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Our very first tank - the Fluval Edge 46 litre!

Thank you so much Allan! I'm feeling better about it today now I've started cleaning it up![DOUBLEPOST=1407933742][/DOUBLEPOST]
Edvet said:
Looks great!, some patience is required😛
Be sure to discus what fish you intend to get (not for a while yet)
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Thank you Edvert! I've been doing quite a lot of research and taken advice from forum members and with the size of the tank and our tap water chemistry - we have very hard water with a GH of just above 18 and a high ph of 8.2 - we are looking at a small shoal of Javanese Ricefish (Oryzias javanicus) or a small shoal of Danio erythromicron
the shrimp I would dearly love Amano, but as you say we may be many months off yet! I have just tested the Nitrite for the first time and it's registering 5.0 ppm so I guess things are happening which is good news! For the moment I am happy to concentrate on making sure the plants are growing healthy and well and the tank is clean!
 
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2 hours later - 50% water change completed, wood cleaned from algae as much as possible (although I was unable to remove all of it and have blobs of it now settled on the plants) glass is now cleaned, unfortunately in the process I managed to uproot around 3 plants which I have replanted but have broken off many leaves in doing so!! Is there a technique in planting that will make them stay in position?

The wood, which is around 10 separate pieces also collapsed, again pulling off many stem and leaves from the plants which were minimal to start with. All in all a difficult process and although the water is clearer and slightly fresher smelling the poor plants look very much worse for the ordeal! At the moment I am so grateful that there are no fish or shrimp in our tank as I really don't think I'm fit to keep them! I do most certainly now see the benefits of frequent water changes and a clean tank but I must find a method that doesn't destroy the plants nor frighten the livestock when we have them!

I am really struggling with syphoning as the opening on the Fluval Edge combined with the tall arrangement of our wood means that I can't move the syphon much without disturbing everything. Getting the syphon going is exhausting and completely hit and miss. Any tips would be most welcome, we have the Fluval Edge gravel vacuum/syphon.
 
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It's a nice looking tank, but doesn't make for ease of maintenance!
I'm not sure that you would want to attempt this, but it is possible to take the top glass off. I'm also not sure if I can post a link as it is from another forum, but if you google 'Fluval edge taking off the top' it should give you the info.
 
Big clown said:
Gently twist/wiggle the tweezers as you let go of the plant then pull the tweezers out slowly/carefully once they are fully open. Gently holding the plant with your other hand can help too. I find straight tweezers easier to plant with. It does take a little practice too
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I will give the twist and wiggle ago, thanks Big Clown, unfortunately the Edge opening only allows for one hand at a time - even my small hands - I can't imagine how larger hands cope![DOUBLEPOST=1407946853][/DOUBLEPOST]
Fern said:
It's a nice looking tank, but doesn't make for ease of maintenance!
I'm not sure that you would want to attempt this, but it is possible to take the top glass off. I'm also not sure if I can post a link as it is from another forum, but if you google 'Fluval edge taking off the top' it should give you the info.
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Thank you Fern but we love this tank and I'm determined to overcome my ineptitude and make this work!!!
 
Oh my word Andy! Having just created the "Inner city drain" biotope (where a miniature shopping trolly and plastic bags and beer cans wouldn't look amiss) the thought of getting a mouth full of that water...??!!!!!!!! And I know I would! I just need to practise with some clean water first perhaps. Actually I'm now rather chuffed with the big clean up as despite the plants looking tattered and battered the tank looks and smells so much better! Should I be worried about brown spots on some leaves? I did search the forum and wondered if I had the lights on too much? Or perhaps it was the state of the tank or that it was a new tank? Head in a spin again!
 
If you buy the cheap eBay siphons with the pump ball on the end, you can take the end off leaving you with a 1/2in diameter pipe and no water in your mouth. I've just shut down my edge as I was having similar problems with maintenance and couldn't clean the glass very well.
 
You can buy siphon with pumps on them to prevent that yourself from sucking up the water.
 
Decent tweezers (fine points and light) are worth their weight in gold.
Tweezers should go into substrate at an angle and pulled out at and angle away from the plant, very few if and will lift like this assuming the substrate isn't too shallow 🙂
 
Edvet said:
Come on Glenda, keeping aquaria means you got to suck up some tank water now and then😉. I've been doing it for 25 years and i've grown up to be a big boy😎
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But I don't want to grow up to be a big boy Edvet!!!![DOUBLEPOST=1408022100][/DOUBLEPOST]
Iain Sutherland said:
Decent tweezers (fine points and light) are worth their weight in gold.
Tweezers should go into substrate at an angle and pulled out at and angle away from the plant, very few if and will lift like this assuming the substrate isn't too shallow 🙂
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Great tips thanks Iain I will practise![DOUBLEPOST=1408022251][/DOUBLEPOST]Thank you all so much for such invaluable tips, I shall take them all (well nearly all Edvet!!) on board!
 
Another 50% water change and general tank clean today and things are looking up! Only one floating plant and the technique of putting the roots in the substrate at an angle really worked Iain! However the plants still look "burnt" and chewed (no snails I have checked), I have cut the lights on time down to 5 hours and increased the filter flow, is there anything else I should be doing? Any recommended forum posts I should read? aP1010035.jpg aP1010038.jpg
 
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