[Lupin]

lol im such a div.is this coral???

if my ph is to high how do i lower it with out more chemicals,is there a natural way

Looks more like limestone. Not a problem if you're planning to keep fish which thrive better in hard than soft water.
Have you make a list of fish you're planning to keep?

 

[predator1984uk]

not yet i ill have tomorrow.im looking around at the min.I live in nottingham england so theres loads of shops to look round

 

[predator1984uk]

ok bought a few tetras and a red clawed crab...on friday evening the crab today looks un well so i tetsed the water and to my horrer.

ph 8.5
amonia 0.4 mg/l
nitrite 4mgl :shock:
nitrate 75mg/l

i need to correct this as best as poss or i think crabs gonna die

 

[Amphitrite]

Hi predator. From what information I can find, it seems that the red clawed crab is not truely a freshwater crab and should be kept in brackish water.

I would suggest that you return the crab to where you got him ASAP, and perform an immediate water change of around 50 percent for now.

 

[predator1984uk]

i was sold it as a freash water???? they said however that it had to be cept in higher ph water

 

[Amphitrite]

If I were you I would still return it. Your tank is not cycled and tetras are not the hardiest of fish either.

Do you have anything else in the tank at the moment, besides the tetras and the crab?

 

[predator1984uk]

no

 

[Daz]

i was sold it as a freash water???? they said however that it had to be cept in higher ph water

Maybe you were, but I'd return it, your stats are all wrong you ned to start again, or at least get it settled, get something a bit hardy. And give it time.

 

[Oceane]

You can cycle your water a lot quicker if you do a fishless cycle using bacteria from an old tank. You can either ask somebody you know to let you have some of his old filter media, or alternately beg them to put your filter in their tank for a few days before returning it to yours, beneficial bacteria should have built up. A tank cycled in this way takes less than a week to go through its whole cycle. Incidently neons prefer aged water, i wouldn't get them as first fish. Good luck. :wink:

 

[predator1984uk]

blooming plonkers fancy selling me the wrong animal im gutted i think its gonna die to be honest,all movements stopping and it moves a claw every minute or so.shame beautiful little thing

 

[predator1984uk]

UPDATE.....

did a 70% water cahnge and to my horrer the filter was not working properly due to the water level being to high.

i sorted it out and within an hour the crabs moving again

 

[Mike]

Hi predator,

Have you considered using the Track My Tank feature so you can keep an easy log of your aquarium?

 

[predator1984uk]

i wouldnt know what that was lol

 

[Mike]

Do you see "Track My Tank" on the menu bar and on the right of the home page? It is a feature that allows you to detail your tank setup and then make entries logging the levels, the fish, comments, special events, etc.

i wouldnt know what that was lol

 

[predator1984uk]

will do that tomorrow,thanks m8 :wink:

 

[Amphitrite]

Hi Predator, keep us updated on how it's going and we'll give you as much help as possible. Remember to keep up the water changes and keep monitoring the water perameters on a daily basis.

 

[SKAustin]

Predator, Your concern for the well being of your fish is commendable. It seems as though you have learned one of the golden rules of fishkeeping. Sadly, there are very few LFS's that will provide you with the same concerns about your tank that you do. Most LFS's will encoruage, or at least not discourage, ill fated choices. A key thing to remember is that these stores are out to make money. As a recommendation, I would take a visit to a few different stores, without making any purchases, see what livestock they have available. Look at the quality of the livestock, look for things such as fish available for sale that are suffering from diseases such as whitespot (ich), fin rot, or other fungus'. A more reputible LFS will mark any tanks containing diseased fishes as "not for sale". Listen to information provided by the clerks to other patrons of the store. If you hear things that might sound a bit hinky, bring them up in a forum for discussion. you might also test the honesty of an LFS by finding a spieces of African cichlid and asking the clerk if they can go in with your tank with your community tropicals. If they say yes, then walk out the door. The answer to that question is undoubtedly NO!

Your water has a high Ph, while this is not necessarily ideal for tropical community fish, it is great for Tanganyikan Cichlids and Malawi Cichlids (African Cichlids). Now would be the time to reconsider what you wish to keep. Research your options thouroughly as down the road, it will be far more difficult to change your mind.

Best of luck, I hope this Info has been a help,
Steve

 

[predator1984uk]

nice post m8 thanks,

right i have white gravel in the tank and i have bedded 5 real plants into this.however there starting to look abit ill.do i need some form of plant food???

id assumed they just needed water lol but there begining to wilt.

my ideas for fish where.

tetras
guppys
red and brown clawed crab
fighter
dalmatin molly

will these be ok ????

 

[SKAustin]

Different plants have different levels of a set few requirements.

Light.

CO2.

Food Source.

There is a thread in the DIY section outlining how to make a CO2 system with common household items. Upgrading your flourescent bulbs to one appropriate for plants will be enough to keep most low and some medium level light requiring plants. then, all you need to provide is a food source.

one other consideration that should be made is the plants ability to root itself in the substrate you have provided it.

As with any other aspect of the hobby, a bit of research on your part will have a great impact on your overall success. There are several different internet sources for information on care and requirements of the different aquatic plants.

 

[Oceane]

You need very hardy plants to root in the substrate you have chosen which is quite coarse. You could consider adding a piece of cured driftwood and choosing plants that will root on wood, there is a kind of fern like plant which does. The driftwood will also help lower your ph.