Cutting Wood.

[KittyKat]

I'm mostly just worried about the brown water thing (but only because I'm COMPLETELY anal about these things) - but if it is likely to sort itself out in time then I'm sure I can live with it.

But the blackwater is so good for Amazonian fish! Don't worry about it

 

[KateT]

Am I imagining it to be worse than it is? I have images of a big brown tank, where I literally can't see anything

 

[KittyKat]

Am I imagining it to be worse than it is? I have images of a big brown tank, where I literally can't see anything

No, I think you misunderstand a bit: the water will remain completely clear, but will be coloured instead of.. normal (no idea how to put that better). This clear apple juice compared to water..

Cloudy water (when you can't see through it) is usually a bacterial bloom and sign of a problem, unlike blackwater

 

[pethappy]

Okay I managed it (just, I managed to saw my hand a little bit too, but luckily I'm brave ).

This is it now (and PB is working now!):

Is that okay? Do you think it's still too big? That top sticky out bit is only an inch or so from the light - is that a problem?

I really like it, it'll look really good with all the substrate and a few plants.

 

[Gilli]

Wow that is going to take forever to stop turning your water brown! A good tip is to look on Ebay as people sell their bogwood from their tanks so its already got the tanins out of it!

 

[waterdrop]

It totally depends on the particular piece of wood. Some don't do anything. I have a piece that's the opposite though, have been soaking it for year and it still turns the water dark tea colored pretty quickly. WD

 

[KateT]

Well I soaked it in the bath overnight and it's been in the tank since yesterday morning. There's a very slight tinge, but nothing I'm unhappy with. It's still pretty cloudy from sand settling though (how long should that take?! I put it in on Wednesday night and there's still bits whirling around everywhere). All set to put my fist dose of ammonia in tonight

 

[KittyKat]

It's still pretty cloudy from sand settling though (how long should that take?! I put it in on Wednesday night and there's still bits whirling around everywhere). All set to put my fist dose of ammonia in tonight

Usually a couple of days does it, but you should clean out the finest sponge in the filter as that would have picked up a lot of it.

 

[KateT]

Re: sand... what are these air pockets I keep reading about? How do I avoid getting them? What can I put in my tank that will burrow through it to break them up?

 

[Aqua Tom]

Re: sand... what are these air pockets I keep reading about? How do I avoid getting them? What can I put in my tank that will burrow through it to break them up?

The gas pocket theory is just that, a theory. Think about it, gas traped & then released would not harm the fish at all, they dont breath gas. Also gas is very hard to get into the water columb. Us planters who use injected co2 have to put it through diffusers etc to get it into the water & that is not going to happen to a gas bubble that escapes the sand

I have corydoras & assassin snails in my tank. Both sift the sand for me & have never seen a bubble come out of the substrate.

A~T

 

[KateT]

I don't think my tank is big enough for cories (96l - though probably much less now due to my sizeable wood!). I was looking at Kuhli loaches, but I believe they grow fairly big too. They are gorgeous!

 

[fluttermoth]

Well, kuhli loaches grow long, but they're so slim bodied thay don't produce the waste that other fish of their size would. You should be fine having some in your 96l if you want them

 

[KittyKat]

The tank should take 6 standard Corys, 10 dwarf Corys or 6-10 khuli loaches.. the khulis should not be as much of a bio-load as the Corys per fish.

 

[KateT]

The tank should take 6 standard Corys, 10 dwarf Corys or 6-10 khuli loaches.. the khulis should not be as much of a bio-load as the Corys per fish.

Sorry, does that apply as part of a community tank? Or if I were to only keep loaches?

 

[KittyKat]

The tank should take 6 standard Corys, 10 dwarf Corys or 6-10 khuli loaches.. the khulis should not be as much of a bio-load as the Corys per fish.

Sorry, does that apply as part of a community tank? Or if I were to only keep loaches?

As part of stocking, such as..
* bottom fish as suggested before
* 10-15 5cm schooling fish of one species
* 1m 2f Apistogramma or similar small cichlids
* 1 dwarf gourami

Which would work in a fully fish-less cycled tank.