# New 94L aquarium



## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

hey all, im new to this forum.

i just bought a 94L (not sure how many g) currently at the moment it is cycling.

any ideas on what to stock it with? im not sure on what fish go well with other fish and so on, so any help would be appreciated.


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## fryup (Jan 12, 2010)

welcome!

maybe get a pair of gouramis maybe honey gouramis as they only get small....patys or guppys but given the chance they wil breed a lot or some corys for the bottom of your tank 

or a shoel of tetra


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

i like gouramis neon tetras are nice aswell.

Would having live plants be better then fake plants? If so, what do i have to do to maintain plants? do they have different food? Whats a better substrate for them? gravel or sand? 

I have gravel substrate, then i seen some pictures of aquariums with sand, which i think looks better.. but any way


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Welcome!!
94L = 24g 

It would help to advise you best to know what water you have, some fish need hard water, others soft; putting softies in hard water and vise versa creates problem. Any chance you're going to buy a liquid test kit soon to let us know (which you'd need for the cycling of the tank anyway)?

Are you planning on planting it with live plants?


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

getting a master test kit tomorrow.
im thinkng of having a few plants what fish are suited for hard?
and what fish suited for soft


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Oh my God there's like 3 gazillion fish LOL for either soft/ hard and that fit your tank size 

I'd say we'll wait, see what pH and hardness you have; that in combo with the tank size will at least narrow it down some.

What kinda fish do you generally like that you've seen at stores before (small, big, school or individuals....)?


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

i like a variety, going more for a community tank. i know my ph is 8. dont the the gh or kh though. ill get the test kits for them tomorrow.


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## Lynda B (Jan 26, 2010)

Can't wait to see what you end up with. It's always exciting putting a new tank together.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

yeah it is 
My last attempt failed miserably, i had gold fish in another tank, they got ich and died.. 
Hopefully this lot goes better


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## Lynda B (Jan 26, 2010)

Ich is very treatable. I'm sorry you lost your fish. My husband has goldfish, they're adorable.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Yeah that was a few years ago now
will i need an air stone? to helo with oxygen or will the disturbance of the filer oxygenate the water enough?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

I'd strongly suggest live plants over the air stone. Not only does it look better/ more natural. But also plants act as a bio filter within the tank (so that helps you out as far as maintenance). And last but not least shooting for some type of community set up there, that'll give the fish the needed hiding places to get out from one anothers way's if need be.


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## HollyinWA (Dec 29, 2009)

Welcome to the board! With a nice long tank and hard water I would go with African Cichlids and use sand. I love the African Cichlids, and if I get a chance in the future, I would like to have them again. I had great luck with them. I got them when were very young and they grew big.


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## HollyinWA (Dec 29, 2009)

P.S. If you want to go with a community type tank, I think the Denison Barbs are awesome looking. I would love to have a setup for them. I have never had them before but have heard good things about them. You could then get the other proper tankmates to go along with them. 

Here is a pic:


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

If your pH is 8.0, it's likely you have hard water. Having hard, alkaline water limits you somewhat as many tropical fish come from the tropics of South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia where the water in these river systems is generally acidic and soft.

The two most obvious choices, though, are livebearers and African rift lake cichlids. Livebearers include fish like mollies, platies, swordtails and guppies. The cichlids require more specialized setups but are gorgeous fish. For a tank of your size, you could have a nice colony of dwarf shelldwellers or something like a pair of Julidochromis marlieri.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

i still havent got around to getting my heater yet, which is obviously one of the most important things for tropical... Any way, what wattage heater would i need for a 24G tank? are aqua one heaters any good? they are like pretty much the only things around my LFS here in australia.

If they arent good, links to ones for sale on the internet would be greatly appreciated.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

I'd not suggest Dension's in a 24g; much too big for it; rather house a small group of them in a 55g.

I'm right there with iambatman...if your water is hard enough i'd set it up for dwarf shelldwellers or Julidochromis marlieri as well. If your water is hard enough, maybe Neolamprologus longior would be a option for you as well; love their colors.

On a 24g tank I'd get a 100w heater, provided the tank won't be set up i a very cold room (eg basement) if that was the case I'd get a 200w.


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## HollyinWA (Dec 29, 2009)

I thought he meant 94 long. Forget the Denison's and most of the Cichlids. :-? I have a 56 gallon but since it is not as wide/long as the standard 55 gallon I won't be getting Denison's. Maybe someday. 

Keep us posted.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

HollyinWA said:


> I thought he meant 94 long. Forget the Denison's and most of the Cichlids. :-? I have a 56 gallon but since it is not as wide/long as the standard 55 gallon I won't be getting Denison's. Maybe someday.
> 
> Keep us posted.


:lol: nop talking about a 94 liters here.


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## HollyinWA (Dec 29, 2009)

Angel079 said:


> :lol: nop talking about a 94 liters here.


 
I know, just caught that today. I do not have to deal with Liters usually, but it appears I better get used to it on this board....people from other areas and talking about gallons, etc. ;-)


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Yeah, with the heaters it's usually better safe than sorry. The difference in price between a 100W and 200W heater is pretty small so sometimes it's better just to get the bigger one.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

thanks for the info, i think a 100W is like $30 and a 200W is only about $43 

Still havent got around to getting an API master test kit or heater yet, last 2 days of work have been hell, by the time i get home my LFS is shut.

But tomorrow is saturday and i don't work saturday's, so i will most definantly get in and get one. Other problem is, it's like 1 hours drive. All though there is a Bird and Aquarium shop 10 minutes away, i went in the other day to ask a few questions and all there tanks water had a green tinge and there was algae on the glass.... 

If there is any other equipment / necessary items i might need other then the basics like test kits and GH and KH kits, please let me know.


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## philipboucharddavies (Jan 27, 2010)

This may be digging back in the conversation a bit but anyways here it goes, what i have learned is that pH, water hardness, temperature, ect. Is really not a big deal, unless your trying to breed, the thing is keeping it stable, besides for a few super delicate species most fish will adapt to a very wide range of water parameters and thrive if they stay constant. Also a few good beginner plants the don't require any special lights or CO2 are: Java Ferns(attach to log or rock wit rubber band/fishing line until roots catch) , Java Moss(make carpet or wall), Water sprite(plant in gravel, grows tall), Dwarf Anubias(plant in gravel, small) and Moneywort(plant in gravel) Also all these plants are easy to maintain.

Hope this helps a bit!

Phil


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Yikes, where are you buying your heaters? Drs. Foster and Smith has Marineland Stealth heaters on sale right now. Much cheaper than what you're talking about!

Heaters: Marineland Stealth Pro-Heaters


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Dont forget im in Australia too, thats australian dollars, only roughly guessing aswell. I have looked at them before, cant exactly remember the prices.

Hmm, just was looking in my fish tank, i have like a little hermit crab type of thing, its a brown colour. no idea how the hell i got it, my tank is still cycling?


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Is it a Malaysian trumpet snail? 

This is what the shells look like:









But yeah, things are a lot more expensive in Australia.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Yeah Batman, things are dearer. It was $25 for a 150W the 300W was $40. It sort of looks like that snail, not as long a shell though. 

I got my master test kit

pH in tank - 7.8
pH from tap - 8.0
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
Nitrite - 1ppm

Oh, i also got my heater and thermometer, put the heater in, then the thermometer. The thermometer has been in for 30 minutes with the heater OFF and my tank water is 83.7 F or 28.7 C. Most tropical fish are around 25 C arent they?

(sorry i dont know what that is in farenheit, i only new the tank because i can have it on either farenheit or celsius)


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

When i started my community tank 3 years ago (29 gallon). I have only kept non aggressive fish, and find them rather relaxing. Platys were nice and hardy and i had a pair and had fry within 2 months of my tank starting. I had swordtails also and had great luck with them early on. Pristella Tetras are very hardy and very good fish to cycle with IMO. My bristlenose was a great algae eater and cleaned all the driftwood thouroughly. Goldfish produce a lot of waste, and can be pretty hard to keep in smaller tanks; at least in my family's experience. There are many more people on here who know soooooo much more then me, but this is my personal experience. I used only fake plants for the first few years, but after switching to real plants, it's definitely the way to go, the fish seem so much more lively than ever before, and my water looks great!!Good Luck and remember to have lots of fun when deciding which way to go with YOUR tank!

P.S.
check out people's aquarium tabs on here, some of their tanks are AMAZING, i got lots of great ideas by looking through to see what others were doing.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Thanks for your input cmc. The only troubles im having is with my town water. the pH is ridicously high at 8.0. I am pretty sure the only other thing other then african chilids is platys and swords.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Cichlids are beautiful fish, i've heard that some of them uproot plants. I'm sure Angel, Byron or any number of those wiser than me can say if that's right or not. I've successfully lowered my p.h to 6.8 from 7.8 using Peat in my filter and adding lots of driftwood(i was told by my LFS that the tannins helped to lower p.h, if this is not true, i'd like to know, please). I didn't have to add chemicals to lower the p.h. I'm not saying that this will work for you, it's just what i did, and might be something to consider. Angel has used it before in tanks and says it has lasted up to 6 weeks at a time. I also know that where your water comes from has a ton to do with what you can do to it, and i know nothing about water in Australia....sorry to ramble, take everything i say with a grain of salt.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

What is peat? i have heard of it. But have no idea on what it is?


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

the stuff i have is: FLUVAL PEAT GRANULES. My LFS guy told me about it. It looks like black pellets. I put mine in media bags(just little mesh bags that let water in but not the peat out). Angel has told me the she's used it in bags in her tanks before like hidden behind plants. I keep mine in my filter in a bag. My filter has a place for three different filters, so i just use one space for peat.

The back of the box says: Fluval Granular Peat is the all natural way to soften aquarium water and achieve the ph levels required for breeding and rearing certain tropical fish. Peat contains humic acid, tanning agents, and trace elements that are essential for various life processes. 

It has worked for me so far. I bought a box 2 months ago for 10 dollars and i've changed it every 2-3 weeks, and i still have half a box left. It's a small price for to pay to be able to keep the fish i really love. I love my cardinal tetras and rasbora espei's and i don't have to worry about them hurting each other. It really did drop my ph significantly in just a few days. WORD OF CAUTION: RAPID RISES AND FALLS IN PH ARE VERY DANGEROUS TO THE FISH, so i guess there could be risk involved. But once you figure out exactly how much to use, and how often to change it out, it seems a very natural way to keep ph down.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Oh ok cmc, thanks for the info. Sounds better then putting the pH up and pH down chemicals in. i wonder how much id need for a 24Gal. Im going into my LFS today to get some plants and have a look around. I will definatly ask about it.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

yeah...and just FYI most of those ph up and down are not safe for live plants if you go that route. My 29 gallon i use a little over a handful, but start with a little then test p.h. everyday, and it shouldn't take you long to figure out exactly how much to use.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Yeah, i will figure it out before i get any fish! at the moment im trying to get my heater set. its at 78.7, is that any good? do i need it lower or higher?


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

I would say that depends again on the type of fish you get. I personally have my heater set on 82. There are pictures of my stock on my aquarium tab. I battled ich about a month ago. When i developed the ich my tank was set on 76-77 degrees F. I slowly raised the temp to 84-85 till the ick disappeared, then lowered it to 82 and i've had no problems since. 

I think that MOST fish are adaptable to p.h.'s that are out of the range listed as ideal for the species. I've got a book that says my cards like a p.h.of 5.5-7, and my cards were fine when my p.h was 7.2-7.3. Also the optimal temp for this fish as listed in this book is 23-26 C, my tank is 28 C. MY rasbora espei are ideal in a p.h. of 6.5, but mine is 7.2. They look beautiful and actively school and play chase. In my opinion, as long as levels are stable in your tank, and it's completely cycled, and you pick fish that prefer levels close to you're own you'll be fine. Just be sure not to put too many fish in the tank at once, remember to stockslowly-it'll pay huge dividends later.

A good rule of thumb is to find tank mates that like suitable ranges (i.e. similar p.h. levels, water temp). 

You've been testing your levels (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) where do they stand right now? so i'll know how close your tank is to being cycled


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

ill test them right now then post the results, at the moment i just have plants. I've forgotten the name already. Ill check the receipt later.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

cool, looking foward to hearing how they're doing and the plants you got


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

OK

Amonnia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 1ppm
Nitrate - 5.0ppm


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

All that it say's on my receipt is "live plant stricta blue". It's a really leafy plant


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

how long has your tank been cycling and how did you start the cycle?


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Been cycling around 4-5 weeks, in started it by having my brother's filter media in my filter for about two weeks with his gold fish in my tank as his had sprung a leak. so it had the fish and the filter media, plus the fish getting fed. Since then i have been putting fish flakes in, apparently it ups ammonia and keeps the good bacteria alive?


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

if your ammonia readings are 0 and your nitrite is down to 1 and there are some nitrates, then you still have a little while to go before it's cycled completely, but you're getting close. When ammonia and Nitrites are both zero and your nitrates have a healthy level 5-20 ppm...then the cycle has come around and you have enough beneficial bacteria. Nitrites develope as a means to "use up" the ammonia, Nitrates develope as a means to "use up" the Nitrites, making your tank balanced. So as the tank cycles you'll see ammonia levels rise at first, then later see nitrite level rise while ammonia level shrinks, then later nitrates will rise as both ammonia and nitrite level off at zero. 

So what kind of fish are you going to get?, and i'm going to look up your plant to see what it looks like


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Well i must be close, Nitrite is only at 1-2ppm and nitrates are at 5.0ppm.. Not entirely sure on what fish, iv been looking at a few.

i think there called siamese flying fish, i like them. chiclids are nice also, come to think of it, most tropical fish are nice. Just looking more at community based, so i can have variety. 

If i need to, i could pinch the filter media again and wash it in my tank water. But i seem fairly close so it probly isn't worth doing.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Well, i don't know much about cichlids, except that they are beautiful. I think that some of them get pretty large though. I think i know the siamese flying fish. I have a siamese algae eater aka "flying fox", it might be the same one you're talking about. It's a good worker, always busy. 

Whatever way you go i'm sure you'll have a blast, everyone here loves pictures, whenever you can you should take some pictures and put them up so we can all see your tank .

Good luck!!!!


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Maybe it is, they are a long slim fish and are black with silver stripes?


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

mine has one black strip kinda in the middle, he's slender though but still small only about an inch


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

I think thats what im thinking of, i like clown loaches aswell, how would they go with gravel substrate? because they are scale-less arent they?


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

First off i have to warn you...i love loaches. I've tried clown loaches early on in my tank and they all died...:-( plus they get pretty large. They're better with sand substrates. I have white sand on top of my gravel substrate, and my kuhli loaches love it. However, i do believe that clown loaches can be kept in semi aggressive tanks as they have sharp appendages to defend themselves, but they are really playful. Clown loaches are also very sensitive to water quality and probably not a good idea early on....but that's just my experience. I think the fact that they're scaleless is the major determining factor in their sensitivity


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

In all fairness though, my kuhli loaches did fine in my gravel before i changed to a sand setup


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Ok then. I went and bought my tank and gravel substrate then joined the forum, wish i didnt because i def would of got sand substrate, it looks alot nicer. But that leaves me something todo wen i want to change things around or if i get another tank.

Only other thing im having trouble with is my temp. it just keeps climbing with the heater off, very slowly though. in the last hour or so, its gone up 1.2 degrees C. im guessing its just room temp or something.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

I don't know what to tell you on that. How warm is your home?


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Not quite sure. The tank lights are off and the fan in my room is on, and i got the tops of the tank off. its sitting at 80.6F


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Hmmmm...i wish i knew what to tell you. Does it stay warm year round where u are? Is your tank sitting up against an outside wall?....if it were me i'd try keeping my tank at around the same temp as how warm the water is without the heater running(during the day), you say that is 80.6. Then after your temp is set to that i'd be willing to bet that your heater will only kick on durning the night when the air in your house cools...does that make sense?...i'm no expert but that is what i would try....well i'd probably ask angel or one of the other gurus and get their opinion first...but anyways, what i suggest might work, but i'd check with the aforementioned....hope that helps


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

that's assuming your temp doesn't get like really crazy hot and would be unlivable for your tank's inhabitants


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

My tank is on an inside wall, the wall is insulated aswell. I think it was just room temperature. Last few days have been around 32 degrees C. Today the temperature was 28 degrees C and my tank is sitting at 26.4 degrees C.

In the winter it gets fairly cold, down to around 10 degrees C would be the lowest. Max in summer it can get up to 45 degrees C. But at them temperatures i have the house's duct air con on at around 22.

So i am fairly certain my heater will only come on during the night and in winter. 

But for an example, its 45 degrees C outside, my tank is climbing faster then the air con can cool it down, would having a fan right next to the tank help? Maybe something Angel or Byron could answer, they know a fair bit.

The other thing im having troubles with is my lights, i had a look last night, they are 10 000 - 7100 K when i have them on it makes my tanks temperature climb. Sure either Angel or Byron could answer this too. I have plants, so i pretty much need to get fid of them and get lower Kelvin and lower wattage maybe? not to sure on the wattage of these ones, but the bulbs are like a U shape iradescent bulb.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Yeah, Angel or Byron will know what to tell you on the lights and fan question i'm sure. I just don't have experience with that. Looking forward to seeing some pics of your setup, though


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

NOTE: 

I just double checked my lights, there are TWO(2) "U" shape iradescent bulbs

Wattage = 18
Kelvin = 14 000 - 7100

I have them on for around 5 minutes with my tank hood closed and the temperature climbs up 1 degree C


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, that's part of your problem at least. You need to ditch the iridescents and get yourself some fluorescent lights. I'm not sure what you mean by "u-shaped" though. I don't think I've seen those kinds of bulbs. Do they screw in like a regular light bulb? You might be able to replace them with screw-in compact fluorescent bulbs. The different in light level will be substantial, not to mention how much cooler they'll run.

You also might want to consider installing a fan that blows across your water's surface. This will increase evaporation, meaning more work topping your tank off, but it'll help keep it cool on those 45C days. You could try a computer fan.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

iamntbatman said:


> I'm not sure what you mean by "u-shaped" though. I don't think I've seen those kinds of bulbs. Do they screw in like a regular light bulb? You might be able to replace them with screw-in compact fluorescent bulbs.


 
No Batman, they have like 2 pins on the end, they arent screw in. The actual buld is shaped like a "U" it isnt a straight bulb as you find with the fluorescent bulbs.


http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8313&stc=1&d=1265012771


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Here is a pic of the light









Apparently its a PL light?
They're 18 Watts each 
7100 - 14 000K


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

That's a compact fluorescent, not an incandescent light.

Similar to this: Compact Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Nano Cube Replacement Straight Pin Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

They shouldn't be putting out a whole lot of heat, but I guess they can raise it by a degree or two. I would consider installing a fan, then. That would be a heck of a lot cheaper than installing a chiller.


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Thanks for the info 

Sorry, but how would i go about installing a fan? can you buy them? or are they a DIY?
If so, what would i need to make one?


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

You can buy them. Here's an example:

Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Cooling Fans

Or, you can DIY: Petfrd.com - Resource Library - DIY Cooling Fans


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

Thanks a heap for all your information. Was very helpfull

And here is a pic of my tank, only live plants in it at the moment.









Picture was taken with phone


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice looking tank! Is that the 24 gallon AquaPod?

Make any decisions yet regarding what kind of fish you want in there?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Just go to any well sorted electronic store and get a PC fan (just the normal lil case fans) I'd pers get 2 on a 94g tank and wire it up and done for wayyy less then the same thing labeled "Aquarium" will cost ya


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## sam215 (Jan 8, 2010)

@batman - Its the 24 Gal aqua one AR620. I got 2 golden gourami and some driftwood from my LFS for free as he was clearing all his stock to re do all the tanks etc, and they where the last 2 fish left, the drift wood he jus gave me.

@angel - yeah i know, i had a look at some computer ones on ebay, they where only like 3 or 4 dollars.


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## cmc29 (Jan 10, 2010)

Your plants look great! Good luck, with the fan search


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