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Dantu posted:What is the consensus on resealing tanks? I have a 55 gallon that is probably almost 20 years old. From 2000 to 2010 it was empty and in storage. In 2010 I put some water in it, no leaks, back into service. No leaks in the 4 years it's been up. However, I'm moving in a few weeks and have heard conflicting things about the need to reseal. I'm generally in the if it ain't broke, don't fix it camp, but drat, it is pretty old. Any thoughts? Are you considering removing all of the old seal completely and taking a shot at it? I know someone in the local aquarium club who removed the edges leaving the actual seal alone the using the marine grade poo poo over it and they have been fine. I would be sketchy about full removal though. God forbid you come home to a mess, a new 55 during one of PetCo's famous dollar-per-gallon sales would cost less and leave you with less worries imho.
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Jul 2, 2014 14:34
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| # ? May 12, 2024 19:27 |
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Yeah, up to 55 gallons, the tank is the cheapest part of a setup. I would never reseal anything that small.
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Jul 2, 2014 16:46
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Is Eheim discontinuing their classic series, or have they always had supply issues? I have ordered a 2217 twice now from amazon, two different vendors. First one cancelled, second one just emailed me two days after I placed the order now claiming it will be in stock and shipped Monday. Did not expect to have difficulties finding an eheim.
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Jul 3, 2014 16:32
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Slugworth posted:Is Eheim discontinuing their classic series, or have they always had supply issues? I have ordered a 2217 twice now from amazon, two different vendors. First one cancelled, second one just emailed me two days after I placed the order now claiming it will be in stock and shipped Monday. Did not expect to have difficulties finding an eheim. I'm not aware of any. I had no problems when I ordered from drsfosterandsmith.com a month ago. They also had it cheaper than amazon at the time.
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Jul 3, 2014 16:50
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JuffoWup posted:I'm not aware of any. I had no problems when I ordered from drsfosterandsmith.com a month ago. They also had it cheaper than amazon at the time.
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Jul 3, 2014 17:34
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Just gonna leave this here... https://teddytank.com/?uid=CFDE5FD92364770DD91B0E3B80432FAF
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Jul 3, 2014 19:05
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omnibobb posted:Just gonna leave this here... Why yes I do want this living creature to lead a terrible, tortured existence? Why do you ask?
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Jul 3, 2014 23:29
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omnibobb posted:Just gonna leave this here... Heh, reminds me of the commercial I saw on tv selling little 1 gallon tanks with rocks and decor for your little fish friend so your kids can be entertained. The few Molly fry I have left (after giving them away to friends) are getting old enough to show adult traits now. Kinda interesting to see them all clumped together and then see them all go vertical when the male swims near. Waiting to see if the two platy fry show any signs of the swordtail I suspect is their father
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Jul 4, 2014 08:45
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Sooo it looks like I'm upgrading to a 90 gallon acrylic from a 55 gallon glass for my needy tiger oscar. We're also moving into a house that was built in the 1920s that has original hardwood floors and I'm concerned about two things: Damaging the floors somehow by the aquarium sitting on them, and breaking through the floor somehow. There's also an addition that was built in the 70s that has nasty carpet and a crawlspace under it, then the concrete basement...We'd really like to be able to put the tank in the front room with the hardwood floors until we have an opportunity to redo the gross living room since George (Tiger Oscar) really enjoys interaction of any kind and sulks and won't eat if he's left alone. Any suggestions? Maybe like felt pads or something under the aquarium? Any experience from others moving into an older home with hardwood floors?
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Jul 5, 2014 14:25
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Ashwat posted:Sooo it looks like I'm upgrading to a 90 gallon acrylic from a 55 gallon glass for my needy tiger oscar. We're also moving into a house that was built in the 1920s that has original hardwood floors and I'm concerned about two things: Damaging the floors somehow by the aquarium sitting on them, and breaking through the floor somehow. Of course, nobody on the internet can say for sure, as every home is different, but generally speaking you should be fine with anything under 110 gallon as long as you place it next to an exterior or load bearing wall, perpendicular to the joists so that the load is spaced out across as many as possible. If you are concerned though, contact a reputable contractor or better yet, an engineer. As for the floor itself, yeah, thick felt pads.
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Jul 5, 2014 15:34
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Seconding think felt pads and making sure your tank stands legs are sitting on the joists so the load is directly on them. Excusing my metric, but 350kg ain't a hell of a lot in live load. It looks a lot, but its about as much as 4 or 5 people. Fuckface the Hedgehog fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Jul 5, 2014 |
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Jul 5, 2014 18:32
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check the bridging under the floor if you can. Old style floors look like this in cross section: _________ |\|/|\|/|\|/| the vertical lines are the joists and the upper surface would be your subfloor. If those diagonals are in good condition then you should probably be ok. A lot of times they get busted out by some retard running a new pipe or whatever, or they just get loose. When that happens the floor can sag weird and get unlevel or gets squeaky when you walk across it, but if they're good it should be pretty much rock solid. If the floor is a little squeaky putting a heavy object like the tank may just make the whole thing more rigid and stop the squeaks. Id try and put the tank close to a supporting beam or whatever if you could. Putting it in the middle of a sagging rear end floor with nothing underneath might be a bad idea, but if you can put it near a load bearing wall it would be better imo.
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Jul 5, 2014 21:05
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demonR6 posted:You hit the nail on the head. That is probably the most important regime I read in order to treat Ich. I added a heater to increase the temp and treated with that medicine. I lost a few more fish, but the ones that died were covered in ich and already struggling to swim/getting stuck against stuff. The rest of the fish that were swimming and eating when I started treating have survived.
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Jul 6, 2014 01:37
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Yeah, sounds like you had some that we beyond the point of saving but honestly in order to kill the Ich you had no other choice. By the way that one treatment was successful for me, I did not need a second treatment although I know some who have had to do two rounds because it was so bad. If it gets to that I think you need to perform the partial water change before dosing again.
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Jul 6, 2014 01:50
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Babbys first fishtank! Only took about 2 years from buying the basic equipment and the single large rock to actually planting. I guess I'll have some fish in 2015... 10gal with anubias and mossball in front, some swordtail in middle, hornwort left, cabomba right. Now I'm worried about the light being too intense and the water sucking too many balls for fish :/
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Jul 6, 2014 22:35
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IM_DA_DECIDER posted:Babbys first fishtank! Only took about 2 years from buying the basic equipment and the single large rock to actually planting. I guess I'll have some fish in 2015... Looks good! I really like the coloring of that rock, it really grabs the eye.
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Jul 6, 2014 23:43
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I've been running a planted 10g for about a month now. I got my plants from my LFS and dechlorinated the water. I bought a test kit that, sadly, only tests for nitrates, pH, hardness, and phosphates. The fishless cycle website in the OP says I should test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates before considering adding fish. It also says that I should add small amounts of ammonia and test for it 24 hours later to test bacteria efficiency. Today I tested for nitrates and got <5. I also got a pH of 6.2. What's my next step? Get a test kit for ammonia and nitrites because the other tests are useless on their own? That pH is a little low too isn't it?
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Jul 7, 2014 22:24
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You will need kits to test for ammonia and nitrites at the very least. Always go for liquid tests over strips. As for your PH, you might want to use some crushed coral or aragonite in a bag in your filter to bring it up a bit during the cycling period. Low PH inhibits the ability of your beneficial bacteria to process ammonia and establish your cycle. Otherwise, your PH is fine for a wide range of fish. You should definitely research which fish are happiest in which PH range before you stock your tank.
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Jul 8, 2014 05:06
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I bought a new long 20 gallon aquarium as a birthday present for my favorite fish. When I brought it home, I realised I had nothing to put it on. I own a store bought stand for my 10 gallon, and the dumb thing was so expensive and so poorly made that I really am not interested in buying another stand. My other aquarium is sitting on a sturdy bookshelf from the thrift store but it's not long enough to hold the new one. I've been testing out different furniture at thrift stores, looking for something solid wood and capable of holding a lot of weight but I haven't had much luck yet. The other thing I was thinking about doing is building my own, although I'm not super talented with woodworking so it would need to be something simple. Any ideas or blueprints?
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Jul 8, 2014 22:42
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So my blue lobster unfortunately passed away. It crawled out of my tank and managed to bed down on the complete other side of the apartment before dying. Poor guy.
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Jul 9, 2014 02:09
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Eheim's instructions are not great. Just got a 2217, and while I trust in my ability to figure it out myself, it's surprising to me how vague their directions are, considering the esteem the company holds. They make no mention for example, of how to connect the spray bar to the goose neck - I am assuming a short length of hose goes between them, but it seems like the type of thing worth mentioning in your manual. Similarly, no mention of cutting short lengths of hose to put between the filter and the taps. I get that there is some degree of adaptivity, but a basic setup description would be a good idea. Also, for the initial prime, as I don't have the priming bulb, is sucking on the hose as described in the manual seriously the only option? That seems..... Odd. I hear nothing but good things, but not a great first impression so far.
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Jul 11, 2014 16:24
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Slugworth posted:Also, for the initial prime, as I don't have the priming bulb, is sucking on the hose as described in the manual seriously the only option? That seems..... Odd. If you get the suction side install kit it has a cap you can remove and pour water in to prime.
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Jul 11, 2014 16:38
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Slugworth posted:Eheim's instructions are not great. Just got a 2217, and while I trust in my ability to figure it out myself, it's surprising to me how vague their directions are, considering the esteem the company holds. They make no mention for example, of how to connect the spray bar to the goose neck - I am assuming a short length of hose goes between them, but it seems like the type of thing worth mentioning in your manual. Similarly, no mention of cutting short lengths of hose to put between the filter and the taps. I get that there is some degree of adaptivity, but a basic setup description would be a good idea. I just rigged it up, unscrewed the lock tap for the output and then gave a quick suck to start the water flowing. The 2217 has enough capacity that you can pretty much put it back together and screw it all together pretty leisurely. As for putting it all together, yeah, the manual is pretty vague. They have always been that way apparently. Look on youtube and you can find people that made made instructional videos on putting them together. I'd say watch a couple just to make sure as I've seen some people get the wrong impression on which stuff goes with what or how. I can't comment on the spray bar though as I got some glassware from gla instead. I also swapped to some clear vinyl from the hardware store to finish the look.
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Jul 11, 2014 16:48
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Tried looking around, and I'm getting mixed answers to my issue. Last night one of the Mollies gave birth and the others are due soon. Suddenly the cherry shrimp are all active. All eight were out feeding last night when I got home (normally I only see one or two at any point in time, didn't even know I had that many in there). One's berried. This morn I got up and two of the shrimp are doing laps around the bottom of the tank. All my water levels are fine, I'm not sure what's made the shrimp go bonkers
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Jul 11, 2014 18:36
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Is it the male shrimp that are more crazy? The females may be receptive again. They always go nuts when the females are ready for another batch of eggs.
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Jul 12, 2014 02:11
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I don't know. They're paler in color with white blotches on their backs. I found a few molts in the bottom of the tank and everyone's calmed down now. I think it was a crazy gently caress fest panic.
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Jul 12, 2014 03:48
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Yeah, males are the paler ones, usually. Sounds about right. Now you know what you're looking at when they go berserk like that.
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Jul 12, 2014 08:56
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So apparently I have a crazy high ammonia spike going on right now. I'm at 4.0ppm and I have no idea why. I have a cycled tank - the other two biggies, nitrites and nitrates, are at 0 and 20ppm respectively. It's always been 0, 0, and 20-40 up until now. Any ideas on what to do to fix this beyond water changes? I've never dealt with anything like this in the almost year this tank has been going. I've done my weekly water changes, I've taken care not to kill any beneficial bacteria in the filters...I'm at a loss. Edit: Found what may have been the culprit...Dead platy in an ornament. But really? From 0 to 4.0 in a week? Git Mah Belt Son fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Jul 13, 2014 |
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Jul 13, 2014 17:16
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Was gonna say, sounds like something died. And yeah, dead fish make a crazy ammonia spike.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:00
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My oscar ended up flopping on the carpet for bit but seems to be okay. He sulked for a few hours but then resumed his never ending war with the heater. My previously paralyzed firemouth is back in the tank with him too and they are getting along great. One tank moved, the smaller one to go. As an aside if you ever have move an adult oscar cover anything you don't want water on. Judging by the water level in the tank he took 5 gallons with him. I found a scale 15 feet from the tank.
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Jul 14, 2014 03:18
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omnibobb posted:Just gonna leave this here... Take it back... Betta is happier in his 10 gallon.
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Jul 14, 2014 23:33
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Just out of curiosity, any of you ever had to deal with Camallanus?
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Jul 16, 2014 03:39
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Thought you guys might enjoy this: I have a 300 gallon pond in my yard and a gopro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqq-HdotlE
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Jul 16, 2014 05:09
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demonR6 posted:Are you considering removing all of the old seal completely and taking a shot at it? I know someone in the local aquarium club who removed the edges leaving the actual seal alone the using the marine grade poo poo over it and they have been fine. I would be sketchy about full removal though. God forbid you come home to a mess, a new 55 during one of PetCo's famous dollar-per-gallon sales would cost less and leave you with less worries imho. I did end up removing the old seal. I watched a youtube video, got myself a scraper, some masking tape, rubbing alcohol, a calking gun and a tube of GE Silicon I*. It certainly wasn't the neatest job, the silicon wants to stick to everything but the glass it seems, but it holds water just fine. Once I got the tank empty there was a sticker under the bottom showing it was made in 1991. Some of the silicon had gotten really thin in spots. I'm not very handy but it wasn't a bad job at all.
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Jul 16, 2014 14:06
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Fish Noise posted:Just out of curiosity, any of you ever had to deal with Camallanus? Yes. A few years ago one of my fish had it (kind of hard to miss a weird worm-like thing sticking out of your fish's butt). No idea where it came from, but Google got me to a guy online who sells small packets of Levamisole with instructions on how to dose it in aquariums - http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/. I ended up buying some from him since I didn't know where else to get small amounts of Levamisole, followed the directions, and my fish was buttworm free after the first treatment. Supposedly, heavy infestations may kill the fish if the worms die and get stuck in the gut, but I was lucky and didn't lose any so I'd recommend trying it since it seems to be pretty safe (unless someone else knows more and has a better treatment).
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Jul 16, 2014 22:03
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 Excuse the crappy phone picture. This is my 10 gallon tank. As you can see, there aren't any fish in there, yet. As I said before, it's been running for about a month now, at 26 degrees Celsius, with plants I got from the local fish store. You can see a snail hanging out by the top left corner, there are 5 or 6 like it in the tank. They must have come with the plants. You will also notice that these plants are slowly turning brown, at least, some of their leaves are. I leave the lights on almost all the time. I was told I needed special lighting for aquatic plants.  This is the lighting I use. It's not very bright. It came with the aquarium. Can I simply replace those bulbs or do I need to change the entire thing? If I buy entirely new lighting, the cover I got with the aquarium becomes useless or is this universal? The bed is Fluval stratum but I don't remember exactly which kind. The fish & shrimp kind? I think. I plan on getting one dwarf gourami with 6-8 neon tetras, as I was suggested earlier in this very thread. My levels are: pH: 6.2 Phosphate: <0.25 Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 5 GH: 60 KH: <10 Now my questions!  How do I keep my plants from browning? Cut off the dying leaves? Better lighting? How do I get rid of these snails? Loaches? Ghost shrimps? Can they work with a dwarf gourami and 8 neon tetras? Are these water levels OK? It looks like the KH is too low. What would bring it up? pH is also low and I was told earlier that crushed corals would help. My LFS doesn't have/care about crushed corals. Anything else? Can I add fish? I can't find pure ammonia to test if my bacteria is strong enough to handle fish.  My next step is vacuuming the substrate and plants, as you can see "dust" all over the place. Also, I can't believe the thread title isn't Freshwater Aquarium - Come snail away! Come snail away! Come snail away with me! internet inc fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Jul 18, 2014 |
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Jul 18, 2014 02:59
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Holy poo poo an aquarium lit with tungsten bulbs.  If that fitting is just a screw or bayonet bulb fitting that can fit regular bulbs in, try go for a single 10-15W white daylight CFL bulb or split it up into two bulbs. The filament bulb just isnt putting out the right kind of light for your plants and that's why they're dying. Just pull off the dead leaves, and see if the others recover. Your kh and ph can be brought up by using any calcium source. Cuttlebone, coral, oyster shells, crushed eggshell. You should be okay to start adding fish. If you're worried, dont get them all at once and start adding gradually, i.e. either the tetras or gourami first for a week or two before adding the rest.
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Jul 18, 2014 03:31
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internet inc posted:
You don't need to vacuum the substrate, it'll just kick up even more silt if you try.
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Jul 18, 2014 10:19
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Came home to a pleasant little surprise tonight. Got home and turned on the fish tank and laid down to relax and happened to look over (the tank being next to my bed) and saw some little movement in the bamboo roots. A closer look and bam, nine little shrimplets of varying size from tiny 1/8 of an inch to some mid sized young. I'm kinda surprised, I thought up to this point all the smaller ones had been plucked off by the fish leaving just the adults. I'm guessing the one female I had that was berried has either dropped her eggs, or they hatched as she isn't carrying them anymore and I've no idea where she left them in either case. My male Molly kicked the bucket though, he went on some rampant sex-a-thon the other day and the next morn I found him belly up in the back corner. But now all the fish are schooling out in the open despite what I assume is the alpha female Molly nudging the others around.
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Jul 18, 2014 10:46
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| # ? May 12, 2024 19:27 |
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Congratulations. They'll keep reproducing until their genetics get too hosed up from inbreeding. 
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Jul 18, 2014 12:10
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