Fish Fings.

a few weeks later....

2012-02-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

these are the aquarium plants after a few weeks in a bowl of water, i have had to change the water a few times because the plants in the basket seem to release some kind of stuff which puts a layer over the water surface.

the top picture is a bulb plant called either Aponogeton stachysporus or
Salvinia natans, at the moment i am not sure which name it has, a few more weeks and i should be able to identify it.

the bottom picture is a 'carpet' plant called Hemianthus Callitrichoides

the Hemianthus Callitrichoides is known to be one of the smallest aquarium plants and it was a surprise to some people that it has survived and recovered after completely drying out for 18 months. if you open the picture up you will see the tiny leaves just starting to show through, the basket is about an inch tall, which should offer some scaling.

plants

2012-01-31T02:38:00.001-08:00

just after i bought my tank, nearly two years ago, i bought some plants from ebay, after they arrived, i quickly forgot about them, when i posted the pictures of the tank and things i have, i found the plants, they all seemed dead, i really have no idea what it is that i placed in a bowl that day, but, i now have two plants, with little shoots, one is a bulb type plant which has a shoot about 5mm tall and is now turning green on the tip, and the other is in a little basket, which looks like mini cress. they are way too tiny to take pictures of at the moment.
i have a couple of choices of what they could be...

Hemianthus Callitrichoides
Aponogeton stachysporus
Salvinia natans

i also bought a pack of 30 live plants, but i know nothing of that got the chance to survive.
i am really suprised that after 18 months they have showed any kind of life!!
and chuffed that this is now two plants less i need to buy!

more things....

2012-01-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

The fishless cycle.

2012-01-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

The fishless cycle by mrs t.a wayne

It has occurred to me that there is a lot of interest in how the fishless cycle work's and it's benefits of doing one.
Whilst the fishless cycle is by no means, the be all, and end all, it is worth remembering that it is the most ethical and humane way of introducing fish, into your new aquarium.

Why?
When fish are introduced into a new aquarium the nitrogen cycle starts to take place, that nice new filter has a job to do to keep your fish alive however before it can begin to do so, it has to have the required bacteria that will happily dispose of the fish waste produced by your new fishy friends, Ammonia (fish waste etc) turns into slightly less harmful Nitrites (still dangerous to have) into Nitrates the end product of the nitrifying bacteria which are common in almost all aquariums and certainly can be found in your normal tap water, whilst less toxic a reading above 40 would be cause for concern aiming for nitrates below 20ppm is acceptable there are still ongoing disputes about this.

How does it work?
Basically what it does is artificially replace the ammonia produced by fish waste thus keeping your fish safe from ammonia poisoning and respiratory problems which could lead to the death of your fish prematurely in an un-cycled tank, and because we are able to control the amount of ammonia added (unlike fish food or indeed the use of hardy fish) the cycle will in most cases be a lot quicker and you will have the satisfaction of knowing it will be safe when you add your fish.

What do I need?
The first thing you will need to arm yourself with is a good liquid testing kit, a bottle of household 100% pure ammonia (this must be free of perfumes and added colouring etc) commonly found in the UK at branches of Homebase and Robert Dyas.
and a medicine syringe handy for the small ml's you may need.

got those? excellent.....

What next?
What has worked for me and countless others is to turn the heater up to the low 80's this helps the growth of the nitrifying bacteria providing you have good circulation and extra air as oxygen levels deplete at high temps all should be well, it may be worth removing the carbon if any you have at this stage personally I only use it to remove meds from the water column as and when required.
Test your tap water, that will get you into the swing of taking tests and give an estimation of what your tank water is likely to be.
Note water that has a low ph, kh and gh will need to take extra steps to follow the cycle through.

Next you will need to work out how much ammonia to add to your tank, remember to subtract the displacement caused by substrates and decor that you have.
By keeping to a basic required 4ppm not only will it be easier to read on those test cards it will be easier to half when the nitrifying bacteria starts to take hold, 2ppm is still plenty to fully stock a tank at the end of the fishless cycle.
Build up the ammonia slowly over 2-3 days then when you have reached 4ppm simply wait until it starts to fall.
When this has occurred simply top up the difference to read 4ppm again until the nitrites show a reading of 2.0 or above, at this stage knock down the ammonia you are adding to half the original dose so instead of adding to 4ppm add only to 2ppm, this will help speed the cycle along and will still be more than enough to fully stock the tank. (some will drop it in half again but I keep in mind that you may be stocking big fish that produce a lot of waste and although any unused bacteria will die back it is still viewed better than not having enough to cope with the bio load imposed upon it.) by this time the ammonia would have been consumed within 24hrs or less and the nitrates would have started to show, then simply keep adding until both ammonia and nitrites are zero
a large water change of 50% will then be needed to help rid any high nitrates and you can fully stock your tank. remember to turn down the temp to suit the fish you are about to stock.

You may notice that your ph will fluctuate during your cycle and is not uncommon, the only time to intervene is when you have a ph falling to below 6 as this will stall your cycle but adding a coral bag or bicarbonate of soda will be enough to kick start it again, one teaspoon to 50ltrs water.

Can I cheat?
Yes you can, if you have an existing tank with mature media placing some into your new filter or squeezing the media into the water column will help kick-start the process and the cycle is more than likely to be finished in some cases in less as 10 days.

About the author

mrs t.a wayne registered at Tropical Fish Forums UK

Ten Fish.

2012-01-08T03:51:00.001-08:00

Ten Fish not to keep...

Featherfin Synodontis - As serial killers go, they’re very attractive. But apparently, so was Ted Bundy, and I’d rather not have been stuck in a room with him for too long.

the website for my tank.

2012-01-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Tetra Tank 60ltr

male guppies

2012-01-07T04:55:00.000-08:00

With a bit of help last night on the forum, i was advised not to have tetra, as the tank isn't big enough, they sugessted male guppies, as i was looking for colour, and well...i was easy swayed...they are gorgeous little fish.

ancistrus

2012-01-06T17:52:00.001-08:00

i was advised that my tank isn't big enough for a pleco, and they suggested this guy, an ancistrus, he does the same job as a pleco, just not as big, hopefully he isnt too expensive and would be happy in my tank.

what i have to start with.

2012-01-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well... this is my stuff.

My tank is only small...but small is good for me at the moment, approx 2ft x 18in x 12in. a Tetra tank,

It has a florescent strip light in the lid. (and needs a good cleaning out)

These next three photos are the stuff i got with it...

Photo one:
A fishy net
A fishy cleaning sponge thingy on a stick, (needs replacing)
Tetra easy balance
Tetra test NO2 nitrate
Aqualibrium salt

Photo 2:
Waterlife 6.5 buffer
Gastropex aquatic snail treatment (why? I have no idea)
Tetra min weekend food sticks
Tetra min food
Tetra aqua safe
1 x stone
Tetratec replacement filters

Photo 3:
JAD heater (HT - 8150)
Filter
Tetratec spaceship type thing, with tubes and conncectors.
1 x pebble sucker/cleaner thing.

I dont know if what i have is a good thing, or if I should chuck what I have and start fresh, I won everything (except the heater) on ebay, last year. the tank and the filter housing need a good clean, I have no idea what to use for this, the tank is quite light at the moment, so washing it in the bath, and rinsing in the shower, isnt a problem

My plan is - Ideally I would like as many Tetra neons as I can have in a tank this size, without making the whole thing overcrowded or looking stupid.
I would also like something like a Pleco, to keep the glass clean...etc.

I would like a living tank, rather than plastic plants and ornaments...I have my eye on some mosses and grasses, but again, I don't want to over crowd the tank.
I do like the idea of a living mossy background, rather than a stick on background, have been looking on ebay for mesh and plants to make something like this.

Some kind of bubble curtain up either side of the tank (not front and back)

A medium sized lump of driftwood, (for the Pleco) and natural pebbles/rocks. I saw a chunk of rock (ocean rock) in a local fish shop which had loads of holes through it, so something like that would be nice...with bubbles coming through...though, I don't want to over do it on the bubbles...

I would like to have the tank set up for a few months before I introduce the fish, I'd rather loose plants with my stupidity than loose fish...plus, I see it like, if i can keep the plants alive, and I am choosing one of the easier types of fishes, then I can't really get much wrong...or is that a silly thought??