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Can I use old plants to make a new tank?


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On 4/1/2023 at 8:26 PM, martinmin said:

In the summer, is it possible that the temperature in the tank gets too high so fish can't breathe. If yes, how to prevent that? 

I seriously don't know. I would think a fish has more issues from lack of oxygenation when temps get out of range. My tanks are very cold as long as I can keep them, summers here it's extremely hot. 120F on some days/weeks.

The water temps do rise. But all I would suggest for that is to add more air/oxygenation.

It's difficult to do when it's not a standard container. Not impossible at all.

If you see fish struggling then generally adding an air stone is a great first step.

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On 4/2/2023 at 12:35 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

I seriously don't know. I would think a fish has more issues from lack of oxygenation when temps get out of range. My tanks are very cold as long as I can keep them, summers here it's extremely hot. 120F on some days/weeks.

The water temps do rise. But all I would suggest for that is to add more air/oxygenation.

It's difficult to do when it's not a standard container. Not impossible at all.

If you see fish struggling then generally adding an air stone is a great first step.

Another question: is it possible to pick little plants from river or lake and put them in fish tank? Have anyone tried this? 

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On 4/2/2023 at 11:31 AM, martinmin said:

Another question: is it possible to pick little plants from river or lake and put them in fish tank? Have anyone tried this? 

Yes it has been tried.  I won't say it's ok or anything like that because I generally would prefer to leave nature where it is and appreciate it there.  Follow any of your local laws before collecting anything.

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On 4/2/2023 at 7:15 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yes it has been tried.  I won't say it's ok or anything like that because I generally would prefer to leave nature where it is and appreciate it there.  Follow any of your local laws before collecting anything.

Thanks for reminder of the law.  For cardinals, do I need to put substrate soil under gravel rock? I feel white gravel looks beautiful than black soil. But there may be not enough neutrint to only use gravel?

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On 4/1/2023 at 12:43 AM, martinmin said:

@Ninjoma Please take a look at the picture above. On the tank it doesn't show how many gallon it has. I guess it's about 1.5 gallon? I don't have a good sense of the volume. So probably I should add 3 drops per week? If it doesn't hurt the new plant, I would like to add. 

This is not related to the plant care but I saw you talking about putting fish in here and wanted to touch on that. Unfortunately a 1.5 gallon is not large enough to house any fish species comfortably. 10 gallons is really the smallest tank you can keep fish in, except maybe bettas and even then 5 gallons bare minimum. A good basic guideline is not to stock more than 1” of fish per gallon of water and most nano fish won’t do well in groups of less than 6-10. You could get some cherry reds or any of those neocardinia shrimp though, they are entertaining little critters and would be quite happy colonizing a 1.5g planted tank. assassin snails won’t bother them and could also go in, they will eat shrimp food and if you aver get plants with pond snails they won’t get out of control. All you would would need is a sponge filter, heater, and some water conditioner. 

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On 4/5/2023 at 11:51 PM, Phoenixfishroom said:

This is not related to the plant care but I saw you talking about putting fish in here and wanted to touch on that. Unfortunately a 1.5 gallon is not large enough to house any fish species comfortably. 10 gallons is really the smallest tank you can keep fish in, except maybe bettas and even then 5 gallons bare minimum. A good basic guideline is not to stock more than 1” of fish per gallon of water and most nano fish won’t do well in groups of less than 6-10. You could get some cherry reds or any of those neocardinia shrimp though, they are entertaining little critters and would be quite happy colonizing a 1.5g planted tank. assassin snails won’t bother them and could also go in, they will eat shrimp food and if you aver get plants with pond snails they won’t get out of control. All you would would need is a sponge filter, heater, and some water conditioner. 

"All you would would need is a sponge filter, heater, and some water conditioner".  I heard that spong filter must be used with a pump. Can it be used alone without a pump?

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On 4/6/2023 at 2:18 AM, martinmin said:

"All you would would need is a sponge filter, heater, and some water conditioner".  I heard that spong filter must be used with a pump. Can it be used alone without a pump?

You could put a sponge filter in a tank without attaching it to an air pump, but it wouldn't be doing anything.  It would be like trying to run a hang-on-back filter without electricity.

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On 4/6/2023 at 7:22 AM, JettsPapa said:

You could put a sponge filter in a tank without attaching it to an air pump, but it wouldn't be doing anything.  It would be like trying to run a hang-on-back filter without electricity.

So I need an air pump. Thanks 

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Hi @martinmin

You've asked a lot of great questions, and got solid advice. You will eventually find that many of your questions don't have one answer.  Each aquarium is different.  Most answers will begin with "It all depends..."

Heaters and filters:

Light and nutrients are more important than filters and heaters in your plant only tank. Water movement provided by a sponge filter will be beneficial.  My plant only tank is also light only, and 60 degrees this time of year.  Most fish have a suggested  temperature range.  You will need to research what temperature range for which fish, and pick a common number. As already mentioned lower temperatures are better.

Thermometers:

I prefer the digital kitchen meat thermometers because they can do double duty, and generally faster and easier to read.

I just waited for only 1 day and added a few fishes into the tank do I have to wait a month before adding more?: 

Now you have stepped in fish poop.  Fish in cycle is certainly doable.  For a brand new tank, I would wait. I would also begin regular testing for ammonia and the other parameters. For an already established tank, I would think a week or two is adequate. I usually purchase in groups of three.  Again, the inch per gallon rule is only a guideline.  With proper maintenance and filtration you can go beyond that. The problem here is that as @Phoenixfishroom mentioned, most fish do better in groups. The aquarium in the picture appears to be full now. If you are successful with the plants there will be no place for the fish. Often when the fish are in a space that is too small, it causes aggression, stress, and shorter lives. They require hiding places as well as open places to swim, chase, feed, etc.  If the idea of keeping Neocaridina shrimp appeals to you, they would be a good look in that space.  If you must use this tank than be sure and pick calmer fish that remain tiny.

 

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On 4/9/2023 at 10:51 AM, Tanked said:

Hi @martinmin

You've asked a lot of great questions, and got solid advice. You will eventually find that many of your questions don't have one answer.  Each aquarium is different.  Most answers will begin with "It all depends..."

Heaters and filters:

Light and nutrients are more important than filters and heaters in your plant only tank. Water movement provided by a sponge filter will be beneficial.  My plant only tank is also light only, and 60 degrees this time of year.  Most fish have a suggested  temperature range.  You will need to research what temperature range for which fish, and pick a common number. As already mentioned lower temperatures are better.

Thermometers:

I prefer the digital kitchen meat thermometers because they can do double duty, and generally faster and easier to read.

I just waited for only 1 day and added a few fishes into the tank do I have to wait a month before adding more?: 

Now you have stepped in fish poop.  Fish in cycle is certainly doable.  For a brand new tank, I would wait. I would also begin regular testing for ammonia and the other parameters. For an already established tank, I would think a week or two is adequate. I usually purchase in groups of three.  Again, the inch per gallon rule is only a guideline.  With proper maintenance and filtration you can go beyond that. The problem here is that as @Phoenixfishroom mentioned, most fish do better in groups. The aquarium in the picture appears to be full now. If you are successful with the plants there will be no place for the fish. Often when the fish are in a space that is too small, it causes aggression, stress, and shorter lives. They require hiding places as well as open places to swim, chase, feed, etc.  If the idea of keeping Neocaridina shrimp appeals to you, they would be a good look in that space.  If you must use this tank than be sure and pick calmer fish that remain tiny.

Hi, @Tanked " My plant only tank is also light only": You don't even have co2 in your plant only tank? Also, "Light and nutrients are more important than filters and heaters", in order to provide proper amount of nutrients, do I need to add liquid fertilizer daily? 

 

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On 4/10/2023 at 11:47 PM, martinmin said:

Hi, @Tanked " My plant only tank is also light only": You don't even have co2 in your plant only tank? Also, "Light and nutrients are more important than filters and heaters", in order to provide proper amount of nutrients, do I need to add liquid fertilizer daily? 

My project tank is where I have been giving failing plants one last chance. The is no CO2, just the DIY light, sand, and some Bladder snails.  The light is on for 16 hours because the room is not well lit. Easy Green is added once a week.  At one point, an air stone was required to break up surface film 

At this point there is no need for a daily dose of fertilizer.  You are dealing with a small amount of water, and the plants can only use so much.  The extra dosing will likely result in an Algae farm.  After your plants settle in and adjust to their new home, you may need to adjust  the dosing.  Root tabs may help get them started.  If you are not doing so already, get some test strips and watch the nitrate levels.  You would want to keep the Nitrates at 20-50 ppm.  Remember that the fish are also a source of fertilizer.  Start slow and remain patient. This process takes weeks, not days.

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On 4/11/2023 at 5:34 AM, Tanked said:

My project tank is where I have been giving failing plants one last chance. The is no CO2, just the DIY light, sand, and some Bladder snails.  The light is on for 16 hours because the room is not well lit. Easy Green is added once a week.  At one point, an air stone was required to break up surface film 

At this point there is no need for a daily dose of fertilizer.  You are dealing with a small amount of water, and the plants can only use so much.  The extra dosing will likely result in an Algae farm.  After your plants settle in and adjust to their new home, you may need to adjust  the dosing.  Root tabs may help get them started.  If you are not doing so already, get some test strips and watch the nitrate levels.  You would want to keep the Nitrates at 20-50 ppm.  Remember that the fish are also a source of fertilizer.  Start slow and remain patient. This process takes weeks, not days.

How do I know whether my tank lacks nutrients? I bought the 'api water test kit', which can test ph, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.  But this test kit doesn't test nutrients, right? Any other tests I can buy to test nutrients? 

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On 4/11/2023 at 8:20 AM, martinmin said:

How do I know whether my tank lacks nutrients? I bought the 'api water test kit', which can test ph, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.  But this test kit doesn't test nutrients, right? Any other tests I can buy to test nutrients? 

Nitrates are the primary nutrient you test for. If you are dosing easy green and your nitrates are 20+ppm, you generally have enough nutrients. The other way to tell if your tank lacks nutrients is when you notice your plants are showing signs of nutrient deficiency. This article has a helpful breakdown of the different nutrient deficiency symptoms https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/plant-nutrient-deficiencies

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On 4/11/2023 at 9:47 PM, martinmin said:

if Nitrate is also toxic, why is it the primary nutrient? Are other minerals such as iron considered as nutrients? what consists of nutrients? 

Nitrates are toxic to animals in high concentrations, but aren't toxic to plants. Plants can use the nitrogen in nitrates, nitrites and ammonia as a nutrient. That's one of the great benefits of having plants in your aquarium. They remove toxins from the water. 

I would consider Iron and other minerals like calcium to be nutrients. I would consider any substance that plants need to grow to be a nutrient. 

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On 4/11/2023 at 11:47 PM, martinmin said:

if Nitrate is also toxic, why is it the primary nutrient? Are other minerals such as iron considered as nutrients? what consists of nutrients? 

As @Ninjoma said, it's only toxic to animals in high concentrations.  Most experts say it's not a problem until it gets around 80 ppm, though some put it much higher.  Of course there can't be a hard and fast number since not all fish and invertebrates have the same tolerance for it, but it's nowhere near as toxic as ammonia or nitrites.

On 4/12/2023 at 1:00 AM, martinmin said:

The glass wall of my new little tank starts to show green stuff. What might cause that?

That sounds like algae getting started.  There can be many causes, but it boils down to an imbalance between the number and health of live plants, the amount of nutrients in the water, and the strength and duration of light.

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Many of us pump water from buckets into the aquarium to avoid lifting the buckets.   When purchasing, the primary consideration is "lift" or "head" ie: How high will your pump raise the water above the pump.  After that GPH., gallons per hour determines how fast the pump will move the water.  GPH is usually calculated at zero feet.  As vertical distance above the pump increases, GPH decreases.

If you go this route, you must stay close by. If the pump quits, you may accidently siphon the water out of the aquarium.  A check valve or ball valve is recommended.  Hooks made from PVC pipe allow you hang the hose on the side of the tank and pump water without holding the hose.

If we are talking about the bowl in the picture, pumping water might not be a good idea if not done carefully.

Edited by Tanked
clarity
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