zzyzx85
New Member
I just wanted to say hi to all. I was looking for an online forum so I could get more knowledge. (This is why I find the internet freakin' awesome.)
So a little bit to introduce myself. I'm currently a college student, studying manuf. engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. As a child, I've always kept a few goldfish in a tank and I had one that lived for more than 10 years. And this was a feeder fish my sister had won at a fair.
I just moved off campus and my house was a little empty so I wanted a fish tank (easier to take care of than a dog). So I purchased a 20 gal setup from someone who was moving. It came with six red eye tetras, some java moss attached to a good sized piece of driftwood, and a good sized java fern and a few small ones. So far, I have purchased 4 corys (3 peppered, 1 bronze [I believe...getting 2 more to make it 3-3]) and a half dozen trap door snails are on their way. It came with a Whisper 20 power filter. For lighting, I have a 28 watt Coralife T-5 with a full spectrum bulb and 6700K bulb installed. For heating, I have a 150watt Hydor Theo set at 75 and holding nicely.
Ok, end of introduction. So a few quick questions. Do I have enough lighting? I know the "1 watt per gallon" phrase but do I really have enough? My bigger java fern has a leaf with a transparent tip. It's one of the bigger leaves and I thought it was getting burnt from the light. Or could it be that it's just getting old?
Second, one of my peppered corys got sick (I believe it was swim bladder infection as it kept floating upwards). I added 4 tablespoons of salt to the tank and the little guy is better (whew). However, my java moss doesn't look too happy. Did I just nuke the plants in my tank?
Thanks in advance.
So a little bit to introduce myself. I'm currently a college student, studying manuf. engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. As a child, I've always kept a few goldfish in a tank and I had one that lived for more than 10 years. And this was a feeder fish my sister had won at a fair.
I just moved off campus and my house was a little empty so I wanted a fish tank (easier to take care of than a dog). So I purchased a 20 gal setup from someone who was moving. It came with six red eye tetras, some java moss attached to a good sized piece of driftwood, and a good sized java fern and a few small ones. So far, I have purchased 4 corys (3 peppered, 1 bronze [I believe...getting 2 more to make it 3-3]) and a half dozen trap door snails are on their way. It came with a Whisper 20 power filter. For lighting, I have a 28 watt Coralife T-5 with a full spectrum bulb and 6700K bulb installed. For heating, I have a 150watt Hydor Theo set at 75 and holding nicely.
Ok, end of introduction. So a few quick questions. Do I have enough lighting? I know the "1 watt per gallon" phrase but do I really have enough? My bigger java fern has a leaf with a transparent tip. It's one of the bigger leaves and I thought it was getting burnt from the light. Or could it be that it's just getting old?
Second, one of my peppered corys got sick (I believe it was swim bladder infection as it kept floating upwards). I added 4 tablespoons of salt to the tank and the little guy is better (whew). However, my java moss doesn't look too happy. Did I just nuke the plants in my tank?
Thanks in advance.
to TFF!!
