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Monark's first ADA MINI-M (New pics 08/04/10)

21K views 79 replies 29 participants last post by  MONARK 
#1 · (Edited)
This is my first planted tank as I posted before in other thread I used to have a saltwater tank and a freshwater tank (only fish) but due to lag of information and care I didn't have any success with them so I decided to give one more try and I went with a planted tank but this time I'll try to get more help...

Set up:

Tank:
ADA MINI M tank

Substrate:
ADA Amazonia Aquasoil II

Lightning:
27 watt Hamptom Bay Desk lamp

Filtration:
Eheim 2213
DoAqua Mini Violet glass pipes

CO2:
GLA Smith regulator
5lb CO2 cylinder
DoAqua Music counter
DoAqua Music deffuser
ADA drop checker

Ferts:
Will get the Green Fertilizer Package: Micros & Macros from GLA soon!!!

Flora:
Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis)
Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae)
HC (Hemianthus micranthemoides)
Riccia Fluitans

Fauna:

10 Neon Tetras
4 RCS (Plant to get 3 more)


Some pics:

A week ago:




Now (07/13/2009)





 
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#3 ·
It's a normal thing. You should be able to lift your filter's outflow pipe just a tad more than what I see in the pictures to generate a slight surface agitation. Nothing that will break the surface, just enough to get the water on top moving. That took care of it for me.

But again, don't panic, it's normal.
 
#5 ·
More questions...

I've been looking at some of the set ups and I found that some people put their filter pipes in different positions and I would like to know if it makes a difference where you put them, also I am getting like a green algae on the glass tank behind and bellow the filter pipes and I think it might be lack of water movement (I think).... anyway, which of these would be the best place to set up the filter pipes???... Which of these places do you think you could get the better water movement?????:


MY CURRENT SET UP:





MIDDLE OF TANK SET UP:




BACK OF TANK SET UP:

 
#6 ·
It depends on how much plants you have and where most of the algae is building up. For your size tank you should be fine with a 2213 filter and it should be more than enough flow no matter where you place the pipes.

I don't think it's lack of water movement that your getting algae on the glass. Tank is probably not fully established/cycled or light my be causing it. Cut back on light and fert or just get some algae eating fish and shrimp that should take care of the algae. I normally just manual scrub them off at every water change.

tank is looking good.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the answer but now that I'm looking at the tank, I see that the intake pipe is just right above where I planted the Dwarf Hairgrass, Don't you think the plant will get sucked up by the pipe went it grows more????, Will it obstruct the water inflow??? Should I move the pipes (inflow, outflow) to the middle of the tank right in front of the Hairgrass and above the HC????
 
#8 ·
You could pretty easily trim the hairgrass to keep it out of the intake if you like the position it's in now. It might also serve to hide the intake pretty nicely once it's grown in more. As long as the outflow is creating a nice current that reaches all the little hiddens spots of the tank, you should be good. The outflow is what's going to create your current.
 
#10 ·
Thanks, the Riccia has growth like about .75" in a week...

For the background I planted dwarf hair grass and I plan to let it grow tall so it can come out behind the rock.


Outlawboss

Do you know or does anyone know where can I find those 10k Archaea 27 watt lights?

I would like to change the Hampton Bay lights but I been looking for the Archaea light and I can't find them.
 
#14 ·
JUMPERS!!!!

When I first got the fish I also added 4 RCS but one of them jumped out of the tank...
Last Friday I bought 4 ottos and 3 more RCS to help clean the algae on the tank; on Saturday morning I found a RCS on the floor, Sunday morning another RCS on the floor and today my wife found an Otto on the floor...

Is there any reason why they are jumping out of the tank?????
Should I wait 'til the plants grow more to add more shrimp???

Maybe the tank is too crowded or not too much food for all of 'em...
Need help.

Thanks
 
#15 ·
They probably got shocked from water and jumped out. Did you put them in right? just dump out some water, leave like 1inch so they don't jump out. Wait like two or three weeks or until they're settled in then top off your tank.

I've lost 2 ottos, 2 CRS, 1 RCS and found a live amano shrimp crawling around next to my bed.

They also can crawl from the co2 tube, doubt from the glass pipes but that's rare.
 
#17 ·
you don't need to leave them floating for that long... float them for about 15 mins to get the temperature in the bag to adjust and equal your water temp. Then roll the edge of the bag up so the bag is open, but still floats... Take a little of your tank water, dump it in the bag, wait ten mins or so and repeat. Spread this out for like an hour and that will get the shrimp/fish used to other water parameters (pH, hardnes, etc..) All floating does (with bag closed) is gets the temperature to match water temp. And when releasing your fish it's usually better to net them out of bag and then realease... try not to mix bag water with tank water. If you do mix it's not usually a problem... but on rare occasions could spread disease or add too much ammonia to your tank. (from fish in bag producing waste)
 
#18 ·
yea, you need to slowly add your tank water into the bag every 15-30mins for 3 or more hours the longer the better.

I remember when I didn't care about amanos when i first got them i just dump them in right away and they all shot right up to the edge of the tank...a few jumped out. They were shocked from the water...they have to slowly adjust from their old aquarium water to new water.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the help!

I guess this is why I killed the fish in my first tank :eek5: I just took the fish and dropped them in the tank and they died instantly...

Anyway that is why I'm here to get info and not do things wrong.

Now, can anyone please explain how is the dripping method?

Thanks
 
#23 ·
I found it!!!

Video Sample from ZooTycoonMaster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u7waGLH-pY&feature=channel_page

Using the drip acclimation to acclimate 3 new Otocinclus.

How to drip acclimate:
1. Find a bucket for the livestock to go in. If you don't have a bucket, you can place the bag (with livestock inside) in a large cup so that it doesn't tilt over.
2. Tie a knot in a length of airline tubing.
3. Start a siphon from the end of the tubing (inside the aquarium) to the other end (in the bag).
4. Tighten or loosen the knot so that it drips 1-2 bubbles per second.
5. Once the water level in the bag/bucket doubles, then you can place the livestock in the tank.



And here is the same precess but longer:

http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/97

The “Old” Method

I refer to this method as the “old method” because it was the one typically used by aquarists in the past. Usually, your local fish store will put your fish in a plastic bag so you can bring them home. The “old method” involves floating this plastic bag in your tank. Many people still use this method to this day, but there is a far more effective method that will be addressed in the next section. The problem with floating the bag is that is does nothing to acclimate your fish to the various water parameters of your tank. All it does is adjust the water temperature of the bag to that of your tank. In fact, it often does not even accomplish this as the temperature at the surface of your tank tends to be warmer than the rest of the water as it is heated by your lights.

If you do choose to use this method, please remember to turn off your lights before floating the bag. This will ensure that you do not fry your fish.

The Drip Method

The drip method is the one preferred by most modern aquarists. It not only allows your fish to get used to the temperature of your tank, but also adjusts them to the pH, hardness, and numerous other water parameters. It is easy to do and only takes about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the speed of dripping. The following discussion will walk you through the drip method in a step-by-step fashion.

Materials you will Need

- 3 or 5 gallon bucket
- Airline tubing
- Patience

Step 1 – The Ride Home:

Ok, so you have purchased the fish and the store has placed them in a plastic bag. If the store does not provide you with a paper bag, bring one with you so you can put the plastic bag inside it. This will reduce the amount of stress your fish are forced to endure on their ride home. Also, be sure to not shake the bag too much or place it by the vents of your car (where the bag can become too hot or cold depending on whether the heater or air conditioner is turned on). You are simply trying to make the trip as nice as possible for your new fish.

Step 2 – Transferring the Fish to a Bucket

Once you get home, get out your bucket (can also use a pitcher if dealing with small fish) and carefully empty the contents of the plastic bag into it (water and fish). If there is not enough water in the bag to cover the fish once you put them in the bucket, you can tilt the bucket (put something under one side) so the water depth increases. You can then remove this wedge once enough water is added.

Step 3 – Setting up the Siphon

Now setup a siphon using the airline tubing. The process is the same as when you use a siphon to vacuum your gravel except that you will want to either have some siphon control mechanism that pinches the tubing to reduce the flow rate or you can tie several loose knots in the tubing to control the flow. I would recommend the knot method as it is easiest.

Once you have tied two or three loose knots in the tubing, place one end of the tubing in your tank and suck on the other end to start the siphon (be sure to not get any water in your mouth – you should only have to suck on the tubing for a second). Once water starts flowing through the tube, tighten the knots by pulling on them until the flow is about 4-5 drips per second. You can increase this rate slightly (6-7 per second) if you are worried about keeping the fish in the bucket for a long period of time.

Step 4 – Removing Half of the Water

After the water in the bucket has doubled, stop the siphon and remove half the water from the bucket. Then start the process over again. Once it doubles again, your fish should be properly acclimated to your tank water. As I said before, this process should take between 30 minutes to an hour. It is important to be patient, but if you are worried about your fish being in the bucket for an hour simply increase the drip rate slightly.

Step 5 – Putting the Fish in Your Tank

Now that the fish are acclimated, it is time to introduce them to your aquarium. Turn off the lights and leave them off for 3-4 hours after the fish are introduced. Catch the fish in the bucket with a net. You want to make sure the net is an appropriate size relative to the fish; it should be much larger than the fish. Once a fish is caught, carefully put the net in the tank water and let the fish swim out. Do not throw or drop the fish from above the surface of the water. Repeat for each of your fish.

Do not put any of the water from the bucket into your tank. While most of it is now your own tank water, there is still a portion that came from the fish store. You may trust your fish store, but you do not know anything about their tanks. By introducing their tank water into your tank, you may be introducing diseases or other undesirable things. It is best to just use this as a good time for a water change and fill the tank up with new water.

Alternate Method

While the drip method is very easy, some people do not like setting it up. An alternative method that is not as good, but it much better than the floating method, is to place the fish in a bucket or pitcher and add a cup of water from your tank every 4-5 minutes. Repeat this until the water volume in the bucket is doubled, discard half the volume, and the repeat until the water volume is doubled again.

There really is no difference between this and the drip method, but some people seem to prefer adding the water via a measuring cup rather than dripping it via tubing. The choice is really up to you.

Conclusion

Using the drip method ensures that your fish are not shocked when they are introduced into your aquarium. You go to so much effort to research fish and provide them with a proper environment – why force them to undergo shock at the very beginning? Hopefully, as word spreads, less people will use the floating method and will jump on board with the most appropriate method for introducing your fish – the drip method
 
#29 ·
I found it!!!

Video Sample from ZooTycoonMaster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u7waGLH-pY&feature=channel_page

Using the drip acclimation to acclimate 3 new Otocinclus.

How to drip acclimate:
1. Find a bucket for the livestock to go in. If you don't have a bucket, you can place the bag (with livestock inside) in a large cup so that it doesn't tilt over.
2. Tie a knot in a length of airline tubing.
3. Start a siphon from the end of the tubing (inside the aquarium) to the other end (in the bag).
4. Tighten or loosen the knot so that it drips 1-2 bubbles per second.
5. Once the water level in the bag/bucket doubles, then you can place the livestock in the tank.
Wow I didn't think anyone watched my videos:hihi:

Great looking tank! It'll look great once it fills in.
 
#24 ·
HELP!!!!

How strong should be the water flow in the tank?

I been using the ball valves of the outflow tube to control the flow of the water but I'm note sure if this could damage the filter, also if I leave the valves too open when the fish swim in front of the outflow pipe they get stomp against the glass and if I leave it too close I don't see that much water movement and I don't know if the lack of water movement could bring me problems.


Filtration:
Eheim 2213
DoAqua Mini Violet glass pipes (10mm outflow - 13mm inflow)
 
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