Hello There,Been keeping tropical fish now for around 7 weeks now,everythings going fine ,but my water doesnt look as clear as it once did ,in the 7 weeks ive had the tank ive done 3,30% water changes,so i dont think its a water problem.should i be cleaning the gravel? and if so whats the best technique? also i seem to be getting quite abit of algae building up on my gravel whats the best way to get rid of this?
New Tank!
- Thread starter bazzbeen
- Start date
LilyRose Tank
Fish Herder
hi there. I believe to need to get a syphoner from your lfs. (local fish shop) i
you use it to suck up any waste the tank has that the filter didn't get. There are a few on the market. Basically to run the suction head gently through the gravel and/or sand and the heavier gravel will fall back into position and the waste will be removed. The self starting ones can take a while to get used to plus you need a big bin of water, Have a look in the lfs and see which type you would prefer to use. As for the algae, it will be a problem in many tamks even ones that dont have plants,you can introduce an algae eater but they dont get rid of the problem altogether. there are chemical solutions to this problem but I too am a newbie, I'm sure a much more experienced fisher will be along soon to advise... good luck
you use it to suck up any waste the tank has that the filter didn't get. There are a few on the market. Basically to run the suction head gently through the gravel and/or sand and the heavier gravel will fall back into position and the waste will be removed. The self starting ones can take a while to get used to plus you need a big bin of water, Have a look in the lfs and see which type you would prefer to use. As for the algae, it will be a problem in many tamks even ones that dont have plants,you can introduce an algae eater but they dont get rid of the problem altogether. there are chemical solutions to this problem but I too am a newbie, I'm sure a much more experienced fisher will be along soon to advise... good luck
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Yes, excellent advice from Jayne as that's exactly your problem: you need to get a gravel-cleaning siphon and learn how to use it. If the tank has had fish for seven weeks then seven gravel-clean-water-changes should have taken place (each weekend would be typical) for good maintenance.
As she says, some of them will have valves that are supposed to help you get the siphon started without you having to suck on the other end of the hose but even a simple non-valve can be started by simply letting the whole gravel cleaning cylinder be full of water then lifting it straight above the water surface a ways (pointing up just like a cup holding water.) When the water starts to drop, indicating the siphoning is starting then gently but quickly submerge the cylinder completely again such that the siphon action keeps going. If it fails, fill and lift it again and this time give it some up and down arm movements (assuming there's a long hose and some water is now retained in the hose) to help the lifted water weight push the water on through to your catch bucket.
Her description of deep-cleaning the gravel is good, go with that. The gravel cleaning will mix in the algae that has some algae and it will look better. Algae is caused by trace ammonia and light. Its better not to use chemicals on it but to resolve the causal imbalance.
~~waterdrop~~
As she says, some of them will have valves that are supposed to help you get the siphon started without you having to suck on the other end of the hose but even a simple non-valve can be started by simply letting the whole gravel cleaning cylinder be full of water then lifting it straight above the water surface a ways (pointing up just like a cup holding water.) When the water starts to drop, indicating the siphoning is starting then gently but quickly submerge the cylinder completely again such that the siphon action keeps going. If it fails, fill and lift it again and this time give it some up and down arm movements (assuming there's a long hose and some water is now retained in the hose) to help the lifted water weight push the water on through to your catch bucket.
Her description of deep-cleaning the gravel is good, go with that. The gravel cleaning will mix in the algae that has some algae and it will look better. Algae is caused by trace ammonia and light. Its better not to use chemicals on it but to resolve the causal imbalance.
~~waterdrop~~
LilyRose Tank
Fish Herder
thanks waterdrop..not bad for a newbie!! good luck with the algae problem xx
Hi mate =)
As the others have said, you need to be cleaning to gravel at least weekly. There are loads of tools for this - just go and ask for a 'gravel cleaner' or 'gravel vacuum' at your local aquatics store.
You should also be doing water changes at least weekly, especially in a new tank. How did you cycle the tank? If you cycled it with fish in it (so all you did was set it up then add fish, you didn't add ammonia manually to cycle before you started keeping fish), then you should actually have been doing water changes about once a day for a few weeks. However, if your tank is 7 weeks old, there is a good chance you have finished your cycle, at least for now.
Have a good read of the info in this link, particularly the setting up a new tank part, the cycling section and tank maintainence:
Beginners' Resource Centre
VictorMeldrew
Fish Herder
How much sunlight is your tank getting, direct sunlight can cause algae. just a thought 
Have you tested your water quality? All fish keepers should own a liquid (not strip kit they are useless) test kit - if you dont have one you have no idea what is going on in your tank until your fish keel over!. If you use it once a week you can stop any problems before they start. Cloudy water in the aquarium can have several causes. The most likely ones are:
* Debris from new substrate
* Bacterial bloom
* Chemical imbalance
* Green water/floating algae
It can also be caused in a new tank if you suddenly add more fish and the bacteria cant cope with the extra load, or overcleaning your filter may kill off too much of the good bacteria.
Algae is not harmful and may mean you have too many nutrients in the tank - plenty of real plants will help keep it down, - its better not to use chemicals to control it. Keep the tank out of direct sunlight and do not leave lighting on for more than 10-12 hours a day. Longer periods are likely to favour algal growth, rather than promote plant growth.
Water changes should be 25-30% weekly with a thorough gravel vac - this will also remove algae.
* Debris from new substrate
* Bacterial bloom
* Chemical imbalance
* Green water/floating algae
It can also be caused in a new tank if you suddenly add more fish and the bacteria cant cope with the extra load, or overcleaning your filter may kill off too much of the good bacteria.
Algae is not harmful and may mean you have too many nutrients in the tank - plenty of real plants will help keep it down, - its better not to use chemicals to control it. Keep the tank out of direct sunlight and do not leave lighting on for more than 10-12 hours a day. Longer periods are likely to favour algal growth, rather than promote plant growth.
Water changes should be 25-30% weekly with a thorough gravel vac - this will also remove algae.
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