# Shiver's Tank Thread Newish Rbp



## shiver905

*Update on last page Update on last page Update on last page Update on last page Update on last page Update on last page Update on last page*

Hello,

Im new to this piranha scene.
A little bit of reseach.

Heres the plan.

EQUIP!

90 gallon tank 
Fx5
Crushed lavarock mixed with natural gravel 
2x150 watt heaters
Api Freshwater test kit
Flourescent/egg-crate hood On a timer
Stacked slate as decore.
Water condisioner
Blackish water stuff that makes the water murky
Gronding probe.

Upkeep,

20% water changes weekly.
Gravel clean up bi Monthy.
Clean the decore monthly.
every 2 months change filter pads
Add carbon to the fx5 change 2x a month.

Food,

feed 5 days a week.
Temp at 82-84
Chichild balls (Bi- whater its called)
Krill
Beef heart
Blood worms
Live Superworms
Live mealworms
People are going to hate me, But im putting in a pinky once inawhile.(if they take it)

Goal- Grow 6-8 RBP to 5-6 inches.
Get a 7 to 8 feet tank/ transfer
live happly ever after.

My questions are.

Will 2-3 inch RBP benifit from alot of Open space or Alot of hideing places (big slate towers/ALOT of plastic plants.)
Dose it matter on the thickness of the gravel.

I know my food options will bring me some flameing, Pinky stays. So really ill ask, Dont bother trying to flame.

Other then that do all my options look ok,
Any coments
Advice?

Thanks!


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## blbig50

shiver905 said:


> Hello,
> 
> Im new to this piranha scene.
> A little bit of reseach.
> 
> Heres the plan.
> 
> EQUIP!
> 
> 90 gallon tank
> Fx5
> Crushed lavarock mixed with natural gravel *Make sure you rinse it first*
> 2x150 watt heaters
> Api Freshwater test kit
> Flourescent/egg-crate hood On a timer
> Stacked slate as decore.
> Water condisioner
> Blackish water stuff that makes the water murky *Careful, it might mess with your parameters*
> Gronding probe.
> 
> Upkeep,
> 
> 20% water changes weekly. *Maybe twice a week, depends*
> Gravel clean up bi Monthy. *You should be vacuuming the gravel when you change the water, work on half of the tank at a time*Clean the decore monthly. *Don't clean the decor, it will remove the beneficial bacteria*
> every 2 months change filter pads
> Add carbon to the fx5 change 2x a month.
> 
> Food,
> 
> feed 5 days a week. *Not necessary, every other day is fine*
> Temp at 82-84 *Running a little hot, 78-82 is fine, it will also keep the aggression and fin nipping down*
> Chichild balls (Bi- whater its called)
> Krill
> Beef heart *Red meat isn't the best, but its ok. A little messy. You should include some Hikari Gold pellets*
> Blood worms
> Live Superworms
> Live mealworms
> People are going to hate me, But im putting in a pinky once inawhile.(if they take it) *Quarantine it for two weeks first and your fine*
> 
> Goal- Grow 6-8 RBP to 5-6 inches.
> Get a 7 to 8 feet tank/ transfer
> live happly ever after.
> 
> My questions are.
> 
> Will 2-3 inch RBP benifit from alot of Open space or Alot of hideing places (big slate towers/ALOT of plastic plants.)
> Dose it matter on the thickness of the gravel. *Reds like a lot of cover. You should also get a powerhead. Get them some driftwood for dead spots too.*
> 
> I know my food options will bring me some flameing, Pinky stays. So really ill ask, Dont bother trying to flame.
> 
> Other then that do all my options look ok,
> Any coments
> Advice?
> 
> Thanks!


Welcome to P-Fury.







Everyone here is very helpful and knowledgable. Don't feel afraid to ask anything. It's great that you did your research first. Have fun, and post pics as when you get them. I don't know about the others, but if you ever have any questions you can PM me and I will help best I can. I am not an expert by any means though.


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## SERRAPYGO

> Will 2-3 inch RBP benifit from alot of Open space or Alot of hideing places (big slate towers/ALOT of plastic plants.)
> Dose it matter on the thickness of the gravel.
> 
> I know my food options will bring me some flameing, Pinky stays. So really ill ask, Dont bother trying to flame.


Both, really. A 90g is tall enough to provide what they need all around.

Toss in the occasional pinky, who cares... We've been through this issue so many times it's gotten tedious.


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## His Majesty

First off Welcome To P-Fury

i think all the main points have already been covered by blbig
ill just add a few things
in terms of food id not bother with beef heart
replace it with pellets, fresh scallops and fish fillets. much more benefical. (make sure u rinse it before feeding)
and an occasional pinkie is fine. nothing wrong with that

and as blibig said dont clean decor

and make sure you cycle your tank properly before adding and p's. its the one thing alot of people over look or try to cut corners.


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## CLUSTER ONE

shiver905 said:


> My questions are.
> 
> Will 2-3 inch RBP benifit from alot of Open space or Alot of hideing places (big slate towers/ALOT of plastic plants.)
> Dose it matter on the thickness of the gravel.
> 
> I know my food options will bring me some flameing, Pinky stays. So really ill ask, Dont bother trying to flame.
> 
> Other then that do all my options look ok,
> Any coments
> Advice?
> 
> Thanks!


Beef heart will make them fat so feed very sparingly. I also wouldnt feed pinkies (PREFERABLY NOT AT ALL) but if you do i wouldnt until they reach at least 4-6" since i doubt reds any smaller would even be interested. Like said the temp could bedropped a bit , but other then that, yuor set ups pretty good.
Thckness of gravel is your call. 1-2" is probably typical. just remember thicker gravel can hold more waste too.


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## blbig50

sean-820 said:


> My questions are.
> 
> Will 2-3 inch RBP benifit from alot of Open space or Alot of hideing places (big slate towers/ALOT of plastic plants.)
> Dose it matter on the thickness of the gravel.
> 
> I know my food options will bring me some flameing, Pinky stays. So really ill ask, Dont bother trying to flame.
> 
> Other then that do all my options look ok,
> Any coments
> Advice?
> 
> Thanks!


Beef heart will make them fat so feed very sparingly. I also wouldnt feed pinkies (PREFERABLY NOT AT ALL) but if you do i wouldnt until they reach at least 4-6" since i doubt reds any smaller would even be interested. Like said the temp could bedropped a bit , but other then that, yuor set ups pretty good.
Thckness of gravel is your call. 1-2" is probably typical. just remember thicker gravel can hold more waste too.
[/quote]

If you are trying to anchor fake plants, you might want to go closer to the two inch thickness.


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## EZmoney

Welcome to the site.

Big props to you for doing your homework! It makes the hobby so much more fun when you are prepared. You didn't mention it in your checklist- make sure you let the tank cycle after setting it up and before adding the p's. The cycle process takes about a month to complete.


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## AKSkirmish

Why in the world are you guys telling him to not clean his decor-

There is no reason why his decor can't or shouldn't be cleaned on a monthly basis....

Anyhow I'm just curious.


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## No0dles

yeah for real decor should be cleaned! your beneficial bacteria is in the gravel, filters media, water itself etc. definitely clean your decor monthly! i do, maybe not monthly but i clean it AT LEAST once every two months. Also, get yourself a python no spill clean and fill gravel vac and you can clean your gravel every week while you do your 20% water changes, kill 2 birds with 1 stone


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## His Majesty

No0dles said:


> yeah for real decor should be cleaned! your beneficial bacteria is in the gravel, filters media, water itself etc. definitely clean your decor monthly! i do, maybe not monthly but i clean it AT LEAST once every two months. Also, *get yourself a python no spill clean and fill gravel vac and you can clean your gravel every week while you do your 20% water changes, kill 2 birds with 1 stone *










this is what i do

i personally don't clean my decor. mainly because i just have fake plants or driftwood and in mySW i only have LR, no decor there
i sometimes clean my slates and the few rocks if too much alage builds up on it but not very often

and another point. you said you will change your carbon twice a month. i think once a month will be sufficient. thats how often i do it. works for me fine


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## AKSkirmish

Trigger lover said:


> yeah for real decor should be cleaned! your beneficial bacteria is in the gravel, filters media, water itself etc. definitely clean your decor monthly! i do, maybe not monthly but i clean it AT LEAST once every two months. Also, *get yourself a python no spill clean and fill gravel vac and you can clean your gravel every week while you do your 20% water changes, kill 2 birds with 1 stone *


:nod: this is what i do

i personally don't clean my decor. mainly because i just have fake plants or driftwood and in mySW i only have LR, no decor there
i sometimes clean my slates and the few rocks if too much alage builds up on it but not very often

and another point. you said you will change your carbon twice a month. i think once a month will be sufficient. thats how often i do it. works for me fine
[/quote]

Whats the benefit of running Carbon?


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## blbig50

I guess with decor it's a personal choice, but I would guess that within the first month or two, it wouldnt hurt to let it be. I do however clean mine when I notice things like food stuck in it, or when they are looking grungy. Good point AK!


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## Guest

Well I clean my decor bi-weekly, especially my fake plants and I feed my reds daily (they are currently 4inches). I agree with the beefheart, I wouldnt bother with it. Try to feed alot of different white meat fish instead, also Cichlid pellets are good too









Welcome to P-Fury!


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## shiver905

CARBON

Its to keep the water sparkly looking.. Its not that big of a deal since im adding the brakish water crap..

Actually forget the carbon.. pointless.


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## Guest

Oh, if you want the water to look natural and murky, just use Mopani wood. The tannins will leak and make your water look teabag coloured


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## AKSkirmish

shiver905 said:


> CARBON
> 
> Its to keep the water sparkly looking.. Its not that big of a deal since im adding the brakish water crap..
> 
> Actually forget the carbon.. pointless.


I'm glad to see you say Pointless......

My tanks are crystal clear-No use of carbon what so ever.....


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## philbert

AKSkirmish said:


> CARBON
> 
> Its to keep the water sparkly looking.. Its not that big of a deal since im adding the brakish water crap..
> 
> Actually forget the carbon.. pointless.


I'm glad to see you say Pointless......

My tanks are crystal clear-No use of carbon what so ever.....:nod:
[/quote]

ditto no carbon ever here.

as state make sure you cycle the tank

get a python as stated you won't regret it.

also i'd nix the beef heart. replace it with talpia shrimp catfish any white fish mean (salmon is messy and fatty)

also as stated i'd go with a power head as well with some hiding spots/ dead spots. i have an AC70 powerhead in my 90 gallon and it works great. the Ps play in it all the time. also i use the filter option on it and i really like how clear my water is.

another option is to run some peat in the filter to darken the water.

other than that it looks like you are prepared.

on a side note if you are really serious looking to upgrade to a much lager 7-8 foot tank as you said you may want to get some caribe too or caribe instead of rbp aquascapeonline and shark aquarium both have them in stock at 1 inch if you were looking to order soon. they only come around once a year at a small size.


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## No0dles

Yes, Carbon is not necessary really it has it's uses but definitely not necessary just another thing for you to spend money on every month!



ksls said:


> Oh, if you want the water to look natural and murky, just use Mopani wood. The tannins will leak and make your water look teabag coloured


haha you said TEABAG! hahah

1. teabagged

Girl lays on her back, dude puts testicles in her mouth

example:
I teabagged that ho, yo.

2. teabagged

Resting your nutsack in or on someone else's property for a comedic effect. Preferably with photographic evidence.

example:
While she was in the bathroom, I teabagged her lip gloss.

3. teabagged

Where you put your ballsack on someones face, whether its their mouth, eyes, chin, nose. Whatever.

example:
I teabagged that dude in his sleep!


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## No0dles

AKSkirmish said:


> yeah for real decor should be cleaned! your beneficial bacteria is in the gravel, filters media, water itself etc. definitely clean your decor monthly! i do, maybe not monthly but i clean it AT LEAST once every two months. Also, *get yourself a python no spill clean and fill gravel vac and you can clean your gravel every week while you do your 20% water changes, kill 2 birds with 1 stone *


:nod: this is what i do

i personally don't clean my decor. mainly because i just have fake plants or driftwood and in mySW i only have LR, no decor there
i sometimes clean my slates and the few rocks if too much alage builds up on it but not very often

and another point. you said you will change your carbon twice a month. i think once a month will be sufficient. thats how often i do it. works for me fine
[/quote]

Whats the benefit of running Carbon?
[/quote]

well there are benefits but like i said not really necessary if you keep ontop of your tank! it's mostly for people that dont take care of their aquariums like they should...this is an excerpt/article i posted in another thread a while ago (i think it was about bulk carbon but anyways...)

Activated Carbons / Charcoals - The Rundown

by Richard M. Greenfield
First published in the (now closed) British Marine Aquarists Association Journal
Aquarticles

Using the word carbon to a group of aquarists is almost sure to start a lively debate between those who use carbon regularly with excellent results and the others who point out that it removes trace elements, inhibits the growth of algae and isn't necessary, and so on.

Why is there so much controversy surrounding the use of activated carbon?
There are, I think, several factors which confuse the issue. One is that activated carbon is peculiar stuff - a kind of mystical material and many aquarists are uncertain about what it is or exactly how it works. Another is that most people do not realise that the term "activated carbon" is about as specific as the word "paint". There are many kinds of paint for many different applications, and you wouldn't expect interior latex wall paint to be entirely satisfactory for use on your car! Likewise, some activated carbons offered for aquarium use are not very well suited for that particular application. Finally, I regret to say, there are several products on the market labelled "activated carbon" which are indeed carbon (coal) but are not "activated carbon". They are completely useless as water purifiers. An aquarist using one of these mislabelled products is not likely to be favourably impressed by what he thinks is activated carbon. By covering the question asked most often about activated carbon we can perhaps shed some light on the subject. We will discuss what it is, what it does and doesn't do, the trace element question and other aspects of carbon filtration.

*Why is activated carbon used in aquaria?
We are all aware that the aquarium livestock generates toxic ammonia, which is converted in steps to relatively harmless nitrate by bacteria living in the filter bed. There are, however, a number of other contaminants generated in small amounts by the life process which can, over a period of time build up to a high enough to affect the health of the inhabitants of the aquarium.
A slight yellow tinge to the water can indicate the presence of at least one such contaminant. The most important function of activated carbon is to remove these impurities before they reach levels high enough to cause distress or organ damage.
Activated carbon performs other important tasks in the aquarium as well, removing toxic dissolved gasses such as hydrogen sulphide and methane, which result from imperfect water circulation. It acts as a catalyst to quickly convert dissolved chlorine gas to relatively harmless hydrogen chloride. It provides crystal clear water by removing minute suspended solids and colloids - those particles too small to be trapped by filter floss. It helps defend aquarium life on some occasions of accidental introduction of toxic substances such as pesticides,paint fumes,cigarette fumes and the like.*

What is Activated Carbon?
Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, is more involved in your life than you might suspect. It is used in the preparation of many products we use every day; to remove those impurities that cause an objec­tionable colour, taste, odour or health hazard from drinking water, waste water, foods and beverages (i.e. making sugar white instead of brown); to control air pollution (gas masks); and to separate/purify products in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The term "activated carbon" covers a family of materials made from carbon which have the ability to attract and hold certain substances on the carbon surface. This ability is called "adsorption". The adsorption process is an example of what is termed "chemical filtration", where certain dissolved substances are removed from the water. Filter floss, on the other hand performs "mechanical filtration" by trapping solid particles suspended in the water.

The raw materials most commonly used to create the carbon are coal, peat, lignite, wood and nutshells. None of these raw materials is pure carbon, although anthracite coal comes close. They contain unwanted hydrogen and oxygen as well. Those components are driven off by heating the raw material in the absence of air to produce a "char" (wood produces charcoal). The char is then activated by exposure to an extremely hot gas, usually steam at about 1500 deg. F, which etches tiny passageways through each carbon particle. The raw material selected, plus the manner in which it is activated, determines the characteristics of the finished activated carbon product and its cost. There are dozens of different kinds of activated carbon produced. Of these, only a handful will be well suited to any particular application.

Conversely, no one carbon will do well in all applications. For this reason, it is impossible to grade carbons, and terms such as "laboratory grade", "research grade", "premium grade" and the like do not exist in the activated carbon industry. Such terms are invented by the manufacturers in the aquarium trade to suggest, or imply quality, because the real clue to a carbon's suitability for aquarium use - the specification sheet - would be unintelligible to most aquarists. In discussing the following questions though we will cover many of the items that are found on a spec.sheet.

How does activated carbon work?
A particle of activated carbon is mostly air. It has thousands of tiny holes and crevices through which water can circulate. When water carries an organic molecule - a contaminant - into these narrow passages a short range attractive force between the molecule and the carbon will become effective and the molecule sticks. This particular method is called physical adsorption. The other kinds of adsorption also involved with activated carbon are of only minor importance to the aquarium.

What type of activated carbon is best for aquaria?
The effectiveness of an activated carbon for aquarium water purification depends on several factors which include total available surface area, pore size distribution, pore volume and particle size:

Surface area. Carbons having more surface area for impurities to stick to will obviously hold more impurities. Interestingly enough, virtually all the useful surface area in activated carbon is along the interior pores and not on what we think of as the outer surface has a negligible surface area because it is not porous, and has no measurable adsorptive capacity.
(Although it can provide mechanical filtration, ordinary coal does not remove dissolved contaminants.)
Wood charcoal is primarily a mechanical filtration medium with a slight adsorptive capability. Higher on the surface area scale are the bone chars made from animal bones, and other surface activated carbons. These, as the name implies, have an active outer surface covering an inactive carbon or phosphate core. Highest in surface area are the totally activated carbons. These are porous throughout the carbon particle and a total area can range upward to approx. 1,000 sq. m per gram (300,000 sq. ft per ounce). Surface area is a spec sheet item and is always expressed in square metres per gram. For aquarium use, more surface area is not necessarily better, because extremely high surface area implies a preponderance of extremely small holes or pores, too small for some of the larger molecule contaminants that we want to remove. Look for surface area figures in the 500-900 sq. m/gm range.

Pore size distribution. Pore sizes in activated carbon are classified as micropores, transitional pores and macropores (i.e. small, medium and large pores). Small size pores are limited to the adsorption of small molecules, medium pores concentrate the larger organic molecules typical of many aquarium contaminants. Larger pores provide easy water access to the interior of the carbon grain, resist clogging, and also perform a mechanical filtration function by trapping minute suspended solids to improve water clarity.
Most activated carbons have too much small pore and not enough medium pore capacity to be really effective for aquarium use. What happens is that the carbon becomes saturated with large molecule contaminants in a relatively short time while still retaining lots of unused space for small molecules. A good clue to favourable pore size distribution is a spec sheet figure called pore volume.

Pore volume. The combination of a relatively high percentage of medium and large pores plus a high surface area results in a carbon which has a high pore volume - lots of empty space inside the particle. A good pore volume figure would be 1 to 1.5 cc (or millilitres) per gram. High pore volume carbons appear to weigh less - to have a lower apparent density - than other carbons made from the same raw materials.

Particle size. The smaller the carbon particle, the shorter the water travel distance to the interior surfaces. There are several advantages to be obtained from using smaller particles. The activated carbon works faster, remaining effective in the modern outside filters, where the water flow rate is much faster than the rate considered ideal for carbon filtration. Useful lifetime is improved with small particles since they are Less likely to clog on the outside before all available adsorption sites are occupied on the interior surfaces. Particle size is indicated on a specification sheet by a notation such as "4 x 12 screen size", meaning that the product contains all those sizes which will fall through a screen having four wires per inch and not fall through a screen with 12 wires per inch, giving a size range of approx. 1/4 to 1/12 inch. (The gravel industry uses the same system, as in "6-20 silica".)

Economy. Totally activated carbon is the kind recommended for main aquaria, and it is (naturally) the most expensive form of aquarium carbon. On the other hand, it is by far the most economical kind to use when measured on a basis of cost per month of water purification service. A little goes a long way. It has 5-10 times more capacity than bone char and 50-60 times more than charcoal, yet it costs about 2-4 times more.

Activated Carbon Article #2:

*Activated Carbon
Filter medium extraordinary

by Bob Straughan
From the Calypso Fish & Aquaria Club, London, England
Aquarticles

Activated carbon gets the water so clear that fish seem suspended in space! This was one of my early statements on this fantastic filtering medium, and decades later I am even more enthusiastic about the fabulous filtering qualities of activated carbon. In my opinion it is without equal in the aquarium field, and to do without it is to do without a sparkling clean aquarium where the water becomes invisible and the living jewels of the sea sparkle in water that is not only scrupulously clear but chemically and biologically clean. What more could be asked of a filtering medium?

Yet activated carbon is not well understood in the aquarium field - particularly in the salt water world. Improperly used, it can wipe out a tank of expensive fish overnight. Properly used, it can keep a tank full of fish in healthy condition for years without a single change of water. In fact, with the advent of the all glass tanks, a good undergravel filter with silica sand and a good outside filter that reaches all the way to the bottom with the siphon stem, it appears possible that a salt water aquarium could remain healthy and in good condition for a period of ten years without a single water change, provided, of course, activated carbon is used properly in the filter and good aquarium maintenance is observed at all times. Therein lies the solution to the successful use of activated carbon in the aquarium. You must know what you are doing! Otherwise you will have little or no success with the carbon.

Success with activated carbon depends upon several factors chiefly of which is the carbon itself. Like everything else, there is a great difference in carbons. Some are very cheap, others costly. Some are made of animal bones, wood, and various other materials. We use a product made from coconut shell, which we feel is consistently more pure and chemically inert than other products. It may or may not be the best, but I personally have tested it over many years in well over a thousand salt water aquariums under all types of conditions. It does the job and does it well, which is good enough for me. Until I find a product that works better, I am well satisfied with it. I have tried other brands of carbon of course. Some worked good; others were lethal.

Activated carbon is a powerful filtering agent. They used it in cigarettes, space ships, and deep sea submarines. It removes practically everything from the air, and in our instance, from the water. Because of its ability to extract gases, odours, fumes, etc., from the air, it can pick up poisonous substances from the air simply by being stored near them. In the case of chemical houses or pet stores, an opened case of carbon can absorb lethal doses of insecticides, paints, and dangerous chemicals, which could eventually cause problems in the aquarium. This sometimes causes unexplained failures with carbon when used in the aquarium. It also points out that activated carbon should be handled and stored with great care in air tight bags, especially if it is stored in a room with highly volatile substances. Otherwise it will be contaminated and unfit for use.

As pointed out above, there are many grades of carbon. Choose a known brand and one that is used by your local dealer if he is using it, or order a good quality carbon. The better grades of carbon will vary in price per pound, depending upon whether it is cured or fresh. At the higher price it seems expensive, but it will last a long while. Contrary to popular opinion, carbon does not lose its efficiency after a few hours in the aquarium. Quite to the contrary, it improves vastly with age! Well aged carbon is completely safe to use, for it is neutralised by its constant use. It can be used over and over again, even for years if it is not contaminated with oils or dangerous chemicals. Those who would state that carbon is not an effective filtering medium should try it sometime. I don't know where they obtained their information, but it's a fact that carbon five years old will turn a dull, dingy, brown colored aquarium into a thing of sparkling clean water as clear as distilled gin. Well, perhaps it's not the carbon that gets the water clean when you place it in the filter. It must be the spirit from the great beyond! Or perhaps these people don't know what they are talking about. I'm inclined to believe the latter.

The safest way to use activated carbon is to cure it in salt water for a few weeks before placing it in the filter. Then rinse it well in fresh water. It is best to start it in the filter when the tank is first set up and the fish have not yet been added. Let the filter operate for a week or two with the water, and then add the fish, floating them in a container and introducing them gradually to the aquarium. Carbon filtered water is different from unfiltered water. Salt water fish cannot take ANY sudden change from one type of water to another. The same is true when they are being introduced to a carbon filtered tank or when their aquarium is to have carbon added to it for the first time. It must be done very gradually so that the fish can slowly become adjusted to it. If a tank has been set up for several months, the sudden use of carbon can prove disastrous. In this case, a small amount of carbon, say a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful, should be added to the empty filter once or twice a week, gradually building up the carbon until the filter is full. But the carbon should be aged before use. This is most important.

Many people write inquiring whether or not glass wool or nylon, should be used in conjunction with the carbon. This is a matter of choice. If you have a good filter, you can use just the carbon, but if the filter has wide slots in the bottom, a little nylon or orlon will keep the car­bon from passing through the slots. We don't recommend glass wool, as the synthetic floss is safer to use in the aquarium and easier to handle besides. A little of it placed above the carbon will help trap additional dirt and is easily removed when dirty, which will help keep the carbon clean longer.

We also get many inquires about resins for keeping the water clean. To date, we have not seen any resins that would keep the aquarium water clean, and we have tried some of them. The only time we recommend them is when aquarium water needs softening, in which case they probably do help.

We have used the activated carbon all by itself with nothing added to it for most of our experiments, and the results have been phenomenal to say the least. It will get the water unbelievably clear arid keep the fish in perfect condition. We have even reclaimed chemically coloured water almost the colour of coffee, which was discoloured by adding copper sulphate and sulfathiazole sodium to the same tank for disease control. We had to change the carbon a couple of times, but it did the job. It got the water so clear you couldn't see it, and the water was perfectly healthy even though it was nearly two years old! We put in a large variety of both Atlantic and Pacific fish and they flourished in the peak of health and splendour.

Activated carbon can't do everything. It can't cure a sick fish. It can't keep an aquarium clean if you aren't using enough of it or if you overfeed or put some bad coral in the tank. Everything has its limitations. But if you use it correctly, a half pound to a pound for ten gallons depending upon other filtration, number of specimens, etc., and use it in a good filter so it can do its job proper]y, it will give you the cleanest water you have ever seen. You'll have to wash it when it gets dirty and dry it in the sun every now and then, but this is a small task and takes but a few minutes.

Use good carbon and use enough to do the job. Your reward will be the cleanest water you can imagine, as clear and sparkling as a mountain spring. The colours of your fish will be pure poetry.*


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## shiver905

> on a side note if you are really serious looking to upgrade to a much lager 7-8 foot tank as you said you may want to get some caribe too or caribe instead of rbp aquascapeonline and shark aquarium both have them in stock at 1 inch if you were looking to order soon. they only come around once a year at a small size.


Why would I want Caribes instead of RBP WHEN i DO get the 7-8 foot tank?
Is there a reason?

Or Why whould i want RBP and caribes 2geter?

Any reasons?

Also aquascape n other USA BASED sites are useless, Im in canada. I really dont want to deal with the shipping x2tax+Other charges+ its too long of a trip in a box,

know a canadian breeder? tell me about em.

LOL noodle You from Some stupid Teabag Crap to a full out book about carbon, good info.


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## No0dles

shiver905 said:


> on a side note if you are really serious looking to upgrade to a much lager 7-8 foot tank as you said you may want to get some caribe too or caribe instead of rbp aquascapeonline and shark aquarium both have them in stock at 1 inch if you were looking to order soon. they only come around once a year at a small size.
> 
> 
> 
> Why would I want Caribes instead of RBP WHEN i DO get the 7-8 foot tank?
> Is there a reason?
> 
> Or Why whould i want RBP and caribes 2geter?
> 
> Any reasons?
> 
> Also aquascape n other USA BASED sites are useless, Im in canada. I really dont want to deal with the shipping x2tax+Other charges+ its too long of a trip in a box,
> 
> know a canadian breeder? tell me about em.
> 
> LOL noodle You from Some stupid Teabag Crap to a full out book about carbon, good info.
Click to expand...

haha yeah that's how i roll man! also when they ship fish they sedate them and more than likely it's next day air but in either case, the shipper has 3 common options:

1. shippers fast their fish meaning they dont feed them for a day or two before shipping so they dont poop in the water etc. also depending on shipping conditions they might insulate the box with packet warmers, etc.

2. some shippers use a type of conditioner in the water (almost looks like a light windex color) i forgot what its called but it oxygenates the water and also got some kind of stress zyme in it.

3. some use bags that allow to exchange the carbon dioxide inside the water with the oxygen outside the bag. it's a company called http://www.novalek.com/ they're bags are called kordons breathing bags http://www.novalek.com/kordon/breathing_bags/index.htm


----------



## EZmoney

shiver905 said:


> LOL noodle You from Some stupid Teabag Crap to a full out book about carbon, good info.


x2


----------



## RedneckR0nin

Everyone has already given you great advice so just let me say Welcome and hope you got the answers you were looking for!!


----------



## Guest

shiver905 said:


> on a side note if you are really serious looking to upgrade to a much lager 7-8 foot tank as you said you may want to get some caribe too or caribe instead of rbp aquascapeonline and shark aquarium both have them in stock at 1 inch if you were looking to order soon. they only come around once a year at a small size.
> 
> 
> 
> Why would I want Caribes instead of RBP WHEN i DO get the 7-8 foot tank?
> Is there a reason?
> 
> Or Why whould i want RBP and caribes 2geter?
> 
> Any reasons?
> 
> Also aquascape n other USA BASED sites are useless, Im in canada. I really dont want to deal with the shipping x2tax+Other charges+ its too long of a trip in a box,
> 
> know a canadian breeder? tell me about em.
> 
> LOL noodle You from Some stupid Teabag Crap to a full out book about carbon, good info.
Click to expand...

Where abouts are you located? From there other fellow Canadians might be able to point you in the right direction.


----------



## shiver905

I reside in Hamilton, Steel City Playa.
So I call Halton, Gta , Brantford area home.

Also Ksls, Why do you have a half naked man On ur Avitar?


----------



## philbert

i said caribe bc they get bigger than RBPs and if you are getting that big of a tank they would fill it out nicely. rbps MAX out around a foot, caribe can get upwards of 16 inches. 7 or 8 foot tank you would probably have at least a 2 foot width that would accomodate caribe nicely. also you can mix any pygos and have a mixed shoal. if just RBPs is your thing thats cool, but since the plans you laid out don't seem like they put you on a strict budget i figured i'd mention them. piraya and terns can also be added if you want.


----------



## No0dles

shiver905 said:


> I reside in Hamilton, Steel City Playa.
> So I call Halton, Gta , Brantford area home.
> 
> Also Ksls, Why do you have a half naked man On ur Avitar?
> Your a Female?
> 
> If your not, Then stay the hell away from my women.
> Fruitcake


ksls is the person in the avatar







and it's really a woman! she works out a LOT!


----------



## shiver905

philbert said:


> i said caribe bc they get bigger than RBPs and if you are getting that big of a tank they would fill it out nicely. rbps MAX out around a foot, caribe can get upwards of 16 inches. 7 or 8 foot tank you would probably have at least a 2 foot width that would accomodate caribe nicely. also you can mix any pygos and have a mixed shoal. if just RBPs is your thing thats cool, but since the plans you laid out don't seem like they put you on a strict budget i figured i'd mention them. piraya and terns can also be added if you want.


Ahh.
Thanks for the info.

About the budget. Im broke like a box of crackers.
Im a craiglist feen. Ill list out how much I spent on the set up when im done.


----------



## shiver905

Another day and bad news.

Turns out The only room i have left will max support a 48" tank.
Really pissed off because i was just looking at that 1 guys 400gal.
well in 2years i can start thinking about a larger tank when i get my building restrictions out of the way.

90 gal tank.. It feels like i cant fit sh*t in there.

Any recomendations?.
On P's

I know my 6 planned RBP cant live in there for the next 2years,
I was thinkin a higher tank but that makes no diff.

To live comfortable how many red would you keep in a 90 gal.?
I know ppl have different POV.


----------



## His Majesty

you can house 4 rbp's in a 90g


----------



## shiver905

Trigger lover said:


> you can house 4 rbp's in a 90g


Might just do that, may be mix it up. Lets see what craiglist has at that time.

Well now im doing some prep work on the tank.

Note: when you try to do something the cheap way make shure your up for the labour!

Ill make this post into my set up guide.








Updates coming soon!


----------



## shiver905

Well its 1am,

Just decided to start doing some cleaning.
As i said b4, This is going to be my build fourm.
Now every one can join me threw this Piranah hobby.

But first-

FORSALE









---

My hood - Egg crate - Its wonderfull in the aquarium hobby!









---

My lights, FML nice freak*n plug









--

What a crazy SOB does at 1 am









--

Substraight - 6.99 HomeDepo (im mixing something else in it









--

How to clean sand?- You put it in a bucket and let water overflow for a few hours (stir it up a few times)









--

How the sand looks like when wet if you guys want to know.

















--

Rocks - Dont pay 4.99/lb at the petstore . 5C/lb AGED Lime stone. FLM i gotta scrub it









--

Once again the skimmer For sale. 175CND









I know alot of this is kinda pointless. But hey, I always love threads like this. If you dont Go to the lounge.


----------



## His Majesty

nice work. keep it up

bit odd doing it at 1 am but hey if it works for you


----------



## blbig50

Glad you are getting things put together. You should move your for sale items into the member's classified section.


----------



## moron

Sounds like a plan, but if I were you I would start with the 7-8 foot tank to begin with. You'll save alot of money.

oh yea, I believe Limestone effects your water perimeters. (I could be wrong)

Good Luck!


----------



## shiver905

Limestone does leech in your water.
But not aged limestone, 
Its been on the earth for 10's of thousands of years. it has some type of shell around it (forgot the word)

Honestly i want to start out with a 7-8 foot tank.
But No room, Untill i get my building restriction out of the way.

Reason being i would like to get a shole of P's at one time, not grow a few then add a few afterwards. I dont want thenm to eat each other.

But we shall see what happens!.

If any1 is around the hamilton area and has a truck I found a deal but cant transport









Free lunch and a 6 pack here for ya! or
20$ cash.!


----------



## shiver905

We have SAND!!


























--

pea gravel to add txture


















--

this is How to clean pea gravel










--

Trying some scapeing. It horrdiddddd


----------



## blbig50

Lookin good man







I hope that you are right about the lime stone, I guess you will find out when cycling. Only problem with play sand is that it is light, so gravel vacs might be a pain.


----------



## shiver905

I really like how the rock, sand and gravel all blends in 2gether. 
Which means it photographs like sh*t but looks great.
This is what i mean my texture of the gravel.


----------



## thedude8

blbig50 said:


> Lookin good man
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hope that you are right about the lime stone, I guess you will find out when cycling. Only problem with play sand is that it is light, so gravel vacs might be a pain.


most the crap just falls on top of the sand, so you can just vac up the stuff you see on top.

dont know how much pea gravel you plan on putting in through and how hard it will be to gravel vac that mixed with sand.


----------



## shiver905

WE hAVE WATER PEOPLE!.
Im happy with the rock work.
COMING UP is the plant work









--

Only place i have for a larger tank is on this wall.


----------



## massabsamurai

tank's looking really sweet and natural. Good job!


----------



## No0dles

nice setup haha


----------



## shiver905

LOL,

Thanks!,

But we all know the truth. Looks like sh*t as of now..
Will get better,

As for plants guys.
REAL or FAKE?

I like the idea of real and its benifits.
But fake makes more sence P's might dig up the plants, Eat it, ECT..

ANy input or advice?


----------



## No0dles

get real ones, either way they will be able to tear your plants up but the benefits outway the bad when dealing with real plants. plus if you feed your p's they wont tear em up...on purpose anyways. i've had my planted 75G with 3rbps and none of the plants ever got eaten just some got pulled up from skittishness and rough play.


----------



## shiver905

Let sget ROLLIN!
P's


----------



## blbig50

CYCLE???


----------



## shiver905

My fishy Died. Lasted about 4h. WOW my water must be crap

Im going to go grab a Test kit, heater, maybe even some water condisoner.

Lets see whats wrong with the water.

"cycle" I dont need one my water is clean

Im playing.

I just threw in 2 feeder fish. 
You might ask why. I say to see if they lived.
Well they died in a few hours.
ODDLY one of this with MOuth wide open, Not floating up Just standing properly, But not breathing or moving.

Im busy the rest of the week and all of next week. Untill next fri/sat0 then i will do a major update.

Thanks!


----------



## the_w8

Lookin decent so far...Might need a lil time to let the tank cycle through


----------



## blbig50

You need a month or so to cycle


----------



## No0dles

and you NEED water conditioner!


----------



## shiver905

I found and extra power head.

A little worried, I put my hand in the tank, ANd POW!

a sh*t load of cat hair got in.

Does cat hair affect effect the ph/nitraite/nitrite?


----------



## db04ph

thats a small ass powerhead


----------



## No0dles

nah you should be fine but i would take it out of there!


----------



## shiver905

LET GET IT ONNN!!!

1 full day of driving around. Now Sweaty & starving.

My WOOD









----

Random Crap SCORE!!(Pet centra hamilton has 50% off of 90% of their store - if any1 want to check it out)









----

FILTER SCORE!!! Craigs list

















----

Great DAY OWNAGE!!! CHEAP BEER IS THE BOMB!


----------



## blbig50

Any need right now for the sealant, or just in case?

Sweet pickup on the filter, how much?


----------



## shiver905

STAY TUNED! Update Coming Sunday!


----------



## shiver905

The girlfriend came over for the weekend and we got it all done. I love the support she gives me in all my hobbies.
If it wasnt for her I wouldnt know where id be.

New aquascape, tank is done and cycling...I call it the "90GAL Of Glory"

used - aqueon water conditioner+slime coat
- stress zyme (bacterial crap)
Im going to throw in a few fish to get it going, hopefully 2moro.
Gotta pick up a final few things to make it looks a lilttle better also

As i said its only 90 gallon, But i put alot of time/effort into it.
Im happy so far. 
I put some pictures up of the process..check em out and enjoy


















































































































Its all fake plants inside. But I decided to go with top growing plants, , i want the open top look with plants growing out of the aquarium. Hopefully it works out.


----------



## sapir

looks amazing







cant wait to see it filled up


----------



## massabsamurai

looks good... actually really good. Great job you done there mate!


----------



## Lifer374

I really like that piece of driftwood in the center. Good score.

The 3D background looks cool back there as well, however it will take away alot of swimming space as your fish grow. But thats way down the road before it becomes an issue.

Good job


----------



## His Majesty

tank is looking really good








good job man. keep us posted


----------



## kokoweakwak

Nice tank DUDE... hope to see your completed tank setup soon..


----------



## jamezgt

damn i love that background!


----------



## RedneckR0nin

Looks good man hope to see a finished product soon!!


----------



## shiver905

Got 3 Comet gold fish.
Its funny cuz they are trying to eat the sand. Even better, I forgot the flake food.

Hope they dont die in a few hours like the last 1s.
Pics will be up soon.

Thanks for the support guys, This is what is really driving me.


----------



## EZmoney

Wow! Your tank looks superb!!! I am really digging the background and driftwood. Where did you get the 3D background?
Also like the paint job on your walls


----------



## shiver905

I was soo pissed off with the fx5, It just wouldnt work,
In my last attempt b4 i threw it against the wall, I took the pump off and cleaned it.
WORKED!!

Boy, that badboy moves alot of water!

Gamgenius- I got the background from Big als. Clearance. Paied bearly anything for it. It was a nice score because it was hidden. I bet the reps at the store didnt even knew it existed.








All i need to do now is skin my stand and get a god damn POWERBAR!

Its been about 4h and The Fish didnt die!


----------



## massabsamurai

man I love your tank. How much did you pay for the background anywayz?


----------



## blbig50

Very nice


----------



## His Majesty

love the whole £D background. look really good. nice work


----------



## No0dles

very nice indeed but that's gotta suck cleaning back there!


----------



## shiver905

WOW,

I hate you noodles,









I never even thought of that. The BG is siliconed on there. I dont think cleaning the back of it is an option.
Now wat!,

I dont know what to do.
Now that i think abt it, It could trap alot of crap behind it. Maybe more then average water changes, More filtration?
No idea.


----------



## redpiranhas4

i would just point ur powerhead or python into it during cleaning to blow out the crap


----------



## shiver905

I did my water tests.
Its really hard to tell with those damn colors!!
Im useing the Hagen Mater test kit.

Can you guys help me identify

PH









PH High level









amonia









nitrite


----------



## FEEFA

Ph is 7.6
Ph High is 7.8
Ammonia is .3
Nitrite .1

Thats what I'm getting from the pics


----------



## Guest

Feefa said:


> Ph is 7.6 *AGREED*
> Ph High is 7.8 *I'm thinking its closer to 8.2*
> Ammonia is .3 *I see crystal clear waters there Feefa
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So IMO Ammonia is 0*
> Nitrite .1 *AGREED*
> Thats what I'm getting from the pics


Nice looking setup


----------



## shiver905

KLS Check ur PM

Cant wait for P's
Im wondering how long i should wait......


----------



## No0dles

wait at LEAST 15 days before checking parameters tanks usually take at LEAST 20-30days to cycle i've never had a tank from 20-120g that has taken less than 25 days. fishless cycle ofcourse.


----------



## blbig50

Going good man, don't cheat on the cycle process man


----------



## shiver905

Im loosing about an inch of water ever 2 days,

How do u guys do your top offs?

MIX A BUNCH with clhonine remover and store it?

Or just drump some tap water in the tank then add a few drop of clohrine remover


----------



## His Majesty

your param's all look good to me. i know the cycling process can be a slow and annoying one. just keep at it. its gonna be a killer tank when its done.

an inch every 2 days?? sounds a little excessive to me. have you got the lights on all the time? you live somewhere hot?
just get some tap water, fix it up and throw it in. nothing fancy. dont bother storing water


----------



## shiver905

I live in canada. EH

SO its not that hot.
Basement so its even cooler.

Lights stay on untill i go to bed.

I dont know what it is 1" of the top ever day or 2 IS ALOT.

So your saying just top it off with tap water and let it be?
Im a little worried about that because our tap water is horrid.

Maybe an ATO but i dont know how agressive the P's will be to the float swich . heh.


----------



## His Majesty

no take your tap water. treat it just like you treat the rest of your water and then add it to your tank.

also there is no need to keep your lights on for that long. just turn it on when your in the house. if your out the hous or sleeping just turn them off. unless you have real plants in there which you dont (atleast i dont think you do) the lights also create heat which increases the rate of evaporation on your tank causing your water level to go down so quickly.


----------



## shiver905

What do you mean like how i treat the rest of my water?

I should dump a bunch of tap water in the tank, then add the choline remover? OR mix my tap water and chlorine remover b4 i put it in the tank.


----------



## FEEFA

Looking good but that background takes too much swim space, that tank is good for three reds max.


----------



## shiver905

yee, I know,

Looks like i gotta upgrade.
we shall see how big. 125g min i suppose.


----------



## db04ph

why reds? 
why not go with caribe ?


----------



## shiver905

Depends what i can get when my cycles done.
I dont mind any pygos really.

If i find a good price for just a few i'll hop on it


----------



## No0dles

why not do some research and get what you truly want. sound like you want some P's because you got hyped up haha


----------



## No0dles

i'd go with caribe also







but reds are dope too i have some


----------



## shiver905

I just want pygos.

Which kind?
Agressive, But i hear they are all the same, Just depends on the individual.

which is why i really dont care..


----------



## shiver905

i just check my ammonia for the hell of it. its still 0.

souldnt i have some by now?


----------



## Yanfloist

nice thread.


----------



## shiver905

ammonia still 0

should i have some by now?


----------



## shiver905

I noticed alot of people with a Air Pump.
Would i need 1?

considering a fx5 is a canister., Not a HOB.


----------



## FEEFA

You already got a powerhead dont you so I wouldnt bother


----------



## shiver905

i mean to oxygenate the water


----------



## moron

shiver905 said:


> Let sget ROLLIN!
> P's


FTW!

Looking good. If you decide you need more space you can buy black acrylic paint. paint the background. That too would look great. Nice job


----------



## FEEFA

shiver905 said:


> i mean to oxygenate the water


D'uh, no sh*t :rasp: 
Well if you have a decent powerhead it will do both but air pumps and powerheads work more for surface agitation which helps in the release of gases from your water


----------



## CLUSTER ONE

shiver905 said:


> Im loosing about an inch of water ever 2 days,
> 
> How do u guys do your top offs?
> 
> MIX A BUNCH with clhonine remover and store it?
> 
> Or just drump some tap water in the tank then add a few drop of clohrine remover


*Evaporation is practically through an open top so im not sure why your suprised.*fixed my crappy typing* If you want to reduce the eveporation, get a glass lid. You could do an ATO system, but a glass top would be easier. Add chlorine remover when you add the new water. Chlorine is also a gas so if you let water sit in an open top containor it will leave the water. This works, but there chloramine or something like that that doesnt evaporate so it depends what your water is treated with. Also i say go for caribe if you can find them, but dont expect to find them unless you have them shipped from somewhere which could be a couple hundred. I saw a couple caribe at big als hamilton a couple years ago, but i havnt seen any there since. If you find any locally please let me know as right now is when caribe are in season.

the fx5 should be able to easily circulate enough water on the surface to allow oxygen exchange.


----------



## FEEFA

sean-820 said:


> Im loosing about an inch of water ever 2 days,
> 
> How do u guys do your top offs?
> 
> MIX A BUNCH with clhonine remover and store it?
> 
> Or just drump some tap water in the tank then add a few drop of clohrine remover


Erate is practically an open top so im not sure why your suprised. If you want to reduce the eveporation, get a glass lid. You could do an ATO system, but a glass top would be easier. Add chlorine remover when you add the new water. Chlorine is also a gas so if you let water sit in an open top containor it will leave the water. This works, but there chloramine or something like that that doesnt evaporate so it depends what your water is treated with. Also i say go for caribe if you can find them, but dont expect to find them unless you have them shipped from somewhere which could be a couple hundred. I saw a couple caribe at big als hamilton a couple years ago, but i havnt seen any there since. If you find any locally please let me know as right now is when caribe are in season.

the fx5 should be able to easily circulate enough water on the surface to allow oxygen exchange.
[/quote]

Agreed


----------



## shiver905

sean-820 said:


> Also i say go for caribe if you can find them, but dont expect to find them unless you have them shipped from somewhere which could be a couple hundred. I saw a couple caribe at big als hamilton a couple years ago, but i havnt seen any there since. If you find any locally please let me know as right now is when caribe are in season.


I have decided on reds,
Reasons being, I dont want to spend a boat load of funds on a hobby I am not shure of.
Its my first time keeping P's so i rather test the waters first.









My tank is open top, I will fabricate an ATO unit, maybe an automatic doser to add the chlorine remover.

My camera just broke, So ill uptade pics when i can get my hands on a camera.


----------



## shiver905

MY ammonia reads 0 in my hagen test kit.

I took some water to Big als (lfs) they did a water test with those dip sticks.
The lady tells me your ammonia is VERY high.

WHich is weird. Because i see none on my own tests.
Its been about 2 weeks my cycle has been going on.

Should i be seeing ammonia, Or is my test kit faulty.


----------



## db04ph

ya ammonia sould of been the first thing u would have noticed, put more fish in the tank


----------



## FEEFA

shiver905 said:


> MY ammonia reads 0 in my hagen test kit.
> 
> I took some water to Big als (lfs) they did a water test with those dip sticks.
> The lady tells me your ammonia is VERY high.
> 
> WHich is weird. Because i see none on my own tests.
> Its been about 2 weeks my cycle has been going on.
> 
> Should i be seeing ammonia, Or is my test kit faulty.


You dont need more fish you obviously already have enough of an ammo source.

If I were you I would buy the test strips instead of what you have since you cant quit figure yours out.


----------



## notaverage

Nice updates..keep it up man.
Your doing it right so far


----------



## CLUSTER ONE

shiver905 said:


> MY ammonia reads 0 in my hagen test kit.
> 
> I took some water to Big als (lfs) they did a water test with those dip sticks.
> The lady tells me your ammonia is VERY high.* Dip sticks arnt to accurate imo, better to just spend 30$ and get a basic test kit with the droppers where you match the colours.*
> 
> WHich is weird. Because i see none on my own tests.* how old are yours and what kind?*
> Its been about 2 weeks my cycle has been going on.
> 
> Should i be seeing ammonia, Or is my test kit faulty.* at two weeks there could be ammonia, but i would also check for nitrates and nitries before adding any fish to be sure the whole cycle is done.*


You dont need to dose chlorine remover. Add it when you do a w/c. An ato is for adding more water. A doser is more for sw where things like calcium and iodide are added regularly. Doesing chlorine remover is more or less useless as you only add it like weekly when you do a water change.


----------



## FEEFA

sean-820 said:


> MY ammonia reads 0 in my hagen test kit.
> 
> I took some water to Big als (lfs) they did a water test with those dip sticks.
> The lady tells me your ammonia is VERY high.* Dip sticks arnt to accurate imo, better to just spend 30$ and get a basic test kit with the droppers where you match the colours.*
> 
> WHich is weird. Because i see none on my own tests.* how old are yours and what kind?*
> Its been about 2 weeks my cycle has been going on.
> 
> Should i be seeing ammonia, Or is my test kit faulty.* at two weeks there could be ammonia, but i would also check for nitrates and nitries before adding any fish to be sure the whole cycle is done.*


You dont need to dose chlorine remover. Add it when you do a w/c. An ato is for adding more water. A doser is more for sw where things like calcium and iodide are added regularly. Doesing chlorine remover is more or less useless as you only add it like weekly when you do a water change.
[/quote]

He's already got a good test kit but his ammo levels keep reading 0 and there should be some sort of ammo reading by now. My guess is he's doing something wrong as far as testing with the droppers.

I agree no need to dose chlorine remover and you should really just get yourself some glass lids to solve your evaporation problem.


----------



## shiver905

Turns out i was doing it wrong. i wasnt reading each indivitual test instructions.. I just used 2 drops of the sh*t while i had to use 2-10 drops.

amonia .8
nitrite .4
ph 7.6

How am i doing guys?


----------



## FEEFA

Atta boy buddy I knew something was off there.

Your readings are looking pretty good just a lil longer then a waterchange and boom you're ready for Reds


----------



## shiver905

Shopping day 2day, To finalize the tank.

I need to know What kind of fx5 media to buy.
Ill pick up another box of bio rings. I guess ill throw out the polishing pads (blue n white 1s)

It sound odd just to have bio media in all the middle...:s :s

what about those ceramic rings. It dosent look like they do anything tho..

So, i need a 
thermometer
another heater
i might just grab some live plants.
FILTER MEDIA

also so should i take it apart the filter for a goood clean, Kinda worried bacteria might die if i do so.


----------



## FEEFA

shiver905 said:


> Shopping day 2day, To finalize the tank.
> 
> *I need to know What kind of fx5 media to buy.
> *Ill pick up another box of bio rings. I guess ill throw out the polishing pads (blue n white 1s)
> 
> It sound odd just to have bio media in all the middle...:s :s
> 
> what about those ceramic rings. It dosent look like they do anything tho..
> 
> So, i need a
> thermometer
> another heater
> i might just grab some live plants.
> *FILTER MEDIA*
> 
> also so should i take it apart the filter for a goood clean, Kinda worried bacteria might die if i do so.


You mean you dont have filter media yet, for your tank to cycle you should have already had it in with it running already???


----------



## rchan11

Beautiful tank bro!


----------



## blbig50

Time doesnt mean that your tank is cycled. Bacteria does, and you really need to know your parameters to know if its truly cycled.


----------



## shiver905

I have filter media in there.
Bio ring, polishing pad, side sponge.

cycle should be over, I just did a water change and fed the fish , lets see if i get any ammonia.

Im not happy with how much bio media thats in the filter i want to get another layer full.
But when i take the polishing pads out ill have another layer. Im wondering what to add to it.


----------



## Guest

Shiver,

Just fill all the trays with ceramic rings and keep the white filter sponges that wrap around each tray that came with the FX5. You are making it more confusing then it has to be







Also, by removing some bio media you are removing beneficial bacteria from your filter and this will put you back a bit in the cycle process. Blbig50 is correct...cycling is not done in so many days, it is complete when it has fully cycled and you get an ammonia reading of 0.


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## shiver905

Alrighty!

Filled up all the trays with bio media.

Problem now is i have a crap load of air bubbles. I took the fx5 apart cleaned the motor and everything.. still micro bubbles..
grr..


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## philbert

the bubbles should go away after a while. did you start your cycle with out your filter running?


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## shiver905

ASIDE for the micro bubbles problem.grr

I did a test again, My amonia is preety much 0
BUt my nitrite is like 1.6
WTF!

BTW i did have filter media in the filter.(little bit of bio media and a bunch of pads) lol
AND IT WAS RUNNING DURING THE CYCLE. thats the whole point.!

What i did was took out the Pads that clog easy and added a boatload of bio media instead.


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## philbert

shiver905 said:


> ASIDE for the micro bubbles problem.grr
> 
> I did a test again, My amonia is preety much 0
> BUt my nitrite is like 1.6
> WTF!
> 
> BTW i did have filter media in the filter.(little bit of bio media and a bunch of pads) lol
> AND IT WAS RUNNING DURING THE CYCLE. thats the whole point.!
> 
> What i did was took out the Pads that clog easy and added a boatload of bio media instead.


the nitrite is supposed to do that. your cycle is coming along. first you get an ammonia spike. then you get a nirate spike. once your perams are 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and only have detectable nitrates your cycle is finnished. stay the course. you are doin fine. nitrate is less toxic to fish than ammonia and nitrite so we cycle to get the tank safe for when you put your Ps in. a lot of ppl end up ditching the pads bc the become clogged and require changing a lot and i slows down that beast of a filter so to keep the flow rate up ppl put in as much bio media as possible.


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## Trigga

noodle do you really think anyone is gonna read that chapter book you wrote?


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## No0dles

Trigga said:


> noodle do you really think anyone is gonna read that chapter book you wrote?


if you wanna learn a little somethin' somethin' yeah if not then no! but then again i highlighted some for people that dont wanna read ALL of it! plus i didnt write it, it's called copy and paste







haha


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## shiver905

Well,

All my water prams are good.
I picked up 6 RBP about 2.5 inches.

An hour in the tank, They all seem to be fine. I tried to feed them, Gave them a feeder. Ate it up.
Few hours later. For the hell of it I gave them some krill. Ate it up.

Next day, There is 1 missing, I look around, I see his head and skeleton floating. They ate him.
There dosent seem to be to much agression.

Going to pick up some Hikari Bio gold soon.

My camera is gone,, but ill see what i can do.


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## massabsamurai

already? wow. Feed em real good


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## shiver905

ya already, 
Im so Damn GLAD i didnt spend the $$ on priyas!

They dont want to stop eating.... I dont know what it is.
Could it be a health problem? Or are they all like this?

First day:
1x 4 Inch Gold fish - Head was uneaten.
4 x cubes of Krill
1 x 2.5" Redbelly .. GRR

Second day.
1x 4inch gold fish
7 or 8 cubes of krill
1x 3 inch feeder. - minus head
They even ate a bit of flake food.


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## Pit_man

gold fish?


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## jamezgt

shrimp soaked in kent zoe = amazing growth & colors.


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## CLUSTER ONE

shiver905 said:


> ASIDE for the micro bubbles problem.grr
> 
> I did a test again, My amonia is preety much 0
> BUt my nitrite is like 1.6
> WTF!* still cycling. That shows your clycle is moving along good. It will be done when no ammonia, nitrite and limited nitrate show.*
> 
> BTW i did have filter media in the filter.(little bit of bio media and a bunch of pads) lol
> AND IT WAS RUNNING DURING THE CYCLE. thats the whole point.!*Pretty much you cant just have the water as barly any bacteria will be in there. Gravel will also hoast bacteria.*
> 
> What i did was took out the Pads that clog easy and added a boatload of bio media instead.*you dont really need mech filtration during a cycle only biological unless you have some dustly gravel that makes the tank look dirty.*


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## FEEFA

Pit_man said:


> gold fish?


I agree dont feed Goldfish.

6 well now 5 is too many for that tank because that background takes up too much swim space.
Three max for that tank the way it is set up.
I think you will see more casualties soon :nod:

Food soaked in zoe is great for the p's


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## CLUSTER ONE

shiver905 said:


> What do you mean like how i treat the rest of my water?
> 
> I should dump a bunch of tap water in the tank, then add the choline remover? OR mix my tap water and chlorine remover b4 i put it in the tank.


 i just remove water for a water change (i just go by height as 1/10 the height is 10% so just go from that.) add chlorine remover then add the new water as a similar temperature.


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## Murphy18

Thats a beautiful looking tank







Yeah for the conditioner, just chuck it in when the new water is getting put in or before, you're call, the conditioner works instantly anyway. I take the old water out with a python, then just add the conditioner then refill with new cold water out the python (becuase i dont have one of those 2 in 1 tap faucet things) and as the cold water is going in i add warm water out of a 5 gallon bucket, to help it speed up when the temp is adjusting.

You done an excellent job with the tank there, very well done.


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## shiver905

Feefa said:


> gold fish?


I agree dont feed Goldfish.

6 well now 5 is too many for that tank because that background takes up too much swim space.
Three max for that tank the way it is set up.
I think you will see more casualties soon :nod:

Food soaked in zoe is great for the p's
[/quote]

I took out the center peice, Even thos i didnt have to. 
They have ALOT of open swiming places, They are only 2.5"- AT that size the 90 seems huge.
I can always upgrade when they get bigger or even sooner, I do plan on getting 3 more RBP.
Maybe even MORE!

As for the gold fish- as i said hakari bio gold is going to be my staple,


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## FEEFA

It seems huge but it really isnt, they will grow quickly when properly cared for.
6ft tanks are best for pygo shoals but smaller numbers can be kept in 4ft or even 3ft tanks.


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## shiver905

Looking back at this thread makes me smile.

Well alot has changed.
P's are growing strong and dont stop eating.
Dosent look as preety as b4 but as they grew, I wanted more space for them.
Added a few Exos but the P's had em for a snack.
There diet changed, to 
Every day feeding of

3 beef heart cubes, 
3 full body silver sides, 
3 blocks of krill
I throw in some peeled shrimp when ever.

I did a huge temp raise awhile back. I noticed they eat more and are more active. I can even say they are growing faster.
Temp is at 90F

Changed the heaters to 2x 300 Watts.

Took out the hydor 1 replaced with a hydor 3.

..

Everything is going smooth but my tank sprung a leak. Very minor but still leaks.. Im wondering if i should empty it and get a new 1 or should i keep looking for the leak and silicone the crap outta it.


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## the_w8

I'd try siliconing it if its minor...But it won't work for the long haul so in the mean time i'd keep looking for a bigger tank with 6ft footprint for those beasts.


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## Plum

did you say 90F????

I don't think I have ever heard of someone keeping there fish at this...........


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer

I like it better now shiver. Way more simple and it looks like the Ps have a lot more room. Great looking tank.


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## Demon Darko

Good waork man. Looks great.


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## shiver905

Well,

Since im ugradeing Iv been looking for a few more Reds.
Well I found some Wild Reds.

That makes 10 in total. I need a bigger tank asap.









Having a decent sized shole makes it a hell of alot more interesting.


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## FEEFA

Why in the heck would you keep your temp at 90deg's? You really shouldnt go higher than 84deg's


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## Guest

Wow, 90F. That is way to high man. I would bump that puppy down to 84. The tank looks way better IMO, cant wait to see the much bigger tank.


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## shiver905

I kept it a 90 for soem time now..
I didnt notice any difference...
They grew alot since then.. But they pellets in introdused could be the factor...
More active also..

(90 seems a bit high compaired to every 1. Ill take it down to 84-86)


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## FEEFA

Do you have a seperate temp gauge because you cant really trust what the dial is set too?


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## the_w8

I agree...I find it that when I have the dial set to 75 degrees, when I take a seperate temp with my digi thermometer I find that it's at about 78-79 degrees actually. But then again I've had that heater in that specific tank for almost 10 years now.


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## shiver905

ya i have a thermometer..
Its a must have for the hobby.
I agree never trust the dail.


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## Soul Assassin

i too like the tank better now, never liked the look of crammed tanks, max water capacity is the way


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## T-wag

what is this zoe ur talking about that u put the shrimp in?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

it's a vitamin supplement for fish...

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36.../si1379545/cl0/


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## shiver905




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## the_w8

^^^ LOOking very nice!


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## His Majesty

looking sick man


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## Murphy18

Tank looking pretty pimp now Sir, much better with the extra space, and you're reds are lookin great


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## FEEFA

Murphy18 said:


> Tank looking pretty pimp now Sir, much better with the extra space, and you're reds are lookin great


x2


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## shiver905

Fish are well over 4" now
Growing like weeds. They are starting to darken also


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## Guest

Looking good SHiver...nice pics too


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## BanditBrother

That is a very nice starter setup u have there mate!!! They will have loadsa room to move and grow!! U will love em more when they are a little larger!!! The sand n gravel substarte is a gd mix 2!!!! Well done!!


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## shiver905

To be honest dude.

They have no room,
I should invest in a bigger tank asap.

--------------------------
Planning my next tank.

My list so far:

Display tank
bulk heads
diamond bits
smaller aquarium
overflow
sand/gravel
--

I should have a FX5 and 90gal/stand for sale soon.
If any1s interested let me know.
Also if any1 knows any deals on some big tanks let me know.


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## THE BLACK PIRANHA

You guys think 90f is high about 6 or 7 months ago I traded in a gold diamond to Ash and this black guy was up their and bought it while it was still in the bucket, well he was talking to me about the fish and he said he kept his tank at 96f. Me and Ash told the guy he is going to kill the fish and he just said it makes them mean. Well this dumb F*ck said he would turn the temp down and I seen him their a couple weeks later and he asked me if I had any more Ps for sale because the diamond died. This guy really pissed me off and I pretty much told him to F*ck off. I have run at 87f when I first get fish to kill any little buggers they might have on them. Sorry for derailing your thread but I think the tank looks fine and did you get the leak fixed or do you just have a bucket catching the water.


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## James Bond

Nice looking fish and tank PROPS MAN!!!


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## shiver905

Inwall!


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## Plowboy

Tanks in the wall are always cocky, but I got a couple questions.

Why didnt you flush the 2x6 or whatever it is with the front side of the wall and paint it white? That way the molding would cover it up.

And depending on if that wall bears any weight, you might want to put a header above it so the wall doesn't sag.


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## FEEFA

Looks really good shiver, is that your 90gal?

Are you still planning on upgrading?


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## shiver905

the walls not bearing any weight,.

I put up like a 6" shelf.
I was going to make it flush, But a buddy of mine gave me this idea. 
I Like it lil more. (still need to be stained the color of my computer table.)

BONUS use = ArmRest!


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## shiver905

Inwall!


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## philbert

looks good. that is a 90 gal with no brace? that would make me nervous. anwyas i like what you did now just stain it like you said. and maybe add some trim to finish it off and hite the edge of the wall and the rough 2 x 6s.


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## His Majesty

thats a really well made tank in the wall. really like the shelf you made around it. love the look


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## shiver905

Its soo wicked to be soo close to the Reds.

20 eyes on me









BTW

Thanks for viewing My thread Over 4100 times.
Cheers p-Fury!


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## 65galhex

haha dude thats awesome! i have always wanted an inwall.....

ps. look at the pic with the soda and computer screen...... you can see feefa and plowboy's posts lol.- random i know


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## TurboVtec93

Big bump for the G15 keyboard and blue G5 mouse. I am using the same 2 right now. I used to have the battle hardened G5 which was sick until the chord was chewed up..... Sick looking tank too man!


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## shiver905

All other pics deleted.
INWALL complete.

I was planing on staining the wood and all but i love my man cave color-patterns.










So i came up with this!

















I forgot to take off the tape on the glass.. .. ..


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## His Majesty

quite the painting job you have had. room is looking gnarly. i like it.


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## ismheg

very nice how many gallons is the tank?


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## shiver905

ismheg said:


> very nice how many gallons is the tank?


90gal


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## assclown

shiver905 said:


> Im loosing about an inch of water ever 2 days,
> 
> How do u guys do your top offs?
> 
> MIX A BUNCH with clhonine remover and store it?
> 
> Or just drump some tap water in the tank then add a few drop of clohrine remover


in my salt tank i have to add 4 to 6 gallons every 3 to 4 days.....in the fresh 1 to 2 gallons the same time period
i hooked up sink filters for my water supply and just adjust water temp and add away


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## shiver905

For the ones the ones been checking some of my threads on the pics n vids section.. Its old news.I forgot about this thread.I though this is the best place for reference form my tank from start to end.Im shure some new memebers will find it helpfull.Feeding pellets/ Mouse



Updated pics, with newer scape.


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## FEEFA

I said it before and I'll say it again, "Looks awesome buddy"









Cool idea with the paint aswell, very different but IMO it works


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## shiver905

I love apples and oranges.


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## Johnny_Zanni

you really need a bigger tank.


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## shiver905

yep . agreed


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## CuzIsaidSo

Love the setup







The paint, the room is very nice

If you're removing all decorations I'll buy that driftwood off of you.


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## shiver905

So I almost killed all my fish,

I wake up this morning.
I turn on the light.

All my fish are floating sideways, Looking just straight horrible.

The night b4.
I put in a heater i had laying around in the tank. ALso did a water change the night b4.
Im thinking wtf, is going on. I did a water test. Water was fine..

So i thought, Stray voltage.
I took the heater out. Did a 50% water change.

Now they look great and normal.
Close call..

Note to everyone.

WATCH WHAT ELELCTRONICS YOU PUN IN THE TANK.


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