Questions

[Parasaurolophus]

Well I am considering a Tropical freshwater fish tank in the future and would like to know the answers of some questions.

If you ask would the shop donate filter media to you?

What are the lights in aquariums for?

can I grow plants in a cycling aquarium?

will any type of wood (not just bog wood) make the PH increase?

I have some more questions but here is the uhhh background thing to what I am going to do with my future tank
I am going to do a fishless cycle and get a large tank for Malaysian trumpet snails, panda corydoras, and white cloud mountain minnows and I was wondering could I feed the WCMM exclusively on live food? as I've read they are micro-predators feeding on insects and pond larvae, and as I want to make everything as realistic as possible could I feed them exclusively on live foods and would they be able to eat very small crickets that I already buy for my reptiles or would this be bad for them?
also my friend said he cleans his tank once a year and lets the fish poop decompose for the plants and his fish are ok (he's had his tank for a few years now) would this be ok once my tanks fully established? or is he wrong?

thanks in advance
and sorry for my stupidness.

 

[RadaR]

If you ask would the shop donate filter media to you?

It depends on the shop but there is no harm in asking.

What are the lights in aquariums for?

To see the fish and/or provide energy for plants to photosynthesise

can I grow plants in a cycling aquarium?

You can but if they are growing well then they may slow things down because they themselves can utilise ammonia too. Therefore less to go towards the nitrifying bacteria. If you plant up real heavily and ensure the plants grow fast (by providing enough nutrients and CO2) then you don't have to cycle the traiditonal way. For more info see here.

will any type of wood (not just bog wood) make the PH increase?

No, not wood. Some rocks can though.

I am going to do a fishless cycle and get a large tank for Malaysian trumpet snails, panda corydoras, and white cloud mountain minnows and I was wondering could I feed the WCMM exclusively on live food?

Could do, but there's no real reason why you have to. If you really want to then either buy the life food (expensive) or harvest your own from a container of water left outside (risk of contamination). I don't reccomend though. Commercial food these days in the form of flakes or pellets are really good quality. They are very balanced too, ensuring the fish get proper nourishment.

would they be able to eat very small crickets that I already buy for my reptiles or would this be bad for them?

Even the smallest of crickets you could get would be far too large for minnows. Their mouths are tiny.

also my friend said he cleans his tank once a year and lets the fish poop decompose for the plants and his fish are ok (he's had his tank for a few years now) would this be ok once my tanks fully established? or is he wrong?

He's not wrong, it's just a different method. It can be done. I wouldn't advise it for a beginner though. It sounds like he's gone EI Natural with his tank. Basically you provide low-lighting (less than 1 watt per gallon), stock the tank morderatly with fish. Add lots of plants. Add a nutrient substrate. Don't add CO2. Don't over feed and don't do water changes.

 

[Wills]

Hi welcome to the forum, answers to your questions below


If you ask would the shop donate filter media to you? - Most likley no, but depending on where you live a member might donate you some. The shop might give you some gravel though.

What are the lights in aquariums for? - So you can see the fish...

can I grow plants in a cycling aquarium? - Yes but dont put expensive ones in as there is a high chance of algae to start with

will any type of wood (not just bog wood) make the PH increase? - Bogwood makes the Ph decrease not increase some other woods will do this but be careful with wood if you collect it from forests, gardens etc as it can lead to complications.

WCMM would eat live food like brineshrimp and daphnia but not crickets, you can feed them exclusivley on live food and they would probably thank you for it but flake would be fine as well.

Your friend is wrong and very very lucky, a tank cleaned once a year will have a very high nitrate reading of well over 100ppm at a guess. Which would KO most fish quite quickly, I once let a tank slip for a number of months due to extreme family circumstances and the tank got so bad after about 5 weeks I started loosing fish and then gave the tank and remaining fish away for free. Weekly maintenacne is a must IMO

How big is the tank your thinking of?

Wills

 

[VaegaVic]

Well I am considering a Tropical freshwater fish tank in the future and would like to know the answers of some questions.
Hello, welcome to the world of fish keeping!

If you ask would the shop donate filter media to you?
Really does depend on the store, some are nice, some only run under gravel filters so can't. Build a relationship with your Local fish shop (LFS) and go from there.

What are the lights in aquariums for?
Growing plants and seeing your lovely fish.

can I grow plants in a cycling aquarium?
Indeed you can, but there is some debate to whether or not it is a good idea. It regards basically to plants effective starving any young bacteria cultures, as plants also take in the same nutrients.

will any type of wood (not just bog wood) make the PH increase?
Generally anything organic will lower the pH, E.g. 6 down to 5. Although the amounts are normally negligible.

I have some more questions but here is the uhhh background thing to what I am going to do with my future tank.

I am going to do a fishless cycle and get a large tank for Malaysian trumpet snails, panda corydoras, and white cloud mountain minnows and I was wondering could I feed the WCMM exclusively on live food?
You can do, but almost all store food is designed to give a complete and balanced diet, perfect for growth and making your fish as big and strong as possible. Live foods can be nutritionally unbalanced and rather expensive. If you want to feed all live, there's no problem with it, just supplement their diet with other things as well. Natural is not always the healthiest way to do it.
as I've read they are micro-predators feeding on insects and pond larvae, and as I want to make everything as realistic as possible could I feed them exclusively on live foods and would they be able to eat very small crickets that I already buy for my reptiles or would this be bad for them?
The crickets would be rather large for them, even the smallest ones. New borns perhaps, but store bought foods are generally advised as the healthier and cheaper option.

also my friend said he cleans his tank once a year and lets the fish poop decompose for the plants and his fish are ok (he's had his tank for a few years now) would this be ok once my tanks fully established? or is he wrong?
Sadly, there's no right or wrong here.
I personally clean my tank once a week, do a 20% water change, remove all the solid waste and anything else that shouldn't be in there.
It's normally advised to remove solid waste as it rots down into ammonia, which is not only harmful to fish, but causes many different types of algae to grow. True the bacteria will deal with this, but it's the ammonia the bacteria don't absorb that causes the problems.

thanks in advance
and sorry for my stupidness.

The only stupid question is the one not asked.

 

[wrighty.uk.gorl]

also my friend said he cleans his tank once a year and lets the fish poop decompose for the plants and his fish are ok (he's had his tank for a few years now) would this be ok once my tanks fully established? or is he wrong?

He's not wrong, it's just a different method. It can be done. I wouldn't advise it for a beginner though. It sounds like he's gone EI Natural with his tank. Basically you provide low-lighting (less than 1 watt per gallon), stock the tank morderatly with fish. Add lots of plants. Add a nutrient substrate. Don't add CO2. Don't over feed and don't do water changes.

Sorry dont want to highjack this tread but my circumstances are about to change and wont be around much to look after my tank but dont want to get rid off it so very interested in this Sorry again for the main poster for butting in

 

[RadaR]

Your friend is wrong and very very lucky, a tank cleaned once a year will have a very high nitrate reading of well over 100ppm at a guess. Which would KO most fish quite quickly,

Might want to research EI natural and the Walstad method pal. http/thegab.org/Plants/setting-up-a-walstad-natural-planted-tank.html
Tom Barr shared with us a fantastic tank with healthy inhabitants. The tank hadn't had a water change for over a year. Just topped up the water due to evaporation. Cant find the tank though
Studies have shown fish to exist in levels of 400ppm of nitrate Do I think levels should ever get this high? No way.


From andywg

Even Scott Michael, when writing on keeping the sensitive SW sharks and rays, suggests 100ppm is an arbitrary level but a good guide to look at (though there are some papers which suggest a slightly higher tolerance to ammonia in SW fish than FW fish).

wrighty, have a look at the link.

 

[drobbyb]

For a first tank, I would clean and maintain it regularly until you get the hang of the hobby. After that, if you wanted to try the El Natural method, I would say go for it. Things in this hobby appear simple but are often times more complicated than they appear. Cut your teeth on something easy. Once you have mastered the basics, then graduate on to something more difficult.

 

[Parasaurolophus]

WOW thanks for all the help and advice guys! =D
the tank I am thinking about is 3.5-4 ft long.
and the fish I want are 12 wcmm and a trio of panda corydoras I saw in my local pet shop but when I buy the panda corydoras I am gonna up there number to 6 by buying more from another shop and I am going to buy 3 wcmm in each shop to get good strains of DNA so there not all incesting ect. would they be ok for a short amount of time in a shoal of three so I don't put to much pressure on the filter when its finished cycling?

Though the fish I saw would have probably have been sold by them (if not definitely) as I am aiming to get fish in September when I get back to school, but my mum (who always thinks she's right) says I just need to put a ammonia formula into the tank then I can put the fish in, which is wrong and is probably how our old goldfish died (but they were my mums responsibility back then as I was about 6 or 7) so I am hoping to get the tank I liked in 2 weeks time, substrate is going to be aqua soil with fertiliser with sand and a mix of pebbles on top and I might try and create a rock and wood background myself for the tank and my parents are going to have no input with the price as like all my pets I clean them out buy the things they need, and feed them. ;D

I just realised you all didn't need to know that information but I got carried away.
I hope I have enough money though lol xD

hmmm I suppose for the benefit of my fish I might mix flake and live food so they have a varied diet =)
I've also kept brine shrimp before and atm have a small tank so breeding them could work thanks for the suggestion RadaR! =D

ahh I see about the lights helping plants grow I was just wondering =)

well they have got really small crickets new borns which are small black specs I just thought they'd be an appropriate food source as they eat insects of the surface in the wild so I thought they'd be able to eat them as-well.

By the way my dad has just finished his pond and he's cycled it (but only for 2 weeks but its 8 weeks later now and all the fish are jolly lol) and he put some bacteria tablets in the pond for the filter would this work in a tank and would it speed up the cycling process?

And how would I go about cleaning the bottom of my tank I heard there are tank vacuums you can get but could they suck up sand?

thanks for all the replies by the way they are much appreciated and have helped alot!

 

[RadaR]

would they be ok for a short amount of time in a shoal of three so I don't put to much pressure on the filter when its finished cycling?

They should be fine. You could get more than 3, you'll just have to step up the water changes.

well they have got really small crickets new borns which are small black specs I just thought they'd be an appropriate food source as they eat insects of the surface in the wild so I thought they'd be able to eat them as-well.

Go for it. I didn't know you could get them that small.

he put some bacteria tablets in the pond for the filter would this work in a tank and would it speed up the cycling process?

Depends. I've not heard of bacteria tablets before. The only thing I can think of that comes close to what you've described is a product that's kept in the fridge at some fish stores. It contains black, porous material that contains nitrifying bacteria with an ammonia food source. The fridge keeps the metabollic rate of the bacteria down so that they don't run out of food quickly. Me thinks they must have a "use by" date. I've never seen it myself but it can be found in some maidenhead aquatics (UK). In theory, it should work.

And how would I go about cleaning the bottom of my tank I heard there are tank vacuums you can get but could they suck up sand?

With sand, you don't dig the vacuum in. You "hoover" over the top.

 

[OldMan47]

A minor correction for RadaR. I run several NPT set ups and would not even consider trying it with low light. At 2.5 WPG of T-5 HO on this 40 gallon breeder, this is the result.

It helps you keep the facts straight when you have actually done it.

I also have this happening to my Anubias nana in a low tech low light tank, not an NPT.

 

[JoshuaA]

A minor correction for RadaR. I run several NPT set ups and would not even consider trying it with low light. At 2.5 WPG of T-5 HO on this 40 gallon breeder, this is the result.
http/i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll251/Oldman1947/Plants/XenotaeniaCrop.jpg
It helps you keep the facts straight when you have actually done it.

In awe when ever I see that tank OldMan!

I don't think it would be the wisest thing trying to get a relatively new hobbyist and botanist into taking under a heavily planted non cycled approach. I would sincerely advise him to take the cycle a filter route first before he starts taking options else where. There's lots of things you need to get your head round first.

 

[RadaR]

A minor correction for RadaR. I run several NPT set ups and would not even consider trying it with low light.

Why would you not try it? There are plenty of successful tanks using the Walstad method or EI natural method that "preach" low light levels.

At 2.5 WPG of T-5 HO on this 40 gallon breeder, this is the result.

Faster growth? All that plant biomass is ultimatly decreasing the light intensity below the surface. Rendering it low-ish light anyway.

I also have this happening to my Anubias nana in a low tech low light tank, not an NPT.

Again, I'm not sure I understand your proposal?

EDIT: Re-read my post, hope it does not appear to be rude.

 

[JoshuaA]

A flower, well done. Again, what's your point?

EDIT: Re-read my post, hope it does not appear to be rude.

That did seem a bit rude, you could of just edited the way you phrased it rather than just saying you didn't mean to be rude .

I also think OldMan is probably one of the MOST trusted guys on this forum, most people probably would be better of taking his advice when starting a new tank, especially when its in the tropical section. After all waterdrop and himself helped me from the beginning.

 

[ian]

the Walstad method probably isn't the easiest thing to do as a newb, however, RadaR is right, low level light is completely do-able and is a lot easier to cope with than hi level T5's. Less water changes and so forth, over in the planted section there are tanks that haven't had a water change for 6 months.

 

[JoshuaA]

the Walstad method probably isn't the easiest thing to do as a newb, however, RadaR is right, low level light is completely do-able and is a lot easier to cope with than hi level T5's. Less water changes and so forth, over in the planted section there are tanks that haven't had a water change for 6 months.

Let's not forget that this is pretty much the beginners section of the forum here, recommending or discussing these sort of methods probably isn't going to be doing anything but confusing the OP here.