1st Real Aquarium

[ybmarmot]

Just thought I'd post some pictures of the progress of my 1st real aquarium. Real in that I once had a 10 gallon cichlid tank (6 or 7 fish), they died. Well now I'm getting into it. A lot of reading and questions. I much appreciate any comments, opinions, advice and suggestions I can get.

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[LethalResistanz]

You have quiet a bit of fish there. Is the tank cycled?

[Cococrunch]

Nice Tank you got! If i may ask what's the Current Stocking Now? :)

-Coco

[rich311k]

Tank looks great! Good luck with it.

[ybmarmot]

This tank is in it's 2nd week of cycling. I know, I jumped before I looked. Well, I'm catching up fast. I have 7 cherry barbs and 1 dwarf gourami. I got an EcoBio stone to help with bacteria and the filter has a bio wheel in it, and I'm doing a 50% water change every other day. My wife laughs and says I'll kill them all! I'll be getting a 55 gallon tank soon (off of Craigslist). I plan to do a fishless cycle on that one.

[tanks4thememories]

This tank is in it's 2nd week of cycling. I know, I jumped before I looked. Well, I'm catching up fast. I have 7 cherry barbs and 1 dwarf gourami. I got an EcoBio stone to help with bacteria and the filter has a bio wheel in it, and I'm doing a 50% water change every other day. My wife laughs and says I'll kill them all! I'll be getting a 55 gallon tank soon (off of Craigslist). I plan to do a fishless cycle on that one.


Those pics look good!!
If you cycle the tank you have before you start the 55 gal you can use some of the filter media from the current tank to jump start the cycle on the 55 and be cycled in half the time Also called "Seeding" the filter. Just a thought.:ssmile:

[Northernguy]

That is a nice looking tank!
Great job!

[Bristley]

Tank looks very nice. Good pics.

[ybmarmot]

Well, after 2 weeks from the purchase of the 12g Eclipse tank, too many fish (8 after one male cherry barb died (RIP) ) and reading alot. All seem to be happy and eating well. Some of my sword plants are getting eaten also.
Temp = 78 to 80F
PH = 7
Ammonia = between .25 and .5ppm
Nitrite = 1ppm
Nitrate = 5ppm
daily 50% water changes
So it seems the process is working

Feeding Tetra flakes 2X per day
freeze dried bloodworms 4X per week

[ybmarmot]

PH= 7.5
Added API PH down. PH=7.0
Ammonia=0
Nitrite = 2ppm
Nitrate = 5ppm
Temp = 79.2F

The dwarf Gourami and the 7 barbs (hey, that sounds like a 60's band) are doing fine. Eating, swimming and generally enjoying their tank!

[Rhaethe]

1 dwarf gourami and 7 cherry barbs are fine for a 12g. You could even get a small pack of pygmy cories.

The tank looks like its off to a good start :ssmile:

[rothenb1]

I really like the way you mixed the natural gravel, rocks, and the plants. Did you get the rocks outside or purchase them?

[ybmarmot]

Rhaethe - you really think 3 or 4 pygmy corys would do OK in there?

Rothenb1 - Thanks, I bought the small gravel at my LFS. The 2 large stones have some sentimental value.....got them out of a stream in VT while on vacation 43 years ago.

[Rhaethe]

I do. I wouldn't put anything else in there after that, though. :ssmile:

[ybmarmot]

Putting it together slowly. > 4 ammonia, > .25 nitrates 5 days old

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[tanks4thememories]

Putting it together slowly. > 4 ammonia, > .25 nitrates 5 days old

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LOOKING GOOD!!!thumbs2: thumbs2: :19:

[ohmikeosh]

Nice looking tanks!

[ybmarmot]

Help!
I need some reassurance or direction. The 55g tank pictured above is now at:

Ammonia = 4 ppm

Nitrites = 2 ppm

Nitrates = 20 ppm

Are things going right? From what I've read, Ammonia is supposed to be dropping ( I think I started the tank with close to 8 ppm of ammonia).

[rich311k]

You are moving along, ammonia dropping, nitrites coming and nitrates. Things look normal to me, it will be a while because the initial ammonia was so high.

[ybmarmot]

Thanks Rich, This waiting is killing me..... Actually, it's giving me time to read, investigate and learn.

[hockeyhead019]

awesome tanks! i'm jealous of the 55 gallon lol and i love your landscaping in the 12 gal :)

best of luck with the cycling

[ybmarmot]

Today's chemistry.
I added a few more cichlid friendly (I hope plants).

NH3 = .25ppm
NO2 = .50ppm
NO3 = 80ppm

I did a 10% water change and added some more ammonia (about 1/3 of what I started with). I've got my cichlids ordered. livefishdirect will ship them when I'm ready.

4 Cobalt Blue Zebras, 1 male 3 f
5 Electric Yellow 1 male 4 f
4 Red Zebras 1 male 3 f
2 Snow White Socolofi 1 m 1 f

Maybe 2 more Snow Whites and maybe a few Pseudotropheus Elongatus (Jewel Spot)

Soon, real soon. Kinda makes losing one's job a little less stressful......

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Very nice tank! Keep up those water changes, it may slow your cycling but will help protect the fish in the mean time.

[ybmarmot]

Update on the 12g Aquarium. Here's Sam. He's (I think) is a Rubber Nose Pleco

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I just did a 75% water change and cleaned the algae off the sides, stirred up the gravel. This tank seems to be almost self maintaining. At least considering the Ammonia and nitrites and nitrates. 0, 0, <5.

The "Boss" harrassed Sam for a day or 2, but now only goes to check on him now and then.

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I got the Boss a mate, but he killed her. Harrassed her, she hid. When I returned from work. Her right eye was missing and she was floating "head up" at the surface. I couldn't save her. The Boss will have to stay single.
:hmm3grin2orange:

[ybmarmot]

NH3 = 0
NO2 = 2.0
NO3 = 5.0

I can't seem to get the nitrite to 0 ppm. When I add ammonia to the tank I bring the NH3 up to 2 or 3. The next day NH3 = 0. But the nitrites will not go to 0. This has been going on for 5 days. The nitrates haven't gone above 20 ppm. I've done 2 10-15% water changes.

The ph = 8.0
Haven't checked the KH or GH yet.

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[Ashley]

I really like the 55, beautiful!

[rich311k]

How long has the cycle been going on. It can take 3 weeks for the nitrite phase of a cycle.

[Sursion]

I once had a 10 gallon cichlid tank (6 or 7 fish), they died.

Funny how that works out. But congrats on starting again. The 55 looks great!

[ybmarmot]

I first filled the 55g with water and ammonia about 12 days ago.

[rich311k]

You are right on scehdule just keep adding the 2 ppm of ammonia daily.

[ybmarmot]

Great! That make me a little more comfortable about getting 2 more tanks (70g, 125g) to work on....

[Lady Hobbs]

Add your ammonia only one time each day and only if it has dropped to 0. More cycling failures come from "burning out" the cycle because of too much ammonia than anything else along with trying to rush the cycle. You're growing bacteria's and their growth can not be rushed. The nitrite eating bacteria takes longer and can remain without moving for a week or even more but then will start dropping and drop quite rapidity once it starts.

I think this thread is somewhat confusing and you have two tanks and questions about both all written into one thread as a "journal". You would have gotten more answers had you written your questions in the proper sections within the forum such as "Beginner set-up" and "Cyling" rather than having questions and answers as a Journal?

A Journal is a story you want to tell us about your tank much like reading a blog or diary. I will move this to the Beginners forum but all the cycling questions should be moved, as well, to the Cycling Forum but it would take too much moving and breaking things apart to separate the questions and answers.

[ybmarmot]

Did a 40% water change on the 55g tank and added a rock from my 12g yesterday. Today I've go 0-ammonia, 0-nitrites and 5-nitrates. Of course, relying on LH's suggestion, I didn't add any ammonia yesterday. Trying to be patient. I'll add enough ammonia today to move the NH3 to 3 or 4ppm and see what it looks like tomorrow.
Thanks for everybody's help and suggestions.
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