Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: Natasha on May 21, 2013, 12:15:49 AM
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Hey everyone,
I’m new to keeping tropical fish and wanted to ask some advice from all the experts on here as to what fish they would recommend :)
I live in Bristol so my water is quite hard, the info I got from my water company gave me these stats:
pH 7.5
Calcium Ca (mg/l) 103
Magnesium Mg (mg/l) 6.5
Total Hardness CaCO3 (mg/l) 283
UK degrees Clark (oC) 20
Degrees French (of) 28
Degrees German (odH) 17
Flouride (mg/l) 0.09
Alkalinity CaCO3 (mg/l) 169
Alkalinity HCO3 (mg/l) 206
Chloride Cl (mg/l) 50.3
Nitrate NO3 (mg/l) 21.7
Phosphate P (mg/l) 1.5
Sodium Na (mg/l) 32.2
Sulphate SO4 (mg/l) 81.81
Conductivity (µS/cm) 593 at 20oC
I am getting a Classica Aqua Curve 50L tank and was planning on fishless cycling the tank while you help me decide which fish would be good to start with.
Any information or advice you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance, Natasha x
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Hi Natasha and welcome!
How exciting! A new tank. I'm quite new at this as well and I have a 60L tank. The best advice I can give you is, listen to everyone on here, as they are all really helpful and friendly and will be as interested in your tank as you are! :D The other advice I would say is, are you sure about your size of tank? Is it a space or personal prefence issue? I only say this because I am already looking at getting a bigger tank myself. I found I kept seeing fish I liked, only to find they needed more room....very frustrating.
I think a better way to go is decide what fish you would like to keep and get the size tank they need, if possible. Have you got any idea what fish you may go for?
My fish at the moment are, 1 colisa lalia (electric blue), 3 adult blue marble platies (with their zillions of offspring!), 4 male guppies, 2 otocinclus, 2 coral platies, 1 betta (in his own tank normally....long story) and a really cute panda corydora...lots more of those to get. ;D
Well anyway, good luck with your tank, I look forward to watching your progress.....and piccies!
Resa
:)
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Hey Resa,
Unfortunately it’s a space thing, I live in a fairly small flat so couldn’t really get away with a tank much bigger, possibly a little bit.
Your tank sounds great :D Is your betta called Rafe? I think I was reading the thread you started about your tank and him a while ago.
At the moment I’m completely open minded (and very excited!) about what fish to get as I want to get various opinions on what would be good for a new tank and a beginner to tropical fish.
Natasha x
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Hi natasha i posted earlier but the site had a wobbly moment ad didn't work!
I live in Bristol too - my pg in standing is around 8.2 and the water is really quite hard. I dont know much about suggestions for your tank as mine is much smaller so my options were pretty limited but endlers are really nice fish despite their small size and seem happy in Bristol water. There's also a large range of different colours in Bristol shops too!
If you haven't been already I can recommend the Maidenhead Aquatics in Keynsham garden centre and The Aquatic Store in Bedminster.
Make your tank on the community creator and have a look at some fish on 'fish profiles' to see if you like the look of any or do some browsing and come back here if there's any that take your fancy!
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Hi Natasha, welcome to fishkeeping :D
I'm glad to hear you have decided to do a fishless cycle. Yes, it can get a bit boring looking at an empty tank, especially if friends start making comments, but it easier and less stressful for both the fish and us ;D
I've googled the tank you mention, but just to check, is it the bow front (http://www.aquariumsandfishtanks.co.uk/classica-aquacurve-50l-bowfront/) or the rectangular one (http://www.rocketaquatics.co.uk/classica-aquacurve-rectangular-aquarium-silver-p-1700.html) ?
The reason I ask is because the rectangular one is longer than the bow front which will affect which fish are suitable for each one. Some fish are pootlers others are dashers, and the dashers need a bigger tank than you'd think from the size of them.
With your water conditions and tank size, you need to look at those fish that like hard water and grow no more than 4 or 5cm long.
The various sites I've looked at say the tank comes with a PowerBio filter. It would appear to have 2 different types of media, just sponge or sponge with carbon. When you get the tank, can I suggest you look which media it comes with as the just-sponge type is better than sponge-with-carbon. (Media means whatever is inside the filter)
The info from your water company:
Your pH is slightly alkaline at 7.5
You have hard water. When you are researching fish, some websites will give the prefered hardness as ppm (in your case your water is 283) and some give it as german degrees (yours is 17)
Alkalinity - you want the second one, 206. This is a measure of how much the water will resist a change in pH. Yours is high, so it will be hard for you to change the pH. Don't bother trying ;D You'll read about something called KH. This is virtually the same as alkalinity. Having a high KH/alkalinity means your pH should remain stable during the cycle.
Nitrate - at 21, it is middling. The UK allows up to 50ppm in drinking water, and some people do have that much. The importance of knowing your nitrate is because the higher it is in the water supply, the higher it will be in your tank, and there are some fish that need very low nitrate.
I think I've thrown enough info at you for one post ;D Jesnon lives near you and she'll be able to point you in the direction of good fish shops when the time comes to go fish shopping ;D
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Hi Jesnon and Sue,
Thank you for the recommendations of good aquatics stores Jesnon and for all the water chemistry info Sue :D
After chatting to Resa last night, doing a bit of browsing the site and moving the furniture round this morning, I’ve discovered I can fit a larger tank into my front room ;D I was looking at the 160l rectangular marina style glass aquarium. Any thoughts on this?
Natasha x
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The bigger the tank, the better usually. The water quality will tend to be much more stable than in a small tank. The down side is that you will need to do more water changes. A 30% water change, the sort of amount you would do once a week or so, is about 50 litres; That's around 3-4 bucketfuls. A bucket is about 12-15 litres. That's 3-4 buckets out and 3-4 buckets in. Or you could do it by hose. Also make sure that the floor is strong enough. Look for a tank with an external filter, the internal filters would struggle with a tank of that size.
Something you need to think about before buying the tank is whether you are going to grow real plants. If so, you should consider the tank's lighting carefully. Look for a tank that has what are called T5 fluorescent lights. If you are not going to grow real plants, artificial ones would be expensive for a tank of that size, but the type of lighting wouldn't be an issue.
However, Resa is right, think about the fish you want and buy a suitable tank once you have some ideas. I found YouTube to be helpful when I was starting out; the videos give you more idea of how a fish behaves as well as what it looks like.
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That Marina tank, on its own is fine. The problem comes with the filter. It has cartridges which contain carbon, or carbon and zeolite. Zeolite will absorb the ammonia you add during a fishless cycle so there won't be any left to promote bacterial growth. Reviews also criticise the performance of the filter (too low a flow; outflow and inflow too close together) If you do get this tank I would seriously think about getting a different filter
If you could squeeze an extra cm of space, the Juwel Rio 180 is 101cm wide (the Marina Style is 100cm according to what I can find on-line) and it comes with the T5 lighting Steve mentioned. The filter is fine so long as you don't have messy fish. I have the Rio 125 and it is a well built aquarium.
I also have a small Eheim aquarium, but they make larger ones too. Look for Aquapro 180 (though I think the aquaball filter is a bit small; I have the larger Biopower filter in my 125 litre)
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What sort of filter would you recommend?
I'm sorry I'm asking lots of questions which probably sound silly :-[ and I'm really grateful for all your help ;D
Thanks guys x
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That Marina tank, on its own is fine. The problem comes with the filter. It has cartridges which contain carbon, or carbon and zeolite. Zeolite will absorb the ammonia you add during a fishless cycle so there won't be any left to promote bacterial growth. Reviews also criticise the performance of the filter (too low a flow; outflow and inflow too close together) If you do get this tank I would seriously think about getting a different filter
If you could squeeze an extra cm of space, the Juwel Rio 180 is 101cm wide (the Marina Style is 100cm according to what I can find on-line) and it comes with the T5 lighting Steve mentioned. The filter is fine so long as you don't have messy fish. I have the Rio 125 and it is a well built aquarium.
What do you mean about the filter Sue? Is it the same with all internal filters? I have a fluval U2
I also have a small Eheim aquarium, but they make larger ones too. Look for Aquapro 180 (though I think the aquaball filter is a bit small; I have the larger Biopower filter in my 125 litre)
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What sort of filter would you recommend?
I'm sorry I'm asking lots of questions which probably sound silly :-[ and I'm really grateful for all your help ;D
Thanks guys x
The only silly question is one you don't ask. There is a lot to learn when you first start.
Do you mean a filter for the marina tank?
I use Eheim internal filters in my 125 and 50 litre tanks. I have the Biopower 240 in the bigger tank (it's rated for tanks up to 240 litres; I like to over-filter ;D ). The Fluval U range also have a good reputation for internals. Of course you could always look at externals, though they do tend to be more expensive - Fluval and Eheim again, and Tetratec are good makes. All Pond Solutions make cheaper externals but you would need one rated for a bigger tank (it's to do with the flow rate dropping off quite a lot from the quoted value).
With filters, when deciding which model to buy from a particular range you look at what is called the turnover. This is given as litres per hour. You need a filter with a turnover of at least five times the tank volume per hour, so a 160 litre tank needs a filter with at least 800 litres per hour tunover. For Eheim, the figure on the box will be almost the real-life turnover. Other makes real-life turnover is less than the box says. It's to do with the way that different companies measure it.
There are cheaper filters on the market. But like with anything else, you get what you pay for.
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My set up came with a fluval U2 with a 400ltr turnover for my Roma 90. Hope that's ok
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With filters, when deciding which model to buy from a particular range you look at what is called the turnover. This is given as litres per hour. You need a filter with a turnover of at least five times the tank volume per hour, so a 160 litre tank needs a filter with at least 800 litres per hour tunover. For Eheim, the figure on the box will be almost the real-life turnover. Other makes real-life turnover is less than the box says. It's to do with the way that different companies measure it.
There are cheaper filters on the market. But like with anything else, you get what you pay for.
Do you think the Fluval U4 filter would be okay for the 160 litre marina tank? It has a turnover of 1000 l/h.
Also is it possible to change the lighting in a tank or are you stuck with what the tank comes with? Just wondering regarding lighting for plants.
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Do you think the Fluval U4 filter would be okay for the 160 litre marina tank? It has a turnover of 1000 l/h.
Also is it possible to change the lighting in a tank or are you stuck with what the tank comes with? Just wondering regarding lighting for plants.
The U4 should be fine.
As to lights, anything's possible ;) But it generally would involve a certain amount of grief; and a certain amount of DIY skills. It is far better to get the right lights to start with!
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Hi Natasha,
I would have posted earlier, but the site seems to be throwing a hissyfit tonight :D I've been trying to get on to the community creator too, but it's having none of it.
Anyway, I'm glad you think you might be able to fit in a larger tank after all. It's amazing how quickly you realise you need a bigger one than you first thought. I was thrilled with my tank when I got it, but now it seems very small. I am hoping to get 180L one, so hopefully I won't need to change it again....might keep the 60L one going as well though! ;D
By the way, yes, my betta is called Rafe. He is a betta splendens and the most beautiful inky-blue.
I am going to have to do a lot of research as to what other fish I could have in my new tank with my current little bubble-blowers! Although, I am madly in love with corydoras and could happily just have a tank full of them. ;D I have spent all afternoon today in FOUR different fish shops, checking out different tanks and of course, the fishes!
Being a very strong-willed person who is not easily led in to tempation, I was happy to window shop and come home. Ok...I was weak and pathetic and they were all so cute....so, some little friends came home with me. I got some more panda cories to keep Bumble company. As soon as they came out of their bag, he shot out from under a plant and rushed over to them...I swear he smiled :) They have been inseparable ever since! It's Mother's Day here on Sunday, and my son bought me some Salt 'n' Pepper Cories for my present. They are lovely. It must be Cory season, they had loads and lots of different types....Cory heaven!
Now I've just got to keep them all alive....eek...so much responsibility ;)
Resa
:)
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Being a very strong-willed person who is not easily led in to tempation, I was happy to window shop and come home. Ok...I was weak and pathetic and they were all so cute....so, some little friends came home with me. I got some more panda cories to keep Bumble company. As soon as they came out of their bag, he shot out from under a plant and rushed over to them...I swear he smiled :) They have been inseparable ever since! It's Mother's Day here on Sunday, and my son bought me some Salt 'n' Pepper Cories for my present. They are lovely. It must be Cory season, they had loads and lots of different types....Cory heaven!
Now I've just got to keep them all alive....eek...so much responsibility ;)
Resa
:)
Cute! I hope your new additions fair well Resa!
I have to say buying a big tank is definitely a good idea... there's so many more possibilities! If I could start again I would also buy a much bigger tank... in fact, my secret plan for when we move house around July is to do just that ;) Shh don't tell the boyfriend! I'd still like to keep my current tank, as I do like the 'sleek' look of it and I think it's quite nice having some little fishies in their own tank... I'll just have to plan ahead in order to find somewhere nice for two tanks :-*
The LFS I'm going to get my new endler kept posting pictures of rare and exciting cories, I kept thinking of your reaction Resa had you seen them all!
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My set up came with a fluval U2 with a 400ltr turnover for my Roma 90. Hope that's ok
Your filter is the minimum the tank can get away with. It will be fine so long as you don't overstock the tank. Something you could do if you wanted to stock heavily, especially if you ever intend to get a hospital/quarantine tank, is get a small filter and run them both in the tank. This would increase your filtration on the 90 and provide a cycled filter for occassional use in a QT. But check any small filter before purchase. They seem to be the ones that have nothing but carbon and/or zeolite inside them. Any filter like that, replace this media with sponge before using it.
Your filter has sponge, biomax (noodles) and poly/carbon pads. The instructions say to change the pads every 2 weeks, the sponges every 3 - 6 months alternately and half the biomax every 5 - 6 months. Don't replace the sponges or biomax until the sponges fall apart or the biomax crumbles. Wash them in water you take out during a water change - squeeze the sponges and swoosh the biomax, but not too hard! They say to change them to make money; they'll last for years. The poly/carb pads are different. Carbon gets full in a week or so and stops adsorbing things. But you don't actually need carbon on a routine basis, I haven't used any for years. Either just leave them there and wash them like the other media, or replace them with more sponge (cut to make them fit if necessary). If they fall apart, replace them with sponge not new pads. If you do decide to replace them before they disintegrate, now is the time, while you are still cycling.
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As to lights, anything's possible ;) But it generally would involve a certain amount of grief; and a certain amount of DIY skills. It is far better to get the right lights to start with!
Fluorescent strip lights come in 2 types (T8 and T5) with the T5s being better for plants. But you can't just swap T5s into a fitting made for T8s. You have to replace all the electrical wiring, ballast etc which is why Steve says it's better to get it right at the beginning.
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Reas, you could keep the salt & pepper cories with Rafe and move the pandas into the biggert tank, once you've got it ;D Cories are one of the few fish that are usually safe with bettas (not highly coloured, swim in different areas)
Oh, assuming your salt & peppers are the 3.5cm salt & pepper (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-habrosus/) and not the 7cm peppered (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-paleatus/)
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My set up came with a fluval U2 with a 400ltr turnover for my Roma 90. Hope that's ok
Your filter is the minimum the tank can get away with. It will be fine so long as you don't overstock the tank. Something you could do if you wanted to stock heavily, especially if you ever intend to get a hospital/quarantine tank, is get a small filter and run them both in the tank. This would increase your filtration on the 90 and provide a cycled filter for occassional use in a QT. But check any small filter before purchase. They seem to be the ones that have nothing but carbon and/or zeolite inside them. Any filter like that, replace this media with sponge before using it.
Your filter has sponge, biomax (noodles) and poly/carbon pads. The instructions say to change the pads every 2 weeks, the sponges every 3 - 6 months alternately and half the biomax every 5 - 6 months. Don't replace the sponges or biomax until the sponges fall apart or the biomax crumbles. Wash them in water you take out during a water change - squeeze the sponges and swoosh the biomax, but not too hard! They say to change them to make money; they'll last for years. The poly/carb pads are different. Carbon gets full in a week or so and stops adsorbing things. But you don't actually need carbon on a routine basis, I haven't used any for years. Either just leave them there and wash them like the other media, or replace them with more sponge (cut to make them fit if necessary). If they fall apart, replace them with sponge not new pads. If you do decide to replace them before they disintegrate, now is the time, while you are still cycling.
So would any old sponge do as long as i cut it to fit? A thin scouring pad?
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Not really. Two reasons.
Some scouring sponges have detergent or an anti bacterial chemical added so you have to be careful the one you use doesn't.
Sponges come in 2 types: those that hold water inside them (reticulated [thanks to Steve for the word ;D]) and those that allow water to flow through (open cell). Sponges used for washing things, be it bath sponges, car sponges or kitchen sponges, are usually reticulated. They hold a lot of water and you have to squeeze the sponge to get it out. Filter sponges are open cell, the water must be able to flow through them. If you dip one of these sponges in water then remove it, the water drains straight out without squeezing.
The sponges made by a filter manufacturer for a particular filter are usually expensive. But you can buy cheaper sponges, often for use in pond filters. The downside is that they will be the wrong shape so you have to cut them up. Use a poly-carb pad as a template.
If you do want to change your pads, get sponge that is finer than the ones already there, ie has smaller holes. The pads are dual function. The carbon removes some chemicals from the water (often benefical chemicals) and the polyester side traps fine particles which pass through a coarse sponge. Fine sponges are better at trapping these fine particles, and will also grow bacteria like the coarse sponges.
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Thanks Jesnon,
Yes, hopefully they will all be alright. I think a bigger tank is definitely the way to go. I can just see you now, house-hunting with 'The Boyfriend', secretly eyeing up the rooms for a space big enough for a new tank and saying, "I just don't think this is the house for us, darling" ;D Good luck with that! You need him to absolutely fall in love with a fish that can only go in a tank half the size of Seaworld, and then work down from there! ;D
Which LFS is it you say has been posting cories on? I should love to look at their site and see them all! I saw loads yesterday, some I had never heard of before. There was also a whole tank FULL of pandas, all bumbling about....how could I resist? ;)
Sue, I think I have got peppered cories, they were marked up as Corydora Paleatus. I believe the S&P ones are called Corydora Habrosus.
I did check on several sites, and they said they were peppered cories but some described them as that but also known as salt & pepper ones....knowing me I have probably got some of both....time will tell, I guess.
They are all really sweet though.
Resa
:)
P.S. It's very quiet in Colin's living room...I hope he's ok ???
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Resa, I thought I'd better check about the cories. In the UK shops often confuse salt & pepper with peppered. They look similar and the common name is similar, but one grows twice the size of the other. The bigger paleatus will be better in a bigger tank, while the habrosus are fine staying in your current tank.
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Fluorescent strip lights come in 2 types (T8 and T5) with the T5s being better for plants. But you can't just swap T5s into a fitting made for T8s. You have to replace all the electrical wiring, ballast etc which is why Steve says it's better to get it right at the beginning.
It's actually worse than that! There are compact fluorescent and LED to consider too! They are rarer, but you will find them in a number of new tanks. Not to mention some of the oddities like Metal Halide for salties! (but I'm not going to mention those :) :))
Sponges come in 2 types: those that hold water inside them (reticulated [thanks to Steve for the word ;D]) and those that allow water to flow through (open cell). Sponges used for washing things, be it bath sponges, car sponges or kitchen sponges, are usually reticulated. They hold a lot of water and you have to squeeze the sponge to get it out. Filter sponges are open cell, the water must be able to flow through them.
Sorry Sue, but you have tripped my "persnickety pedant" switch. "Open-Cell" and "Reticulated" are two terms for the correct sort of sponge for our filters. The other sort is called something else (closed-cell perhaps!)
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Not really. Two reasons.
Some scouring sponges have detergent or an anti bacterial chemical added so you have to be careful the one you use doesn't.
Sponges come in 2 types: those that hold water inside them (reticulated [thanks to Steve for the word ;D]) and those that allow water to flow through (open cell). Sponges used for washing things, be it bath sponges, car sponges or kitchen sponges, are usually reticulated. They hold a lot of water and you have to squeeze the sponge to get it out. Filter sponges are open cell, the water must be able to flow through them. If you dip one of these sponges in water then remove it, the water drains straight out without squeezing.
The sponges made by a filter manufacturer for a particular filter are usually expensive. But you can buy cheaper sponges, often for use in pond filters. The downside is that they will be the wrong shape so you have to cut them up. Use a poly-carb pad as a template.
If you do want to change your pads, get sponge that is finer than the ones already there, ie has smaller holes. The pads are dual function. The carbon removes some chemicals from the water (often benefical chemicals) and the polyester side traps fine particles which pass through a coarse sponge. Fine sponges are better at trapping these fine particles, and will also grow bacteria like the coarse sponges.
Confused. com. Think i will stick to poly carbon pads
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Confused. com. Think i will stick to poly carbon pads
Erm... It wasn't my intention to cause, or add to, any confusion. But carbon/poly filter pads aren't a very good idea unless you have specific chemical filtration needs. These filters have chemical constituents that require replacing on a regular basis. But sponges also grow bacteria. By replacing these sponges monthly you are throwing away valuable bacteria and in effect putting your tank into a regular cycle. Just make sure you get sponges that are intended for use in an aquarium.
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Sorry Sue, but you have tripped my "persnickety pedant" switch. "Open-Cell" and "Reticulated" are two terms for the correct sort of sponge for our filters. The other sort is called something else (closed-cell perhaps!)
Now why did I think you'd told me the type that doesn't allow water to pass through was called reticlated? I've just gone back through all your posts and number 101 (counting backwards from the present) you did say Quote from: Sue on December 21, 2012, 06:45:38 PM
Did you also know that synthetic sponges come in two types? There are those that soak up water and hold it and those that allow water to run through them. For use in a filter, it has to be the last type. If you want to use cheap sponges rather than expensive aquarium ones, not only do you have to make sure the sponge hasn't been impregnated with some sort of cleaning chemical, you also have to make sure it's the right type.
I seem to be in dictionary mode at the moment. If you are looking for generic sponges, the technical term(s) for the type of sponge that Sue is describing is reticulated sponge. Although sometimes it is called Open Cell sponge. If you google either of those terms, you should find oodles of entries.
You quite clearly said that reticulated and open cell are the same thing. I just remembered it wrong :-[ :-[ :-[ My appologies.
Oh, and since you posted again while I was typing, that earlier post is now number 102!
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You quite clearly said that reticulated and open cell are the same thing. I just remembered it wrong :-[ :-[ :-[ My appologies.
No Worries! ;)
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Reas, you could keep the salt & pepper cories with Rafe and move the pandas into the biggert tank, once you've got it ;D Cories are one of the few fish that are usually safe with bettas (not highly coloured, swim in different areas)
Oh, assuming your salt & peppers are the 3.5cm salt & pepper (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-habrosus/) and not the 7cm peppered (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-paleatus/)
Hi Resa, just to add onto what Sue has said here, I have 4 salt & pepper cories (1F 3M) in with my betta fish. My sister has named him Sammy :) He's never had a problem with the cories and he sometimes eats their catfish sinking pellets ... greedy! :D
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Hi DJT,
That's useful to know...thank you :)...
Yes, I have found that Rafe is rather partial to the sinking pellets that are supposed to be for my otos :D
Have you had your cories long? Have you found them easy to keep? I really love them, they seem to have such character, don't they?
Resa
:)
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Hi Resa,
Ive had my 4 cories for about 6months now. The get on great with my community, not had any issues, they do a good job at keeping the tank clean alongside my shrimp and otto's. Mine are great little characters, always on the move exploring the tank :) Ive had a new 200L tank set up 2 weeks now and intend to add some panda cories to it in the future too!
DJT
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Hi DJT,
Sounds great......piccies please?
Yes, you really must get some pandas, they are just the best! ;D
Resa
:)
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Fluorescent strip lights come in 2 types (T8 and T5) with the T5s being better for plants. But you can't just swap T5s into a fitting made for T8s. You have to replace all the electrical wiring, ballast etc which is why Steve says it's better to get it right at the beginning.
It's actually worse than that! There are compact fluorescent and LED to consider too! They are rarer, but you will find them in a number of new tanks. Not to mention some of the oddities like Metal Halide for salties! (but I'm not going to mention those :) :))
I think I'll try to find a tank that's completely right to start with ;) Is there any you can think of that are similar to the Juwel Rio 180 that aren't quite as expensive? I'm ebaying it but annoyingly all the cheap ones are the wrong end of the UK for collection! If I can't find one I'll get the Rio 180 anyway as I want something of a decent quality.
I'll post later with some ideas of what fish I might get, to get some feedback from you all. ;D
Tasha x :D
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Morning Tasha,
I'm researching larger tanks myself at the moment...my brain is cooked with different ones. :-\ The only good thing I've found (for me, that is) is the tanks seem to be a lot cheaper here than in the UK, apart from the small ones....25L-ish, which is odd. Like you, I want to get the best I can afford that will last me and has a good build quality. This fish lark gets under your skin, and you end up with more and more tanks or bigger and bigger. I am aiming at having one large one and maybe keeping my 60L one going and using it as a quarantine tank for if I get anything new. I should hate to have a beautiful community just to wipe it out by a newcomer. Oh....and Rafe's pad too, of course! ;)
Once I have more idea of what I'm talking about, I'll post my findings. They seem to have several on promo here, maybe it will be the same in the UK. I'm sure though, that everyone on here will be able to help with suggestions for good ones....or ones to avoid! :)
Still, it's good fun choosing everything from scratch.
I used gravel in my tank originally, but I have changed part of it to sand. When I get my new one I will have only sand. I think it looks better and it is a must if you have any cories because of their barbels, and as you've probably realised, I LOVE cories! ;D Also, I'm really in to mossballs...have you seen them? My fishies all love them too. They nibble stuff out of them and the cories perch on them.
Anyway, good luck with your search, and keep us posted! ;D
Resa
:)
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Hey
So I've drawn up a little list of the fish I fancy having and that suit my water, I know it will be ages yet before I can get any because I have to wait until my tank is fully cycled but I'm still excited ;D
I thought Zebra and glowlight danio to start with because they’re hardy and good for beginners but still so cute. :) Then I would like to get some panda cory – they’re gorgeous Resa! ;D And also some lemon tetra.
Further down the line I’d like to get some platy, though only one male and 5 females as I don’t want any fighting, and some glass bloodfin. So guys what are your thoughts on my ideas?
Tasha x :D
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I'm assuming this is for a ~100cm long, 160 - 180 litre tank?
Zebra danios - fine (these are the kinds of dashy fish I mentioned, they need a bigger tank than you'd think looking at them, and 1m is fine). They do like water a bit cooler than a lot of tropical fish, so you'd need to bear that in mind choosing tankmates. A temp of 24oC would be the max for these danios. A school of at least 6.
Glowlight danios - fine, and will be happy at zebra danio temps. Again a shoal of at least 6.
Lemon tetra - ditto
Glass bloodfins - ditto (though not a species I've seen in shops in my area)
Platies - again no problems.
Panda cories - should be fine. Wait till the tank has been cycled a few weeks before getting them.
The only comment I would make is that the fish you fancy are all smallish shoaling fish. No problem with that ;D but you may want to think about a 'centrepiece' fish. These are fish that are usually kept singly or in pairs and are a bit bigger than the shoaling fish you like. Like in my 125 litre, I have a trio of honey gouramis and a pair of apistogrammas along with a shoals of green neon tetras and ember tetras.
Another thing to think about (you have a few weeks to finalise your choices) - would you prefer a dozen of each of two shoals or half a dozen of four shoals? There is a school of thought that says larger numbers of fewer species is aesthetically more pleasing but it is, of course, all down to personal choice ;D
Thinkfish doesn't have a large selection of fish in the profile section. Have you found this site (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/) yet? It has a bigger selection, but you do have to be a bit inventive finding substitutes in the community creator for a fish not on here.
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The only comment I would make is that the fish you fancy are all smallish shoaling fish. No problem with that ;D but you may want to think about a 'centrepiece' fish. These are fish that are usually kept singly or in pairs and are a bit bigger than the shoaling fish you like. Like in my 125 litre, I have a trio of honey gouramis and a pair of apistogrammas along with a shoals of green neon tetras and ember tetras.
Another thing to think about (you have a few weeks to finalise your choices) - would you prefer a dozen of each of two shoals or half a dozen of four shoals? There is a school of thought that says larger numbers of fewer species is aesthetically more pleasing but it is, of course, all down to personal choice ;D
Hey Sue,
You make a very good point with regards to larger numbers in fewer shoals, I expect it would be more aesthetically pleasing :) Also when you say a 'centrepiece' fish that is a bit bigger what sort of comparative size do you mean? Just a couple of cm larger? Possibly a single or pair of betta?
Tasha x
Also am I being completely blind or will I need to buy a thermometer separately with this tank? http://www.arkpetsonline.co.uk/juwel-rio-180-aquarium-cabinet-beech-home-delivery-p-6513.html?cPath=2_13_15_646_649
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That tank will come with the tank, filter (and all the media you'd need) and the heater. I got my rio a few years ago and it might have come with one of those lcd thermeometers that stick on the outside but I can't remember. However, those stick on ones are not very accurate as they are influenced by the temp of the air in the room. The kind that go inside the tank like this (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AQUARIUM-FISH-TANK-SUBMERSIBLE-GLASS-THERMOMETER-WITH-SUCKER-/200875465414?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2ec51c5ac6) are more reliable and not very expensive.
A centrepiece fish can only be slightly larger than the smallest fish in the tank. The rule with fish is - if one can fit in another's mouth it will get eaten.
Bettas are not the best fish, I'm afraid. With the other fish on your list, the danios could stress a betta by being too zippy, and it is quite possible that the tetras would take a fancy to a male betta's fins. Also, you cannot keep a male/female pair together permanently, only for a short period under close supervision when breeding them. Females can be kept together but only in groups. With two, one will attack the other. Three - two will gang up on one. Four is the absolute minimum with more being better. But female battas look very much like platies so a group of them with platies would look more or less like a big group of platies.
For instance, if you left out the zebra danios, you could have a trio of pearl gouramis (they need the water warmer than is good for zebra danios) or a trio of the smaller honey gouramis. Your water conditions are right at the edge of these gouramis preferences, but they should be OK.
I'm trying to think of other centrepiece fish that would work. I'm more familiar with soft water fish as that's what I have ;D
Actually, come to think of it, there is a group of fish that do well in hard alkaline water, although they are shoaling - rainbowfish. Everything from the larger boesman rainbows to the Pseudomugils (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/search/pseudomugil)
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Hi Natasha,
Just a word of warning about one of your fish choices, the platys. I have three blue marble platys, which are super pretty and two coral platys. They are all nice fish, easy to keep and peaceful, but MAN do they breed! My marbles consist of one male and two females and they have been popping out babies since the week I got them! :o Had I known just how many babies would keep happening, I would have chosen to get either just males or females. To be honest, I never gave it a thought, I just asked for three platys at the shop and that's what I got. Fortunately, one of the fish shops near me are happy to take the babies, even when still small, otherwise I would be over-run with them. Both my girls have popped out more babies this evening....they're such tarts! ;D
You don't have to have a male either to get babies. They can arrive to you with stored fertilised eggs :o :o Apparently, they can keep them stored for about three months. Not much danger of them becoming extinct, eh? ;D
Anyway, just thought I'd let you know.
Resa
:)
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PS. Sue's got a point, Rainbowfish are very pretty, I especially like the Threadfin/Featherfin Rainbowfish. I was thinking about some of them myself for the new tank. I'll have to see though, if they will be alright with Flockhart, my colisa...who is also lovely. He is a really vibrant electric blue.
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Which LFS is it you say has been posting cories on? I should love to look at their site and see them all! I saw loads yesterday, some I had never heard of before. There was also a whole tank FULL of pandas, all bumbling about....how could I resist? ;)
Resa
:)
P.S. It's very quiet in Colin's living room...I hope he's ok ???
Thanks Resa, that's very kind of you - I missed this thread when it was so active 'cos the web-site was throwing a hissy-fit and MrsB is off work and not a well girl at the moment, so my head is elsewhere.
I'm really glad (not to say super jealous) of your new panda cory cats.... but you know the rules: Piccies please - or it never happened! ;) (or have I missed them - I think I've managed to catch up with all the threads).
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Hi Colin,
Glad you're back, but sorry to hear MrsB isn't feeling so well, I hope she's feeling much better soon.
Yes, I've had fun and games with the site too....I think everyone has. Hopefully, it's got over it's tantrum now ;)
I have taken some piccies today, just to prove my pandas are not a figment of my imagination ;D Mind you, I was so thrilled to get them that I had to keep looking at them myself to really believe it! They are so-oo cute! I hope to get them on to the gallery either late this evening or tomorrow sometime....it's a bit crazy this week!
I have got some pics of my other fishies too....don't know how clear they will be though...the little blighters are so speedy ;D
I am hoping all in my tank are ok, but more about that in 'fish health' or 'when it all goes horribly wrong'....not really sure which one I should post it in. :-\
Resa
:)
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Hi guys :D
So I know it's been ages since I last posted but I need your help again.
Finally my tank is ready to start cycling (I had some fun and games with the distributors). As I said before I'm going to do a fishless cycle, so I wanted suggestions on where to get ammonia and what strength solution I need.
Also I want to say thanks to Jesnon for the heads up about Maidenhead Aquatics on the Bath Road, it's fab there ;D
Tasha x :)
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... bottle is labelled "Jeyes Kleen Off Ammonia multi-purpose household cleaner" I've just looked on ebay and it's still the same. Interestingly, the first item to come up when I searched just "kleen off" was "KLEEN OFF AMMONIA HOUSEHOLD CLEANER - FISHLESS AQUARIUM CYCLING" so someone knows what people want it for.
You may get this from a supermarket or you can get it on Amazon I believe. You can also get Homebase own-brand Ammonia from, well from Homebase actually. (or least you could when I was cycling my tank.)
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I bought my kleen off from a local hardware shop, homebase said they had taken theirs off the shelves. As already stated, E bay and amazon do sell Kleen off
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I also got mine from my local diy shop. A lot of real shops have stopped selling it as it can be used for illegal activities but it should stil be available on ebay and amazon if you can't find it in the flesh, as it were. I know the jeyes one has just ammonia (ammonium hydroxide) and water beause they told me when I asked, and it's supposed to be 9.5% although mine seemed to be stronger. I can't say whether other brands have anything else such as perfume and surfactant (detergent) in them - you must avoid that kind.
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I wondered how you were getting on Tasha! Glad to hear you're about to start your cycle, if you still haven't had any luck sourcing ammonia head to The Range (there's one at St Philip's) and get 'Homecare Essentials Ammonia', it should be about £1. I used that one (though it's weaker than most brands) and didn't have any problems with it, though my cycle was longer than most!