Howdy

[v8will]

Hi Everyone


Brand stinkin' new to this forum but I've done a spot of lurking for a while...

Anyway, I picked up a Rekord 800 kit a few months back and due to the demands of work, SWMBO etc I've only managed to get a look at setting it up in the past few days. Didn't much fancy the proper Juwel stand in looks or price so I've carried out some strengthening to the sideboard it now sits on and all is fine. Spent this evening washing some gravel and adding some tasteless ornaments (air pump driven scuba diver lifting chest type thing, a sunken VW Beetle and a few plastic plants. I like it so gimme a break!) and filling with water.

That was the plan anyway, got everything hooked up/switched on. Not a sausage from the pump, lifted it out and tried a dry run. I gave the impeller a nudge and it sprung into life. An hour into cycling the tank the pump started making a few odd noises (need to lift it out but sounded like some sort of bearing failure) and subsequently died so it's off to the shop on Saturday for a warranty exchange and a few real plants. Hopefully the tank will be properly cycled and I can add some stock around the end of September. I'll stick to the recommendations of the shop, the water here is pretty hard and ever so slightly alkaline.

There's me thinking that this would be a stress free hobby!

Outside of the content of this forum other hobbies include car stuff, motorbikes, RC models and I'm busy trying to learn to use Autocad for an impending 'Tot Rod' build project.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum V8Will.
You may find me a bit conservative but I come from a background that includes plenty of failed tank setups. I encourage you to do your reading in the beginner's resource area of the forum. There are quite a few very helpful threads that you can reach from there. My own expertise lies in helping new people work their way through to a well cycled tank but other people like Waterdrop are well worth minding when you are in a fishless or a fish-in cycle. WD and I spend a lot of time in the new tank area of the forum and try very hard to help each new member become a successful fish keeper by starting out on the right foot.
The Beginner's resource center is easily found using a link in my own signature area.

 

[v8will]

Welcome to the forum V8Will.
You may find me a bit conservative but I come from a background that includes plenty of failed tank setups. I encourage you to do your reading in the beginner's resource area of the forum. There are quite a few very helpful threads that you can reach from there. My own expertise lies in helping new people work their way through to a well cycled tank but other people like Waterdrop are well worth minding when you are in a fishless or a fish-in cycle. WD and I spend a lot of time in the new tank area of the forum and try very hard to help each new member become a successful fish keeper by starting out on the right foot.
The Beginner's resource center is easily found using a link in my own signature area.

Thank you, this forum has been invaluable already. Hopefully it'll keep me on the right path

I've got a new pump so cycling has begun.

 

[OldMan47]

Cycling has only begun if you have the right chemicals to promote a fishless cycle, in my mind. Please keep us in the loop as far as your progress.

 

[v8will]

Ok, well I made my first error. Didn't buy the API master test kit, well there is one on route to me so I should have it by Monday or Tuesday. The API test strip kit I did buy doesn't fulfill my needs but shows the following:

water spec

GH 120-180 (colours somewhere between the two)

KH 120

pH 7.5

I did manage to pick up some ammonia solution last weekend and added according after using the calculator I found a link for on this site. My test kit isn't showing any Nitrate or Nitrite yet. Lets see what the ammonia test reveals when the test kit comes. I wasted a week but better that than harm my 1st fish. I'm running the tank at 28.5 deg C at the moment.

I got my pump changed last weekend and upgraded to a Bioflow 600, picked up a few plants as well. The Hygrophila corymbosa, Ceratopteris thaclictroides and Alternanthera reineckii seem to be doing well even though they got unceremoniously plonked in my washed pea gravel substrate. The Hygrophila polyserma I bought isn't faring so well. If the plants do well then Ok but I don't fancy changing the substrate just now (or if I do I'll wait until SWMBO is at work!). I have another clearseal tank that I had intended for future use elsewhere, might have a play with a few plants/substrate in that. The shop has sourced its plants from Tropica.

I have noticed a rather funky string like substance appear in the tank, absolutely no idea what it is, any thoughts welcomed.

Also, the leaves look a little speckled so I suspect all is not well there.

Any thoughts and guidance will be well recieved

 

[OldMan47]

Your present test kit showing moderately low GH and KH means you will be able to keep "soft water" fish that I can only dream of keeping in my tap water. I have a tank with readings about like yours but it gets a 50/50 mix of tap and rain or RO water. The brown specks on the leaves look like the plant is not getting enough light to my uneducated eye. I have a sword in a tank with marginal lighting levels that looks about that bad too.

 

[v8will]

Thanks again for the advice, I've brought the ammonia level up to around 8ppm and I'll monitor it over the next few days to see how it decreases. Funnily enough my other plants are thriving and the tank lights are on around 14-16 hours per day, except for trying to slow the algae bloom.

Lough Neagh supplies the drinking water around here and my kettle never needs descaled

Now, time to research what fish i'd like to go with....

 

[OldMan47]

Do not bring the ammonia level that high. At 8 ppm, the wrong kind of bacteria will dominate your bacterial colony. Then, when levels start to drop down to values that are hard to measure, they will die off and leave a weak colony of the right bacteria behind. It is the reason we usually recommend around 4 to 5 ppm as the amount to add to start a cycle.