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Nightmare morning water all over the floor

Texture, no
Color, not really similar, but well enough

If you really like La Plata, just pick some up - sand layer should be very thin so don't need that much (unless you're planting on regular sand turnover, maintenance &/or sand dwellers)

There are some reef sands that are very similar but then may impact pH (& just as $$$ anyway)
 
You will probably struggle to find a sand with the quality of colour variations as La Plata, but any of the lighter tone pool filter sands should be a good 2nd best.

I don't have any insurance against water damage, i don't even think i'm covered to have aquariums in my flat... 😱
 
Just installed the new tank 🙂

IMG_20180416_210814.jpg
Now the fun bit setting everything up. I've moved the external filter over, and will transfer some water over probably still end up with 80% ro water. next step is moving over plants. Does anyone know if I will get the same nitrite spike and algae bloom When I start moving the fish and shrimps over? Bearing in mind Ive also brought new substrate.
 
Confirm with tank manufacturer that you don't need some sort of mat underneath the tank - mat protects against vibration & slight unevenness of the furniture top board

When I set up a new tank, new substrate, new plants etc, some (or entire filter) established bio-media, I follow a routine of daily water change (ADA method) for the first weeks (until plants are established & actively growing) or third day water changes (Tropica 90 Day App), gradually tapering off water change frequency as tank (& inhabitants) settle

If livestock, I only feed lightly, alternate days for the first couple weeks (again depending on how quickly tank seems to establish) - this means that shrimp & some fish will be actively looking/consuming algae

I don't recall if you're adding CO2? Or Liquid carbon?

I find algae is minimal as long as tank is densely planted or significant number of fast growing stems
I always try to have shrimp & snail crew in to help with any algae as it starts

If I have one at hand (or fish are very sensitive wild caught species) I'll include a Seachem Ammonia Alert (changing water at the slightest hint of color change)

Occasionally I'll still see a significant diatom outbreak (otocinclus seem to love this algae)

I rarely measure tank/tap water parameters so just have some 5in1 test strips at hand - mostly just to check there are no surprises between tanks or tank vs tap
In the past I've done comprehensive testing of tank conditions, now I just monitor shrimp & fish behaviour, plant appearance ... always just doing a water change if I feel anything seems a bit off
 
There is a red/ yellow foam exercise mat under the tank cut slightly small, it does a surprising good camouflage attempt in the photo.

I run full co2 but I also spot dose any algae with liquid co2 and fertilize via EI.

What do people think to two 50% water changes a week?
I also need to come up with a easier way of doing water changes, Total tank volume is now 320L so I need to store and move approx 150 litres of water.

Also reduce the photo period down to 6 hours.

I'm still hoping that by swapping water from the damaged tank daily and by using the established external filter everything should settle down far quicker than when establihing a new tank.

Two cherry shrimps are now berried so need to get them moved over but ideally not kill them off.

I have some water fleas and tadpoles in a separate cold water nano tank ( 2 year old daughter) , I read somewhere that water fleas are very sensitive to water quality has anyone tried using them as a quick water quality test?
 
Barbara Turner said:
Does anyone know if I will get the same nitrite spike and algae bloom When I start moving the fish and shrimps over? Bearing in mind Ive also brought new substrate.
Click to expand...

About a month ago I set up a tank for new fish. I stuffed the external with cycled filter media, everything else was new. I did daily large water changes, started from around 80-90% and then gradually decreased down to 50% every other day on the third week. Now over a month since the set up all is well, no issues at all. The fish are wild caught and generally sensitive type. Cycling a tank may take 3-4 weeks. If one starts with large amount of cycled media, the time is cut significantly but I like to keep doing water changes to avoid even the minimum of issues. I didn't watch what I was feeding at all as I had new fish I was trying to entice to eat, so lots of left overs I had to siphon out daily. I can't comment on algae as I was trying to grow algae and I bumped the light to 15-18hrs a day, so yeah, I got algae but not as much and as fast as one would imagine....
 
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Barbara Turner said:
Hi all
Just a tip the plastic trim at the top of the tank is structural.
I carefully removed it last night, came down this morning and one of the side silicone seams has split emptying 180 litres of water across the floor. The fish were luckily alive in the bottom inch of water.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I have two Juwel tanks, Rio 400 and Rio 125 and I love them.
What made you remove the plastic trim? your personal preference to have a braceless?
if it is the case, your taste might have changed over time. I guess.

your experience is very useful for me especially, i do play a lot with my equipment/tanks
 
sciencefiction said:
I can't comment on algae as I was trying to grow algae and I bumped the light to 15-18hrs a day, so yeah,
Click to expand...

Just out of interest why do you would you want to grow algae? I'm quite curious to know what your tank looks like.


Madhav said:
have two Juwel tanks, Rio 400 and Rio 125 and I love them.
What made you remove the plastic trim? your personal preference to have a braceless?
if it is the case, your taste might have changed over time.
Click to expand...

The T5 lamp didn't work when I bought the tank so I changed to a homemade 200w LED that sits above the tank. so straight away I was running without the top open . Removing the top Brace was cosmetic.
 
1. You must put some form of matting under the tank or else the bottom might crack to surface unevenness. Either use specialist aquarium mats from fish shops or section of carry/yoga mat. You must have something to protect the bottom of the tank. My mate cracked the base of his tank due to it resting on a piece of gravel.

2. If you have a fully cycled filter & are planting plants probably no need to further cycle the tank. Just add dechlorinated water and good to go. The cycled filter and plants will quickly mop up any ammonia produced by the new substrate. If worried either do water changes or add Prime or Kordon Amquel Plus daily which will remove any ammonia. My mate recovered his failed tank this way with no fish deaths or plant losses after tank cracked.
 
ian_m said:
You must put some form of matting under the tank or else the bottom might crack to surface unevenness. Either use specialist aquarium mats from fish shops or section of carry/yoga mat. You must have something to protect the bottom of the tank. My mate cracked the base of his tank due to it resting on a piece of gravel.
Click to expand...

There is a red/ orange yoga / exercise closed cell foam mat under the tank. It's just a similar colour to the oak.

I don't think I did the Eheim filter any favours, I came down this morning with it just making a buzzing noise.. It started up again as soon I siphoned some water through it.
If it has failed I'm just wondering if it's cheaper to buy an external pump and remove the impeller and just use it as a canister filter.

Anyone recommend a size? I read somewhere that you need 10x the tank volume, this gives me 3000Lph / 660gph
Looking at the Eheim universal 3400 this draws 80watts...My current filter draws 12w I think??

Will my lilly pipe be like a jet washer?




Capture.JPG
 
Hi all,
Barbara Turner said:
It started up again as soon I siphoned some water through it.
Click to expand...
That sounds like an air leak somewhere in the hoses.

If you rock the filter back and forwards until the air is purged (you may have to turn it on and off once or twice) it should run silently. If it keeps getting air in it you have a non-gas tight leak.

These "air leaks" often don't leak water out, they suck the air in through very small "holes" in the hose or filter head gasket via the venturi effect.

cheers Darrel
 
Barbara Turner said:
Just out of interest why do you would you want to grow algae? I'm quite curious to know what your tank looks like.
Click to expand...

The fish are a group of hillstream loaches. They eat the green algae/biofilm on the stones. They were rasping on the stones even before the algae grew in, lol, so I had to help them out further by blasting the light. The tank is nothing special, stones, manzanita sticks and sand.

Barbara Turner said:
If it has failed I'm just wondering if it's cheaper to buy an external pump and remove the impeller and just use it as a canister filter.
Click to expand...

I did that to my old eheim filter.I had an external pump already so I just put the two together in work and have been running that on one tank for over a year.
 
Hey All, just removd the impeller from my external filter. Can I confirm I should go,

External filter, jebao pump, external heater, co2, tank

The new tank has been really stable, amazing the difference the filter medai and established plants make.
 
You've put a pull & push load on your pump - what's it designed for?
 
Its the Jecod DCP-4000 DC Pump which I'm guessing is mainly used as a return sump pump in marine tanks.

It seems reasonably flexible though and says in can be used dry or submersed also comes with various attachments allowing me to connect 12 and 16mm hoses to inlet and outlet.

I would still rather filter my water before the pump. It also means that if the canister filter leaks it will suck in air rather than spray water all over the floor if the seals do struggle with greater pressure.

Does anyone know what order your standard ehiem canister filters are?


www.completeaquatics.co.uk/jecod-dcp4000-pump
 
Hi all

Here's some photo's of the new tank

The moss has definitely had better days, you can tell the top half has half died, Plants also need a trim but I'm waiting unto I do a good clean and water change.
Hopefully, now I have Co2 and the light back up and working things will start growing.

PS black background is a nightmare to photograph, spent half the time trying to reduce reflections.

Brown foam filter is being replaced with a black one, I've ordered one from china along with a collection of new toys but taking a while to arrive.

DSC_0561.jpg DSC_0537.jpg
 
Looks nice!

Is that Java Fern planted in the substrate? You can't cover the "roots" (sorry can't remember the proper name at the moment) of the Java Fern, or it will die.
 
I'll get around to anchoring it to some stone, wonders of super glue. It will take a while to rot as the gravel is reasonably course.

Steve Smith said:
Loving the setup, those lights and light stand to look great!
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The light stands started off life as a budget stool at Ikea, the Aluminium parts still need a coated titanium coloured paint.
 
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