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Post by kagome on Nov 29, 2009 0:30:52 GMT -5
Would the socolofi and danios be the only fish in the tank? Or are there cleaner fish as well?
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Post by corycatwoman on Nov 29, 2009 11:45:24 GMT -5
sorry to be repetitive. but could really use the advise on these dither. they are growing alot faster then i thaught they would and seem to be keeping all the flakes to themselves and not letting my mbuna get there fair share.
might infact take them back if i dont get a reply back soon. and get 5 or 6 zebra danios instead.
which would be most recomended. or no dither at all?
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Post by corycatwoman on Nov 29, 2009 11:50:06 GMT -5
no kagome, no cleaner fish i did have a pleco but they just dont like to stay in my tank they escape and its just sad waking up to one on the floor all dried out so no more plecos for me i do all the tank cleaning myself.
and so let me re ask the question..
i have 4 socolofi they are young just at 2 inches or 2 and 1/4. but growing rapidly. i noticed that since i only had 4 of them the pecking order was kinda brutal on the littlest weakest one. so i needed a target fish or just a few more socolofi. since i can only get socolofi an hour away at 10 dollars a peice i chose to go the cheaper and closer route with dither. and i knew the giant danios would get max 6 inches but those little boogers are 3 inches already and i swear they grow overnight. prolly all the spirulina they eat because ive been over feeding hoping more will drop to bottom for my mbuna.
so if everyone gets full grown we would have each socolofi around 4.5-5 inches. so thats 5 inches x 4
if the danios grow full size we would have 3x 6 inches
is that over stocking a 28 gallon tank?
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Post by Carl on Nov 29, 2009 12:25:26 GMT -5
sorry to be repetitive. but could really use the advise on these dither. they are growing alot faster then i thought they would and seem to be keeping all the flakes to themselves and not letting my mbuna get there fair share. might infact take them back if i dont get a reply back soon. and get 5 or 6 zebra danios instead. which would be most recomended. or no dither at all? As a generalization, I would say your tank is over crowded, but this can a be a grey area and an area where many elsewhere (such as YA) will state categorically that the answer is yes, when other factors can play into this from cleaning practices, Redox, decorations, and especially filters. This article addresses this in part: Aquarium Answers; Determining The Maximum Aquarium Size For The Fish To Be KeptCarl
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Post by corycatwoman on Nov 29, 2009 18:23:14 GMT -5
thanks carl. from my observation of the giant danios. they dont appear to be the typical schooling fish. so maybe my best choice would to be eliminate 2 of them and leave the 1 singled out. but then again that might force my socolofi to act on instict of defending there territory.
any suggestions?
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Post by Carl on Nov 30, 2009 10:14:33 GMT -5
thanks carl. from my observation of the giant danios. they dont appear to be the typical schooling fish. so maybe my best choice would to be eliminate 2 of them and leave the 1 singled out. but then again that might force my socolofi to act on instict of defending there territory. any suggestions? Leaving one by itself would defeat the purpose of having dither fish IMO If your concern is schooling, then trading for the zebra danios might be the better option. Carl
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Post by corycatwoman on Nov 30, 2009 11:53:27 GMT -5
thanks carl. while im at the store i was considering re doing my substrate. and background. since now the majority of my fish in the tank are blue. my blue background is making the colors rather drab. my black and red grave on the other hand make it pop when they are infront of my limestone.
so im wondering if i go with a black sand substrate and a tan or beige background to lighten the tank up a bit and blend my limestone into the back of my tank a little bit with optical illusion affect.
but my question is. would the black sand be better then the black gravel?
positives and negatives of having a sand bottom tank?
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Post by Carl on Nov 30, 2009 15:09:07 GMT -5
Generally #3 gravel is best except in heavily planted aquariums (or certain sections of plant roots). Since you do not have live plants, I would go with the #3 gravel Please see this article for more as to "why" Aquarium answers; Gravel, which sizeCarl
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Post by corycatwoman on Nov 30, 2009 20:41:24 GMT -5
alright thanks carl. then maybe i should just stick with what i already have and just replace the background.
now the question is even more simple. i apreciate all the help it really does simplify the situations.
what color background with a dominate black substrate with lightly scaterd red on top. with the limestone on top of that. the dark teal aqua green color i have now just isnt cutting it for my briliant blue cichlids. i was considering going black to match the bottom but i feel if i dont have my light on my tank during the day hours where it really isnt needed it would just be way to dark. so i was thinking oposite color spectrum might be the best secondary option with a light white or tanish beige color.
has anyone had luck with black gravel and black background does it look alright? will it be boring?
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Post by corycatwoman on Nov 30, 2009 20:55:28 GMT -5
also came to my head just now. a pastel orange brown might be pleasant aswell. along same lines as the beige tan color and the optical illusion affect i was talking about previously.
which in your opinion would pop the colors best?
pastel orange brown complimenting the accent red color in my black substrate?
or
tan or beige or off white (all about same to me)?
or black?
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Post by kagome on Dec 6, 2009 23:54:32 GMT -5
What about going with a background that has a printed picture on it? Strangely enough I have terrarium backgrounds on both of my tanks. Once is of a rainforest scene and the other is different kinds of bromiliads. A printed background might add more interest and since it's not a solid color you would have a variety of effects as the fish swam in front of different areas.
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Post by corycatwoman on Dec 13, 2009 15:39:57 GMT -5
i just emptied out my little 6 or 7 gallon eclipse tank. i was using it as isolation tank for my cichlid that had the columnaris. anyways he died in it and i removed all the fluid and all the substrate its now an empty tank. what should i put in it to disenfect it. i was thinking running bleach water solution for a few days or even a week. then emptying that out and recycling it.
is bleach water the best way to disenfect an isolation tank? or is there other methods that are quicker?
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Post by corycatwoman on Dec 13, 2009 15:56:18 GMT -5
i think im just going to add alot of salt to it like over kill the salt. mainly because the only substrate i have to put into it to speed the cycling would come from my main tank anyway which is where the colomnaris originated. thus making it a never ending circle. so i think over kill the salt and a few extra water changes later or 100 percent water change if needed. and it should be steralized? am i correct?
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Post by Carl on Dec 13, 2009 16:34:14 GMT -5
i think im just going to add alot of salt to it like over kill the salt. mainly because the only substrate i have to put into it to speed the cycling would come from my main tank anyway which is where the colomnaris originated. thus making it a never ending circle. so i think over kill the salt and a few extra water changes later or 100 percent water change if needed. and it should be steralized? am i correct? Bleach is the only 100% method, however a heavy "salting" of a tank that has not had fish present for a while probably going to be effective (but is not 100%). Carl
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Post by murdock6701 on Dec 13, 2009 22:53:32 GMT -5
bleach is the key - I have always used it w/ HOT water, then rinse in cold water
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Post by corycatwoman on Dec 13, 2009 23:55:08 GMT -5
alright ill add some hot water and a few cups of bleach. does it really matter how much bleach i use? can i just over due it? or even under do it as long as i leave the tank fishless and running for a few weeks?
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Post by Carl on Dec 14, 2009 10:13:29 GMT -5
alright ill add some hot water and a few cups of bleach. does it really matter how much bleach i use? can i just over due it? or even under do it as long as i leave the tank fishless and running for a few weeks? While I have never experimented with "over doing it", "I have under done it". Generally speaking a 20/1 water to bleach mix has worked well and is easily removed as well once done. See this article in section #11 Healthy Aquarium, Disease Prevention; Tank SterilizationCarl
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Post by corycatwoman on Dec 14, 2009 14:07:29 GMT -5
well i hope there is no consequence for over doing it. i didnt have a measuring cup or devise present at the time but im guessing there was only 2 cups of bleach left in the bottle and i just simple poured the remainder in and put it on my list of things to pick up at the grocery store.
so it turns out this tank that claimed to be 6 gallons is really only a 3 or 4. i got exactly with bare bottom 3.6 gallons of water in it filled to the brim
so i have roughly lil under 4 gallon isolation tank. before adding the 2 cups bleach i added about 6 tablespoons of aquarium salt which is roughly about enough for my 30 gallon tank. on regular use with water changes.
so im sure i over killed the salt considering its a tank just over 3 gallons and it has 30 gallons worth of salt in it lol
then on top of that i added 2 cups bleach to 3 gallons of water which i dont feel like doing the math but its prolly closer to 5/20 diluted.
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Post by corycatwoman on Dec 14, 2009 14:36:03 GMT -5
my plan is to leave this tank running with out a filter cartridge in it for about 2 weeks. then im going to empty it out rinse it out with as hot of water as i can handle with my bare hands which is pretty hot lana says i cant tell temperature with my hands very well. im guessing around 50 degrees below boiling is what ill be using. and then im going to fill it up with normal tap water with a filter at this point. add prime and water conditioner. and some media substrate from my 30 gallon which btw all my fish look perfect in now. ill get pictures later. and leave it run fishless while feeding the tank my food i dont use anymore 3 times daily for about 2 weeks. then im considering adding a betta or 2 if i can figure out a way to DIY a divider that isnt clear. i ponderd the thaught last night but ruled against it this morning i dont want them to see eachother and flare up all the time i believe its stressful for them over longer periods of it. but it is healthy for them to get the mirror trick once a week. so who knows. do you think 2 week fishless cycle would be long enough for a betta?
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Post by Carl on Dec 14, 2009 14:47:48 GMT -5
Do you think 2 week fishless cycle would be long enough for a betta? Generally it takes about 5-6 weeks, however the use of a SeaChem Stability during this process can allow for addition in two weeks. I would closely monitor ammonia after the addition of the Betta and add Prime as needed if ammonia/nitrites go up Carl
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