jdhef

Sorry to hear you had problems with yours. Did yours also have the flow shut off valve? It kind of nests inside the lever that allows the manifold that sits on top of the canister to be removed. (Can you even follow that sentance...eek, I wish a had better verbal skills) Anyway, you lift that lever before unplugging the unit and you don't loose your siphon. Once you put the manifold back on and lower the shut off valve lever the canister starts filling with water. All the primer does is get the air out of the discharge tube. Generally less than 10 "pumps" of the primer.

the9thpawn

The 305 has that flip Im suppose to pump to get water in it before I plug it in. So we'll see how that goes.

The water that's going in right now is coming out of the tap at 81 degrees. Not surprised since it was 107 yesterday and 104 outside today. So it looks like I will be waiting for the water to cool down once it's filled, haha.

Laelanna

Wow, I coudln't even follow that LOL, but like I said, I made Ghostfish do it. He might can answer that question. It was a fluval 405 I think, or close to that.

jdhef

Hey sorry about that. I guess there's no need to tell you I don't write for a living!

Ghostfish

There was no lever on it. There was just the intake and the output valves and the primer on it. It was a pain to get started. I'm loving my Rena now. Its very simple to get going. Only problem I have with it is getting a good seal after cleaning it sometimes.

the9thpawn

Well I got all the water in finally. Its come down to 80 degrees now that its been sitting for a bit (and I had a couple gallons chill in the freezer for awhile too haha).

Pumped the filter until not many bubbles were coming out the output, and then started it up. At first there were a TON of tiny bubbles... a bit cloudy too, but not a ton. Maybe I didn't rinse out the media well enough? Oh well. It's coming out clear now 2-3 minutes later.

Im going to have to put the output assembly another inch lower, cause its making a lot of noise splashing around since the top of the output spout is barely below the water level. I'll try to find a good medium so I can still get the water oxygenated properly. I tested a couple air pumps at the store and all were too loud for me right now. I don't think the bubbles will be a bother, but that air pump will. And its about 35 feet of hose to bring it to another room if I want (that's including drilling through the wall, which I have no issues doing).

So I may go that route if the fish aren't getting enough air. I could perhaps just give the neighbor kid a dollar to blow into the tank with a straw... I'm sure he'd love that (for about 20 minutes, then pass out).

The Fluval 305 unit is SUPER QUITE! I am sooo happy as this was my biggest concern so far. Thinking about how these units rely on gravity makes it easier to understand why there aren't a lot of moving parts here.

I think I may go to the store before they close and get me some... some... FISH!!

the9thpawn

"Alcor" and "Mizar" have a new home!! Just released them into the tank and they seem to be on a mission to explore the whole thing. They aren't more then 6 inchs away from each other at any time, it's so adorable! hahaha.

(Got two Neon Tetra's to start off with)

I will have a picture of the tank uploaded soon...

Thanks for all the help so far in getting this started

MousePotato

Just an observation - with today's gas prices, I think an API test kit may be far less expensive than having the LFS test your water every day.

the9thpawn

When the temp's drop below 100 again (probably October) I will be walking to work. PetsMart is on the way =)

Plus, the girl working the fish section during the day is hot! Lol

The kit was only around $35 IIRC, so it wouldn't be that bad if I decided to get it and do it on my own soon.

MousePotato

Looks like you've got a nice start there. It also sounds like your weather is similar to ours. We've been right around 100 degrees and humid (as always), but no rain. I'd walk to work, but my commute is about 45 miles, so I'd probably be late a lot.

Oh, and Petsmart is about ten miles away and my car requires premium gasoline, so you can see where it is cost-effective for me to own a $35 test kit!

jdhef

Just one comment about your tank. Are your intake and outlet nozzles far enough apart? I think the manual or the DVD that came with my Fluval 205 stated a minimum distance apart. I forget what that distance was, but I just put one in opposite rear corners.

the9thpawn

Well it said to have the tubes as straight as possible, and if I put them much farther apart one would be bending around the middle support in the stand. Plus the picture showed them pretty close. What I did, is just angled the output towards the far side.

The water actually pushes away from the intake. It's pretty powerful, so the flow goes all the way and pushes on the glass on the opposite side of the intake. When the Tetra's go all the way to that side, they have to swim to stay still if they are close to the glass side. They slept closer to the intake probably for that reason?

the9thpawn

This morning when I turned on the lights, I saw the smaller of the two Tetra's (Alcor) floating towards the intake. His fin got in it, then he woke up and swam to the other side of the tank in a hurry, lol. Poor guy almost got stuck in there hehe.

They are finally eating flakes. I didn't feed them the first day, and on the second the flakes just went right to the ground. When I put some Bloodworms in there, they tore them up and devoured it. Today they finally started to eat the flakes I put it but not when they are up top. They only go after the peices that float by them on their way down to the bottom.

Question: I have a timer for my lights, should I set it to go on just before I feed them so they remember that and look for food anytime the lights go on? And how many hours should I leave them off at night for them to sleep/rest

mrsmuffin

Glad to hear that you are up and running. Your tank looks nice so far! As far as the lights go, I think that the timing is all personal preference as long as you are pretty consistant and have a simulated day and night. I personally only run my lights around 10 hours a day.

ShaynaB

I have my lights on a timer. I like it.

I leave mine on about 11 hours a day. I think it depends how much algae you're getting. Personally, I have ottos in all my tanks, so the extra light creates a little more algae for them to munch on! I think a good number would be between 8 and 12 hours, depending on you.

gwat6

hi

the9thpawn

I tested the water today at the store, and here is what I got:

Hardness: 75-150
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 10
Ammonia: .5

Outside of the Ammonia reading, it looks like Im doing good and ready for more fish yes?

the9thpawn

I think tomorrow I am going to get 2 or 3 Corydoras Catfish. I saw some today (Green and Peppered) and they reminded me of a girl I work with***

Question on Stocking as well. I plan to have:

10-15 Tetras (Neon, Cardinal, Glowlight)
2-3 Corys (Green and/or Peppered)
2-3 Gouramis (dwarf size - Powered Blue, Fire Red)
1 Small Pleco (Bristlenose gets to about 4-5 inches only)
1 Black or Gold Mystery Snail

and maybe (not for sure yet but considering)

2-5 Ballon Belly Mollies
2-5 Zebra Danios or Glofish
3 Ghost Shrimp
1 Upside Down Catfish
1 Silver Dollar (if enough room when I am "done")
1 African Dwarf Frog (need to seal up tank if I do)

I never thought my Betta could co-exist with other fish, but I read that they are fine with other fish as long as they dont have long fins. Should all these fish above be ok with a Betta? My Betta is already about 2 years old, and has been in a super small tank for his whole life. I was going to get a 3 gallon bowl to put him in for his "retirement" golden years, but if he can survive with my other fish until I get it fully stocked, I would love to keep him in my big tank (55g, heated, filtered).

Thoughts on adding the Betta, and also any concerns with the list above when it comes to compatability?

*** Note: Don't tell a girl that a catfish reminds you of her.