What is this white web-like stuff in my aquarium?
weedwoman
18 years ago
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skygee
18 years agoweedwoman
18 years agoRelated Discussions
Aquarium gravel, any one ever try this?
Comments (13)Veronica, you only use a tiny amount of salts, I just put a sprinkle in the melt. It's all locked up in the glass (much like synrock) and should be completely safe (those old fasioned blue bottles are made with cobalt, a normally quite toxic chemical). So I don't think they would affect the concrete in the slightest. fairy_toadmother, what do you want to know? I did it years ago when I was living at home and had access to a blowtorch. But it is fairly strightforward. I don't know where you get good crucibles, I was given mine from visiting an aluminium smelter. Perhaps you could make one from cement, or use a pottery container (stoneware pottery is usually fired at around 1400C, vitreous hotter still). Apparently glass melts at 1000 degrees C, and a normal butane/LPG blowtorch is about 1300 degrees C. I visited a glass factory when I was at school and they just used natural gas to melt plate glass. I had a quick look around and couldn't find any instructions on the web. The basic approach is the same as used for colouring glazes in pottery. Now I think about it, you can probably get suitable oxides from a pottery store for practically any colour. Some colours, Some more colours You can melt glass in a charcoal, coal, or briquette fire with bellows. Granite won't fade because it is coloured much the same way as glass (although with different base substances, often crystals rather than glass). The colours you get from these 'inorganic pigments' are very long lasting, unlike azo dyes commonly used in food colouring, pens, clothes etc. Granite does decompose slowly in the presence of water, but I wouldn't worry about it (it is slow enough that people make kitchen benches out of it!) or even bother with sealant. The granite will out live the sealant....See Moreneed to clean lime sulfur spray off aquarium
Comments (2)Try vinegar to see if that works, if you can find it "pickling vinegar" works best. It is more acidic. Don't kill yourself looking for it, the 5% acidic store brand works also. I am unfamiliar with the spray that caused this, but after removing the lime, maybe a good bleach solution (1 part bleach to 19parts water) would be a good idea. Paying close attention to the silicone seams. Of course let the chlorine evaporate for a few days after rinsing it well....See MoreNewbie, first aquarium, 2 dead fish, help?
Comments (13)Yes you can leave it fishless and let it cycle on it´s own, your tank already has what it needs in order to cycle, but that doesn´t mean that after cycling on it´s own you will be able to stock it full abruptly. Here´s the catch, in order for your tank to "cycle" you have to seed it with nitrifying bacteria ( from another tank or purchased in freeze dried or liquid form ), that original bacteria pupulation you added will remain dormant until the conditions allow them to become active, that is, until they have "food" ( nitrogenous compounds ) that "food" can be given in several ways, with ammonium ( fishless cycling ) or by adding fish and/or fish food, once the bacteria have something to chew on they will begin multiplying, as they begin to mutiply they will begin breaking down and transforming the ammonia into nitrites and later into nitrates, this process will go on until all the ammonia is consumed ( the levels drop to zero ), then until the nitrites are gone ( the levels drop to zero ) and the only remaining part left are the nitrates. Depending upon how much food the bacteria were supplied with the population will grow to a certain level. You have X ammount of bacteria to methabolize X ammount of fish waste. Everytime you add fish the ammount of waste increases, so new bacteria have to develop to take care of that increase in the waste levels, if you exceed the carrying capacity of the tank that balance collapses and again new tank syndrome appears ( high levels of ammonia, high levels of nitrites ). The way the system protects itself is by eliminating the cause of the unbalance ---> killing fish until the balance is restored to acceptable levels. Some fish are more resistant to increased ammonia and nitrite levels than others, those fish are the ones that survive the meleè, the others don´t. Don´t feel dissapointed, most of us fish keepers learned the lesson the hard way just like you. Did you purchase the tank in an aquarium store ? Most aquarium owners are or have been hobbyists and most offer technical advice when setting up your first tank, the mentality of them is different they in it not for the money ( few get rich selling tropical fish for exception of the dealers and breeders ), they are in it because they love the hobby and what could be better than make a decent living doing what you love ?, on the other hand chainstores and pet stores only see you as a sign of money and the people that work in them is by far well qualified. You say you have a filter with two different kinds of "filters" in it, brand & model ? more specific details are needed, "two" filters tell me nothing....See MoreHow vital is a commercial aquarium stand?
Comments (19)Well, I went with a 39 Marineland tall because of size, cost, & the fantastic hood--covered double lights, separate flip-top for filter access, a biowheel, etc. Yeah, I know, less O2 absortion area, but hey, only 4 goldies & a few cories, plus i maintain regularly. The 55 longs had crummier hoods & light set-ups & were too long for the ONE place I could put them--the dresser top. Plus, I hate the hang-on-the-back filters I've been using--even though they ARE good filters. They just bug me as far as accessing them from behind the tank to service. And finally, I HAD to make a decision (even if it was the wrong one!). I had four goldies in a cracked 20 gallon tank that could fail any minute. Got a slab of MDF cut to stretch across the full length of the dresser top. Then (couldn't find the #$*% foam) lined the tank edges with that thick heavy-duty stick-on foam to pad campers to pickups. So far so good, fingers crossed. Each of the 3-4 levels we have reads differently (!) but all have the bubble in the middle, a couple have it VERY *slightly* left/middle. But the best level we have, though a professional one, is visibly warped, sooo.... I'm watching carefully as things settle. Shimmed with heavy cardboard to the right, added gravel & a few gallons, rechecked level, added more water, etc. And y'all are quite correct: no floor is true level either! We have a slab foundation, so no problems there, as far as the weight. The goldies & moors are in hog heaven & the tank is a beauty. Ehh...so what if I now have to stand on a stool to pull out the filter foam (yup, I DIDN'T think about the height)! still wouldn't matter, because it came down to: the tank MUST go on the dresser, PERIOD. Thank you again for the great advice :)...See Morebirdinthepalm
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