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New Tank

Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
655
I have had my 12 gallon tank up and running with LR and LS for a week and plan to do a 10% water change tomorrow. Is that how often and how much I should change the water, once a week, 10%? Yesterday, I found some greenish mold around the tank walls, especially right below the light, behind the heater, and filter. accompanying the mold beneath the light are about 50 little (as in tiny, like 3mm in legnth) shrimp like things. What are all of these things, and what should I do to get rid of the mold? should I get rid of the mold?
 
Sounds like pods, probably gammarus amphipods (google that for pics). Are you sure the mold in question isn't algae or cyanobacteria or diatoms? It's common for a new tank to have a bloom of slime.
 
I'm sure it's micro algae. You'll have to scrape it if it's on there too long. Generally snails will help keep it manageable. You might also shorten the light cycle. If you're seeing living pods already your doing a good job setting up your tank.
 
I dont have any snails yet, should I get some, and do I have to feed them, or do they just eat the algae? and I dont know if the white things are amphipods, they are smaller than the one AM told me to look up which said they are 1 inch, the BIGGEST are 3mm, most of them barely touch 1 or 2 mm, here's some pics, or as good pics as I could get. You'll probably have to maximize the first image to see the white things, and the algae is on the front tank wall in front of the heater in the second.
 

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Im not planning on putting cephs in it, or even getting cephs for right now, it's my "first time experimental tank" I also thought it was too small for any ceph. Does anyone know of a ceph that would go in it, and if not, whats the most personable fish that will go in it?

So now that I know I need to get a clean up crew, what should I get for this size tank?
 
Are you going to get any corals? Clown fish are always nice. I don't know of any cephs for that size. Has the tank cycled? If you are sure that it is cycled, test it out with a shrimp. If he lives, it is good to go.

Clean up crew:
brittle star(not sure of tanks size)
skunk srimp or blood shrimp
snails

those are just ideas, you don't have to trust me

good luck:eek2:
 
I might get corals, not sure yet. The tank has been cycleing fo a week, but AM said I should get snails, are those the only things I should get? I dont care too much about the "jazz", I want a fish with personality.
 
I have heard that hawkfish have good personalities. Long nose hawkfish look cool. They have one at my LFS.

Damsels are super good begginer fish. They are also super territorial.

Firefish are awsome! Look into it.

Royal Grammas are nice.


I have not owned all of these but this what I have learned after hours of research.
 
so my list of things to do will be,-----1 week into cycling a 12 gallon tank

do I have to do a water change this weekend? When should I start? How often should I do it? How much should I do it(volume)?

now, get snails----What type?

When do I get shrimp or cheap fish to get the bacteria used to a bio load?

What test kits should I have? All I have right know is a salinity kit and Im going to get the others tomorrow, but I dont know what exactly the "others" are.

sorry about all the questions at once, I'll get this down....someday :roll: :banghead:
 

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