New Setup

[maffa_82]

ive just started a tropical tank and need some pointers. At firsti added the gravel and filled half the tank with water the added the rest of my ornimants, wich included 2 peices of wood then added the filter and heater. After i filled the rest of the tank with water i added stress zyme and tap water conditioner. After a day the water started to turn a brownish color and the temp of the water was about 82 but the heater was set at 72ish.

After another day the water was really dirty looking and didnt have a clue what was wrong so i went to my local tropical fish shop and they told me that the problem was with the wood i had in my tank and was told to take it out and put it in a bucket of water and change the water every 2 days till the water stayed clear. Now that the wood i in the bucket i took the time to change all of the water and start the cycling again and the water is clear but the temp of the water is at 79 without the heater turned on. I have a light in the lid of the tank so im wondering if this is a normal temp and should i have the heater on or leave it off?

 

[gilaesther]

ive just started a tropical tank and need some pointers. At firsti added the gravel and filled half the tank with water the added the rest of my ornimants, wich included 2 peices of wood then added the filter and heater. After i filled the rest of the tank with water i added stress zyme and tap water conditioner. After a day the water started to turn a brownish color and the temp of the water was about 82 but the heater was set at 72ish.

After another day the water was really dirty looking and didnt have a clue what was wrong so i went to my local tropical fish shop and they told me that the problem was with the wood i had in my tank and was told to take it out and put it in a bucket of water and change the water every 2 days till the water stayed clear. Now that the wood i in the bucket i took the time to change all of the water and start the cycling again and the water is clear but the temp of the water is at 79 without the heater turned on. I have a light in the lid of the tank so im wondering if this is a normal temp and should i have the heater on or leave it off?

Wood releases tannis (I think that's what it's called) and that turns the water brownish. It is not harmful, and doesn't affect the cycling process. Some people actually like how the water looks with a slight brownish color, making it more natural looking. Some fish prefer it that way too. Boil your wood for a several hours, and rinse it off well, rubbing off all dirt. Then try it again in the tank. If it's still releasing tannis, repeat the process. Don't worry about the water changes, cause you're going to have to do that for the cycling anyway. When you do it then, the water will clear up.

As for the water temp, what brand heater do you have, and what is your room's ambient temp? Never skimp on your heater, you don't want it to malfunction at night and wake up to find all your fish boiled, or worse.

If your room temp is around 79*, then the water in the tank will be 79* - remember, heaters only heat, they don't cool the water. For tropical fish, 79* is about the perfect temp anyway, so there's no reason to worry, unless you're going to be using this as a goldfish (or other coldwater fish) tank.

 

[maffa_82]

the make of my heater is NEWA Visi-therm. i have had the wood in soak for oer a week now and the water is getting more and more clear as i change it, i never thought of boiling the wood so i'l start doing that ASAP. i forgot to mention that the water the wood is soaking in has a slight "skin" on top of the water that looks a bit blue like petrol looks on the surface of the water. do i need to be concerned about this aswell?

edit: will the light in the lid have an affect on the water temp aswell as the bulb seems a bit to hot for my liking, as i mentioned b4 that the heater is not even turned on yet and the temp is at 79, shoud i leave it off for now and turn it on when the weather cools down or should i have it on 24/7?