few noob questions

hi all

I have read as much as I can but have a few q's

(i have posted my pitiful experience in my intro on this forum!)

i currently have the following:
a juwel 60, the compact internal stock filter and hood,
small gravel, fake plants, a fake rock decoration!
test kit, manual gravel siphon and some blind faith too!

here we go...

1: should i replace my juwel compact filter
I need to get a heater as well so i was going to get the
one that fits in the juwel, is this rubbish stuff, i hear bad things?
i don't necessarily want to spend much all the same

2: how do you rate the \"cycle starter\" products,

3: my water is in the tank about six days (coldwater), i had a small goldfish in it
for three days, shall i feed the empty tank or will the three days
of the goldfish have started things? he died

4: I want to go tropical, the tank is cold at the mo,
assuming i keep the current water, can i just pop the heater in
and wait for it to get to temp, should i get the heater in to the empty tank a.s.a.p.?

5: i plan to get a mixed tank and want to populate it humanely
any good links for a beginners stocking options

6: the room where my tank is gets litle natural light
only some hallway light until lunchtime, is that a problem
(i have a 15w bulb in the hood of the tank)

thats it for the moment...phew!

all and any feedback welcome

regds

4

hi 4,fairly new to the forum too so feel free to take no notice of anything i say,i started six months ago with a rekord 70,with the juwel internal filter and heater etc.i've had it running six months now with no problems,i find the filter great,just have to keep changing the floss every few weeks,i moved mine to the shed when i got my bigger tank with practically no light,just the juwel light on a timer twelve hours a day,as for starter cycle products,i used nutrafin cycle in mine when setting it up and added four zebra danios after two weeks,which i still have swimming around the tank here beside me,i think its safe enough to just add the heater a couple of days before adding fish and letting the temp stabilise,as for fish your best bet is to go to the lfs and have a look,then research the fish you like the look of to see if they're compatible,any questions just post them here,its a great forum,you'll always get an answer,no matter what the question

cheers

Paul

Oh,and welcome to the forum

hey 4 i dont beleave in them cycle kits never used them and never will just a few hardy (good size)danios and same as paul they are still happy out swimming round and the only prob i had was my female kribbin who went on a rampage and i had a loss of about 8 fish befor i seen her. (B*%&H) BUT SHE GOT SORTED OUT and no i didn flush her i put her in with the uaru's and they are keeping her quite

Hi 4mations,

1./ The Juwel filter should be fine for you to start. A lot of people advocate to change or add another filter in order to get a clearer water. If the tank isn't overloaded, and the sponges kept relatively clean (rinsed in tank water), it does an ok job and is perfect for the 1st few steps in this hobby.

Various heater brands are available in LFS (Live Fish Shops). You can either get a replacement Juwel heater which will fit in the filter box of your tank. Alternatively, you can get a better brand. They come with a sucker system and can be stuck to the side of the tank with the same effect.

2./ There are various 'cycling products' on the market. I haven't much experience with these products. Some people use it and some don't. It's down to personal preference .

3./ The cycling process is quite well documented on this forum and on the internet. Your tank needs to be fully cycled at this stage. There are several ways of doing it.
- You can feed the empty tank. It creates ammonia and helps the beneficial bacteria to develop.
- You can add a couple of hardy fish (like danios rerios for example). The feed and their waste will also contribute to the building up of these beneficial bacteria. A couple in your tank should not suffer. You just need to make sure that the measured levels of ammonia and nitrites are equal to zero by testing very frequently and changing some water accordingly.
- Another way of accelerating the cycling process is to get a sponge or a squeeze from a sponge from an established tank. If another member here were located near you (you might want to tell us approximately where you are based), he/she might be able to help. Alternatively, your local LFS might be able to help you on this.
- There is another way to cycle a tank which is to add quantities of ammonia (without additives) to the tank water and keep supplying it with ammonia until the cycle starts. This subject has been documented again in the last couple of days on this forum. I have never experienced it, but it's another solution.
Overall, it takes from 2 to 6 weeks to cycle a tank, depending on a lot of factors. By testing the water, you will see the ammonia levels will build up and then disappear. At this stage, the nitrite levels will go up and then disappear as they have been transformed into nitrates (plant food). Nitrates are not so toxic for the fish, but within a certain level. You don't have any real plants (yet) to absorb them ; you will need to monitor their level too.

4./ The temperature of the tank can be raised a day or two before you add fish. However, the cycling period will be shorter at a higher temperature than room temperature.

5./ There are different types of fish you can consider for this tank. It is all a question of preference. The rule of thumb is approx. 1 cm of (adult size) fish to the litre. 60 l = 60 cm = 12 * 5cm fish. I personally prefer the small community type fish as it creates movement and a variety of colours in the tank.
Once you have an idea of the type of fish you want to add to your tank, ask here again ands someone will be able to advise on this.

6./ Depending on the strenght of the light, you'll have to find the right amount of light to give to the tank so that it doesn't create any algae. Trial and error is probably your best bet. It all depends whether you are planning to place real plants in the tank. The fish themselves don't really need light. The light is really then for you to see them !

Sorry about this long reply.

If you have any more queries, please don't hesitate to post. Someone will be able to help you

Regards,
Valerie

hi all

thanks for the replies

I have a question on my juwel filter

it is the super compact internal
as seen on the Rekord 60

anyway, I am missing the outlet pipe
or should it have one?

the side of the casing where the impellor is
has nothing execpt the impellor and adapter

it still takes in the water and outputs it,
the \"out\" side of the casing fills up entirely
and the water comes out the slotted holes

I asked in my local lfs (getting the jargon!)
about it and they said as long as the water
is rippling the surface I am okay

heres the thing that is really confusing me though
i want to get the heater that slots into the filter
but how would that heat the water if the outlet pipe was there, it goes in the outlet side, right?
so if the pipe was there surely there would be no water
filling up the casing, thus not getting heated?



what am i missing?

rgds

4

Hi,

I admire the drawing ! Well done !

This is a capture of the way the heater fits into the filter box from the Juwel-aquarium.de website. I hope this helps :

hi valerie

I cant see any image

glad you like my drawing
(my finest work!)

rgds

4

Sorry !!!

Post edited - image included !

Valerie

and there was me thinking my computer was stopping me from seeing the pic tut tut tut val making me think i needed a new one but any way good pics guys

hi all

i went straight to the source about my filter
I emailed Juwel and they got back to me and answered
my questions

the filter in question should not have an outlet pipe!
and he put me straight on the order of the filters

actually that brings me to another quick question..

my filter did not have the white poly pads (the first stage)
will my other filters be full of gunge?
will i have to wash them out?
Im trying to cycle the tank at the mo

cheers

4

hey 4,glad to see everything is going well,the poly pads shouldn't make any difference,i think they're just there to polish the water,there wouldn't really be any gunge until you get fish anyway

Paul

Hello 4,

I'm also new 2 this site. I have the same tank (rekord 60) Inc with mine was an \"L\" shaped outlet pipe, which expels water at a higher level & causes some surface disturbance,heater & water pump should fit snugly in same compartment,sponges in other.Filter pads easy 2 buy.
gavin.

hi gabo (and all)

thanks for the feedback...

gabo, does the entire (non sponge side) chamber,
fill up, it must or else the heater would be hating nothing,
this is what threw me about the outlet pipe issue

as i mentioned, the juwel guys said that the
\"compact super\" has no outlet pipe?
but i would tend to believe you, a mate had one and said
it had a pipe also?!?

unless its a different filter?
i only know what i have read, but i believe the compact super
filter is standard on the rekord 60 and 70.

i must say though, that i am so not confident in the filter,
it very gently ripples the surface, but you can see it pulling the
water all right, i think its aeration is suspect
i think a pump and airstone may be on my cards anyway!
but its also a big lump in the small tank that I have

bloody forums! i want a 450l marine tank and my paltry 60
is still cycling!

rgds

4

HI,
Yeah, non sponge chamber should b full up, so the heater is submerged. My heater slips down into a circular bracket right next to the pump. My tank's about 2 yrs old & included heater,sponges, pump + outlet pipe. Was all dis stuff in yours? I dont remember exact output of pump but jewel did say use (or not) of ex. pipe didn't effect it.
gavin.