Just getting started, a few ?s

[robertiv]

Hi all - over the past month I've started putting together my 1st freshwater aquarium from scratch. Pretty excited!

Community tank, 38 gallon, AquaClear 50 filter, basic Aqueon 150W heater, live plants, etc.

Filled the tank & let it sit for a while, then about 6 days ago got my first fish (6 black phantom tetras) and a few plants. Folks at the fish store (The Wet Spot in Portland Oregon, who seem to know their stuff) advised me to add new fish verrry slowly until the tank gets established, so I resisted the temptation to add a variety of them to start. The tetras seem to be getting acclimated well though.

I've got a few questions to start, if anyone's got a moment to tackle any combo of them:

1. Found it challenging to get the plants properly placed into the substrate & otherwise position them. Using one hand is super awkward, but at least I can watch what I'm doing from the side. With two hands although I have better control it's difficult to see down through the rippled surface. Any tricks to this?

2. What's the best tool for cleaning the inside walls of the tank? I see a few smudges visible under the right light.

3. What are your preferred cleaners for the outside?

4. A couple of my plants have some dying leaves. Hopefully it's just transplant trauma & not the entire plant dying, but what's the best way to cut these & otherwise clean the plants up? Just grab some scissors & kind of muddle thru?

5. What's the best positioning for both the heater & the filter intake tube? Right now I have the heater on the far right corner of the tank, with the filter adjacent to that so its current will circulate the heat (both on the back wall). Is this correct?

I know these are super basic, but figured I'd check for clever tips before going with trial & error. Thanks in advance!

 

[FishGuest5123]

Hi! If I may ask a question first, please. Are you aware of the nitrogen cycle and did you cycle your tank? What are your water parameters, ie, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH?

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Make sure you have at least 2 inches of gravel for the plants. Hold plant carefully on the base with finger and thumb. Use other fingers to dig a hole for plant. Put plant in and cover with gravel.
Try not to squash, scratch or damage the base of plants because they rot and die.

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Use a clean sponge for cleaning the glass. Make sure the sponge does not contain soaps or mould inhibitors. Buy a 5 pack of sponges from a $2 shop because they are less likely to have chemicals added to them.

I use the ones with sponge on one side and a green scourer on the other side.

When you get the new sponge, wash it with warm soapy water and rinse really well. Sometimes they have a yellow or green dye that washes out.

Do not use soap with perfume or disinfectant in. Just use a plain soap without anything added.

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Methylated spirits and water are the only things you should use to clean the outside of the tank. Methylated spirits is simply ethyl alcohol (aka ethanol, not methanol). Mix a bit of alcohol with water and wash the glass then use a squeegee or wipe the excess off. The alcohol helps the water evaporate and leaves a clear finish.

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A lot of aquarium plants are not true aquatic plants and die when put under water. And most plants sold for fish tanks have been grown out of water so when you put them under water, they shed their terrestrial leaves and grow new aquatic leaves.

If you can post pictures of your plants, we can tell you if they are true aquatics or marsh plants.

Just use a pr of scissors to cut the dead leaves off near the stem. Remove the dead leaf afterwards so it doesn't break down and increase the ammonia level in the tank.

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Aquarium heaters should be put on the back glass near the middle of the tank, but also as close to the bottom as possible. Have them on a 45 degree angle with the cord higher than the glass. This gives a bigger heating area and allows the heat to spread out more evenly.

If your heater is not fully submersible, then do not put the cord underwater. Most heaters are completely submersible but check the packet first.

Filters can go anywhere. If you have an external canister filter, you have the intake tube at one end of the tank, and the outlet tube at the opposite end of the tank. This causes the clean water to flow through the tank where it is then picked up by the filter at the other end.

If you have a hang on the back (HOB) style filter like an Aquaclear or Topfin, you can put them anywhere but most people have them on one end. If you have a really long tank with a HOB filter, then get a second filter for the other end or use a small water pump on a timer, to circulate the water more effectively.

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You are doing a fish in cycle. This simply means you have fish in the tank while the filters develop the beneficial filter bacteria. You should keep the feeding down to 2-3 times per week and do a 75% water change 4-8 hours after feeding. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

You should also monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change any day you have a reading above 0.

It will take about 4-6 weeks for the tank to cycle. Once it has, you can feed the fish each day and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.

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The following link has information about what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth knowing. I recommend printing it out and reading it in bed to help fall asleep.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-gets-sick.450268/

If you have any problems with the fish looking off colour or dying, post immediately and include clear pictures of the fish and water test results. Most fish health issues are caused by water quality and big water changes usually fix most problems without the need to add chemicals.

If you have any other issues, post a question on the forum asap. The sooner problems are identified, the better.

If you post a pic of your tank, we can offer advice about things you can modify or change.​

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF and the hobby.

I will respond to your questions a bit differently, as life can be much simpler given your circumstances. I have not been to The Wet Spot in Portland (I live due north in Vancouver, BC) but they have a very good reputation. They certainly have an incredible fish supply. I cannot say all their advice will be correct, but from what you've mentioned it was in this case.

Live plants will eliminate any issue with "cycling," especially if you have some faster growing plant species and here floating plants are the best. It is also important to have floating plants for the fish from now on, as you seem to be aiming at forest fish.

Continue daily feeding but don't overfeed--this is an ongoing thing. You can skip a day or two, such as the weekly water change day. Change roughly 50-65% of the tank volume once each week, at one time. There is no need to be water changing after each feeding when you have live plants, assuming they are showing signs of growth. Even with slow growing plants, six tetras in a 38g will not cause "cycling" issues with normal/minimal feedings.

I use an aquarium sponge scraper for the inside glass; clean the front glass at every water change whether you see anything or not; algae will very slowly appear on any biofilm and cleaning the glass weekly stops this before it starts in a sense. I only use water and a sponge, followed by a clean dry cotton towel used only for fish tanks, to clean the outside glass. Use the towel to dry off any water spots after water changes, but there is no need for anything more.

You have the heater/filter return ideally placed to dissipate the heated water.

You have very soft water if you live west of the mountains, this is common all along the NW coast up into SW BC. Stay with soft water fish species and you will have no issues.

 

[robertiv]

Thanks for the detailed replies everyone!

When purchasing the tank last month I had a salesperson take me around & explain the basics of the different components, about the nitrogen cycle, etc, but it was basic. I do wish they'd mentioned testing the water.

While I purchased both a dechlorinator & a "stabilization" mixture (both Seachem brand) before introducing fish & plants, I only did a quick pH test using cheap strips. After testing these strips on various sources of water I've decided they're inaccurate to the point of being mostly worthless. I have a hopefully better pH & NO kit shipping here in the next few days.

Byron - we actually have pretty hard water in my town, which is adjacent to Portland but uses its own well system rather than the local watershed. We just moved into this place a year ago & I've been noticing deposits already forming on sinks, tub & shower, etc. I did indeed test both KH & GH today, both being rather high at around 160-180 ppm. So I'll be purchasing some kind of softener next time I get to the aquarium store.

The main plant that seems to be ailing is an Echinodorus, lower leaves getting blotchy & yellow, with the yellow gradually climbing to the higher leaves.

On the other hand I have a couple bunches of Cabomba, among others, that look great. I'll pick up some floating plants next time too.

Anyone have tricks/tips for doing water changes? My plan was to fill the replacement water in a food-grade bucket, add de-chlorinator, do whatever pH or hardness adjustments needed, and let it sit for a day or two before introducing it to the tank. I'm mostly just guessing on that though.

 

[Byron]

Byron - we actually have pretty hard water in my town, which is adjacent to Portland but uses its own well system rather than the local watershed. We just moved into this place a year ago & I've been noticing deposits already forming on sinks, tub & shower, etc. I did indeed test both KH & GH today, both being rather high at around 160-180 ppm. So I'll be purchasing some kind of softener next time I get to the aquarium store.

I haven't heard about that GH issue before, but then why should I have? Anyway...there is no water softener. If you have hard water, you have two choices: select fish suited to the water, or be prepared to adjust the parameters naturally. In the case of softening water, the only effective and safe method is to dilute it with "pure" water (RO, distilled, rainwater if otherwise safe). The dilution will be in proportion, so mixing half tap water with half pure water will reduce the GH by half, etc. The pH will likely lower, depending. This is certainly possible, but expensive and cumbersome. You will have to prepare water for changes somewhat as you mention. Other members who do RO water can explain this better than I.

The main plant that seems to be ailing is an Echinodorus, lower leaves getting blotchy & yellow, with the yellow gradually climbing to the higher leaves.

The Echinodorus may be reacting to its new home, this is common. Older leaves yellow and die first as the plant puts its energy into generating new leaves which arise from the centre of the crown. Other issues could be light, though if Cabomba is thriving this would not seem likely, as this is a high light plant. Nutrients might be the issue; Echinodorus are heavy feeders, and the root tabs are always beneficial. Seachem Flourish Tabs are better than the API tabs.

What is the "stabilization" mixture?

 

[robertiv]

The stabilization mixture is supposedly composed of various bacteria to accelerate the cycling for new tanks. This product: https://www.seachem.com/stability.php

As for the hardness issue, the GH/KH test kit (API brand) I used recommends another product - API Water Softener Pillow (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DW0GQQ/?tag=ff0d01-20) - to remove calcium & magnesium ions. It seems a little inconvenient as you have to "recharge" it every 48 hours by soaking w/aquarium salt, but I imagine once you've decreased the hardness you'd only have to use when a significant amount of new water is added.

Like all these products, as a newbie I've got no idea if they actually work well. Reviewers of the water softener do seem to agree that if you use it as advertised it usually does the job.

But my other reluctance there comes from not wanting to mess with the water chemistry unnecessarily. I know a lot of water softeners will lower pH as a side effect for example. I'm somewhat inclined to just buy large jugs of spring water for changes, but that would get pretty expensive over time especially for a 38g tank. My new pH & NO test kit (also API brand) should arrive tomorrow, so I'll have a better idea of the other parameters.

The tetras do seem happy so far - much bolder/vibrant appearance than when first introduced, seem comfortable exploring the entire tank, etc. I hope to add a few more fish (maybe another schooling type) early next week.

Another question - I purchased a couple cool looking chunks of grapewood when buying the fish. Not wanting them to discolor the water, I've been daily boiling them & then soaking them in room temp water hoping to leach the tannins out. It's been almost a week & they're still somewhat discoloring the soak water, is this something that will eventually fade?

After purchase I've read that some people have issues with grapewood rotting before too long, but hey, live & learn. In hindsight I probably should have gotten some more expensive Malaysian wood, but I'll give them a try.

 

[Byron]

Grapewood...this wood can sometimes develop a very toxic fungus. I had this several years ago, and fortunately saw something was bothering the fish and was able to remove it and do a massive water change which saved my fish. In that situation, the water got a bit hazy, and the white slimy-like fungus appeared on the wood; the fish became lethargic, and respiration was very rapid. Talking to others in the store where I bought it, I discovered some aquarists had not been so lucky, with dead fish. Cories seem especially sensitive to this. Others on the forum I was on at that time reported near-identical experiences with graperoot/grapewood.

Fungus appearing on wood in an aquarium can be safe or it can be toxic. There are many species of fungus, and it takes a microbiologist to examine the wood and determine the fungus species. If you see any sort of whitish or slimy-like whitish substance...sort of like a white cyanobacteria more than a cottony fungus...remove it.

Normal tannins from wood are harmless; beneficial in fact if you keep blackwater fish. Aside from the tinting of the water, the tannins have therapeutic properties for such fish. Malaysian Driftwood is my only wood now; it does not come as branches, or very rarely, but the chunks are different, some with tunnels, and ideal as logs and standing tree trunks.

I will leave the water parameter adjusting to others. As the above emergency shows, having water for massive water changes can save fish in an emergency, and that is something to keep in mind. And regardless of the "pillow," the only safe method to soften water is by dilution. I would not rely on any other.

Seachem's Stability is a cycling bacteria supplement, I have used it. While it does not contain the nitrifying bacteria species exactly, it does seem to help. Tetra's SafeStart would be a better option, but you really do not need to worry here, as the plants and the few fish in this sized tank will not cause any cycling issues.

 

[Essjay]

The water softeners that lower pH work by swapping the 'hardness minerals' for hydrogen ions. pH is a measure of the amount of hydrogen ions in the water; it's an upside down measure so the more ions there are the lower the pH. I know that Brita water filters work this way because they drop my pH from 7.5 to off the bottom of the scale.

Another type of water softener swaps the hardness minerals for sodium ions. These are the kind that can be recharged by soaking on salt which is sodium chloride. Personally, I would not use water from this type in my tanks because fish have not evolved to cope with a lot of sodium in the water. Just because companies make them doesn't mean they are OK for fish.

Searches have not yet found any reference to Seachem water softener pillows so I can't say how they work, but since you say they have to be recharged with salt it suggests the second type. I would either keep fish suited to your hardness or use pure water to mix with your tap water as Byron suggested.

 

[robertiv]

Thanks both of you for all the advice, and yes, on further research I'm going to take a pass on the softeners.

One more (yeah right!) newbie topic - algae. I'm noticing a little algae growth on the glass. Questions being:

1. What sort of item/product do you use to simply scrub the algae off, just a regular sponge? Any particular tricks? Do you only do so during water changes, or is it alright to scrub while the tank's full (I'd worry that a lot of it will simply disperse into the water)?

2. Any preferred fish or snails, etc, to help controlling it?

And sort of tangentially related - I have some plants like Cobomba with higher light requirements, so have been leaving the lights on about 12 hours/day. Is this overkill, and maybe contributing to the algae growth? What's a good rule of thumb light-wise?

 

[Colin_T]

If you get lots of green algae on the glass then reduce the light by an hour a day and monitor the algae over the next 2 weeks.
If you don't get any green algae on the glass then increase the lighting period by an hour and monitor it.
If you get a small amount of algae then the lighting time is about right.

Some plants will close their leaves up when they have had sufficient light. Ambulia, Hygrophilas and a few others close their top set of leaves first, then the next set and so on down the stem. When you see this happening, wait an hour after the leaves have closed up against the stem and then turn lights off.

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Use a clean soap free sponge to clean the algae off the glass. Buy a 5 pack of sponges from a $2.00 shop and check them for additives. The cheaper brands don't normally have any soap or mould inhibitors and are fine to use.

Just wash the sponge with warm soapy water first and rinse really well. Use perfume free soap and avoid soaps with anti-bacterial additives.

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You don't add fish or snails to control algae. Add live plants to use the excess light or decrease the lighting.

You can wipe the algae off the glass any time. It will be picked up by the filter and is nothing to worry about.​

 

[Fishmanic]

I use Invisible Glass cleaner for the outside glass. Safest is to spray it on a cloth or paper towel (away from the tank). I personally carefully spray it on the outside in a downward direction . It cleans really well. I do not smell any ammonia in the product and I don't think it has any soap. I'm not sure of the exact formula as it is a company secret but I this product on my car windows and home windows and it work fantastically.