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First tank

B

BarrWarr

Member
Joined
11 Oct 2024
Messages
27
Location
England
Morning,

I have posted a couple of question already regarding my nearly set up tank but have been advised to start a journal for all the other questions so that folk have a bigger/better picture.

So, I set up a Ciano 60 three weeks ago. I’m using the filter that came with the tank, 2x 8W leds that are built into the hood, a 13W led that I have bought and modified the hood to accommodate it, an air stone in a ‘still’ corner to generate some surface movement. I have added Tropica plant soil, driftwood, bogwood, dragon rock. I added the plants a day or two after setting it up; Limnophila sess, Microsorum narrow, Java moss, Staurogyne repens, hornwort. I’ve already made a few new plants of the Limnophila by snipping off the tips of these fast growing plants.

I’m planning on carrying out 50% water changes each week. I don’t added CO2 and don’t really plan to do so.

Livestock wise, I haven’t added anything but there are some bladder snails and a single assassin snail which must have hitchhiked.

So it’s a very basic set up with basic plants (I think!).

Questions are popping up each day so if it’s ok, I’ll keep adding them to this thread.

A couple of initial questions;

I have some Tropica specialised plant feed but I’m not sure on the correct dosage as different websites say different things. Based on all the info above, please could someone recommend the right dosage (daily or weekly)?

Water changes - currently, I’m doing 50% once a week and using tetra aquasafe but am waiting for Seachem Prime to arrive. At present, I ‘prepare’ the tap water by adding the aquasafe and popping in a heater and air stone. The bucket sits in the garage for 4-5 days before it’s used - is this bad practice and I should really use it within a day or two?

Water quality - I tested the water yesterday and parameters seem ok apart from Nitrite which was about 1mg/l - I’m assuming this will ease as the tank cycles. Nitrates were about 25. My water company’s website says the water is very hard - will this be an issue for the plants and any livestock I add down the line?

All I’m wanting is the tank to flourish so I’m hoping with the set up I have and some help from friendly folk on here, I’ll be ok.

Many thanks.
 

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BarrWarr said:
Water changes - currently, I’m doing 50% once a week and using tetra aquasafe but am waiting for Seachem Prime to arrive. At present, I ‘prepare’ the tap water by adding the aquasafe and popping in a heater and air stone. The bucket sits in the garage for 4-5 days before it’s used - is this bad practice and I should really use it within a day or two?
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I would say that adding water dechlorinator and also waiting 4 or 5 days is not necessary. To give you an example, I draw from the tap, add the right amount of dechlorinator, heat and it’s in the tank within the hour. All my chlorine testing showed that the chlorine and chlorimines were quickly made safe very very quickly by the chemicals.
BarrWarr said:
air stone in a ‘still’ corner to generate some surface movement.
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It looks like you have some surface movement from the spray bar? Am I seeing that correctly?
 
Thank you Bradders. Yes, the spray bar is on the left but the water in the back right where the heater is doesn’t get much movement at all.

I thought the water might take a day or two to reach the right temp - I use a 30ltr tub so would this warm up within a few hours?
 
I would probably leave water column dosing a few weeks then as the plants are in active growth. Just stick to size of tank gallons and dose as to instructions for Tropica Specalised at water change
 
BarrWarr said:
Thank you Bradders. Yes, the spray bar is on the left but the water in the back right where the heater is doesn’t get much movement at all.

I thought the water might take a day or two to reach the right temp - I use a 30ltr tub so would this warm up within a few hours?
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Show us a picture of how much surface agitation you get with just the spray bar.

I would just buy a heater, and heat the water during the water change process. Speeds up the process.
 
Bradders said:
Show us a picture of how much surface agitation you get with just the spray bar.

I would just buy a heater, and heat the water during the water change process. Speeds up the process.
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Not sure if this will show the flow of the bar…….

I do have a heater in the bucket with the water change water, I just thought it would take quite a bit of time to heat to the right temp.
 

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Hi barrwarr, looking good!
Your water hardness will affect what you can stock - as an example, I have very soft water and struggle to keep shrimps and snails thriving. If you have access to rainwater, you can use that instead for a softer tank - that's what @dw1305 does, but I know it's not always possible/realistic!

Here are some threads I've found on stocking for hard water:

Hard water dilemma
Stocking advice for hard water
Stocking London tap water
@Karmicnull's top 100 hard water fish

Worth saying I'm not an expert, definitely worth asking some more knowledgeable people on this forum!

Edit: just to add, I agree with @Bradders - I usually use a combination of mainly cold water with a slug of hot water in the bucket, chuck the dechlorinator in and throw it in the tank after 5/10 mins. My tank runs @ 24° so there is a bit of temp fluctuation, but very minimal - it all comes up to temp very quickly. So far I haven't had any issues.
 
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megwattscreative said:
Hi barrwarr, looking good!
Your water hardness will affect what you can stock - as an example, I have very soft water and struggle to keep shrimps and snails thriving. If you have access to rainwater, you can use that instead for a softer tank - that's what @dw1305 does, but I know it's not always possible/realistic!

Here are some threads I've found on stocking for hard water:

Hard water dilemma
Stocking advice for hard water
Stocking London tap water
@Karmicnull's top 100 hard water fish

Worth saying I'm not an expert, definitely worth asking some more knowledgeable people on this forum!

Edit: just to add, I agree with @Bradders - I usually use a combination of mainly cold water with a slug of hot water in the bucket, chuck the dechlorinator in and throw it in the tank after 5/10 mins. My tank runs @ 24° so there is a bit of temp fluctuation, but very minimal - it all comes up to temp very quickly. So far I haven't had any issues.
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Many thanks.

This may be so blatantly obvious I can’t believe I never thought of it but can you use water from the hot tap mixed with some cold and let it cool to the right temp before adding to the tank?
 
Yep, that's exactly what I do 🙂 I literally pour maybe 10% hot water + 90% cold in a 50L water change. I think it's better to add colder water (less than tank temp) and let it warm up in the tank, rather than add water that's too hot. In my experience that seems to stress the fish out, whereas colder water has no obvious effect.
 
Thanks. I guess it’s all practice and getting to know the right balances etc so I think what I’ll do is fill my 30ltr bucket with 10% hot and then check the temp once the cold is added. When I add the dechorinator, does is need mixing via air stone/whisk?

Sorry for all the questions!
 
Another ‘problem’ I have;

In another post on here, I ask about using an external canister filter as I don’t feel the filter that came with the tank is that good (it’s a CF80 Ciano). Having looked into the suggestions, anything external just won’t work without modifying the hood or permanently removing the hood which I don’t really want to do.

Stupidly, I tried to hide the filter with decor so now there is not enough space to add a larger, better, internal filter (I really don’t want to strip the tank down to make additional space).

At present, the spray bar is submerged, facing to the right and slightly upwards, which causes the surface to ripple and plants in the middle, upper half, to sway nicely, and those on the right to barely move. Plants directly under the spray bar and in the lower half don’t appear to receive any flow. The substrate also appears to lack any movement.

I’m thinking of adding another identical filter (it’s the only one I have found that would fit!) in the same corner but pointing the spray bar left and downwards, meaning it will bounce off the side and give plants on the left some flow and hopefully the substrate too.

Is this a reasonable idea or am I just over thinking things?

Many thanks.
 
Thank you. I’m just a bit wary of the filtration/flow as, for example, the poop from the hitchhiker snails (man, they produce a lot!) is sitting on the leaves of plants because of no flow down there. I guess I could remove some of the snails (which are mostly bladder, apart from one assassin that came with a plant) but I think in moderate numbers they are beneficial to have as they will munch on algae etc?

I have found a filter with a 600l/ph flow (compared to the 360l/ph of my current filler) that would fit but it only has one piece of sponge for the medium which I don’t think is sufficient?
 
@BarrWarr , can you send some pictures from the top? Trying to get a view on what piping could work that also works with the lid constraints.

I looked at the current filter specs, which look to have a 30PPI section and some carbon - assuming the same size as the 30PPI foam. The flow is not necessarily the problem, but the biomedia capacity is very small.
 
Do these help. The filter currently has some black sponge (3.5x4.5x7cm) and two of these basket type things. I cut the hood to accommodate the led strip as the two in the hood aren’t that bright. I cut the corner so that I could easily remove the filter - it’s quite a poor design really.
 

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This is the only filter I have found that would fit with a higher flow rate but as I mention, it only has room for one sponge;

www.allpondsolutions.co.uk

AllPondSolutions 600L/H Aquarium Internal Filter 600IF

600L/H 600IF Aquarium Internal Filter. Free UK delivery. Visit the site for further details.
www.allpondsolutions.co.uk www.allpondsolutions.co.uk

This is why I’m wondering if adding another filter (same as the one currently in the tank) would be the best option as it will fit and in theory double media capacity?
 
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