46G Water Stream Bowfront Tank: Build Log with Pics.

[beckdg]

nightfall: can you please post some kinda link to back up your temps

[beckdg]

i have all tropicals including shrimp 72-78 works fine for me
2 upside down cats
2 sae
10 amano shrimp
3 wood shrimp
3 glass shrimp
1 red tail shark
2 nerite (saltwater) snail
1 otto
1 female betta
21 male guppies
1 farlowella
all in my display (living room) tank and very happy

[beckdg]

i know it's getting rediculous but here goes

little or no bacteria - die overnight - stranger things have happened... in my tank... be careful to pick lively, better fed, less raggety fish... pet stores kill more fish than anyone... it may also be their fault on some accounts... cold weather is also hard on tropicals they are shipped in very little water which changes temps quick... could be stressed out from last weeks trip and 2 degrees from pet store to house may kill overnight if their temp is kinda low


do not buy tropicals in winter if you do not wish to buy more to replace some!

[MustacheMatt]

I got a heater, a master test kit, and 2 danios (which the pet store claim to be hardy fish). I tested the water myself, the pH was 7.6, the ammonia and nitrite was 0 ppm. The water is at a constant 76 degrees. The fish died within 5 hours. I tested the water after the fish died, and the results where the same. There is a small layer of white particles on the top of the water which seemed to be the bacteria bloom. Also the fish kept swimming to the service and looked as though they where either eating it or trying to breath. Should I continue to buy 1 to 2 fish, and continue testing for signs of bacteria, or should I buy 1 fbt perhaps and see how he reacts? The water fall causes a lot of water movement, splashing and such, could this be part of the problem, I figured it would be adding oxygen to the water.

[beckdg]

you must give the tank time

your sand has to be the culprit

reptiles require very little water, so in a dry enclosure they assume sand will not get wet often enough to do damage

your sand is probably toxic you must rinse or remove (rinse probably better)

the warmer you can get the water for this the better

the more you can fill the tank without making mud the better

idea is hotter water will remove toxins faster and better than colder

therefore rinsing with same temp as you plan to keep will not remove enough

keep filter running during this period if water is not to hot

feeding gives the bacteria something to break down, a place to grow (do not over feed, 1 pinch of flake every 1 or 2 days) light also helps grow algae - sunlight/daylight/growlamps best... good cause when you see algae you can scrape glass and add a baby and then start monitoring for next baby

do not do not do not add any babies of any kind to this tank right now

think of it as a nuclear waist dump until this issue is resolved... anything drinks the water will die

white particles not algae maybe from sand or any part of foam not properly sealed with silicone... scoop it out... asap!

filter, change water, repeat

tap water/water from a nearby stream/lake/pond is essential whether you use spring water to soften it or not... it is loaded with essential nutrients that you cannot get from store bought water just check your iron levels

if you have a well or use natures resources boil (to avoid potential parasites) before storing for a week b4 use

if tap water use a chlorine remover that removes chloramine... nothing else... use a spare pump/airstone to mix water... let sit for a week b4 use

how hard is ur tap water vs tank water... has tank water hardened over time since using spring water... very important at this time

your waterfall will add oxygen as it splashes... it is also going to be the hardest area to remove toxins from... the splashes will keep areas wet not soaked... this will slooooooooooooowly leech into the tank because they will not be submerged causing a problem long after underwater areas are rinsed quite fine

danios do seem to be hardy... dunno not had any yet... zebras on my wish list always see them in planted tanks suggesting a ph at or under 7 may be better... but once again dunno

i do know from spending hours at lfs staring... reaching for top is not usual... probably trying to get out or maybe starving and eating the first thing they see at the top of water... the same thing that maybe killed the little guys

patience here, my friend is the key
i read somewhere that "the only things that happens fast in a fish tank are bad things" after spending 1 1/2 years not being patient i've come to adopt this same theory as i've found it costs too much not to

[Dwent]

Hey MustacheMatt,

Nice setup you've got there. Too bad you've got issues with the fish...

I could understand problems with the tetras in a newly setup unheated tank, but guppies and danios are quite hardy fish, they should have been alright. I kept a guppy in a fishbowl on a shelf for awhile. When you added the new fish to the tank did you just cut open the bag and dump them right in when you got home, or did you float the bag for a few hours before releasing them? If you did just plop them in, they could have gone into shock due to the drastic change in temp.

In regards to the danios at the surface 'gasping' is something that would happen if the water quality is poor or toxic, possibly due to the sand as mentioned by beck.

What would I do you ask? (I know you didn't really ask )
I would crank up the temp on the heater to well above 76, maybe 85 or more and keep that waterfall flowing (as long as the water isn't too hot!). I would also raise the level of water in the tank for now just to make sure that we are rinsing all of the necessary areas that may be leeching into the water. Anything floating should also be sccoped out. Change water often, about 50% every 3 days should be removed. After 2 weeks of water changes, reduce the amount removed to about 1/3 or 1/4 and continue on for a week+ longer.

I wouldn't worry too much about water hardness at this point, as it is most likely being caused by the calcium in the sand, which will be brought down somewhat by the waterchanges. My tank constantly has hard water, but the fish are not affected (even the angels who prefer softer waters, are doing very well and even breeding! )

After 3 or 4 weeks of waterchanges, you could start the tank cycling again with or without fish. You may want to head back to the petstore and pick up a few more danios as they are like 79 cents each.


And thats enough about fish for now... I saw a nice setup on youtube of a guy who had a few FBT's a couple Gray Treefrogs. The Gray's are fun little guys to have. They are very good climbers and have amazing accuracy when they leap for food. here is the link...

and thats all I have to say about that...
Good Luck on your future endeavours, i'll keep an eye on this thread.

[beckdg]

mustache did mention his water was 74f without heater... good for most tropicals

matt: very good advice from dwent... pls take it... for your critters sake!

[MustacheMatt]

After reading over all of this, I have taken action. I took out everything that was in the tank, scraped off as much silicon as I could from the tank (not the parts that seal it, heh) and started to silicon the piece I made to fill in spots where the water was getting into the foam. Im going to try and water proof the pieces, then glue them back into place. Then I will fill it up with water, and let it run for the next 2 to 3 weeks, with frequent water changes to clean the materials toxicity.

[Nightfall]

Sorry I haven't checked back in, was a crazy weekend. To back up what I'm saying I have three freshwater tanks 25g, 56g, and 100g. Also two marine/reef tanks 58g and 90g. I have been keeping fish for the better part of 15 years and have lost very, very few fish. So enough of my pedigree, let's try and find some answers.

First off I would agree that most fish would be fine at 74-78 degrees. however neon tetras in particular need a bit higher temp to do well as they stress easily. Danios should have been fine, which leads to the next problem.

I would say that it sounds like one of two things, lack of oxygen or something toxic. I have gotten away with running a tank with nothing but a hang on back filer, no airstone. So with a waterfall in tank I would rule out lack of oxygen, though it is still possible. Second though seems more likely, something in the water that is toxic to the fish. It would also worry me that it might be toxic to any frogs you add to the tank. I would question what type of silicone you used as if it is a type that has "Bioguard" or some other type of mold or bacteria inhibitor tha would answer the question as it is very toxic to fish.

Anyway there's my $0.02. Hope it helps.

[MustacheMatt]

I have been using GE silicon II, because I read on all the build logs that thats what people are using. Now looking at the tubes of the silicon I can see clearly that it says BioSeal. Does this mean I have the scrap everything I've done. Plus how would I get the silicon off of the glass in the aqaurium so that none of the toxic chemicals could get in the water?