New To This - Just Need Advice

[CASS007]

Hi all,
I recently bought a new tank (a Juwel Vision 180) and am pretty excited to have it. I had another really basic tank, which a couple of my fish outgrew, so I decided to invest in a new tank...

I set it all up and left it, for 10 days as per instruction from the man in the shop. I then added my fish. All was fine for two days and then I got up to find cloudy water.

I have read a couple of posts on here and realise that this is pretty "normal" and is probably due to cycling (Is that right?)

Anyway, I then read another post and read that the filter media (I'm assuming that this is the little coloured blocks of spongy stuff that goes in the filter!?!?) shouldn't be changed as often as recommended by men in fish shops!!!

So my question is...I need an "idiots guide to keeping tropical fish".....now what?? My plan is to start doing partial water changes (about 25% of the water) on a daily basis for as long as it takes....is that right

I have a Bio-flow pump....the spongy stuff is coloured thus ; in the bottom a little box of small white rock like pieces...followed by a large blue spongy bit, followed by a large green spongy bit, floowed by a small black spongy bit and then topped off by a small white spongy bit...

Hmmm ok, so HOW OFTEN DO THEY REALLY NEED CHANGING? I also try not to overfeed my fish...I feed them about every other day and then they get a treat of cucumber at the weekends.

Any ideas will be gratefully welcome!!! I want to be a good fish keeper!!
Thanks
Cass

 

[TheguppyKing]

hehehehehe my brother had the same problem (cloudy water) so you have to break the surface area simple




emir
cheers

 

[RedeyesUK]

You're right on with the water changes.


Do you have a testing kit? If so, get one, you'll need to check your water regularly and make sure ammonia and nitrite never go above .25PPM. Until your tank is cycled, water changes are the way to do this.

As for filter media, it depends on the type. Any sort of fine wool/floss will need changing regularly (when it gets clogged), sponges never really need changing. I've had a set of sponges going nearly seven years before I replaced them! Just rinse them out in old tank water when they start to get clogged.
It's the filter media that holds your bacteria, so throwing them out won't do your tank any favours.

 

[TheguppyKing]

yes redeyes is right i recommend the freshwater master test kit (only for freshwater) if u have saltwater get saltwater master test kit







emir
cheers

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Cass. The best thing you could do is to take a good sized sample of the filter media, the stuff inside the filter, out of the old tank's filter and put it inside the new tank's filter. The local fish shop, LFS, may have been stretching the truth a bit about the tank being ready for fish. I am sure that the tank had nice water in it at the time but since you added fish, the water quality has degraded. The best thing you could do for the fish in the new tank is to test that tank for ammonia and nitrites and change water any time either one gets near 0.25 ppm. The liquid type test kits are generally much more accurate than test strips for judging ammonia and nitrite levels.
Most of the filter media in a typical filter should never be replaced, I know that means no profit for the fish shop. Instead, when you are doing one of your regular water changes, take the media out of the filter and rinse it in used tank water. Don't forget to dechlorinate the new tank water. I find Prime to be a decent dechlorinator that is also cheap to use because it takes so little of it to get my tank refill water ready. It is a bit more expensive to buy a particular amount but the amount needed quickly makes it cheaper to use.

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Cass and to TFF,

You've come to the right place. As Oldman says, the LFS may have been stretching the truth a little.

I'll get on to the filter sponges in a minute, but i'll start with your "idiots guide to keeping tropical fish".

The first thing for any fishkeeper to learn about is The Nitrogen Cycle. The link below should teach you what you need to know. Let us know if you have any questions.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Juwel make good tanks, so well done on your choice. I personally have a Juwel Vision 260 which has been going strong for around 5 years now with no problems.

Regarding your question about changing the filter sponges, most manufacturers include things in the filters which aren't really needed, but do need replaced regularly. This earns them some extra money at the expense of the fishkeeper who doesn't know any better. In your case, these things are the green sponge (nitrate removal sponge) and the black sponge (activated carbon sponge). I'd advise that you should remove these and replace them with more blue sponges (available from your LFS).

That will leave you with a filter packed with blue sponge and white rocks, and a little bit of white floss on top. The only part which will need changed periodically is the white floss, which should be changed every week or 2. The purpose of the white floss is to catch bits of dirt to stop them clogging the sponges. The blue sponges and the white rocks will stay in the filter for years without needing replaced.

Don't buy the replacement white floss which Juwel supply as it is expensive. Most LFS's will sell it by the metre and it works out a lot cheaper. Just cut it to shape when required.

As Redeyes suggests, if you don't already have water test kits, you should get some. These will be your most important tool in making sure your fish stay alive in the coming weeks. Liquid reagent based tests are best. Don't buy dip-strips or tablet based kits as they tend not to be so accurate. As Guppyking says, the API Master Test Kit is recommended by many members of this forum, so is a good choice. You should be able to pick one up from your LFS or Ebay. Just for clarity, you need tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH to begin with.

I recommend that you should start doing water changes daily until you get your test kit. Change say 25 - 50% daily for now as a precautionary measure.

You should read the following linked article by our Miss Wiggle which explains the process going on in your tank at the moment. You'll see theres also a link to it in the Nitrogen Cycle article.

Fish-In Cycling

Again, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.

The cloudiness you speak of is probably a bacterial bloom. All you really need to know about bacterial blooms is that they are usually harmless and will clear up of their own accord, without any action from you being required. I have linked below to a more detailed explanation if you care to read it, but I don't want to overload you with new information, so i'll leave that to your discretion.

Bacterial Blooms

Oldman's recommendation about dechlorinator is a good one, but I find that pond dechlorinator is cheaper, so that's worth considering too. His recommendation of putting the media from your old filter into the new filter is excellent. Do that immediately.

That's probably enough information for you to digest at the moment. The most important things at the moment are to change those sponges, add the filter media from your old filter, and start those daily water changes.

When you get your test kit, post results on here and we can tailor our advice to your particular situation.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers

BTT