new tank=new problems=im the reason HELP

im new to this game, i think i got the wrong advise in potch at the shop.

i bought a 60liter tank kit complete with small carbon and wool corner filter + gravel and food etc ive got a 50watt heater plus another small small stick on the side little filter with sponge inside and coupling for air pump to aerate the water.

on monday the tank was setup with filter and heater and water plus decorative barrel and left to run until Wday, bought a normal pleco of about 11cm in total lenth plus a small 6 or 7cm clown loach, and put them in the tank.
Yesterday we went back to the shop and got a little long fin oscar of about 9cm from nose to tail plus 2 smal 2.5cm angels and a rainbow shark.
with a piece of driftwood, driftwood was removed sameday because of colouration and is now in isolation water bucket. i tried to feed the fish but all is hiding in the tank behind filter, inside the barrels not eating atall id did start doing water changes last night to get rid of the coloured water and did some water replacement today aswell.

AND TODAY THE WATER IS SMELLING PLEASE HELP FROM ALL DIRECTIONS. is should probably have done some research beforehand, the loach is stil hiding and not coming out aswell as for the plec

 

Dear Carl,

I suggest you take the fish back to the shop and ask them to hold them for you while you get your tank sorted out. This will also give you an opportunity to select your fish a little better - once the Oscar settles he's going to have the angels for lunch and supper and the tank is also too small for him. Do some research and then select your fish.

- What water did you use - normal tap water?
- Did you use a dechlorinator?
- I'm not familiar with the typical tap water parameters in your area, but I'm sure one of the other guys will advise on this...
- tell us more about the driftwood... was it cured and ready to be placed into the tank? Did you get it from the LFS?
- What are you feeding? Is the food uneaten and rotting in the tank?

Once you decide on your tank inhabitants - fish, plants etc. - you will be in a position to choose an appropriate filter that can handle the bio load.

Lets get your comments on the above and then I'll try to assist on what to do...

 

and your tank is way to small for a clown loach, they can grow up to 30cm

you can find out any info from this website http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Main_Page

 

Hi Carl, from whom did you buy the tank etc, if i think of the one place that sells those aquarium kits i am sure they will hold on to the fish for you for a while and exchange the oscar.... From which part of Potch are you, you are welcome to come pick up some seeded filter material from me, that will help the cycle process a little.

 

-water: is used water from my waterfilter at home and treated the water with the
treatment that was in the kit.
-driftwood: got it bone dry from the shop and straight into the tank, the tannins stained the water and the wood was removed and is curing all by its self in a bucket now.
-for the botom feeders i gave some pellets that sink that was recommend at the shop ive only added about 7 to the water from wensday and i tried to give the oscar some frozen bloodworm today but he ate only half and the rest i tried to vac out of the tank.
-ive got 1 corner filter with air pump running at the moment, one other filter pump thats been connected to an air pump to put air in aswell plus a 50watt heater thats set as 27
-theres 2 ornamental barrels in the water at the moment plus one plastic plant and
-then theres a medium sized undergravel filter in the tank thats not connected but can be connected if needed.

thats my tank story.

in would like to put my driftwood in my tank with some plants and i havent got any clue regarding fish selection, is my selection way wrong at the moment, how many fish can i put in a 60liter tank

 

singularity, ive lived in potch all my live in grimbeekpark next to the golf course, you can personal mail me with your number so that i can get some advise from you in potch, i got the fish from the shop next to kyalami toyota in lombardstreet(jamesmoroka) do you have a shop in potch, the shop at kleinplaas is it anygood?

 

ok carl will pm you just now, i would suggest kleinplaas for hardware and koi`s ofcourse , the shop you bought from is on the way out i think, have you ever been to the shop in paryslaan`s nursery ?

 

cant personal mail you back because im a new member and have to submit 15 post, dammmmmmmit. eks kan jou dalk more ogend sien maar gaan more parys toe, wil jou nie pla op 'n sondag nie behalwe as jy nie pyne het nie, maar maandag is geen probleem nie,

 

would this be an RO unit? was it RO water or the effluent you used?

 

RO??? ive got no idea what that means, the filter is a big R3500 undercounter filter with a paper ceramic and carbon and some taste filter its got a couple of big canisters and a big holding tank, what does RO stand for?

 

i believe that is a RO unit that you are describing, RO = Reverse Osmosis You should never use pure RO water for your tank, you should mix 3/4 RO to 1/4 tap.

 

Carl which part of the country are you from? if you stay in the western cape you do not need to use RO water in your tank.

 

its defnitly an RO unit, now that i know what RO stands for

 

Okay, so now that we've confirmed the water source.

Have you taken the fish back and stripped the tank yet?

You need to drain, clean and setup from scratch with "normal" tap water not coming through the RO unit. You can also use the RO effluent water to setup the tank. Add the dechlorinator and let the tank cycle.

You still need to tell us about the fish you want to keep so you can decide on the right filter for your tank. How big is the box filter and what is in it? How much of the tank bottom does the undergravel filter cover and how deep is the gravel bed? Undergravel filters are not ideal from a maintenance perspective and they also cause problems if you want to keep plants. Ideally you need to get a good internal filter or hang-on type that is rated for your tank size. Once you have that, get the filter media from Singularity to get the filter "seeded" with bacteria. The cyclying should then be quick quick.

Keep us posted of your progress and good luck :blink1:

 

ok all fished has been removed from the tank (smal oscar, 2.5cm angel, 6cm clown loach, 6cm pleco and a 5cm rainbow shark) and is in a small 15liter holding tank, i striped the tank removed old gravel replaced with washed pool filter silica. in the middel in the back ive inserted a old undergravel filter plate under wich im going to put some canadian peat for plants and then make holes in the grid to plant the plants and cover with sand (hope this work).

at the moment im filling a big 30liter bucket with 2/3 of RO and 1/3 normal tap water and aerating it over night and adding declorination tomorrow as soon as my LFS opens and filling the tank with it.

Singularity was very nice in giving me the seeding material organized via delilah and he gave me a big 12W canister filter to use with all pipes and fittings and lots of verbal advise.

i will be adding the seeding material to the canister filter in one of its trays.

can i maybe start up the canister filter with seeding material tonight in the bucket of water that im putting in tommorow or do i need to doclorinate it first?

ill be putting in a 50w heater and another small filter with carbon in it that sucks to the side

is there maybe any seachem products that i can put in the water to feed the plant that im putting in tommorow and aswell get the water fish ready earlier

any comments on setup please

(u people should c singularity's new discus setup amazing!!!!!)

 

Hi carl was a pleasure meeting you...

Did you put that UGF (under garvel filter) plate in already ? i would leave that, that could become a detritus trap over time, you can use the seeded filter material in your corner air filter until the new redone tank is ready and move it to the canister, the bacteria needs a source of NH3 (fish waste etc) to keep going, you should also do a bit of reading as to what water conditions your fish prefer if they like soft acidic water use the RO, if they prefer harder water there is no need for the RO water. That is also why you have to do a bit of reading before buying new fish as to make sure they like the water conditions that you have and the other inhabitants prefer........ and again, this is all in my opinion and what has worked for me.

 

sounds like you're on the right road now carl, good luck and keep us posted of the progress...

Try Seachem Flourish or Excel (cant think of the names right now) for the plant and Kent Chlorinex to dechlorinate the water.

 

It drives me nuts when LFS's don't give proper advice to first-time tank owners! :evil:

 

ive gained more knowledge on this site than the person in the LFS has probably got, i will post some pics of my tank later i just finished it, its a little elementary but it will do for now.

 

Thats why we are here :bigsmile: