New Fluval Roma 90 Set Up

[Smart_Blue]

Hello all, I am very new to all this and this is my first tank. It is a Fluval Roma 90 ( 90 litres )

Came with:
Fluval 2 Internal Filter
Tronic Heater 100watt
Fluval GLO lighting: 1x15 watt PowerGlo & 1x15 watt AquaGlo lighting tubes
LCD thermometer (stick on)
100ml Nutrafin Aqua Plus & Cycle


I bought a tank the other day (15 litre cube type) to start out with, it wasn't until I got home and researched what fish to buy, what equipment I'll need etc, that I realised a 15 litre tank was a bit on the cruel side to have anything living in there, So I took it back to the shop and exchanged it for my new addition (Fluval).

Ok, So I set the tank up yesterday, washed the stones/plastic plant/Rock/Ornament and placed them in, then began to fill it with tap water. Once full I follwed the instructions of adding the Nutrafin Cycle & Aqua Plus chems.

The 'Cycle' tells me to put in :
DAY 1 - 25ml per 10US Gallon - Done
DAY 2 - 10ml per 10US Gallon - Done
Day 3 - 10ml per 10US Gallon


I came down this morning (day 2) to find the tank is cloudy? is this normal? will it clear by itself or do I need to react?

additional info :
Heater is set to 27C
No real plants
No fish
Light kept off for now

Cheers

 

[ZoddyZod]

Hello! Welcome to the forum.

Please read the beginners section that covers 'cycling' This is a MUST for any new tank.

I'm afraid adding the Nutrafin Cycle stuff will do very little to establishing the 'good' bacteria in your filter that will manage the waste your fish produce.

Have a read of the cycling stuff and then post back here with any questions.

 

[Louiseness]

Sorry, but bottled cycling products really don't do much

Have a read of the cycling info in the beginners resource centre, that will tell you how to go about cycling your tank properly

 

[minnnt]

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your new purchase!! The cloudiness will be a bacterial bloom. This is common and is nothing to worry about. There is enough reading in the beginners resource centre to keep you busy for a week.

If you have any questions afterwards then just ask and someone will be able to help you out.

Have fun!

 

[Smart_Blue]

Just a quick update

Day 4 of cycle.
Visited my local fish store to buy some ammonia, she sold me something that she claimed it was pure ammonia... It states on the back ammonia salts plus other minerals..
Anyway while I was in there I took home with me some mature sponge to plonk in my tank.

Got home tank still slighty cloudy but not as server as previous day, added sponge and a new ornament..

Hoping this speeds up the fishless cycle, will be adding ammonia tomorrow as per instructions, also bought a test kit 5in1 test tube set (feel like a mad scientist)

Will post first reading here so any experienced folk may give me some info on how I'm getting on...

Also, I don't think I like my selection of stone, and want to change it to more natural colours, I went for black and white but now have the vision of a something more rustic than modern....

Now I'll be into day 5 of cycle... Is it ok for me to change my gravel for new stuff? Or will it set me back?

Cheers

 

[minnnt]

I would get the tank how you want it mate. If it knocks you back a bit (which it shouldn't anyway!) then it will be worth it as it will be very stressful for the fish if you do it later once stocked.

Glad you got some mature media. Now try another LFS and do the same lol.

 

[Miles_hot]

Put the mature media in your filter and check the ammonia levels if you're not sure about tje stuff that they sold you

 

[Claire121]

It states on the back ammonia salts plus other minerals..

Don't put it anywhere near your tank until your sure it's the right product - you will cause yourself all sorts of problems if it's a detergent. Can you post the ingredients on here and someone will tell you if it's ok.

The right stuff can be difficult to get hold of - Boots and Homebase are the places to try.

 

[Smart_Blue]

It states on the back ammonia salts plus other minerals..

Don't put it anywhere near your tank until your sure it's the right product - you will cause yourself all sorts of problems if it's a detergent. Can you post the ingredients on here and someone will tell you if it's ok.

The right stuff can be difficult to get hold of - Boots and Homebase are the places to try.

Thanks for the genuine concern, but it is sold for fish tanks thanks...

Right.... Going to do my tanks first test, here are the results.....

Test time Day 4. 3:45pm

PH = 7.4
Ammonia = 1ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate = 0ppm

I put the ammonia drops in this morning at 7am

any comments?

Thanks

 

[Tizer]

i like cake!

 

[Smart_Blue]

I never put the sponge in my filter (where would it fit?) also are the white pellets in the filter any good? I've heard there's better alternatives?

The sponge is just plonked in the tank underneath the filter...

The White cloud had now gone and the water is crystal clear.... The filter seems decent

 

[Smart_Blue]

Twiddle dee

 

[Miles_hot]

SB - put the mature filter into your filter body - the bacteria have a very good hold on surfaces and will not just swim across your tank into the filter. When you put the sponge in your filter they will grow outwards from it into the rest of your media.

The ammonia level seems a little low - I would prefer to see 2-4ppm to simulate the load that a full tank will put on the filter. Once the filter can handle this in 12 hours you're good to go. To work out how many drops etc you need (as concentrations will vary between bottles, batches etc) test before adding and then add and test until you hit 4ppm.

The "bottled stuff does nothing" type comment is directed at the Cycle product and not the Aqua Plus - the Aqua Plus removes chlorine and is vital when doing water changes.

Changing your gravel will make no difference - all the action is in the filter.

The White rocks are probably ceramic media which have a huge surface area for the bacteria and are good. Try to get some confirmation that they are ceramic media though - the manual should have something to say about it or the good old internet

HTH

Miles

 

[Smart_Blue]

Day 6 Water Test

Ammonia = 5ppm
Nitites = 0
Nitrates = 0

Is this ok? Do I leve it now untill I see a rise in Nitrites and and a reduction in Ammonia?

Cheers

 

[Miles_hot]

Yes, leave till ammonia is 0