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The Loach Forum Archives (1)
Re: Update/Re: New Fish Tank Considerations/Questions
Posted By: Anne Webel <anne.webel@village.uunet.be> In Response To: Update/Re: New Fish Tank Considerations/Questions (Wight)
Date: Sunday, 15 August 1999, at 10:04 a.m.
Hi Wight, I see you've had a few more postings, which I haven't yet read, so hope this isn't too much of a repeat.
Before you put that 50 on its stand and fill it with water, do make sure it is standing totally level. Wouldn't want you to have a surprise one day. Like water water everywhere and fish belly up on the carpet.
Martin is Martin Thoene whom you wrote on Friday ref. the FAQs and drawings.
If I understand correctly, your tank has a set up for only one tube. Get low light plants.
Filtration: Whichever one you buy remember there is physical, chemical and biological filtration. Physical stops hairs, muck, leaves etc. going any further. Chemical are such as charcoal and peat. Chemical to be used with caution especially charcoal. Charcoal acts like a sponge and when it has taken as much as it can, it throws it all back in. Bad time for the fishes. Finally biological. Usually on a media with plenty of surface area. If you use sponges do not, repeat do not, buy any sponge other than from your lfs for that purpose. Otherwise you will end with just gunge. The bacteria get everywhere, on all the surfaces. They are essential to the well being of your fish. They take a while to replicate (the socalled cycle) and if you knock out too many, you start getting ammonia spikes. Not good; long term damage to delicate fish gills. Which is why when you wash one lot of media (eg sponge) in extracted aquarium water, the other can wait until next week. You thus keep the bacteria alive and dense. Tap water might have chlorine or chloramide which is deadly to your bacteria.
If you are fiddling (as you put it) in the tank. Turn off all the electrics. 220V, human hands and water are a deadly mixture.
Power: "Power splitter" I call it an extension lead with three (4,6 points). As long as we know what you mean, that's fine. Personally I'd get an electrician to do me a whole new circuit, especially as it seems your mum also has a tank. But that depends on what you can afford. I would not mess with electricity. As to Home Depot, if you don't trust them, go to a couple, in particular the smaller outlets. They can't all be trying to rip you off, can they?
Anne
