Don't worry if it came across as a basic lesson, it is axcactly what I need to know. I have only less than basic knowledge about setting up my tank and I am delighted with every piece of information I get from this site.
Thanks a Mill
Astrid

Here is a quick update of how things are going here,
I bought a few plants today and tonight planted them in my aquarium ,
I hope it is not too early seen as I only started my tank last tuesday,
Still haven't figured out anything for a hood/canopy, and the closest thing I come across on the internet is a condensation tray.
I have another question to ask (again)
Do I need to do any waterchanges before I put fish in my tank, in a few wks or should I just leave it.
Thanks
Astrid

I think you could do a 20% water change if you wish, but I may be wrong,basically there shouldnt be any waste in the tank if there are no fish so the water will be clean enough but will need to go through its various changes in chemistry ie. cycling.
I didnt do a water change when I first setup my tank and I had no problems at all when I introduced the fish. Im guessing maybe it will be alright? Can someone else confirm this?
Gavin

Was in Brittas today to have a good nozy, and bought a few more plants while I was there, I even ordered a lid/hood/canopy/WHATEVER for my tank, now as I was reading trough other topics I was just wondering,
seen as I have no fish in my tank should I be fertilizing plants,
I know they need lights but that will hopefully be sorted by friday if they can order the new hood.
Thanks for all the replies
Astrid

Hi all,
there has been a bit of a development in my fishtank situation...
I found out that to buy a new canopy for ny 70 liter tank would be more expensive than to buy a new tank of the same size
So.... I went and got myself a juwel 180

It is of course 2nd hand, but it came with a canopy, the filter that came with it has been taken apart by the previous owner, and I havent got a clue if it is complete or not, but the filter i had bought for the other tank is big enough for a 200 liter tank so that will do the job until I have the original filter sorted out, I propably will have to buy an extra heater, but don't tell my other half that.

I am going to the lfs tomorrow on my lunch and get some new plant substrate and another bag of gravel and once that is in my tank I will try and syphon the water out of my 'old' tank in to the new tank. I would love to say i'd keep both tanks up and running but 1st I don't have the room, and 2nd that would still leave me without a hood for the smaller tank.
So that is my update on the progress,
I am still awaiting the arrival of my test kit, and some people say (not on this forum) the way I am doing it with my stress coat/zyme the tank will never cycle and I really should be adding either ammonia or hardy fish, I am confused.

Thanks for reading and your comments
Astrid

Hi Astrid,

Have you put fish in your tanks yet?

Seems like you were full of enthuseism as most people are in the initial stages of fishkeeping but I don't see anything newer than a month old on this thread.

I hope you didn't have a bad experience as some people keeping fish in the traditional ways often do.

Word to the wise- Organic Aqua works. I sell thousands of packs of it all over the world to thousands of people who keep thousands of fish in top condition using it.

Please contact me directly for a list of suppliers in your area.

Hopefully things have gone well for you using the traditional methods suggested by the good people of this forum but please don't lose faith if it hasn't.

Don't panic, it's Organic ;D


Cheers,

Steve

I have fish in my tank yes, 4 kribensis (soon to be 2)
a few corydoras and 6 odessa barbs.
My tank was cycled about 10 days ago, unfortunately my internal filter clogged up and I had to clean it and I went a bit mad, cleaned the tank too much and it had a relapse so at the moment I am dealing with daily waterchanges to keep my fish happy and healthy.

I am still as enthousiastic about this hobby as I was when I started it.

I love looking and caring for my fishies and hope this relapse is over soon.

Thanks for your interest
Astrid

Delighted to hear your still with us Astrid!

Didn't mean to come across as being funny with you it's just that I've seen so many people have bad experiences and wanted to make sure that someone, who obviously wants to make a real go of it by doing research, succeed.

As a general rule when keeping fish traditionally it is advised never to wash the media (sponge) out in tap water as the chlorine kills the good bacteria off. Instead use water from the tank to gently unclog the media leaving a thriving colony behind to continue in their nitrification!

Let me know when you tire of regular water changes and I'll look after you on Organic Aqua!

Best of luck,

Steve

I didn't use tapwater, I just did too much of a good thing, by cleaning the filter to thouroghly, and a water chance in one go.
Plus I installed an external filter days before that, and added 6 barbs in one go.
It was just a bit too much for my newly cycled tank to take.

It does go some way in showing the fragility and instability of traditional systems tho doesnt it?

I set up a brand new Trigon 350 two weeks ago with a simple Tetra Tec external, two extra circulation pumps, an airpump and Organic Aqua for marines.
Put €2,500 worth of stock in on day one and have lost nothing! Seahorses, Nemos, corals, critters, urchins, sea apples etc ALL thriving!

Best of luck with the tank!