Aussie Dave

G'day and how are you going.* All the way from the Blue Mountains which is about 100kms west of Sydney in Australia.

I've just discovered the FishLore site.* What a beauty.* It's got a lot of info and it's easy to get around.

I have a question.* I'm setting up another tropical tank that I am going to fill with live plants and inhabit with tetras.

I'm seeking advice on the best lighting.* I want to know if I can get somesort of sunrise/sunset soft lighting at the start and the beginning of the day. Rather than blast the fish awake with normal fluro lights.* I was thinking of a timer and maybe blue lights?* I don't know.* Help?* Thanks.

atmmachine816

Hmmm. sounds like you want to do something like me, maybe this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113345 if you want plants, light isn't everything, substrate, fertilizers, and co2 help too.

WELCOME to fishlore, other people from Australia here too.

boff

Hi welcome ,do you have any wild Rainbows where you live .

Aussie Dave

Thank you atmmachine816. That was some good info. I appreciate it. Armed with that and some more info I've gathered from this site I'm off to the aquarium today to spend some money.

Boff - No I haven't come across any wild Rainbows.

Butterfly

Welcome to FishLore!
Carol

Aussie Dave

Thank you Carol. So far I've found this site to be very, very helpful.

Dave.

Tazmiche

Hi there, this site is fab!!!!
Michelle

Jmarcus

Welcome to FishLore. How are things down-under 8)

Aussie Dave

Hello to all. Things down under are hot. It's the middle of summer here. Bush fires and the beaches.

As for my aquarium. I am setting up a new tropical one that I had custom built to fit in a part of my house. It's 36" long, 30" wide and 30" deep. Almost a cube in shape. So far I've added good quality substrate, a substrate heater, two water heaters, a large volume external cannister filter and water and let it cycle for approx 10 days. Yesterday I added lighting and plants and am going to let it run for another week or so before I add fish. So far so good. All the ph, nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, etc are all hitting the right levels. One I get it stocked with tetras schooling through the forest of plants it should look magnificent.

I'll have to try and get to this site more often. Each time I come here I find more very useful info. Work and kids keep me fairly busy.

dazzler

g'day dave welcome to fishlore you are way out west and i am way south east kurnell to be exact east of cronulla.

glad to see you are on the fishless cycle. i just filled my grandaddy tank tonight 250 litre 4ft long she looks schmick!!! goimg fishless also but have filter media from another tank to boost cycle time
many awesome people here with knowledge to boot
welcome once again we will see you round the forums
regards dazzler

Aussie Dave

G'day Dazzler. You are 100% correct about this sight, the people and the knowledge. It's all top shelf.

Gunnie

Welcome to FishLore! Glad to see you are settling in already. It's great to have you with us!

Isabella

G'day to you too! ( I love the way they say it in Australia, hehe )

As for the planted tank, and the lighting, it really depends on what kinds of plants you want, and if you'll have CO2 injections, etc ... But if you want a light that turns on and off gradually, much like natural sunsets and sunrises, maybe get something of the sort that ATM has suggested to you. When a fixture as several lamps in it, you can probably set it up to turn each lamp on at certain intervals, so that you have a gradual turning on of the light. I am myself setting up a planted tank now. But I am not getting any fixtures that have many lamps in them (mine is a single compact fluorescent strip). So what I will do is I will be turning my room lights on first, before I turn the tank lights on (I'll let the room light be on for 10 - 15 minutes prior to turning tank lights on). This should help the fish avoid a sudden transition from dark to light, and vice versa. I hope that helps you somewhat

Callum The Cat

hey mate I'm an aussie to I'm from Langwarrin a small town in Victoria Callum!

Aussie Dave

Hello again everyone. And G'day to Isabella. Your idea of staggering the lighting is the way I'm going.

Well I'm back from holidays and the tank is looking good. All nitrates, nitrites, ph, etc are spot on. I'm now a devoted fan of the fishless, chemical free cycling of tanks.

This weekend it's the Australia Day long weekend. We get Friday, Saturday & Sunday off. You beauty! I'll be celebrating by purchasing about 20 to 30 tetras putting them in my tank and sitting back with a cold beer and watching them settle in to their new home. Hmm. I'd better ask my wife if that's OK. Some day soon when I get to figure out how to work my wife's fancy digital camera I'll try and put a photo on line.

Thanks again to all of you who have offered advice and also to everyone who just said g'day. At the risk of repeating myself. I love this site. It's full of great info. G'day Callum/Young Fisher Man. Langwarrin eh? Good to hear from you.