# know nothing needs assistance...



## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

As mentioned in the Welcome forum, I have recently purchased a new home with a built in aquarium. I know nothing about them but vow to keep the fish alive. 

My tank is 36"W x 36"H x 24"D (134 gal.). I have a very noisy Marineland Magnum 350 canister filter. I was asked what filter media I am using. In inspecting the filter all that is in there is some carbon pebbles and the outer foam sleeve. I am seeking a pump/filter that is far quieter. I was also asked what substrate I have in the aquarium. It appears to be just a bed of pebbles smaller than the size of a pea.

I didn't know if it is a fresh water aquarium or saltwater. So, I scooped a glass of water out of it, went up stairs, and gave it to Mrs. pops. I asked how it tasted. She said it was okay but why. "Does it taste salty?" I asked. She said no, why?

I think it is a fresh water aquarium. 

I don't know what types of fish I have and will post photos of them as soon as I get my 5 posts in. There are about ten of them in total. I will also invest in some written materials to help me learn how to take care of the fish. I don't know how to test the water. I suspect there are some requirements for this.

I do look forward to being here and learning from you kind folks. 

Thanks,


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Welcome to the forum! And the hobby!

I have a Magnum 350 canister filter as well, and it doesn't make much noise. Maybe you have a bad impeller? Does the filter have the manual with it? Also, you might want to look into changing that filter media (the carbon and foam), as you don't really know how old it is...

Read up on something called the aquarium nitrogen cycle, it's vital in understanding how a key element of aquarium keeping works. It explains why you need to do water changes, vacuum the gravel, etc.

For a tank that big, you'll want to look into a python, it's a hose that attaches to your sink faucet and makes changing water in large tanks very easy. Also, get some dechlorinator. If your tap water has chlorine or chloramine in it, that's bad for fish.

Does the tank have any live plants in it?


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

Thanks Gizmo. I'll read up on the nitrogen cycle. 

My tank has only artificial plants. Added to them are a few bigger rocks. I'm on a well at this home. The previous homeowner expressed (vehemently) not to use well water in the aquarium. He said to use "city" water. So thus far when the tanks water level drops, I bring 5 gal. bottled water bottles to work and fill them with city water. I have only done this twice now when the tank is a couple of inches low equating to about 10 gallons.

I have not tested or added any chemicals to date. I feed the ten fish twice a day with a healthy pinch between two fingers of the dry food the owner left. 

The only thing I have done is change the filter sleeve and carbon one time. The sleeve is getting darker in color so I feel it must be time to maintain it again. But I would change over to a different system if I knew what to get.

The present system has two black hang on ?? in which the water goes from the filter to these, then cascades into the tank. 

The noise from the pump is irritating and the cascading water noise works on me better than several cups of coffee. Are these hanging ?? required or can the hose from the filter be directed directly under the surface of the water?

Again, thanks in advance for any input.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

http://www.aquariumpart.com/v/vspfiles/V4_Backup/PDF/magnum_manual.pdf
There's the manual.

The bio-wheel feature can be replaced with just a regular outlet. Did he leave you with a box of spare parts? Look for a u-shaped outlet feature that you can attach to the outlet and hang on the edge of the tank. Here's the outlet feature:
Marineland Magnum 350 Outlet Tube with Diffuser Aquarium Canister Filter Parts

You actually *want* to let the filter get a little dirty. Not enough to clog it, obviously, but the brown crud you see in the filter is beneficial nitrifying bacteria, for the most part, and is crucial in the nitrogen cycle. So let it get cruddy and whenever you change the water, wring out the sleeve and change the carbon. Wash the carbon first, as the carbon dust can foul your tank if not cleaned out first.

As far as the noise - when the filter is off, pull everything out and inspect the impeller. Look for etches in the magnetic material, any bent impeller blades, etc. It's the only moving part in the filter, so if it's a mechanical rattling you're hearing, I'm betting the impeller is the cause. Here's a link to order a spare impeller and/or magnet:
Magnum 350 and 350 Deluxe Filter Magnet Assembly
Marineland Magnum 350 Replacement Filter Impeller

The other possible cause of noise is that the filter was not fully primed and has some air in it. When you are ready to turn the filter back on, fill the housing most of the way full of water and then cap it, give it a short burst of power to flood the lines, and then turn it off. Once the lines are flooded, a siphon action will purge the rest of the lineup of air, if that makes any sense. Then, once all the bubbles have stopped coming out of the inlet and outlet, turn the filter on and leave it on.


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

Gizmo,

Thanks again for the added knowledge. 

That has me asking more.

With my tank being 134 gallons and having 10 fish, and only artificial plants; is that enough information to determine when or how often the water needs to be changed?

I'm attaching some pics if they may be of some help:


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Oh, the things I would do if I had that big of a tank to work with 

The bigger the tank, generally the less frequently you have to change water. For 134 gallons with a low bio-load, I would say that you can get away with a 25% water change every 2 weeks or so.

With that being said, adding live plants and a good cleanup crew would really extend that time frame. Nitrates are the end result of the aquarium nitrogen cycle and will build up in your tank to toxic levels, necessitating the fabled water changes. Plants love nitrate for its nitrogen. Your tank looks like it has decent lighting so if you went to PetsMart and bought some wisteria, maybe a giant hygro or two, and an amazon sword, you would have plenty of plants. You'll have to add root fertilizer tablets, but that's about it.

A cleanup crew would be creatures like plecostimus (sucker fish), snails, and catfish. A mixture of these creatures would keep your tank pretty pristine as far as algae and uneaten food goes. And if you have live plants, they love absorbing waste products like poo out of the substrate.

If you get a plecostimus, make sure you get a rubber lip or a bushynose pleco, don't get a common as they get HUGE. And buy them a piece of driftwood because they like rasping on it as part of their diet.

For the time being, what will really tell you when you need to change the water would be a nitrate testing kit. You can use the litmus testing strips but I don't really care for them as they aren't very accurate. API sells a good liquid titration testing kit called the API Master Freshwater Test Kit, about $35 bucks at PetsMart, or cheaper online. It has test kits for pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, and I love mine to death. Test for nitrates and if your levels get up around 40-80 ppm, you'll want to do a 25% water change to lower the concentrations.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Beautiful tank. If that were mine I would pull the rocks out and reset different and add a bunch of live plants and wood.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Well since we are doing the if it were mine game, lol I would plant it, fill with wood and of course, stock with macs! And some schoolers. 

Anyhow very nice tank, love the shape and placement.


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

Thanks for the continued help and suggestions. Please know they are appreciated and recorded. 

I think I may have a clean-up crew in there now. Let me see if I have a pic of them:


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Looks like clown plecs. Word of advice. They need wood as they are wood eaters and not much for algae.


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

They are not suckers? 

The black one that has attached itself to the side of the tank in the first pic seems like it is always on the glass. The one in the second pic seems to be on the rocks most often.

I'll skip the off color joke but doesn't most wood float? Would PetSmart have the wood needed for these fish?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Yes they are sucker fish, but one thing to remember, there are many kinds. The black one will probably eat some algae, but the other if it is a clown pleco which it looks like will eat some but their main diet is wood. 

Most wood bought at lfs for aquariums will sink. Just rinse and add to tank.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Dense wood like manzanita, mopani, cholla, and even some waterlogged sections of hardwood like oak would do well and sink in a tank. PetsMart may or may not sell some.

Susan is a pleco breeder on here and knows more about them than I ever could. I do know that they like eating wood as much as eating algae. They also enjoy zucchini, frozen and kinda mushy.

Look into maybe an Apple Snail (aka Mystery Snail), they're great algae busters from what I've heard.


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

I'm taking it all in. 

Going back to a partial change of water:

This is going to be a challenge for me. If I must use city water as the previous owner stressed I have to get it in 5 gal bottles from a source in town. A 25% change is 33 gals. I can't maneuver a full 5 gal bottle up above the tank. I'm good for about half that where I have to contort to pour it in. What's worse; Chlorine or iron? My well has a reasonable amount of iron in it. I would suspect taking water after it goes through the water softener might be as bad since it has salt added to it. ..... I digress....The above are my problems to work out. 

Can the fish remain in the tank during this 25% water change out if I have the water to at least room temperature?

Again, thanks for the continued sage advice.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Sweet potatoes are good for them too.

You can leave the fish int he tank during the changes. If your on city water you can usually use it as long as you add a dechlorinator to the water when adding it in. I suggest you look into a python water changing system for your tank, as large as it is. Its not very expensive and is worth its weight in gold with the ease. 

Driftwood, you can buy it from an aquarium shop or if you know of a place with some oak trees you can find some fallen limbs. Make sure theres no pesticides sprayed on the trees. Boil the wood and place in the tank. It will usually float for a while but does eventually sink. The plecs wouldnt mind floating or otherwise as long as they have access to it.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Softened water will be fine, I used it for years on my tanks in Utah and you have much hardier fish than I did. Get the python, as stated. You'll thank us for it


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Bev he is on well water. If you can get an analysis of it, it would make it easier to find what the problem is with the well. Even well water can use prime to remove most heavy metals.

You can also consider installing a ro/di unit to mix with your well water.


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## Cat696 (Apr 27, 2011)

HI! Welcome!

Wow, you weren't kidding. On a 135 gallon tank, I would have to recommend a sump filter. The pumps are placed underwater and a good Marineland filter is a gift in this hobby. Their canisters are very nice, but a sump is VERY versatile, and you can customize the media, flow rate and water feed (in or out) to your needs. There will always be SOME noise.. 
You have 10 fish?? There needs will be determined by their type (species) and strata of existence. Where they spend their time. What habitats do they come from originally?? I find that just because they are born and raised in captivity doesn't mean they do not thrive in an environment that closely replicates what they would have in nature. 
Water quality is the single most important thing in your tank, the filtration coming in a close second.
It doesn't matter where the water comes from so long as it meets the needs of the living things in your tank. Well water or not. 
Testing your water is very important. You can obtain testing supplies from the local aquarium store. Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, and water hardness (GH/KH) tests are the very basics of this process. If you are not familiar with your water, you may need to send your water off to the local treatment facility and have it run through a full battery of tests. (this will give you a solid knowledge of your water from which to work). So long as there is no extreme in water contamination, you may be able to get a filter for your tap (RO/DI), and say a 30-50 gallon tank with a basic filter (and nothing else)for water prep. Water prep is a FANTASTIC idea for a stable, healthy tank of that size. You can fiddle with the water till its "perfect" and stable BEFORE you put it in your tank. This will help to minimize any fluctuations in your tank water conditions, which will help you keep a beautiful, healthy, stable tank. And a little work up front means fewer tank disasters, and less work in the long run. And wouldn't it be nice not to have to cart gallon bottles back and forth, to and from work. On top of which, you don't know what is in the water there either.. 
Beneficial bacteria is a huge part of your healthy tank and is necessary. The cycling of a tank is a simple idea, but tends to get complicated in a hurry if you don't know what is happening. 
First, there will be an ammonia spike, then a nitrate spike, then a nitrite spike. This is normal, as is something called biological bloom (it will look like someone poured milk in the water, or perhaps like a thick fog bank suspended in your tank). The biological bloom is not toxic, it is the bacteria replicating at an accelerated rate due to the availability of "food" (waste) in your water. The above spikes are TOXIC to everything in your tank, but they need to happen to create a functional environment. This is why many people try to do a "fishless" cycling of the tank. It is also why those who don't do it that way, use "starter" fish. It is not only your tank that needs this, but also your filter. The biological bacteria need to colonize and proliferate. It is what breaks down the organic elements of waste in the tank water. 
These are some starting points for you to explore. 
Good luck!


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## Lolie (Oct 1, 2012)

I have well water too. It killed my fish for years and then I finally figured out it was the heavy metals that were killing the fish and low ph and soft water. I got heavy metal detox conditioner and soft water fish and they couldnt be happier. You could always get a R/O unit for the well water so you wouldnt have to keep going into town to get it and haul it back.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Ah, I see. That does make a difference then. I thought I read city water for some reason.


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

Good afternoon friends. 

After having to install a new 5 stage reverse osmosis under-sink system that included not one but two separate runs to the hardware store, I'm back on the aquarium. I did pick up the API Master Test Kit that Gizmo suggested (Thanks Gizmo!)

Here are the results:

PH 7.6 on the normal PH test, 7.4 on the High Range PH test
Amonia .25ppm
Nitrite .0ppm
Nitrate 40ppm

Are these in the correct ballpark?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

pops said:


> 1. After having to install a new 5 stage reverse osmosis under-sink system that included not one but two separate runs to the hardware store, I'm back on the aquarium.
> 
> 2. PH 7.6 on the normal PH test, 7.4 on the High Range PH test Amonia .25ppm Nitrite .0ppm Nitrate 40ppm Are these in the correct ballpark?


1. Use the RO system water for your fish and you'll be golden. Might want to grab some SeaChem Equilibrium and some baking soda to raise your hardness and alkalinity back up to friendly conditions for your fish, as the RO unit will zero those out.

2. Your parameters look good. One thing to note: The 0.25 ppm ammonia level is actually a false reading - at near-zero ammonia concentrations the API kit is kinda hard to read accurately. It's zero though, trust me. Mine tries to fool me all the time as well.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I think instead of baking soda I would add a little crushed coral to your filter, that way you don't have to keep adding everytime you do a water change.


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

Gizmo said:


> 1. Use the RO system water for your fish and you'll be golden. Might want to grab some SeaChem Equilibrium and some baking soda to raise your hardness and alkalinity back up to friendly conditions for your fish, as the RO unit will zero those out.
> 
> 2. Your parameters look good. One thing to note: The 0.25 ppm ammonia level is actually a false reading - at near-zero ammonia concentrations the API kit is kinda hard to read accurately. It's zero though, trust me. Mine tries to fool me all the time as well.



My under sink RO unit only puts out 2Gal/hr. I did see that there are RO units designed for aquariums. I may look into their output to see if it is reasonable. 

I would like to find an alternate to running into town to get five 5 gal just filled up then having to split them in half in order pour them into the tank. I may next invest in some sort of pump to minimize the lifting.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

now that you have test kit; check your source water(from well) .If kit didn't come with GH( generalhardness) or KH (carbonate hardness) those readings will be very usefull in figuring your water issue out.I used to be on well also(not any more,whole nother ball of wax).A pump will help you out with water changes , and I'll tell you how I do it later .First things first. Your source water; test it lets see what you got.I have RO/DI that makes 75 gallons a day.We can discuss that if necessary.Ro/Di is not suitable staight and instead of needing thing to put back what filter took out lets see what you got right from well.Possibly sediment filters with proper cartridge/chemicals will let you go right to tank without re-buffing.YOUR FISH ARE: clown loaches(orange with black stripes), angel,plecostomusX2, and two fish I couldn't ID.The shark guy is a BALA SHARK, look him up and decide for yourself what you think.Test well and post .NICE TANK!Enjoy your new home,good choice to me just for tank(Who ever buys mine when the time comes gets a 180G).


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

Thank you coralbandit. 

Culligan is wrestling with my water right now. They put in what they said was their newest system that is 'sposed to take care of the hard water and high iron content in one package. As of the moment they have been here 4 times and are now talking about replacing the whole system. I'll seek out a well water testing kit and determine what I have and report back. Thanks also for identifying some of my fish. I bought a book over the weekend that did point out some of them. There are still a couple that are a mystery to me and I will post individual photos of them Tuesday evening for further review. 

The tank is growing on me but I bought the home for its uniqueness and the TIKI bar.  Both can be seen on my site (Look at diversion 6)

Evening update:

I've ordered a well water testing kit. Hope to have some results by the end of the week.

The book I purchased identified (I think) some of my fish. But I would like to confirm them.









Is this a Silver Dollar?










Cherry Barb?









??


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## LTruex (Nov 8, 2012)

Welcome Pops and nice tank. The cleanup crew cannot include snails you have all those clown loach that will wipe out even the thought of snails. Your wife didn't need to taste the water if we could have seen the fish...oh did you ever tell her what she was drinking LOL. You do have your work cutout for you, but that is a nice start and perhaps you have a neighbor who is into fish...nice to have someone close by in case you need immediate help but the computer is dead. Good luck with the tank. Larry


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## LTruex (Nov 8, 2012)

Sorry for a double post, but just saw the post on second page and Pops asks if this is a silver dollar...No fin and body shape suggest tetra, and near image I found is Columbian Tetra, but even that is not exact, so could be a hybred, but not a silver dollar. Another look I now feel it's closest to diamond tetra. Larry


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

Thank you for the help in ID'ing my fish. Yes, a local friend would be a great help. I hope to visit a locally owned pet shop this weekend and maybe I can get some additional help there and perhaps meet somebody in my area.

I now have a well water testing kit, but this past weekend was dedicated to prepping the outside for winter. Hope to be able to do a thorough well water test this weekend to see if my well water would be okay to use in my tank.

Thanks again for the continued help.


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## LTruex (Nov 8, 2012)

Pops, a good way to work with testing water for fish use is a very small tank (I consider 10 gal. to be the maximum of small size) and work with testing fish use with some endler which can tolerate more ph than guppy, and are nice to look at. Larry


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Your well water may be okay to use straight from the well. It just depends on the fish. You have a larger tank, but this does not mean you can get away with less frequent water changes. They are more important with smaller tanks, but no less important with larger ones. It is more based off of bio-load, not volume of water. 

A RO"DI" system is the only method that completely strips all nutrients from the water.  Not so with just RO systems, although most of them can get you pretty close. They just aren't designed to do it is all. Personally I would be weary of using softened water as some can be high in sodium and may not work with the type of fish you have/want. It will not likely be something that affects them fast but may over time. It would be better to by-pass, or use no more than 50% of your water change.


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## rift lake (Nov 8, 2012)

Nice tank, But with all the advise you got from the others I have nothing to add, all i want to say is the way you tested to see if it was fresh or saltwater was the funniest thing I have read in a long time. Good luck with the tank


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## Sully (Oct 31, 2012)

One thing I will add that I didn't see posted. Make SURE you unplug your heater during a water change if the level will expose the heating element of the heater outside of the water. You wouldn't believe how fast that thing will melt the suction cup mounting it to the wal of your tank. Not that I've EVER done that, lol. *#3 

That tank looks great and with a few of the suggestions on here will be an marvel to look at for years to come.


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## pops (Nov 1, 2012)

Several doses of sage advice are all well received. Thanks to all. 

Concurrently with the fish, I'm also trying to build a dog house before winter sets in. Thus, I'm bouncing back and forth between these and other "honey do's." Where does the time go????

Hope to get to a larger local pet store specializing in fish tomorrow too. Looking forward to some help there too.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Sully said:


> One thing I will add that I didn't see posted. Make SURE you unplug your heater during a water change if the level will expose the heating element of the heater outside of the water. You wouldn't believe how fast that thing will melt the suction cup mounting it to the wal of your tank. Not that I've EVER done that, lol. *#3


I have water change power strips to help with this. My lights are on one powerstrip. My filters, heaters, powerheads, and anything that needs water to operate correctly in the other powerstrip. When I start my water change I just turn off the strip and everything needing to go off, does so. I've messed up one or two also....not since I used this idea though.


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## Sully (Oct 31, 2012)

Haha, I "had" the same set-up when I did my dumb dumb. Sad that I didn;t think to just push a button before starting. Good thing they sell the little suction cup things as I thought I was gonna have to fork out another 40 bucks for a new heater. Lesson's learned the hard way, lol.



jrman83 said:


> I have water change power strips to help with this. My lights are on one powerstrip. My filters, heaters, powerheads, and anything that needs water to operate correctly in the other powerstrip. When I start my water change I just turn off the strip and everything needing to go off, does so. I've messed up one or two also....not since I used this idea though.


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