Bruin
03-29-2003, 5:46 PM
I have an 80g aquarium that was active for 3 years, and I just ripped it apart last week to start over, reasons given below.
My Equipment:
Emperor 400
Fluval 404
300W heater
Assorted rocks (red lava I believe) and fake plants for deco.
The remaining fish in the aquarium were 3 Cichlids, not sure of their exact type but I believe they were African from Lake Malawi, and a red tail shark. I bought a 20g and moved all the fish to that aquarium, as well as the gravel, some of the rocks, and the Emperor 400 from the old tank. The fish are fine and more lively than before.
My main problems with the tank and why I decided to rip it apart were as follows:
1. Algae, Algae, everywhere. This is just what absolutely ruined it for me. I first got the brown algae, diatomes, everywhere. It was easy to clean but within 2 weeks there'd be sheets of it all over the glass and it just became a PAIN. I got some phosphate removing media that I put in the emporer which dramatically lowered the phosphate levels and eventually the brown stuff was gone. BUT, that's when the green stuff started showing up. I did frequent water changes, 20% about every 3 weeks, but to get rid of the stuff required a heck of a lot of elbow grease just on the glass. But this stuff was all over the fake plants, my rocks, EVERYTHING. It came to the point where I honestly just gave up. The algae became so hard and thick, I now have to use my nails just to scrape it off. Thus one of the reasons I decided to start over, give the tank a GOOD cleaning. I realize now that some of the conditions leading to this were - I have a well lit room but the tank doesn't get any direct sunlight. I did leave the lights on for about 12 hours a day, which I will severely cut back on, to about 4-6 hours a day.
I am also thinking and probably will after giving the tank a good scrubbing, fill it up with water, let all the filters run through with no media and pour a few gallons of bleach to kill off any remaining algae spores. Then do a few 90% water changes and add a lot of chlormine (sp?) neutralizing chemicals, then begin to cycle the tank. I am also contemplating getting a UV sterilizer, but not sure how they work.
2. Gravel. With all the rock formations that were present, cleaning the gravel was a PAIN. Also, I put too much gravel in, about 100lbs so that it had about a 3-4 inch layer. Eventually, the gravel got soo choked up with debris, that an anaerobic (sp?) condition developed and all sorts of gunk grew down there. I tossed out all my old gravel which was a normal pebble size. I am wondering what I could do to prevent such a buildup of debris. My first thoughts were:
- get a sand type gravel, which would make it harder for debris to even sink down into the gravel.
- get a fairly large sized gravel 1/4-1/2 inch sized pebbles and run reverse flow undergravel filter, which would then hopefully prevent the debris from even settling.
- OR, just run a normal UGF with the same large sized pebbles but with a high enough flow rate that would just suck the debris out directly into a filter, such as my fluval.
Basically, what I'm asking for help in:
1. For any reason the bleach idea a bad one?
2. What can I do to prevent such an algae buildup.
3. What steps can I take to make it easier to clean the gravel, or take steps to help prevent a debris build up in the first place other than just constant gravel vacuuming.
4. Also, can someone recommend a good gravel for cichlids, preferably that would help me prevent the whole gravel debris.
5. Lastly, what types of cichlids should I be looking at to match with my current fish?
Once the 80g is properly cycled, I will return my fish to the tank.
Money is not a big concern, I wouldn't mind spending a few hundred dollars if necessary to purchase equipment that would make the care of my tank easier or less burdensome. ie a UV filter or another fluval so I could have 2 fluvals connected and sucking from the UGF.
Thanks!
My Equipment:
Emperor 400
Fluval 404
300W heater
Assorted rocks (red lava I believe) and fake plants for deco.
The remaining fish in the aquarium were 3 Cichlids, not sure of their exact type but I believe they were African from Lake Malawi, and a red tail shark. I bought a 20g and moved all the fish to that aquarium, as well as the gravel, some of the rocks, and the Emperor 400 from the old tank. The fish are fine and more lively than before.
My main problems with the tank and why I decided to rip it apart were as follows:
1. Algae, Algae, everywhere. This is just what absolutely ruined it for me. I first got the brown algae, diatomes, everywhere. It was easy to clean but within 2 weeks there'd be sheets of it all over the glass and it just became a PAIN. I got some phosphate removing media that I put in the emporer which dramatically lowered the phosphate levels and eventually the brown stuff was gone. BUT, that's when the green stuff started showing up. I did frequent water changes, 20% about every 3 weeks, but to get rid of the stuff required a heck of a lot of elbow grease just on the glass. But this stuff was all over the fake plants, my rocks, EVERYTHING. It came to the point where I honestly just gave up. The algae became so hard and thick, I now have to use my nails just to scrape it off. Thus one of the reasons I decided to start over, give the tank a GOOD cleaning. I realize now that some of the conditions leading to this were - I have a well lit room but the tank doesn't get any direct sunlight. I did leave the lights on for about 12 hours a day, which I will severely cut back on, to about 4-6 hours a day.
I am also thinking and probably will after giving the tank a good scrubbing, fill it up with water, let all the filters run through with no media and pour a few gallons of bleach to kill off any remaining algae spores. Then do a few 90% water changes and add a lot of chlormine (sp?) neutralizing chemicals, then begin to cycle the tank. I am also contemplating getting a UV sterilizer, but not sure how they work.
2. Gravel. With all the rock formations that were present, cleaning the gravel was a PAIN. Also, I put too much gravel in, about 100lbs so that it had about a 3-4 inch layer. Eventually, the gravel got soo choked up with debris, that an anaerobic (sp?) condition developed and all sorts of gunk grew down there. I tossed out all my old gravel which was a normal pebble size. I am wondering what I could do to prevent such a buildup of debris. My first thoughts were:
- get a sand type gravel, which would make it harder for debris to even sink down into the gravel.
- get a fairly large sized gravel 1/4-1/2 inch sized pebbles and run reverse flow undergravel filter, which would then hopefully prevent the debris from even settling.
- OR, just run a normal UGF with the same large sized pebbles but with a high enough flow rate that would just suck the debris out directly into a filter, such as my fluval.
Basically, what I'm asking for help in:
1. For any reason the bleach idea a bad one?
2. What can I do to prevent such an algae buildup.
3. What steps can I take to make it easier to clean the gravel, or take steps to help prevent a debris build up in the first place other than just constant gravel vacuuming.
4. Also, can someone recommend a good gravel for cichlids, preferably that would help me prevent the whole gravel debris.
5. Lastly, what types of cichlids should I be looking at to match with my current fish?
Once the 80g is properly cycled, I will return my fish to the tank.
Money is not a big concern, I wouldn't mind spending a few hundred dollars if necessary to purchase equipment that would make the care of my tank easier or less burdensome. ie a UV filter or another fluval so I could have 2 fluvals connected and sucking from the UGF.
Thanks!