Couple Questions..

Now that my aquarium is getting more established...I have a couple questions
pertaining to cleaning my 55 GALLON tank

#1 - How do i use the large siphon vacuem?

#2 - We were concerned about water displacement since we hadnt added everything but now we arent adding much more so originally we only filled it so that there is about 5 inches of space from the top of the tank to the water level. Do we do the 20% water change THEN just add all the water we need to add? Or just add that additional water and change it later?

Also.. What chemicals are best for PH levels? What chemicals do you use to keep nitrite levels down?

My tank just went through its bacterial bloom phaze and is now clearing up very nicely on its own..but the ph levels are a lil high and now there are nitrite levels showing up. Do we just let it go through that part of the cycle and just watch the levels or should we add anything? I put in some aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons as my LFS said) to try to reduce the PH. Am i doing the right thing?

Thanks!

 

for the vaccum, u will prob need a bucket...this is how i do mine.....stick the larger end in the water, make sure it stays in water, then while watching the hose suck on the end thats not in the water.....as soon as the water starts running, take your mouth off and let the water run into the bucket.....move the head around and make sure it goes into the gravel, not on top. pretty much like siphoning anything else. might take a few times of water in your outh, but u will get the hang of it.

 

Thanks so much!

 

yea, no prob....as for the PH i prefer not to use chemicals but use other naturla PHJ buffers such as coral (there are other things too, i jsut cant think of them all)

 

Yeah I have a freshwater tank..so no coral for me :? Am I doing the right thing using Aquarium salt?

Im me if you have yahoo messenger ,please - Toyrollagyrl

 

HOW DO I LOWER MY PH? its at 8.4 right now. :?

 

Messing with your pH is more trouble than its worth IMO. Most fish that you get will do just fine in any pH so long as you take your time acclimating them to your pH. Fish do best when a pH is any steady number instead of a fluctuating number caused by you trying to acheive a "perfect" pH.

My pH is 8.4 as well and my water is hard as a rock and have never encountered any problems because of this.

If you were trying to raise your pH you could you crushed coral in the tank or limestone rocks. Lowering is much more difficult, usually filtering through peat is the best method but this turns your water a very dark brown color too.

 

i would not use chemicals there is a natural way i think if you use peat in your filter it will lower it

 

Thank you!! Thats such a big relief We are doing our first water change tomorrow..What product do you reccomend for us to use to treat each bucket that goes in?

 

I like Aquasafe, I think it's made by Tetra. Usually people just pour a little of this in the tank first and then they pour in the new water. Or some mix it in the buckets first. Either way

First water change ever? Congrats! You are going to make such a mess :lol:

 

hehe Thats what towels are for :y_the_best: Anyway the tank isnt completely full anyway, i can see three or four inches of space between the water and the top of the tank..we need to put MORE water in there lol

How much do we add per bucket?

((We have a designated fish bucket :y_the_best: )) After we put it in the water in the bucket, do we have to wait a certain amount of time or put the solution in the water then pour in?

 

Nope you don't have to wait. It works instantly. How large is your bucket in gallons? Usually there are directions on the bottle of dechlor that say something like "1 capful per 10 gallons" or something like that. So if you take out say 20 gallons of water from your tank and replace it with new then you would only need to add two capfuls to the first bucket. You shouldn't need to evenly distribute it between bucketfulls.

I'll usually fill my tank all the way back up and then add the dose of dechlor. Up to you how you want to do it really, any way will work so long as it gets in the tank

 

Grnlemonade, Heather and Nicole.
To make the siphon work simply place both ends of the hose in the water. Make sure that all of the air bubbles are out, then put you finger over the small hose side of the siphon. With your finger on the hose place that end into or over the bucket. The water should start running by itself as long as the hose is lower than the bottom of your tank. Just FYI!

 

Here's what I do to start the siphon (I have a 15' hose on it so it's difficult to put the whole think in the water).

I put the end of the hose out a window or door. I completely submerge the larger end in the tank then lift it up with the opening pointing up. The water will start going down the tube and when it's 1/2 way I submerge the tube again and let it fill up with water and start vacuuming.

-Chelle

 

wow, thanks hooben and t_chelle.....maybe this way i wont get mouthfuls of fish water again? lol