LittleFishTank Network FAQ System - The five questions posted most recently:

How do I disinfect/sterilize my aquarium tools?

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 07:28:00 GMT

Obviously before any disinfecting of tools you need to remove any loose materials from the tools. You then have several options. If you have 3 days you can soak them in a bunch of potassium permangante in water till you cannot see through it from being so dark purple. Soak it for 3 days. Rinse well. This will normally stain many objects and is not perfect. It also must be kept away from UV light.

My recommendation is one of the following:

Table Salt - 350g salt to 1 liter water. Lasts pretty much forever. Never goes bad. Just top off with tap water. Soak everything for at least 24 hours. Keep in sealed bucket when not in use. Be sure to label it in case you mix it up with something else. Great for nets and small tools.

Isopropanol or isopropyl alcohol - Use 70% alcohol solution on hard surface tools and hands. Best if kept in spray bottle or container with air tight seal. Spray till covered completely and then allow to evaporate. Soak tools in container for a few minutes, then remove and allow to air dry. Alcohol evaporates quick and is flammable. For hard objects using the spray method repeat a second time a few hours later. Always use alcohol to disinfect when you suspect a Tuberculosis infection as this can be spread to humans.

Formalin - *WARNING FORMALIN IS FORMALDEHYDE* Formaldehyde is basicly embalming fluid. It is a carcinogen. It can iritate the respitory tract and skin as well. It must be used in well ventilated areas. Mix 30ml of standard 35-40% formalin with about 2.5 gallons of water. Soak items in the solution for about 2 hours. This will kill pretty much every single thing possible from your tank with absolute certainty but with higher care needing to be taken in handling. Always rinse tools well when done soaking. Best to use thick rubber gloves when removing items from the bucket and always keep well sealed in and airtight container.

I have a Marineland Hex 5 aquarium. Is there a fluorescent bulb that will fit in my tank?

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 06:51:00 GMT

Yes there is. �The light that comes with it originally is a very low wattage with little UV. �There is a special bulb made for aquariums (the light spectrum is more of a blue-white natrual color then the very yellow ones that are sold as long life power compact "regular light bulb shaped" bulbs for your standard lamps. �Those made for the regular lamps also sometimes may not fit the socket. �Check out the AGA Mini Compact Aquatic Bulb for more information.

My 30/40/50/etc gallon tank came with a flourescent light. �Why can I not grow plants with this?

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 06:51:00 GMT

You are now at the point where you have a nicely sized tank for growing plants and having a nice number of fish as well. �Unfortunately your tank is rather deep and the lights that come with tanks are normally 20-40 watts. �At this stage you may need 100 watts or more of light depending on the depth and length of your tank. �Additionally there is growing debate on the relationship of tank size vs wattage vs water hardness. �Obviously if you have a water hardness higher than the plant would like it will need more nourishment (fertilizer, CO2, and light) to encourage it to keep growing or it will die off. �Of course there is a limit to the ability of survival as well. �Typically they say 2-3 watts per gallon for normal softness of water for fish. �This would mean a 40 gallon tank would need between 80 to 120 watts of light. �Also if you have floating plants or those with large leaves toward the surface this will block light getting to the plants toward the bottom of the tank.

How can I tell how much CO2 is in my water?

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 04:39:00 GMT

They sell test kits for this but they are very inaccurate. �The best way is to be sure that you are not using pH Up and pH Down or any other water additives that are phosphate based buffering agents. �If you are not using these then there is a simple chart that can be used comparing pH reading to degrees KH reading. �As long as you use carbonate as a buffer and are already adding CO2 to the water you will get a relatively accurate measurement of how much CO2 is held in your water. �Typically the suggested amount is somewhere in the 10-25 ppm (mg/l) range with 15-19 being optimal.

�For a estimation chart click here.

I have a 40 gallon tank that had about 10 angel fish and five tetera 2 cat fish and a frog...about 4 of the angels caught fungus from a fish that i bought from the pet store. I tried several medicines nothing worked till i finally bought gel-tek and hand fed each one the medicine including the one that was practically dead on the floor he's doing fine. My question in how do I disinfect the tank so that they dont catch this horrible disease again? Please get back to me soon...thanks mari

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:14:00 GMT

With most diseases fish get they are always in the tank no matter what you do. As long as the fish are healthy then they will get better and either develop resistance to it or they will be strong enough to not get it. I had many obviously sick fish that I have ended up getting when I get fish from the store and tell them "give me 20 of those)and Ijust do not notice until Iget home. The fish in my tank do not get it unless they were sick to begin with. As a result Iwould suggest cleaning the tank like normal only draining normal amount of water out. Do not scrub the tank or use any chemicals or medications. Fungus only tends to grow when the fishes immune system cannot fight off the infecting organism. Angels tend to be rather sensitive to a lot of things though they are very good against others. Personally I have a 60 gallon hex with 5 angels and about 10 cardinal tetras and 4 or 5 of a larger tetra species as well as a couple tiny plecos. The tank is heavily planted. I'm personally of the opinion you have probably 5-6 too many angels in the tank assuming you were able to give them optimum conditions which has not actually happened due to the fungus. They are likely stressed. For your mixture of fish I would suggest about a 75 gallon tank and then you could probably add some smaller tetras if you wanted but keep your angel levels no higher then current.