Specific Forums > Journals
My First Tank 125L
justjason88:
So I've researched as much as i can, bookmarked about 15+ links, bought 4 books, asked some questions and browsed a few aquatic centres, i think i now might be ready to take on the huge job of fish keeping.
I went with the Juwel Rio 125 w/ the supporting black cabinet. It comes with the filter, pump, heater and light system. I also bought some silicone in case i need to fix something or stick stones together, a digital thermometer, an air diffuser for the pump (haven't fitted it yet), a tetra test kit, a fluvel gravel cleaner, a magnetic algae scraper, a bucket, extra carbon, nitrite and filter media, a 4 plug socket extension cable and a light timer. It also came with free nutrafin chlorine treatment, 20kg pea size gravel, a fish net and a background (looks naff though!)
I apologise in advance for the picture quality, the iphone 3gs has a really shit camera.
So i'm all set up, i've put it in place and organised the cupboard. I haven't bought a background yet but i think i'm going to go with just a basic black card which i should be able to get from WHSmiths. I know it's advisable to put the background on before filing the tank but i haven't had a chance to go buy it yet as i'm on the late and night shifts at work and want to get the tank up and running.
So now to add the gravel, the bag said it had been prewashed but i thought i'd better wash it anyway and good job i did! I had to fill the bucket with water and rinse it out at least 10 times per small batch of gravel it was that dirty! I then had to clean the bath afterwards because it was literally covered in brown mud and dirt.
Now to add the water. It took about 11-12 full bucket trips from the bathroom to the tank to completely fill it.
I left the tank to settle for 2 days before doing anything with it. I've set the light timer to come on at 2pm and go off at midnight. I've also set the temperature to 26C and it hasn't altered once since filling it up (usually sits around 26.4 to 26.7).
I came home from work yesterday and decided it was time to do a few tests, clean the inside glass and also the gravel and then do a small water change. I wiped down the inside of the glass and got rid of the horrible water marks caused by filling the tank. I also managed to clean off some left over dirt from the gravel on the glass and filter. My first tests seemed good. General Hardness (GH) and Carbonate Hardness (KH) were looking normal at 10dH and 8/9dH. However the pH test showed 9pH, i'm hoping this'll balance out once i've put plants in and also used the chlorine treatment which i haven't put in yet. If not i'll have to look into some pH altering solutions. Nitrite was showing <0.3 but that's understandable as there aren't any fish. However the CO2 test showed 0.2, again i'm hoping this is because of the high pH level and the fact there aren't any plants in yet. I then carried out a small water change, about 1/5, and cleaned the gravel as much as i could.
So after about 5 days it's going well so far. I have a few days off coming up so i'm going to take a trip to living waters on Sunday and buy some plants. I'll probably leave them in for a week before deciding what to do next. I've compiled a few questions from my experiences since getting the tank if people would be so kind as to shed some light. I'll post an update once the plants are in but thanks for looking so far.
Jason
Questions:
How long should i keep the lights on, i've been told 10 hours, and also during what period? Is 2pm to midnight ideal?
I'm worried about installing plants which eventually die because of the lack of a CO2 system, will most aquarists know the plants that can survive without a CO2 system and those that can't?
How should i start the maturation of the tank, shall i add ammonia or add a few hardy fish?
How can i manage the pH level? It's currently 9, but will that change with the addition of chlorine treatment or plants?
bluesharrison:
Hi Jason,
congrat's on the new adventure which is fish keeping,,,
sorry dont have much time at the moment as I am still at work but after quickly reading your post thought I would kick off the reply's
just a quck interest ,have you added the de-chlor chemical to the tank yet? this is quite important as chlorine will kill any benificial bacteria and prevent it colonising the filter media (thats why it is important to clean filter media in old tank water not tap water)
also it will help kick start your cycling of the tank if you could use some mature bacteria from another persons tank,
if you are going down the plant route then annubias or java fern will be good plants to start off with, quite hardy~less demanding
what substrate are you using? ie gravel/ecco complete??
I am sure more will reply soon with advice..
rgds
Steve
mlgt:
Congrats on getting a new tank. Looks nice and tidy.
Regarding answers...
How long should i keep the lights on, i've been told 10 hours, and also during what period? Is 2pm to midnight ideal?
It doesnt really matter for now as you dont have plants in the tank. I would say the average is around 8 hours. Get a timer and then set it so its regulated to come on the same time every day.
I'm worried about installing plants which eventually die because of the lack of a CO2 system, will most aquarists know the plants that can survive without a CO2 system and those that can't?
Since you are already visiting Living Waters. Darren will point you in the right directions. Else you can choose simple hardy plants like crypts, Amazons, ferns to kick start the tank.
How should i start the maturation of the tank, shall i add ammonia or add a few hardy fish?
I would probably get something to kick start the tank. Darren will have what you need. I used the same thing to kick start my first tank. I would keep the tank to a minimum for now, no fish until levels are safe.
How can i manage the pH level? It's currently 9, but will that change with the addition of chlorine treatment or plants?
You can lower the ph by doing another water change. But once you add the bio kickstart. If you were closer perhaps someone might be able to donate some mature filter foam to help you. Plants help a little. But take everything step by step :)
Hope this helps.
jm_:
Very short of time now but jm will give you the TWO best bits of advice over anyone on this forum
Keep posting / questions and joining in, your lean a load of stuff and find things easier and make sence
Darren ah? So ..
Brilliant top man, forget anything anyone says and just roll with Darren, soon as Darren knows your from LFKC, he will go even an addition mile to help and advise... outstanding chap Darren !
Nice picts jm loves pictures says more than war and peice,, and great fun. keep posting
chaotic:
yay, first tank! it is always so exciting :D
I'm not an expert but from my little experience I can say:
How long should i keep the lights on, i've been told 10 hours, and also during what period? Is 2pm to midnight ideal?
10 hours is perfect of course but no disaster will happen immediately if for some time they are not regular - only maybe if too long and algae might start appear, too short and plants will grow slower/poorer. I keep my lights quite irregular on all tanks, sometimes fall asleep without switching them off, and somehow all works fine.
I'm worried about installing plants which eventually die because of the lack of a CO2 system, will most aquarists know the plants that can survive without a CO2 system and those that can't?
CO2 is needed for fast growth or delicate plants, and there is loads of species who will thrive in normal conditions, no CO2 at all. I myself use only DIY CO2 on one tank, rest of them are full of plants who do not complain. ferts are more vital I think, CO2 is extra goodnes. it can help fighting algae but also can eradicate your livestock with one mistake.
How should i start the maturation of the tank, shall i add ammonia or add a few hardy fish?
see who around you is ready to share mature filter media, and get some - it speeds up maturation like nothing else
How can i manage the pH level? It's currently 9, but will that change with the addition of chlorine treatment or plants?
wood! :D I like to use wood as my pH stabilizer - you could use peat(put it under gravel, but as you filled up the tank already you can bag it and put it in the filter - it adds a bit of tea colour to the water at first but works great - be careful to not overdo it :) )
I guess thats all I could say, I could share some of the hardy plants - hygro I got from CAYO is growing like mad in my 190l tank(no CO2 mind you, and ferts when I remember)
for wood you can go to local park and boil it, clean it a bit up and its ready. dry wood, and not of the juicy smelly ones like pine - I like oak and some kind of maple that grows around my place. wood from fish shops is usually presoaked so it could have less pH kick I think, but should be still fine.
good luck!
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page