New fluval edge - need cycling & stocking suggestions

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Alex2290

Large Fish
#81
Oct 20, 2010
159
0
0
Jacksonville, FL
#81
I don't really care about breeding the chili rasboras, but I just don't want them eating every little shrimplet. I would at least like to have some shrimp survive down the line. :) You think I should order a "golfball size" taiwan moss from this guy for $3? Would that be enough to start off with? I can provide the shrimp, light, and water. :p



Also.. let me know if you find any good pieces of driftwood on the net (with cheap shipping). I'm really not happy with this current driftwood and I'm kicking myself for paying $15 for it.
 

bassbonediva

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
#82
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
0
0
Northern Arizona
#82
All my driftwood has been wild-collected. Have you tried going to a local river/lake/beach and seeing what you can find? I've found some pretty cool pieces ranging from small stuff that fits in my 5gal tanks to huge stuff that barely fits in my bigger tanks.

Also, the driftwood should have lowered your pH quite a bit. It lowered mine from 8.2 to 7.6.
 

Dylandrewsdad

Dylandrewsdad

Large Fish
#83
Aug 13, 2010
870
0
0
Sicklerville, NJ
#83
Don't mess with the PH, you will be asking for trouble. Also shake the snot out of the nitrate test bottles, ESPECIALLY bottle #2. Shake it till your arm falls off, then switch arms! If the kit is new, it has been sitting on a shelf for a while, the chemicals will solidify and give false readings. A song is coming to mind....Aak?
 

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Alex2290

Large Fish
#85
Oct 20, 2010
159
0
0
Jacksonville, FL
#85
I have and haven't found anything that's must have.


I picked up two amano shrimp for 50 cents each today from my lfs, and a pre-filter sponge from another. I may remove the pre-filter sponge, though. It's pretty ugly. I can't believe I drove 15 miles out of my way to get it today. -_-
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#86
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
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Northern NJ
#86
lol i agree that prefilter sponge is not something i would have gotten for my edge...too bulky i guess, unless you hide it with rock. what kind of rock have you thought about using in this tank?
 

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Alex2290

Large Fish
#87
Oct 20, 2010
159
0
0
Jacksonville, FL
#87
Idk but I want to scrap this current driftwood as soon as I find something else to put in here. You think a piece of lava rock with a little bit of that taiwan moss on it would look OK?

Maybe I'll shop around tomorrow at LFS's and see what they have. Side note: my red cherry shrimp were just marked as shipped. :)
 

unwritten law

unwritten law

Superstar Fish
#89
Sep 2, 2008
1,471
0
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36
DC
#89
Alex2290 said:
I have and haven't found anything that's must have.


I picked up two amano shrimp for 50 cents each today from my lfs, and a pre-filter sponge from another. I may remove the pre-filter sponge, though. It's pretty ugly. I can't believe I drove 15 miles out of my way to get it today. -_-
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you sure?... thats really cheap for them... they might be ghost shrimp?
 

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Alex2290

Large Fish
#94
Oct 20, 2010
159
0
0
Jacksonville, FL
#94
Well, one died. =\ I put some stuff in the water before I put them in yesterday, to lower the ph, and waited around an hour to kind of drip acclimate them to my water. I retested my PH a few minutes ago when I noticed one had died (and apparently been eaten by the other one), and it was at 7.8 .. So IDK what happened. :( Hopefully the other will survive.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#96
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#96
Alex2290 said:
I think chili rasboras need lower PH than 7.9, right? I'd just like to be ready for them.
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The Chili Rasbora, when I first received them, came from the supplier with a pH of 8.2. I matched that in a QT tank for them, and they bred before the month of QT was up. I've since lowered the pH in their quarters down to 6.7 so they could live with another schoal of fish. I don't know if its the lower pH that caused more eggs to hatch or they liked the larger tank with their native plants, but they did fine within that range for me. Sorry the information didn't get to you via PM, but is does show in my sent mail.

Unless you want to try breeding them in larger numbers, I'd not worry about the pH. Adjusting the pH with the chemicals does not normally keep the pH stable. If your water has a high buffering capacity, it will just rebound back up. Sudden changes in pH can/will kill a lot of fish, especially tiny ones.
 

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bassbonediva

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
#97
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
0
0
Northern Arizona
#97
Rasbora het, or harlequin rasbora, aren't suitable for a 6gal tank. I have 10 in my 55gal and they school back and forth constantly. I have yet to see them stop moving. When I only had five, they were not quite as active, but still too active even for my 18gal tall tank.
 

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Alex2290

Large Fish
#98
Oct 20, 2010
159
0
0
Jacksonville, FL
#98
Thank you both for your replies I really appreciate the advice. I didnt know of any ways to lower ph other than chemicals. I guess I'll have to do some research on it...

Ty for letting me know about those harlequin rasboras. They were pretty active in the store and now I'm not sure that 6 gallons is enough room for 6 of them. I doubt I wi get them now, but I'm still pretty tempted!
 

bassbonediva

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
#99
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
0
0
Northern Arizona
#99
I love my harlies, so I can understand the temptation!

The most effective and natural way to lower pH is with driftwood. Just curious as to why you want to lower your pH in the first place. Any fish can adapt to any pH, as long as they are acclimated correctly and the pH remains steady.
 

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