Beginner tank :)

[nakaKon]

Hi all,

I am pretty new to here so I think i would just share my current tank to start with.

I am hoping that this could go well and in the future I could add in a betta fish.

So here are some Spec:

tank Size : Yiding 45cm*30cm*27cm
Filtration: Eheim aqua compact 60 350LPH
Lighting : Opnova 360 turning on at 1030 and off at 2100 - gonna reduce a bit
Co2: on and off with the light around 2 bps at the moment but reducing to 1 from tomorrow. reason will state in below
heater: Newa Therm Eco 50 W
Substrate: Aquaworkds Aqua Soil (Slightly Acidic)

hard scape:
drift wood
lava stone


Plants: (for those that i can find the English name)

Limnophila sessiliflora
Java Fern “windelov”

echinodorus amazonicus
Rotala rotundifolia var. gontin

sagittaria lancifolia
cyperus helferi

plant on driftwood :
Anubias barteri var. nana(mini)

lifestock:
none at the moment, hoping to add a betta in the future

I am trying to do a fishless cycle at the moment because I worried that in the future the betta wont be able to live with those "survivors" that lived through the fish cycle process and i really dont have space to do another tank to put them in.

so my tank have been running for like roughly 1 week, I test the water and found that its kinda low at the moment (usually between 5 or 6 ish), I want the tank ph to be around 6 to 7 so it provided a more neutral or slightly acidic for the fish in the future. I am trying to figure out the reason why the ph go down so fast and I am suspecting that it could be the CO2 amount and acid release from the hardscape. I was doing almost 2dps in before or even more to be honest and i think that could be bit too much for my tank, so i decide to down it to 1 dps to see if that will help. Also gonna do a 10% daily water change as well. I am using tap water but i will leave them in a bucket overnight so the chlorine will dissolve (not sure if thats the right term to use), but by doing that I think I will need to extend my cycle time?

for my plant, i notice that quite a few of them are getting brown and melting a bit, is that normal ? do i just leave them in and let them do their thing ?

I hope I did include enough detail in this thread for you guys to understand my situation at the moment and i will greatly appreciate with tips and suggestions Thanks!

 

[gooddinglucas]

Looks pretty good for a beginner tank! Kudos!

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[nakaKon]

Looks pretty good for a beginner tank! Kudos!

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Thank you

 

[nakaKon]

Been doing a 10 % water change everyother day. The ph value seems to stay around 6 so i guess thats a good sign?

Plants are growing really fast and I think I will need to do some trimming soon.

Added in bit more floating plant to give some good shade for the plant and the future livestock.

Got two shrimp in today. Hope they live well in here ! And please eat those algae.....

To do list :

Get a co2 monitor thing to monitor co2 amount

Get a lid to cover the top of the tank

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[DutchMuch]

how come you want a lid?

 

[nakaKon]

how come you want a lid?

Oh because i want to add in a betta fish intm the future and i heard that they do jump.... So just prevent they jump out xd

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[DutchMuch]

Oh because i want to add in a betta fish intm the future and i heard that they do jump.... So just prevent they jump out xd

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Ah i see! Usually bettas do not jump, but in the case they do its usually due to tank paramter issues. Or unhealthy environment. I wouldn't worry about the lid, more cons and issues having a lid than not having one. Especially putting one on specifically for a fish that on a regular basis does not jump.

 

[nakaKon]

Ah i see! Usually bettas do not jump, but in the case they do its usually due to tank paramter issues. Or unhealthy environment. I wouldn't worry about the lid, more cons and issues having a lid than not having one. Especially putting one on specifically for a fish that on a regular basis does not jump.

Ohhh i see i see, thanks for the tips i hear that the floating plant will some what prevent them for jumping as well thats why i am adding quite a bit in. If the lid I not necessary then i think i might not baother with it .... Save some cash for other stuff !

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[nakaKon]

Geeze one of my shrimp jumped out and its all dtied out, my water level is 2 inch lower then the top of the tank, they are a really good kumper i guess .... Guess i might still need a lid after all .... The other one seems fine though.

I did check the ph value in the mornibg and it was about 6 or 7, I on the co2 at around 1800 so I guess it could be the co2 make the tank lacking oxygen?

I change the water ytd before i add in the shrimp so I guess that might be the problem? The water i used was overnight tap water and i only change like 10% of water inside the tank.so
So now I dont really have a too clear idea of why the shrimp sucide... May be same one could help me out on that ?

Should really have add in live stock on weekend which i can monitor them bit more .....

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[FishLifeLondon]

I'm pretty sure those Shrimp are a brackish water species. Shrimp often commit suicide when water parameters aren't good. They are also impressive climbers and I've had an Amano Shrimp travel nearly 10m, after my filter broke while I was on holiday, water level was halved and my mum was overfeeding.

 

[nakaKon]

Yeah I know those are brackish water specice and thats what i am aiming for because I dont want them to breed.... I asked the shop owner and he said those will be fine in my fresh water tank...

For water parameter, I am really not too sure what have i missed it those shrimp jump because they need to run away... Sigh....


Well gonna head to work and hope I can get a lid for them today, i am now using cling wrap to cover the top to prevent any suicide attempt.

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[DutchMuch]

eh i have an occasional suicide, it happens. Not a real concern when there is 200 more to replace the 1... lol. generally i get 1 suicide every 3 months.


I still say the cons of a lid waaaay outgo the pros, especially since ur running co2.

 

[nakaKon]

eh i have an occasional suicide, it happens. Not a real concern when there is 200 more to replace the 1... lol. generally i get 1 suicide every 3 months.


I still say the cons of a lid waaaay outgo the pros, especially since ur running co2.

Yeah i do see your point ... So i m planning to get a lid that just cover the side and edges of the tank and leave most of the middle part remain hollow

The image kinda suggest what I am aiming for ... Sorry for the crappy drawing though... Will getva better one ince i reach office

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[nakaKon]

eh i have an occasional suicide, it happens. Not a real concern when there is 200 more to replace the 1... lol. generally i get 1 suicide every 3 months.


I still say the cons of a lid waaaay outgo the pros, especially since ur running co2.

This is the lid I am aiming for at the moment , what do you think? Personally i think this could be better then a full covered lid, but i am also wondering that what other cons are there for a lid other then it might block light ?

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[DutchMuch]

First off:
what career do you have, obviously something with architecture right? please dont say the local pool boy....

Secondly:
the design looks great, the real issue comes to how itll be crafted, unless u know a guy it could be pricey for the size. And if funds isn't an issue than by all means have at it!

Lastly:
Answering your concerns on the lid cons, ill address the cons of a lid like the one you drew, A, its in pencil. Have a lid made of graphite is very difficult to keep in shape, also when it gets wet it could potentially... fall apart or wilt. Ending in a tank full of graphite which wouldnt be good.
Joking aside, only thing i see wrong with the custom lid which applies to every lid (glass or acrylic, not mesh) is that itll be likely to have mold/algae/etc growing on the seems of it. Which if you dont mind, go for it.

 

[nakaKon]

First off:
what career do you have, obviously something with architecture right? please dont say the local pool boy....

Secondly:
the design looks great, the real issue comes to how itll be crafted, unless u know a guy it could be pricey for the size. And if funds isn't an issue than by all means have at it!

Lastly:
Answering your concerns on the lid cons, ill address the cons of a lid like the one you drew, A, its in pencil. Have a lid made of graphite is very difficult to keep in shape, also when it gets wet it could potentially... fall apart or wilt. Ending in a tank full of graphite which wouldnt be good.
Joking aside, only thing i see wrong with the custom lid which applies to every lid (glass or acrylic, not mesh) is that itll be likely to have mold/algae/etc growing on the seems of it. Which if you dont mind, go for it.

Hahah thanks thabka

I am an lighting and shading artist in a post production studio.. But I did have a great intrest in interipr design before xd

Like the joke alot... At first i thought u were being seripus until I read that joke aside phrase lol

Yeah I agree with your concern abput the lid, guess I will need to wipe it every day to prevent moss and water stains.

I made a crappy prototype with some paper, seems alright, got a bit of asymmetry here and there but I think this should do the job?

Gonna bring this to the shop tmr to see if they can do it, high chance they will suggest to devide the whole thing in half to do the cutout but we shall see... I guess this might cost me around 20 poundsish or less? Not too sure at rhe moment.

The other shrimp is still alive and swimming around! I am also planning on getting some snail to clean the glass inside the tank abit ... Or shall i not be lazy and get an old card and scrape the green moss on the glass away? If I getting snails I think I will get those that cant really breed in fresh water, but I definately getting one more shrimp to accompany the lonely guy inside

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[Barbara Turner]

The shrimps you have bought look like Red-nose Pinocchio to me, there are a few similar spices so I could be wrong but if they are you will be lucky if they last more than 6 months. You will be far better with some cherry shrimps, they come in a whole range of colours. Even in your small tank I would still buy at least 6.

 

[nakaKon]

The shrimps you have bought look like Red-nose Pinocchio to me, there are a few similar spices so I could be wrong but if they are you will be lucky if they last more than 6 months. You will be far better with some cherry shrimps, they come in a whole range of colours. Even in your small tank I would still buy at least 6.

Yeah i think they are call red nose something something..., did ask the lady who sold them to me and she said they do jump. I picked these because they seems to be a good option to clean up some algae on the plants, and i am still not sure what kinda fish i am gonna keep in the future ( I said betta b4 but recently kinda having a second thought) so dont want to have too much shrimp at the moment. But yeah cherry shrimp are pretty awesome , love their colours

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[nakaKon]

So bit of a update ..... Got the lid for arund 15 euro! Add in some decorations. Did some triming and cleaning and wc 50 % add in two more red nose shrimp and they seems doing alright inside hope the lid could stop them from jumping!

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[ralfred]

Great lid. I'll be in the market for something too, as I have an enthusiastic 2 year old with lots of plastic dinosaurs!