Gonna get my feet wet....

[Bughead]

Hi, guys, here I come over to the FW side as a totally ignorant beginner. In about a year we plan to turn our 100 gal into a planted FW, and upgrade to a 200 gal saltwater. I have several questions to ask to help get me started.

1. This tank is a Seaclear System II with the bioballs removed. My plan is to rinse the bioballs really good by washing them in the washing machine--minus detergent, of course. Will the wet/dry system work well for a planted FW or should I go for complete biological filtration like in SW?

2. I'd like to use the same sand (aroganite like Southdown) that I use in SW because I can get it free in Utah. Can I use this or will I have a hard time keeping the pH down?

3. The pH in our tap water here (Las Vegas) is 8.2. I will use water from our RO as change water, but it only has a 2 gallon holding tank, so I can't fill the whole aquarium with RO in the first place. How do I get the pH down, use a pH down product? (I guess I answered my own question .)

4. Can I use the same lighting--2 NO 20,000K flourescents and 2 actinics, or should I not use the actinics?

5. Please suggest a good book, something comparable to Fenner's "Concientious Marine Aquarist".

Well, that should get me started. I'm setting up a 10 gal FW in a couple of weeks.
TIA

[Hoplosternum]

Hello Bughead,

As no one else has answered I will have a go. Although I am not an expert I have kept FW tanks for about 10 years on and off.

Firstly the FW side of the hobby is no where near as gadget orientated as the SW side. Although plant experts who want a densely planted tank may use Underground heaters, CO2 producers and extra lighting the basic equipment which comes with modern tank kits is all you really need for a planted tank.

So as to your questions, I'll try but my answers (such as they are) will not be very 'technical' I'm afraid....

1) I am not really sure exactly what your Seaclear bioballs filter is. I have always used Internal Power Filters for the biological filter (but the gravel/substrate will help too). I believe that the Wet/Dry filters are considered very good for FW tanks (better than the Internals that I use) but have no experience of them. They are meant to be Nitrate factories but in FW tanks that is usually the limit of the Nitrogen Cycle anyway and you will have to rely on Water changes and plant growth (via pruning) to lower the Nitrates.

2) I like sand as a substratum for FW tanks, although I always use it in combination with fine gravel. Either in seperate areas or mixed together. Fine sand keeps all the detrius on the surface and is therefore easier to clean than gravel (if this is necessary). I have not noticed any pH problems from using sand although I used Aquarium sand not Argonite sand in my tanks. I believe that the rate of sand disolving is not too great. I am not sure plants will like a completely sandy bottom. I tend to grow mine on the gravel areas as the plants like the detrius (but take much of their nutrients directly from the water not via their roots). But you can certainly try it in your 10 gallon.

3) You can pour in as many chemicals to change your pH as you like but most FW people only really use dechlorinator. Most FW people will try and settle on buying fish that like the water rather than trying to change the water. Perhaps this is wisdom or lazyness or simply the lower tech nature of the FW hobby, I'm not sure. Your pH tap water seems very high but happens to be exactly right for Rift valley cichlids. Many other sorts of fish will thrive in hard and high pH systems too, most FW Fish atlases will list pH ranges for fish and it may be better to choose from those rather than trying to change the water chemistry. Bog wood and possibly peat substrate are good for lowering pH (as are plants to a lesser extent) but if you are adding 8.2 pH water in water changes your water will most likely remain with a high pH.

As to using RO water I believe that it is actually bad for FW fish if that is all that is used (too sterile ?). Normal tap water or rain water (that usually has a much lower pH) with dechlorinator should be fine.

4) Standard lighting is fine for FW fish. The lighting is for your and the plants benefit. Really bright light will worry most FW fish so just keep enough so you can see the fish well. Even the most heavily planted tanks don't need more than a couple of watts a gallon all my planted tanks have flourished with less than 1 per gallon.

5) Although I have a few FW books there are none that I have found like Fenners book. FW books concentrate on the fish (and sometimes plants) and their compatability, breeding and water requirements. Almost any will describe the nitrogen cycle and different filter types in a page or two before they get stuck into fish details. Most such as Beanch's atlas (es) are excellent at what they do.

Unlike in SW tanks you cannot really create a complete ecosystem. My FW fish have always hunted down any pod type creatures that may have got into the tanks and stocking levels tend to mean that regular water changes are required to stop Nitrate levels rising out of control. Until someone pioneers a 'living gravel bed' or FW mud substrate with very low fish stocking levels most of the books are going to remain as Fish manuals.

Good luck with your FW fish. They are much easier to keep than SW tanks as water changes are very easy with FW fish and is the only real maintenance required. Of course to get fish to breed or keep a very dense planted tank under control can throw up as many challenges as the SW experience.

[Biomanjcs72]

Mostly what he said, but I'll add a few things. DON't use Calcium based sand in your tank unless you want to keep african cichlids. While the rate of dissolution of the sand won't be as great as in SW, your pH will still stay sky high, and planted tanks don't like basic water. The Baensch atlas is a good book. The sand Hoplo probably used was Silica sand, which has no effect on pH, either way. Most folks setting up planted tanks use something called flourite (not really sure what it is, but HD has it, apparently.)

Make sure you add FW aquarium ssalt to the tanks (use 1tbs per 5 gallons) and then you can use R/O or DI water without any detriment to the fish. If you want to lower the pH of the tap water, try a DI/Ro unit, if that doesn't work, buy some bedding peat from HD and let it soak in that for a couple of days, the water will be brown, but the pH will have come down considerably.

I think I got most of everything supplemented there, if you think of anymore questions, ask away.

[Bughead]

Thank you so much, you guys. I read about the flourite over the weekend and just got back from going to 3 different lfs' looking for it. I was going to try Star Nursery, but HD is closer. Also I'm having trouble finding any gravel for FW that isn't epoxy coated. But I think Petco has some.

Hopefully, I'll be able to set up the tank tomorrow. Thanks again for the info. You've pretty much answered my questions......for now.