil.
I don't think its advisable to add shrimps at this point of time because they are very senstitive creatures. You won't want to see your shrimps dying one by one and start to ask again why they die...
I used afew hardy fishes together with nutrafin cycle to kick start my cycling process. Only after a week later, i start to add shrimps and more fishes.
Last edited by |squee|; 3rd Jul 2006 at 00:01.
Eugene (^_^)
De Dwergcichlide Fanatiek
Now swimming: Plecos and Apistogrammas
examples of some hardy fish u added? I felt like trying guppies, but... i dun think they'll be shrimp friendly. anyway i'll wait for the water to clear up. the water is clear when i look at it far away. but as i go closer and look through the long side of the tank, that is through 1.5 ft of water, i see a brownish tinge of cloudiness. whereas far away it seems to be a little greenish. although the green may be from the reflection in the glass. clear up pls ><
i would advise you be more patient... from past experience with ADA soil with new setup and new filter, i can say it is better to leave it like that with filter running and light normal hours for 1 or 2 week. after that water will be crystal clear. during this period i normally observe my water having a light greenish color, but it eventually goes if you are patient. the bacteria has to colonize, the debris will settle, and everthing will be nice...
it has gone away already =x went out for the whole of today and when i came back it's close to crystal clear except for a very slight greenish tinge that i only noticed when i siphoned out the water. i think i'll wait for a week or two to pass since i'm too poor to afford test kits. ><
You can use feeder platies to cycle your tank... 1 pack 2 bucks like that...
but i wouldn't know what to do with the platies after they've done their job, return to the lfs? and do i get these platies at the market?
Don't worry... If you tank is not ready, they will die... For sure...
Some LFS don't mind you returning the fishes to them...
I did for mine... Left a couple for other tanks which I need to cycle in future...
i would strongly advise you not to add any shrimps into your tank now. Do regular water change for the next 2 weeks. About 30-40% each time. Reason being, your pH will most probably be hovering around 6 now. Definitely not too good for shrimps (Too much amonia). I have similar painful experience using ADA soil before, took me 1 month, before i can successfully introduce shrimps into the tank.
Great virture for this is patience! If you don't have that, i can foresee failure ahead.
Just my 2cent view
Last edited by kemp; 3rd Jul 2006 at 11:02.
oh i'm not adding shrimps anytime soon, i just thought of adding either otos and dwarf rasboras (in small numbers), to push the bioload a bit and kick start the cycling.
oh! If my tank wasn't newly reset up. I could have pass you some mulm to help kickstart your cycling faster. Else you can ask from some of the forumn bros though
Rasboras would be a good. They are quite hardy. I used black neons the last time, 5 for my 3ft tank.
Try not to use feeder fishes as they can introduce diseases into the tank too because these feeders are usually kept in very poor conditions and so are prone to diseases and parasites (ich for example)...
Eugene (^_^)
De Dwergcichlide Fanatiek
Now swimming: Plecos and Apistogrammas
Originally Posted by taikiat
Patience is the key in this game, my friend. I just don't understand why so many propose drastic water change during the initial phase. we just need to be patient and let the system adjust and cycle and settle and achieve EQUILIBRIUM. Can add some bac booster to jump start the nitrogen cycle. After that just leave it for a month or two.
I concur with genes not to purchase feeder fishes for tank cycling use. Most of them are vectors for diseases due to their poor living conditions in the water bag and who knows how long they have been in there!
Perhaps you can ask around and someone might have a couple of spare guppies or platys for you?
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