titiklabingapat
Member
Hey harazo, is there any resources in getting lights for smaller tanks? I'm trying to convince my brother to convert an unused 20g into a planted one, but he keeps saying that lights are expensive.
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aquarium-age gaf
- Thread starter Natetan
- Start date
Quadrangulum
Banned
Hazaro said:
Yeah, I figured that out after I purchased the plants unfortunately. I'm just using the stock lighting system and a black fluorite substrate. I'd get the necessary equipment but it's just two tiny plants and I've already spent far more than I've been meaning to. I'll just replace them with some more Micro Swords.
I'll give them a proper go when I get another, smaller tank.
A T5 setup can run anywhere from $60-150, LED even more than that.titiklabingapat said:
For a lot of plants a simple spiral CFL fixture will produce good lighting. I had it running on my 10G you saw on the other page and it is currently on my shrimp tank.
That generic 2 bulb hood is fine. Just put in some 6500K spiral CFLs. 13W/14W maybe more if you decide to run CO2 or a high light plant. Keep in mind a lot of hobbyists will plunk down massive change on bigger tanks so someone can tell you T5 is totally the way to go because they are more efficient and run cooler.
http://www.petco.com/product/7395/A...ts.aspx?CoreCat=LN_FishSupplies_HoodsLighting
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...1-will-spiral-screw-cfls-work.html#post434189
Here is a slightly more recent image of my tank now. Still thinking about what to do with the front area. Gave away a lot of fish, but now the babies I had are growing up.
If I had to start over I'd probably get a 12 gallon or 20 gallon long. So much more room to work with. Hard to complain about free tanks though.
titiklabingapat
Member
Hazaro said:
So you actually made that hood, by replacing the incandescent with simple spiral cfs? Huh, never thought of that.
No no no.titiklabingapat said:
1 example is just a standard spiral socket hood with CFL. What I have.
2nd example is showing that spiral cfl's are fine for plant growth.
Changing your water and having a good filter might help? Keep temps constant and know your water parameters. At least the pH.besiktas1 said:My fish keep dying. not sure what we're doing wrong
I'm doing some changes, but right now Takashi Amano (The Aquascape guy) and I guess his company/helpers are setting up a 200 gallon tank.
It's about an hour in and the sane/aquasoil is in. Wood is in with moss, and plants are being placed in.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ada-view
and near completion...
It's about an hour in and the sane/aquasoil is in. Wood is in with moss, and plants are being placed in.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ada-view
and near completion...
Oh sweet. Didn't know we had aquarium GAF
Basic question, what's the very best way to clean an aquarium? Are there like special pills you can put in the water? I hear about how regular window cleaner is good enough but I have my doubts with it. My friend didn't clean his good enough for his new fish and they all died I think it might be because of the older filter tho
I'm currently searching for a bigger aquarium for my little brother's water turtles, going to get down to it and make them a killer new home soon enough
Basic question, what's the very best way to clean an aquarium? Are there like special pills you can put in the water? I hear about how regular window cleaner is good enough but I have my doubts with it. My friend didn't clean his good enough for his new fish and they all died
I think it might be because of the older filter thoI'm currently searching for a bigger aquarium for my little brother's water turtles, going to get down to it and make them a killer new home soon enough
BladeWorker
Member
All my native fish died, including the half-platy-half-tetra guy. He was a tough cookie.
Now I have a mix of tetra, platy, and mollies. The mollies seem to have brought a lot more energy to the tank without bringing aggression. I like that.
Now I have a mix of tetra, platy, and mollies. The mollies seem to have brought a lot more energy to the tank without bringing aggression. I like that.
oh glad to see this back on the pile!
My larger aquarium is doing great. i have some black and some white angels that have gotten really big. with a bunch of other fish (gold and blue gouramis, etc). The angels kept eating my plants, but i got some broad leafed ones that they dont eat now, and the aquarium is doing really well.
my stinkpot turtles are doing good, although one of them is an escape artist. anyone know why he keeps escaping? the others never do. is the tank too small or something?
my smaller tank is a bit of a wash. it smells and i did two water changes last week and it's still dark and cloudy. it's only a ten gallon tank, which means i basically took all the water out of it already. plus my platties are all swimming at the top of the water which leads me to believe the water near the gravel is not nice or something. oh well
My larger aquarium is doing great. i have some black and some white angels that have gotten really big. with a bunch of other fish (gold and blue gouramis, etc). The angels kept eating my plants, but i got some broad leafed ones that they dont eat now, and the aquarium is doing really well.
my stinkpot turtles are doing good, although one of them is an escape artist. anyone know why he keeps escaping? the others never do. is the tank too small or something?
my smaller tank is a bit of a wash. it smells and i did two water changes last week and it's still dark and cloudy. it's only a ten gallon tank, which means i basically took all the water out of it already. plus my platties are all swimming at the top of the water which leads me to believe the water near the gravel is not nice or something. oh well
Baraka in the White House
2-Terms of Kombat
Mollies aren't really aggresive but they can be huge dicks when it's feeding time.
I had a tank sitting for a year that once had turtles in it, but those fuckers are nasty dirty. I got tired of cleaning it completely every week. So, fast forward to present day and I just finished cycling the water and putting in the first inhabitants (freshwater fish and plants) into my 125 gallon acrylic.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Might as well ask here.
We used to have an aquarium back at my grandma's, but with my uncle leaving no one took care of it. It made me wonder - I kept seeing this simple fish bowl setup with no filter, oxygen or heater needed. How does it work - does it only need some plants to provide oxygen?
We used to have an aquarium back at my grandma's, but with my uncle leaving no one took care of it. It made me wonder - I kept seeing this simple fish bowl setup with no filter, oxygen or heater needed. How does it work - does it only need some plants to provide oxygen?
Emerson
May contain jokes =>
It doesn't work. Without constant water changes, water in a fishbowl will quickly become toxic. Fish shouldn't be kept in a tiny bowl with no heater or filter. People do it with goldfish and bettas which tend to be more hardy, but it is unquestionably bad for the fish. Aquarium enthusiasts will rage at people who keep fish in bowls. I personally understand why everyone has this misconception though I try to explain it to people when I can. I don't understand why anyone would find one fish in a little bowl a desirable thing to have though. I wanted a tank full of stuff.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Ah so it's one of those myths done in shows and cartoons then. Thanks for clarifying!
Going futher:
Ammonia from waste isn't broken down into anything else and the buildup of that is toxic.
Oxygen is used up, and there is no/little surface agitation for gases to exchange.
Both of these can be fixed with water changes, but often these are neglected.
Ammonia from waste isn't broken down into anything else and the buildup of that is toxic.
Oxygen is used up, and there is no/little surface agitation for gases to exchange.
Both of these can be fixed with water changes, but often these are neglected.
What's stopping you? Need to find something that doesn't leech into the water though.
triplestation
Member
Guys how would I keep a 10 gallon tank nicely and quietly filtered. I mean really, really silent.
I'm a big fan of the old style Tetra Whisper Filters. I use a 30 Gal on my 10 Gallon.
You can get something like a canister filter and drop $100 on that setup, but really the Whisper works very well for me.
$17: Price is even lower now. Get the pack of 10 filter bags as well.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DHY5O/?tag=neogaf0e-20
And these sponge pre-filters: These are incredible. So much less crap is sucked into the filter. You can just remove the sponge, clean it, and go back to business.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004K9A15G/?tag=neogaf0e-20
You can get something like a canister filter and drop $100 on that setup, but really the Whisper works very well for me.
$17: Price is even lower now. Get the pack of 10 filter bags as well.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DHY5O/?tag=neogaf0e-20
And these sponge pre-filters: These are incredible. So much less crap is sucked into the filter. You can just remove the sponge, clean it, and go back to business.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004K9A15G/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Here's a shot I just took. Quite a bit different now. Needs time to fill in.
Big tank!
I only ever had a small one with a few fish.
patrickthehedgehog
Member
I would like a very small tank with some neon tetras. It'd be my first aquarium so I'd like some recommendations as far as a decent tank and some beginner tips. How frequently would I need to clean the tank?
Also, does anyone know of any decent fish stores in the Seattle area?
Also, does anyone know of any decent fish stores in the Seattle area?
You could look into the Fluval Chi.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TM1BAE/?tag=neogaf0e-20
It's a small and hassle free tank that has everything contained and looks pretty zen-like cool. Its only 5 gallons, so your tetras would love it. As far as cleaning, I'd clean smaller tanks more often than larger ones. I have a 125 gallon (pictured above) and I clean it regularly every 2 weeks with a 25% water change.
While the Chi is a nice tank, I don't think it is suited for tetras. I'd say at least a standard 10 gallon for them. Thin gets you a sexy 12 gallon long tank. However, a 5 gallon with flatter rectangle like a standard tank would probably be fine.
Mainly:
More sensitive to water changes than other fish (Less water means wrong things go wrong faster)
Need to be at least 5 or more
Need room to swim around (side to side)
Some other choices would be: Guppies, Endlers, Platys, or Danios
Or even better, shrimp!: Red Cherry Shrimp and Yellows are common and indestructible if you keep temp tolerable. Can keep a few in there for color and cleanup crew. Maybe get 2 otos as well.
Washington store wise: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/washington/
or check on Yelp.
Cleaning depends on how well you chose your plants/feeding/cleanup crew/lighting/water change rate. On a well balanced tank that is not overfed I'd say you can scrape the walls once a month and do a weekly or bi-weekly water change of 25-40%.
Mainly:
More sensitive to water changes than other fish (Less water means wrong things go wrong faster)
Need to be at least 5 or more
Need room to swim around (side to side)
Some other choices would be: Guppies, Endlers, Platys, or Danios
Or even better, shrimp!: Red Cherry Shrimp and Yellows are common and indestructible if you keep temp tolerable. Can keep a few in there for color and cleanup crew. Maybe get 2 otos as well.
Washington store wise: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/washington/
or check on Yelp.
Cleaning depends on how well you chose your plants/feeding/cleanup crew/lighting/water change rate. On a well balanced tank that is not overfed I'd say you can scrape the walls once a month and do a weekly or bi-weekly water change of 25-40%.
Most Petco should have a 15 gallon kit for $40 right now. It has a filter, fluorescent hood and heater. Not bad for a beginner tank. I keep thinking about diving in..but I would probably get lazy and not take care of it. And I don't know where I would place it. So far, my 2 cats are enough for me.
patrickthehedgehog
Member
Emerson
May contain jokes =>
Yeah I personally would say so. 6 gallons is not much at all. Go for a 10G in my opinion.
As someone who has kept his tanks overstocked with guppies I'd say it is fine as long as you keep on water changes. I had about 40 fish in my 10 gallon and tank was perfectly fine since I stayed on top of it. Too much I think comes from people not doing the things they should be for their tank IMO.
So, 5-7 tetras and 2 or 3 guppies sure. Just do the water changes on time weekly.
Drop money and you can get an EDGE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzOJjmXjeH8
The reason I'd say 10G is because of the 20" length. If a 6 gallon is shallower and thinner I think that is fine since it is 24".
Damn that tank is pretty tempting it's perfect for shrimp and I need have room for a tank with less depth...
Can't give you any inside on fiddler crabs.
patrickthehedgehog
Member
I love the straight forward design of the 6 gal. tank that I linked to. I'd like to find a 10 gal. in the same price range. I'll have to go to the store and check it out for myself. If having a larger tank means less maintenance and happier fish then I'm all for it. I've got plenty of room for the first time in my life!
I don't know of any similar designs to that for 10 gallon.
10 gallon is the standard rectangle and will be taller, deeper, and less long.
Apart from that you can get a 12 gallon long rimless, but those are $90 for just the tank. They look pretty incredible under the right conditions though.
10 gallon is the standard rectangle and will be taller, deeper, and less long.
Apart from that you can get a 12 gallon long rimless, but those are $90 for just the tank. They look pretty incredible under the right conditions though.
Does anyone know where I could go to learn about keeping an aquarium or reef tank? I had a fish tank as a kid, with filters to clean, etc. but it was freshwater, and I was looking at keeping something a little more difficult and finnicky. I'm in Toronto if that makes a difference.
http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/index.php
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/index.php
Brush up on your nitrogen cycles and water chemistry and dive into something.
I'd suggest a nice freshwater tank to start with mainly because you have a lot of freedom in your plant and stock collection. Also it is cheaper if stuff hits the fan.
You can have lots of side project tanks as well. I'm a big fan of shrimp today and there's a lot of shift towards that now. Keeping stuff like higher grade CRS and Sulawesi shrimp are a challenge to have them thrive.
I hope I'm bumping the right thread my search brought me here... I need some fish advice.
I got some kribs in my community tank, and the little boogers laud eggs! I knew it was a possibility, but I honestly didn't think it'd happen so soon.
Should I move the parents, and eggs over to my empty 10 gallon to be alone? Or should I wait until after they hatch? I'd rather not witness a massacre of the babies.
If so, how should I go about doing this?
I can get my other tank cycled really fast by seeding it from my current one so I'm not worried about that.
I'll be doing other research elsewhere, but I always come to GAF first.
thanks in advance.
I got some kribs in my community tank, and the little boogers laud eggs! I knew it was a possibility, but I honestly didn't think it'd happen so soon.
Should I move the parents, and eggs over to my empty 10 gallon to be alone? Or should I wait until after they hatch? I'd rather not witness a massacre of the babies.
If so, how should I go about doing this?
I can get my other tank cycled really fast by seeding it from my current one so I'm not worried about that.
I'll be doing other research elsewhere, but I always come to GAF first.
thanks in advance.
man, i'm really having trouble with my 10 gallon tank. it's just platys, but it gets dirty so quick!
during the summer we had problems with the heat, so i unplugged the tank heater and turned on the ac to keep everything normal. it's gotten cold enough lately where i plugged the heaters in. My water is getting so dirty so fast now and the platys are slowly dying off. I'm basically to the point where I have to change the water in the tank every week, and usually more than half of it. The same tank last winter with the same fish almost never got dirty. so weird i dont know what the issue is
during the summer we had problems with the heat, so i unplugged the tank heater and turned on the ac to keep everything normal. it's gotten cold enough lately where i plugged the heaters in. My water is getting so dirty so fast now and the platys are slowly dying off. I'm basically to the point where I have to change the water in the tank every week, and usually more than half of it. The same tank last winter with the same fish almost never got dirty. so weird i dont know what the issue is
So the Hornswort that I bought online for my new 20gal basically disintegrated and at least 95% of it's leaves fell off... So it's basically dead except for like a bit of the tips that's growing. Pain in the ass to clean up all the dead leaves. Ammonia is starting to form. Hopefully it'll go down now that I did a partial change and got rid of as much of the leaves as I could. Also my Anacharis has also mostly died except for new growths. Trimmed it and tossed the dead parts. Wrapped the new sprouts together with a lead weight and hoping it'll keep growing. Other than that my other plants are good. Hopefully I can get a good pic soon. My old SAE from my 10gal tank seems happy in his new home, just got 6 new Cherry barbs to keep him company
Based off no research I'd find out how long it takes for eggs to hatch, then move the parents over near the nd of that.
Don't know how many fish you have, but you should have been changing the water say 30-50% a week/two-weeks if you have a decent amount in there >10.man, i'm really having trouble with my 10 gallon tank. it's just platys, but it gets dirty so quick!
during the summer we had problems with the heat, so i unplugged the tank heater and turned on the ac to keep everything normal. it's gotten cold enough lately where i plugged the heaters in. My water is getting so dirty so fast now and the platys are slowly dying off. I'm basically to the point where I have to change the water in the tank every week, and usually more than half of it. The same tank last winter with the same fish almost never got dirty. so weird i dont know what the issue is
Isn't that more sensitive? Plants can take time to adjust to new water parameters and often can melt or die before small bits grow.So the Hornswort that I bought online for my new 20gal basically disintegrated and at least 95% of it's leaves fell off... So it's basically dead except for like a bit of the tips that's growing. Pain in the ass to clean up all the dead leaves. Ammonia is starting to form. Hopefully it'll go down now that I did a partial change and got rid of as much of the leaves as I could. Also my Anacharis has also mostly died except for new growths. Trimmed it and tossed the dead parts. Wrapped the new sprouts together with a lead weight and hoping it'll keep growing. Other than that my other plants are good. Hopefully I can get a good pic soon. My old SAE from my 10gal tank seems happy in his new home, just got 6 new Cherry barbs to keep him company