Tropical Fish Forums

[ibm450]

Hi all, just would like to say first up, what a great website this is and the support from the community is fantastic in these forums.

I just bought my son a new fish tank, a all in one AquarWorld MT50, acrylic glass (I think that how you spell it ) with built in filtering system. we purchased it just before x-mas and had it cycle for about 3 weeks before we added any fish into it. after 3 weeks, and after testing the water at the LFS it was OK to put some fish into it. our first Inhabitants were

2 x mollies (black male and white female)
1 x bristle nose catfish
3 x plastic plants
2 x ornaments
6KG of natural 1-2mm gravel
1 x 500g tropiacal flake food
1 x 500g tropiacl bites
1 x 20g algae wafers
1 x 100g frozen blood worms

then after afew weeks, I purchased a further 3 more fish:

1 x female (white mollie)
2 x bronze corys
1 x API fresh water master test kit $71 AUS
1 x Aqua sponge to clean glass walls $5 AUS
1 x gravel vac $16 AUS

All are OK except when I realised how frequently the corys would sprint up to the surface to gulp air and dart back down, and constantly swim up and down the tank wall ??? this made me think whether the fish are stresing out or possibly the tank was lacking something. So off to google I went and did some researching. to my surprize, I noted that the corys require very clean water and if they dart to the surface frequently, check water quality.
So due to my inxperiance I did what a new beginer does, and that is, wait, cleaned out the bio chamber(middle), noodle rocks(middle), charcoal bag(middle) and foam filters(first and bottom of middle chamber) and a 25% water change out (boiled 12 liters of water, dechlorinated and aged for 24 hrs and tested pH, ammonia etc etc all were 0ppm)....OUCH!! so everything went out of wack in the cycle side of things.

At the moment the ammonia is high along with nitrate levels..LOL..so again off to the LFS and I got a bottle of StressZyme+ for $15.50 AUS. I added 20ml to kick start the process (10 ml into 1st catchment chamber and 10 ml over the bio chamber)



I tested the water paramaters and the levels are still very high in the ammonia and nitrate levels so last night I started my first 24hr fasting for the fish to drop the ammonia levels.
the airation side of things seems good as the power head nozzle generates bubbles of air when the water injects into the tank (see below with the red lines and those scratchy looking dots are the mass bubbles going around the tank or the flow of the red arrow).





the mollies and the bristle nose (just finished munching on a piece of butter nut pumpkin) seem OK but the corys are still ranting about up and down the walls and occasionally darting to the surface for air.



so last night again I googled and read multiple thread in this forum that introducing live plants will aid in completing the eco system and help with the cycling process much more greatly opposed to chemical water conditioning. The plants that grabbed my attention and will look at buying today is:

Java fern
java moss

Anyways, I would appreciate any thoughts and advise on improving the setup, improve cycling process, live plants etc. I feel that the bio setup is poor on this system, not sure, but if anyone else has the same tank, I would appreciate their experiances with it and what was done to create a perfect / acceptable environment using this tank setup.


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If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

[59FIFTY]

well the overall design of the tank is cool and I can see how your son would like that (I like it too kinda. lol.) However, the bronze cories and any cories need sand instead of gravel, they have (I can't remember what they are called) sensitive things on their under sides. Cories are also happiest in schools of 5 plus. I know it can be hard telling this to kids but its better for the fish. the Bristle nose also needs Driftwood.
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In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. - Martin

[ibm450]

Cheers for the reply.
There is a small piece of drift wood in front of the treasure box and he/she usually lies on top of it. I placed a piece there knowing its part of the bristle nose diet :

Love to chew on drift wood for diet and breeding
Algae wafers
Fresh broccoli stems
Zucchini or cucumber
Blood worms
Boiled pumpkin
Squashed very light boiled peas
Brine shrimp
Blanched lettuce

but over all, would like to know whether the filtration system on these are any good in regards of getting enough oxygen into the bio chamber to keep the good bacteria

[Caton]

I'm sorry, but I think I just have to mention that the B/N pleco needs at least a 20 in my opinon. The bronze cories will need sand as 59 said. (I beleive the term is "barbels" but I could be wrong).

And $72 for a test kit, I got mine for $21US .
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[diademhill]

Nice little tank.

It;s a pity you already have fish that are not suitable. Will the store take them back or give you some filter gunge?

Cories are soft water fish, need sandy or smooth substrate and need keeping in groups.
Mollies are hard water fish. the bristlenose really needs a larger tank or if you want to keep him you have little capacity for other heavy bodied fish, maybe keep a Betta or a shoal of tetras but not a group or mollies.

Plants will add more problems for now.

You don't need to boil water (except maybe a splash per bucket to bring up to match temperature. Keep a bucket ready to change and at room temperature you can use it without any fuss. Just add dechlorinator for the amount of water in the bucket.

The filter system is good but you have a good month of possibly daily water changes..
I would return the fish if possible and do another fishless cycle or at least return the mollies and reduce the bio load by half.

[Shields]

As a side note and for possible future reference its completely normal for Corys to swim against the glass,especially if there is a strong current from your filter outlet/powerhead aimed that way,its just a little game they like to play,and the same applies the occasional trips to the top for a gulp of air.

[ibm450]

[59FIFTY]

just so you know this will come off with probably cause A LOT of bad replies...
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In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. - Martin

[ibm450]

[ibm450]