New tank! What do you think?

[Violence]

This is to "continue" my thread about my three accidental new Pleco's. ( http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =5&t=23554 ) I'm going to "continue" the thread in here because the original one was posted in the Husbandry/Breeding forum, and now I need help with my new tank so I'm putting it in this section.


I just bought a 55 gallon tank today. Filter/heater/thermometer/lamp/test kit included. I bought loads of plants, wood and hiding spots. I know it's a bit naked right now, but that was the best I could do with the limited time I had. My Pleco's are tiny in it and hopefully they won't out-grow the tank too fast, I love them and I would lvoe to keep them, even if impossible. There's a small chance I could keep an least one, I'll be so sad when I will have to get rid of them.

If you have any tips please feel free to post, I will need it. As I said, for now it's the best I can do and I think it's pretty good.

Not filled yet. My tank is in the desert!!


Not filled from another angle.


Still not filled.


Fileld with water (it took me a century and a lot of back pain to get it filled, I forgot the Vaccum and the water Pump...)


Filled from another angle.


I love the skull hiding place.


Filtered water.


With lights on.


With lights on again.



I will get more wood, plants and hiding places. I used solution to take out the Chlorine in water (I mostly used mineral and distilled water), added some nutrients into it. Check out the Ph/Amonia... levels. I put on the heater to 28 and half degres (it's getting there slowly) I used colder water so it will take time to get hotter, plus it's 27 degres here (as in my appartment, but I have an air conditionning and good areation, so it seems MUCH cooler) so it shouldn't take that long.

Anyways, anything specific I should do or get? Any tips and extra information is needed and wanted!

[worton[pl]]

Hey,

it is hard to talk about looking of things since it is all about personal taste. But honestly I must say I totally do not like this tank.
Awful background, decorations plastic plants and blue gravel.
My tanks are not beutiful - just rocks and sand without any arifical light so they look creepy. However this composition looks not good .
Fish, however, do not care if they have blue gravel, desert background and a skeleton head as a hiding place or real plants, river gravel/sand bogwood and few rocks - so it is your choice ;).

[sidguppy]

why did I click this link?

I've been a good boy for a long time but now I need LSD just to cope with this reality
Fear & Loathing on the Planet Catfish

[Violence]

I just stuck any background because my wall behind it is aweful hahaa and the gravel is blue because that's the only color I had (I had it because that's what I bought for the Betta fish).

By what you think, I didn't mean the decorations but the set-up and other stuff. Are my fish going to be healthy in it? Do I have everything I need? Do I need anything else?

P.S I like the colors but they look really bright on the pictures, they're not as bright as that.

[Lesley_B]

Aww bless!

I personally don't like the coloured gravels, nor plastic plants.
But that's my taste and not yours

The only bit I'd be worried about is the tank doesn't appear to be properly supported over its full length. It's overhanging the chest you have placed it on.
You might find it flexes and starts to leak. Also that chest is now out of bounds.

Not sure what you've got beside the tank - an autoclave or something? but noises from things like that aren't fantastic for the fish.
What I'd suggest is that you build a workbench - if you own the place that is - that runs the length of that wall and is well supported. You can then gain a shelf underneath.
Get the shelf height right and you could put your filter canister on it.
Then get a large sheet of rubber to place the tank on. It'll absorb any irregularites between the glass and the workbench surface and hopefully absorb any vibration from the autoclave.
I appreciate this might not be possible and it would mean moving everything about while you built the workbench along there.

Whatever happens I hope it all works out and the fish are happy chappies.

Regards

Lesley

[zenyfish]

The fish really don't care if it's got real or plastic plants (unless they like to eat the real plants), or what type of background.

You might add some natural wood for the plecos to graze on. Instead of buying expensive driftwood, I use seasoned hardwood tree trimmings from my yard.

[Violence]

The autoclave is on the other side of the room. What's next to the trunk/tank is just a thing with piericng jewelry, ntohing makes noise here, the autoclave is basically silent except when you make the vapor come out, and it doesn't make noise. The ultra-sound might make some but it isn't loud either and it's not near the aquarium. I know I'll but some wood under the tank to fill the "holes" between it and the trunk.

I LOVE colors, but I didn't have much choice for the tank, the gravel was bought blue, I didn't have enough for the 55 gallon so I bought more, but I bought it blue, they only had "baby" blue and brown. So mixing light blue with brown isn't that nice. I'll add more plants (I'll only add one real one, but I don't want to hassle with them) so I'll stick with the plastic ones. And of course much more wood. I'll get it at the river (St-Laurents is 10 mintues away by foot), I'll treat the wood and add it in there.

Anyone know how to treat wood?

I think I have to put in in bleach for an hour, then rinse it, then put it in the oven for a few minutes, then boil it. Is that right?

[andywoolloo]

Do not put the wood in bleach, cause wood is pourous and you will never get it out.

It depends on the size of the wood, but I boil it in a pot on the stove for hours, if it's too big for that I put it in the dishwasher, with nothing else in there and of course no detergent or anything, just a blank hot run. If you do not have a dishwasher and it's too big to boil, you can put it in a big never used rubbermaid plastic garbage can and dump the hot water on it till it's covered.

I do that after I boil or dishwasher it, then I put it in the plastic garbage can and add hot water for about a week, dumping out the water every day and adding new. Then I soak it in there in normal temp water for another two weeks, changing the water every few days. When the water I dump out is no longer tea coloured, I add it to the tank.

Also first before boiling it or dishwashing it I clean it with a strong rough brush when it is dry, then I sand down any sharp or scary edges, then I put the backyard hose on it real strong, then i start the whole boil dishwasher stuff. Some people even bake it. I have never tried that.

p.s. it's great you rescued the fish.

[Violence]

Yup Ill be boiling it for a while when I get it and probably put it in the oven, I didn't think about sanding it, so that's what I will do, I'll try to get some wood next week!
Thanks so much!!!

[Bas Pels]

I just put it into the tank

[Violence]

The wood I will be getting will be from the St-Laurent river, there's a lot of bad algae and "crap" there so I need to boil it (and sand it) during a few days before putting it in the tank to make sure it's dirt and bacteria free so it doesn't mess up my tank.

I got my tank a few days ago, I added a few fish to get the bacteria cycle going (two fish per 10 gallon) so that means 11 fish together, so I got three Pleco's, six Mollies and well three female Betta's (not agressive at all), I have one too much though, can this damage the cycle?

Ohhh good news! My Mollies had babies, I found six and half (yes, half a baby fish) all of them died during the night except one (go him!). So I'll put him in a "breeding" net thing later today.

[MatsP]

I'm not going to make comments your style sense - that your choice.

What does make me a bit concerned is the chest that it's standing on - check with the shop where you got the tank from that the plastic frame allows the tank to not be supported for the full lengt. Alternatively, get yourself a piece of 3/4" plywood that is at least the same size as the tank and place it under the tank. That should prevent the tank from getting uneven stress from the uneven surface of the chest.

--
Mats

[Violence]

That's exactly what I will do. I have wood here and I'll be able to do it pretty soon, but for now I can't lift anything that heavy, I fuc*ed up my back pretty bad taking it up the stairs (3rd floor) plus moving it around my place and all that. Plus, I will have to take lots of water out, this might "damage" the cycle, so I will a bit, for now it seems fine. The trunk is super resistant (I have about 10 of those, I found them in my grand-fathers garage, it had a car ON IT!- He is a very weird man. the garage had about 250 old used tires, he never threw out anything, the house has four floors, seven rooms first two floors, basement was like an appartment and his "office" was full of papers that were 50 years old...)- All this to say, the trunk will be alright for a few days still and the tanks frame is pretty solid, although in the long-run I would be concerned, so next week, getting wood under it.

Personally I wanted a black background for my aquarium, and black gravel OR black and white mixed together. But it all hapenend so fast I just took what I had and I was panicked, and distressed.

Ohhh and a question, what illnesses are common to Pleco's? Is there something I should have at all times in their "medicine cabinet"?

Do I talk to much? I think I talk to much.

[Bigpig]

I dont think the previous comments about the tank being supported by the trunk, were refering to the strength of the trunk?????
Most tanks are designed to be supported all the way across the bottom. If the weight, ( and when full, the water weights a lot) is pressing on too few areas, this can cause the tank to leak, or even break.
I know its a pain to have to empty this tank, but if you leave it, the tank might empty itself!!!!!!
The tank does look a bit bright, this might cause the fish to hide away. Perhaps its possible to put some bogwood in and create some shady areas.
G'luck.

[racoll]

I dont think the previous comments about the tank being supported by the trunk, were refering to the strength of the trunk?????
Most tanks are designed to be supported all the way across the bottom. If the weight, ( and when full, the water weights a lot) is pressing on too few areas, this can cause the tank to leak, or even break.
I know its a pain to have to empty this tank, but if you leave it, the tank might empty itself!!!!!!
The tank does look a bit bright, this might cause the fish to hide away. Perhaps its possible to put some bogwood in and create some shady areas.

I would second this 100%.

I recently cracked a tank due to it not being supported correctly. A friend of mine has also done the same thing......

[Violence]

Yep, this is what I understood. What is meant was that the trunk is solid enough for it so that part I'm not worried about, I'll get the wood underneath it in 2-3 days, for now I can barely move because of my back.

[MatsP]

To avoid "cycling" over again, get a tub or two suitable for holding water, and drain your tank into those tubs [or into buckets that you pour into the tubs] [1]. Make sure you save at least half the water from the tank. That way, you will definitely retain some of the cycling "proceeds" whilst moving the tank around.

[1] if your local DIY store has any "building bucket", which in the UK is a sturdy, 4 UK gal/15 liter bucket that they sell for about US $2 each, you could get a few of those and store the water straight in those buckets - give the buckets a good rinse with hot water before you use them for tank-water. When I moved my large tank (400 liter/100g), I used a black plastic dustbin that holds 90 liters (approx 20 uk gal/25 us gal). It worked very well.

--
Mats

[Violence]

Yup, that's what I thought of doing, or just asking my super strong male friends to do it. (I'll offer them beer and pizza for it), they agreed weee!!! I'll just be sitting there and watching HAHAA suckaz. I think they will be able to lift the tank, I'll just do my routine water change so there's going to be a bit less water in it.

[Martin S]

Yup, that's what I thought of doing, or just asking my super strong male friends to do it. (I'll offer them beer and pizza for it), they agreed weee!!! I'll just be sitting there and watching HAHAA suckaz. I think they will be able to lift the tank, I'll just do my routine water change so there's going to be a bit less water in it.

Sorry - can I just clarify that you intend to move the tank whilst it's at least half full? Not a good idea - (a) the tank will be extremely heavy, and (b) definitely an easy way to crack the base. If you really must leave some water (and the fish) in the tank whilst you move it, best option (in my view) is to bring the water level down to just an inch or two - as Mats said, store the tank water in some buckets while you move it. If you have some wood to sit it on when it goes back onto the trunk, move it onto the wood, and then lift that back onto the trunk. Thne you can refill with the water from the buckets and top off with a bucket or two of treated tap water for you water change.
Martin

[MatsP]

I'm absolutely in agreement with Martin S here - NEVER EVER move a tank with more than an inch of water. The glass in the tank is held together based on the principle of all parts sharing an equal load. When you start lifting/moving a tank around, not only is the load reduced to a few places where the hands go, but also, the potential for making waves that crash from one end to another is great, and that can act similar to a mallet banged against the glass. Remember, a gallon of water weighs 3.8kg/8 pounds - that is a BIG hammer (I have a 7lbs sledge-hammer, and it's heavy enough that I wouldn't want it anywhere NEAR my tanks.

I like the the pizza/beer idea.

--
Mats

[Violence]

Good idea! I'll leave one inch and half for the fish and we'll move it. Hopefully we won't get drunk before moving the tank, I'll buy the beer when the move is done. Last time I "paid" them beer and pizza to paint my room, we got trashed and well, it was a nice patchwork, it took us three days to do haha!!

I'm off hunting for wood at the river with my my friend weee!!!

[MatsP]

Sure, beer is only for AFTER, not before or during the work - otherwise things can go horribly wrong.

--
Mats

[Violence]

I know Three days to paint my room hahaa, it was great though, but I won't be messign aroudn espacially not with my tank, I don't want nothing to hapen to my fish OR my tank (although money isn't that much of an issue, it still wasn't free).