Brighton till i die
You havin' a bubble?
just bought a tank and need advice if anyone got a bit of savvy about them please. 
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anyone got a fish tank...need advice...
- Thread starter Brighton till i die
- Start date
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
...fill almost to the brim with water, then add fish...it is important that you do it this way round, not the other!
Taybha
Whalewhine
Marine ? tropical ? or coldwater
Brighton till i die
You havin' a bubble?
- Thread starter
- #5
ha!
got a 60L tank and prepping it for tropical fish.
1. after i finished filling it i realised i didnt rinse the poxy gravel so its a bit dusty - will the filter sort that out?
2. i need to leave water for a week for it to be ready for fish, apparently.... do i need to leave the heater on all the time now?
3. same with the filter or do you turn off these bits at night before you actually put fish in?
thanx!
got a 60L tank and prepping it for tropical fish.
1. after i finished filling it i realised i didnt rinse the poxy gravel so its a bit dusty - will the filter sort that out?
2. i need to leave water for a week for it to be ready for fish, apparently.... do i need to leave the heater on all the time now?
3. same with the filter or do you turn off these bits at night before you actually put fish in?
thanx!
Taybha
Whalewhine
Leave the tank and all the bits n bobs on for about 4-5 days the filter will sort out the Dust? lol and the water temp will stabilise and should remain constant,add a small pot of water safe to the tank when you have filled it.
The dust will soon settle, yes you need the heater on to keep the water up to temperature and I would leave it a whole lot longer than a week - probably a month is best.
Do you have tapsafe or similar or have you simply just put water in there?
Do you have tapsafe or similar or have you simply just put water in there?
Paxton Dazo
Up The Spurs.
- Mar 11, 2007
- 9,719
Brighton till i die
You havin' a bubble?
- Thread starter
- #9
thanx mate - put tap water in then used 2 treatments given by the shop to make it safe for fish - they told me to wait a week for it to settle in....
You prob got some tap safe and some 'kick start' kit thats meant to accelerate the nitrogen cycle.
If you want to be really safe, then I suggest you get those 5 in 1
water test kits from most pet / fish shops. You ideally want to put fish in the tank when the nitrite levels are 0.
Do you plan to have plants and other ornaments in there? I suggest maybe putting them in after a week then the fish in a week after that if you're in a hurry. Don't put too many fish in at once else it'll throw the levels out of whack.
Best bit of advice I got when I started to keep fish was this
"If you look after a tank of water, the fish will look after themselves"
If you want to be really safe, then I suggest you get those 5 in 1
water test kits from most pet / fish shops. You ideally want to put fish in the tank when the nitrite levels are 0.
Do you plan to have plants and other ornaments in there? I suggest maybe putting them in after a week then the fish in a week after that if you're in a hurry. Don't put too many fish in at once else it'll throw the levels out of whack.
Best bit of advice I got when I started to keep fish was this
"If you look after a tank of water, the fish will look after themselves"
Brighton till i die
You havin' a bubble?
- Thread starter
- #11
nice. thanx again.
i've got a couple of ornaments in there but thats it - the girl at the aquarium said to bring in a sample and they'll test it to see if its ready for the fish...
...best to wait and be safe eh!
if i wanna add more gravel in the next few days do i just rinse the gravel and put it in?
also, when doing a water change do you juts take a bit out, and replace with some from the tap then add the treatment to the whole tank??
i've got a couple of ornaments in there but thats it - the girl at the aquarium said to bring in a sample and they'll test it to see if its ready for the fish...
...best to wait and be safe eh!
if i wanna add more gravel in the next few days do i just rinse the gravel and put it in?
also, when doing a water change do you juts take a bit out, and replace with some from the tap then add the treatment to the whole tank??
Lord Bracknell
On fire
What are you doing with the fish in the meantime? The freezer will be OK for breeds like cod and haddock, but I'm not so sure about the tropical varieties.
Brighton till i die
You havin' a bubble?
- Thread starter
- #13
snigger - they are finger shaped!!
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,011
You should invest in one of these fish that act's as a natural hoover in a tank, it eats much of the crap that accumulates in a tank, algae and worse. Might be a black molly, tho not sure.
Buy a bucket that you ONLY use for the fish tank (i.e no cleaning crap goes in it) and one of those vaccum siphon kits. Suck out about a bucketful (I have a 70l tank and a 12l bucket). Fill the bucket from the tap and add the treatment to the water in the bucket (i usually put enough tapsafe for just the bucket and enough 'weekly water cleaner' for the whole tank). Leave the bucket sitting overnight for everything to settle and mix before pouring it back into the fishtank.
Nah, won't be a molly - they're just regular livebearers. You're thinking of Plecos or Loaches.
Jesus christ.My first advice is to read up on some forums and get a book.Judging by your post you know very liitle.If you don't learn the basics before starting it will end up in tears very quickly.There's an awful lot to learn but rewarding.ha!
got a 60L tank and prepping it for tropical fish.
1. after i finished filling it i realised i didnt rinse the poxy gravel so its a bit dusty - will the filter sort that out?
2. i need to leave water for a week for it to be ready for fish, apparently.... do i need to leave the heater on all the time now?
3. same with the filter or do you turn off these bits at night before you actually put fish in?
thanx!
You need to learn about
1) Subtrate - do you want live plants,Loaches etc?
2) light wattage per gallon - helps plants to grow.some plants like low levels while others prefer high levels of light,avoid algae etc
3) Cycling the tank -VERY IMPORTANT-It will take more then a week,nearer a month.f*** this up and your fish won't last 5 mins.
4) Fish compatibility - VERY IMPORTANT You need to reserch the fish before mixing them.Also find out how big they grow.Some will grow to big for that tank ie clown loaches.Some fish like to school so adding just one is not wise etc
5) Get a water testing kit
6) Change the water weekly,25%
7) Read up on plant requirements.I strongly advice a low level light set up.
8) vary the food for the fish ie live foods etc.
9) Read up on the common deseases like white spot.
10) Temperature - some fish prefer warmer waters to others.Aim for around 78c
If you want i can recommend fish,plants etc for a beginner
1) Subtrate - do you want live plants,Loaches etc?
2) light wattage per gallon - helps plants to grow.some plants like low levels while others prefer high levels of light,avoid algae etc
3) Cycling the tank -VERY IMPORTANT-It will take more then a week,nearer a month.f*** this up and your fish won't last 5 mins.
4) Fish compatibility - VERY IMPORTANT You need to reserch the fish before mixing them.Also find out how big they grow.Some will grow to big for that tank ie clown loaches.Some fish like to school so adding just one is not wise etc
5) Get a water testing kit
6) Change the water weekly,25%
7) Read up on plant requirements.I strongly advice a low level light set up.
8) vary the food for the fish ie live foods etc.
9) Read up on the common deseases like white spot.
10) Temperature - some fish prefer warmer waters to others.Aim for around 78c
If you want i can recommend fish,plants etc for a beginner
Last edited:
jevs
Well-known member
Algie's spot on...firstly, get yourself onto a few forums and ask questions. I use Tropical Fish Forums UK - Your One Stop Reference for all Things Aquarium. Tropical fish - Marine Fish - Aquarium Fish - Pond Fish - Aquatic Plants for general fish advice and UK Aquatic Plant Society Forum Index page for my plant queries.
Also, find yourself a decent shop. If you live in Brighton, go and see Gordon in "The Fish Tank" in Rock Street (small back street in kemp town just off eastern rd by the hospital) Ive been going to him for 25 years and you wont get a lot better.
Good luck
Also, find yourself a decent shop. If you live in Brighton, go and see Gordon in "The Fish Tank" in Rock Street (small back street in kemp town just off eastern rd by the hospital) Ive been going to him for 25 years and you wont get a lot better.
Good luck
i'd buy some cheep fish to start with, the first lot invariably die
Smythe
Active member
If you get a few Corydoras ( i think there called that) they eat all the crap on the bottom and Clown Loach are good to for that. Also any type of catfish eat the algae. These help to keep tank clean.