Help with new tank setup

Blazetamer · 08-06-2006, 08:27 PM

Nice site guys and thanks in advance for any help you can provide,
My NEW setup includes
55 gallon tank,
Aqua tech 30/60 power filter
200 watt heater
Tetra air pump (model 30-60) and curtain
and of course gravel (around 50 lbs)
No plants YET
No fish YET..

Heres the problem, I am using well water, and I have a softener in use for the tap.
The water from the tap tests as follows
Nitrate = 0
Nitrite = 0
Hardness (GH) 75-80
Alkalinity (KH) = 80
PH = 7.0
Filled tank and activated filter and pump
Looked great initially , In approx 6 hours the water turned "orange or rusty colored"

I have several ponds outside that we use this same water in and at first the water turned a bit "rusty" but in 48 hours was looking quite well and after the intro of live plants and bio balls it was absolutely sparkling clear.Outside ponds have several large and small goldfish that are thriving now.( fish were not introduced untill water was all in check and now even the water changes go perfectly)
Is the problem with the 55 gallon tank one that is as easy to remedy as the ponds or do I need to look into another route.
ie: should I introduce some live plants and bio balls and is this just a "no bactriia situation?
Is this common and I am jumping the gun too soon, or do any of you pros have a remedy that I can look into?

Thanks again and I look forward to being a common name in this forum........

Blaze...

El Pez · 08-07-2006, 01:19 AM

First off, I have little to no experience with FW. That being said, I would think that what worked in the wild may work in our tank. The thing that you must remember though is that mother nature has a way of taking care of her own. That is to say that what happened in the pond may have been due to some unknown that was in the water. You tank will most likely not have this unkown. I am a huge fan of filtered water. I recomend doing an exchange and running RO water in the tank. See if that help before you start dumping chemicals and crap into a tank. PS..I HATE chemicals. I dont run any in my tanks! Mother nature doesnt have chemicals, surely I can find a way around my problems as she has.

Blazetamer · 08-07-2006, 02:05 AM

I aggree with ya on the Mother Nature knows best issue, It is just tryin to figure out what Mother did lol Also I dont like chemicals either, I was just wonderin if this could be brown alge and maybe I just need to introduce some plant life to get the bacteria started?

Jay · 08-07-2006, 08:13 AM

Hi Blazemaster,

I have enclosed two articles you might find of interest.

I suspect it is iron precipitating out of the water that is giving you the orange look, and that you need to let the water sit in a large container and let the iron settle to the bottom for a while before adding it to the tank.

The second issue is going to be the water softener, which is exchanging sodium ions for calcium and magnesium. Looking at the numbers you posted the water softener is doing a good job. I live near the ocean and my well water (although treated at a municipal plant) has about 35 ppm sodium, that causes absolutely no problems with my fish or plants.

If you decide to use RO water keep in mind the quality of the water must be restored if you are going to be successful with Plants or fish for that matter. Plus the wasted water, 30 gallons to get 5 of RO is a consideration.

An aquarium is a closed aquatic system. The rules are different from the pond or stream in the backyard. You need to intervene, monitor, and adjust in an aquarium.

Cycling the tank is an entirely different issue. Read the brief article I sent. This is the area where 99% or new hobbyist run into problems.

Watch out for the "I don't like chemicals" trap in the hobby.

These are all chemicals...
Ammonia
Nitrate
Nitrite
Phosphate
Calcium
Magnesium
Iron
Carbon Dioxide
Baking Soda
etc. etc
... Needed to be successful with a planted aquarium.

IMO too many beginners rush into ultra filtration needlessly. It sounds like iron may be an issue, it can be toxic to fish and plants at elevated levels. I am not sure that a RO filter is very effective with iron. You may want to look into that.

Hope this helps a little

Jay

Blazetamer · 08-07-2006, 04:37 PM

Hi Jay
Thanks, the articles were of great interst and help in understanding some things. some I guess I already knew but was not thinking the course I guess. any way
I see where your comming from about the "checmical issue" I put a plant from the pond in the water (floaters) and within another 6 hours the water is considerably clearer you can see to the back now. (Maybe a mother nature thing) ,all the tests are the same with a slight raise in Nitrates and Nitrites
Another question is, would it be prudent to maybe put a couple gold fish or somthin as "hardy" in to stimulate the process, it seems that with the plant in the tank and the o2 pump running wide open that it wants to start cyclin as it should. Like I said the water is lookin MUCH better now, Still has a brownish, cloudy tint but MUCH better.....
Thanks again
I wish I had been here all along LOL I will keep you posted and if you think of anything else I am all ears...