Tropical fish

[Brighton till i die]

Which shop? Recommend Maidenhead Aquatics at Hickstead

100% agree - i have around 22 tropical fish, and all were bought from them, plus the tank.

they are extremely helpful - well worth going down there for a chat to get up to speed on it all mate

it can be hard work, but well worth it.

regular water change, check water temp, 10-12 hours light a day, always treat water with their liquid when doing water change, dont over feed, and make sure you get fish that are compatible - again Hickstead will talk you through this in more detail

 

[algie]

Jevs and Algie, what are your opinions of the all in one set ups available from aquatics shops, from the likes of Juwel, Aqua One, and others, where the kit includes tank, pump, filter, often the heater too? Also, what are your opinions on filters in the lid of the tank. I am only looking at a small tank, 30-50 litres max.

Go for the biggest tank you can.

Alot of people run into problems within the first year and give mainly because they didn't research probably.

Buy a second hand tank as they are dirt cheap and can be found on Ebay,Friday etc.Tanks have poor sell on value and you can pick up bargins out there and save you alot of cash.Heaters are easy things so any store person will show you the right one to buy depending on the size of your tank or just read the back of them for sizing.Filters is where it does get complicated.I recommend an external power filter as they are easy to maintain,add bits to etc.They are the dogs nuts.
Why do you want a pump? If you want to keeps plants don't bother.
Another reason why i like to buy second hand tanks is because i like to ad my own setup to it.The lighting you get with all in ones are ok but if you like plants i like higher wattage.
Again before you buy a tank you need to know what type of setup you are going for.If your going for plants then sand as subtrate is better then gravel i find for plants and certain fish.

 

[algie]

Plants = snails, check and wash plants, ask shop about getting rid of the snails, they multiply like stink and can be a pain as they add waste products which you don't want - don't over populate the tank, let them live in a country estate rather than a high rise. Red eye tetra last years, one of mine went on for 7 years!!

Main cause of snail outbreaks is overfeeding.
When you plant your tank heavily at the begining then snails will appear no matter what you do.Snails can be contained in many ways but my favorite are loaches,job done and they are cracking fish to look at.
I don't like using chemicals to treat snails and wouldn't recommend it but each to there own.
Also snails do have there benefits as well.They are great for algae and no they don't eat poo.

 

[algie]

100% agree - i have around 22 tropical fish, and all were bought from them, plus the tank.

they are extremely helpful - well worth going down there for a chat to get up to speed on it all mate

it can be hard work, but well worth it.

regular water change, check water temp, 10-12 hours light a day, always treat water with their liquid when doing water change, dont over feed, and make sure you get fish that are compatible - again Hickstead will talk you through this in more detail

Hickstead is a great place and where i go.Good advice and selection of fish.You might even bump into Bob Booker like i did on a few occasions.
East Grinstead Has a better selection of fish.I do find Maidenhead expensive though compared to other places but it's handy for me.

 

[jevs]

Hickstead is a great place and where i go.Good advice and selection of fish.You might even bump into Bob Booker like i did on a few occasions.
East Grinstead Has a better selection of fish.I do find Maidenhead expensive though compared to other places but it's handy for me.

Have you tried the new maidenhead in Brighton yet (racecourse garden centre). Much smaller than Hickstead but nice. bought a lovely pair of Clarkii clownfish for my nano reef from there the other day.

Jevs and Algie, what are your opinions of the all in one set ups available from aquatics shops, from the likes of Juwel, Aqua One, and others, where the kit includes tank, pump, filter, often the heater too? Also, what are your opinions on filters in the lid of the tank. I am only looking at a small tank, 30-50 litres max.

I have an Orca TL45 for a nano reef and i love it. the problem with small "plug n play" tanks is that they're generally geared up for the marine side. I had a bigger Aquaone AR980 with all the filteration in the lid. Worked a treat and looked good but im not a lover of tanks with curved glass as it tends to distort things.

 

[brighton rock]

it won't make the slightest bit of difference how long you leave the tank set up....a day, a year, a decade. The tank will need some kind of bacteria source to get the filters started and the nitrogen cycle kicked in. You then have two choices, follow the "fishless cycle" or add one or two small fish a build up slowly....but you must get the bacteria going.

The best way to do that is to get some old aquarium water from a friends tank....maybe a bit of sand or gravel too (only half a cupful) or even better....find someone whose cleaning their filter out and get them to save some of the crud from that (it'll need to go in your tank within a couple of hours)





thank you uncle jack....you had the pleasure of seeing my 150 gallon tropical marine reef aquarium when i lived in brighton and it was one of the best in the country at the time.

I haven't forgotten about your cash...i'll get it to you this week

the best way to start a fish tanks filter system off if to add some of your own urine

 

[jevs]

the best way to start a fish tanks filter system off if to add some of your own urine

50 years ago it was deemed acceptable . However, modern technology has moved on a tad since then. The best way to start a filter system is to add matured water and gravel/sand from an existing set up.

back to your ark fella

 

[Superphil]

I have an Orca TL45 for a nano reef and i love it. the problem with small "plug n play" tanks is that they're generally geared up for the marine side. I had a bigger Aquaone AR980 with all the filteration in the lid. Worked a treat and looked good but im not a lover of tanks with curved glass as it tends to distort things.

The curved glass (corners) bit is my main reservation, I don't like them either. My Dad has a set up, by Fluval I think, which is "all in one" with proper square front, but they don't make them any more. Oh well, I shall keep looking, and take your point about larger the better.

 

[throbinson]

Ok the tank is nearly ready, wheres the best place to put the water heater the guild not very helpful on this one?

 

[algie]

Back of the tank in the center.Make sure it doesn't touch the bottom.You can have it sloping like i do as well.Keep it free from obstructions.You can hide the heater behind rocks,plants etc but try to make sure you can see the heater light when it's on.
By placing the heater in the center it distributes the heater evenly.Standard setup go for 77-79 temp.
Remember some fish like different water temps so read up.Have you any idea what fish you are after?

 

[throbinson]

Back of the tank in the center.Make sure it doesn't touch the bottom.You can have it sloping like i do as well.Keep it free from obstructions.You can hide the heater behind rocks,plants etc but try to make sure you can see the heater light when it's on.
By placing the heater in the center it distributes the heater evenly.Standard setup go for 77-79 temp.
Remember some fish like different water temps so read up.Have you any idea what fish you are after?

Thanks for that, goning to start with tetras at first see how we get on, if that all goes well put some danios, corydora and i would like to have a couple of snails

 

[algie]

Thanks for that, goning to start with tetras at first see how we get on, if that all goes well put some danios, corydora and i would like to have a couple of snails

All hardy fish so you shouldn't have to many problems as long as you do it correctly.Be carefull of some species of Tetra's as they can fin nip.Cory cats like to shoal so try and get at least 3-4 of them.
What i will recommend is a Bristlenose catfish.You will simply love it.Superb catfish who is active day and night eating algae.They are not the nicest looking cats but what they do makes up for it.You can pick them up for a fiver and get a male one.Once they reach around 2 inches in length they grow whiskers.Females don't.Trust me you will fall in love with it.You also do need a piece of bogwood in the tank so it can rasp on it.They grow no more then 6 inches.

 

[throbinson]

All hardy fish so you shouldn't have to many problems as long as you do it correctly.Be carefull of some species of Tetra's as they can fin nip.Cory cats like to shoal so try and get at least 3-4 of them.
What i will recommend is a Bristlenose catfish.You will simply love it.Superb catfish who is active day and night eating algae.They are not the nicest looking cats but what they do makes up for it.You can pick them up for a fiver and get a male one.Once they reach around 2 inches in length they grow whiskers.Females don't.Trust me you will fall in love with it.You also do need a piece of bogwood in the tank so it can rasp on it.They grow no more then 6 inches.

Yeah was planing on getting 6 of the cory, like the idea of that catfish so does the wife, Just got to be patience now and get the water right, thats going to be my biggest test at the moment

 

[sam86]

Sod fish, I have these bad boys -

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* these aren't mine though

 

[maresfield seagull]

Dont think its been mentioned ,but once you have got your water readings to safe levels[ Think of it as your fish swimming about in their own toilet if you like Keep testing, water change and more water changes to get there]
Only add a few fish at a time .Let the toxins level out before adding any more fish
Keep testing the water as you will get spikes in the nitrite/nitrate levels Frequent water changes may be required at this stage As stated earlier do your research prior to stocking the tank to avoid problems . Practical fish keeping forum is a good source of info BTW Dont buy fish if there are dead fish in the holding tanks at the shop either
You will get advice from some sources that gets contradicted by others You have to find what works for you ,your tank and fish [ Lots of good advice there from Jevs i think it was ,take heed ]

 

[maffew]

Jevs helped me set my aquarium up, and totally owned the people in the fish shop

My advice is make sure you are prepared to spend money, probably more than you think, its criminal what they charge for a bit of stone or bog wood

And careful when you are doing your water changes. I psyphoned (sp) mine down an out door drain with a hose, inadvertently sucking gravel up, = blocked landladys drain = 200 quid dynorod bill

 

[jevs]

It's a strange one about testing your water regularly. I've been keeping trops for 35 years and until last month, never owned a test kit for a freshwater tank. I bought a pH kit a few weeks ago because i want to start keeping Discus (something i've never done before)

I've always looked at the fish which give me indications if something is wrong. Fish swimming abnormally, swimming with fins clamped shut, not feeding or generally behaving in a way that is not their normal way.
The way to proceed then is usually by doing a water change or series of water changes.

It's all very well having test kits for pH, GH, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia and god knows what else but what happens if things do go tits up, for example, your pH reads 8.5 first thing in the morning ? What do you do now ? Or you have an ammonia spike in the morning just as you're running out to catch the train ?

Take things slowly, do it properly and don't cut corners. Try not to do things on the cheap either....it'll cost you in the long run. Buy your fish from a decent shop....do your research first and as mentioned, don't impulse buy. It might even be worth phoning up the shop and asking them if they've got any Lemon tetras in for example...if they haven't don't go. However, a trip with the kids to the local fish shop is quite nice and if you get in your mind a selection of what you want to buy, they should have some in.

Get some real plants in there. Again research them as many shops will sell houseplants as aquatics and will promptly die after a few weeks. Vallis, anubias, java fern, cryptocorynes and amazon swords will all tolerate lowish light and take neglect. But also think about some bogwood and rocks....these will make your tank more natural and give your fish some shelter.

Lastly, keep asking the questions....however silly they may seem (the only stupid question is the one you don't ask !!!) get yourself practical fishkeeping magazine once a month and get onto a fish keeping forum (i use Fish Tank Forum Index page )

best of luck

(here's a photo of my present 100 gallon high tech planted tank)

 

[The Grockle]

It's a strange one about testing your water regularly. I've been keeping trops for 35 years and until last month, never owned a test kit for a freshwater tank. I bought a pH kit a few weeks ago because i want to start keeping Discus (something i've never done before)

I've always looked at the fish which give me indications if something is wrong. Fish swimming abnormally, swimming with fins clamped shut, not feeding or generally behaving in a way that is not their normal way.
The way to proceed then is usually by doing a water change or series of water changes.

It's all very well having test kits for pH, GH, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia and god knows what else but what happens if things do go tits up, for example, your pH reads 8.5 first thing in the morning ? What do you do now ? Or you have an ammonia spike in the morning just as you're running out to catch the train ?

Take things slowly, do it properly and don't cut corners. Try not to do things on the cheap either....it'll cost you in the long run. Buy your fish from a decent shop....do your research first and as mentioned, don't impulse buy. It might even be worth phoning up the shop and asking them if they've got any Lemon tetras in for example...if they haven't don't go. However, a trip with the kids to the local fish shop is quite nice and if you get in your mind a selection of what you want to buy, they should have some in.

Get some real plants in there. Again research them as many shops will sell houseplants as aquatics and will promptly die after a few weeks. Vallis, anubias, java fern, cryptocorynes and amazon swords will all tolerate lowish light and take neglect. But also think about some bogwood and rocks....these will make your tank more natural and give your fish some shelter.

Lastly, keep asking the questions....however silly they may seem (the only stupid question is the one you don't ask !!!) get yourself practical fishkeeping magazine once a month and get onto a fish keeping forum (i use Fish Tank Forum Index page )

best of luck

(here's a photo of my present 100 gallon high tech planted tank)

Amazing looking tank Jevs

 

[maresfield seagull]

Jevs nice set up ,and more good advice The point i was getting at re the testing kit was hopefully to avoid any fish losses for someone new to the hobby [without your experience to spot those behavioural patterns] ,As you say slowly slowly is the best way to build up your tank ,but the temptation is there to rush in and introduce too many fish too soon to the detriment of the tank as a whole.Ensuring the water quality is good via regular testing encourages that slow build up for a newcomer [well it helped me ]

 

[jevs]

Jevs nice set up ,and more good advice The point i was getting at re the testing kit was hopefully to avoid any fish losses for someone new to the hobby [without your experience to spot those behavioural patterns] ,As you say slowly slowly is the best way to build up your tank ,but the temptation is there to rush in and introduce too many fish too soon to the detriment of the tank as a whole.Ensuring the water quality is good via regular testing encourages that slow build up for a newcomer [well it helped me ]

yeah, sorry mate, certainly not knocking the use of test kits but sometimes it can create more panic than it cures.....for example someone checks their water before they go to work for pH and finds it's low. So what do they do about it... and then spend the rest of the day in a blind panic thinking they're coming home to boiled gouramie on toast for tea. Where the truth is, because of photosynthesis in plants and algea, carbon dioxide (which is acidic and will lower pH) is released at night and therefore causes a slight drop. Totally natural and fish are able to cope with this but someone may see it as a bad thing and start throwing all sorts of lotions and potions in to their tank.

it's always worth reading about the water test you're doing and the effect it can have on fish, plants etc By understanding that, it'll give you a better understanding on water quality and how we can keep the fish. In truth, 99% of people just bung their fish in, change 25% of the water every month or two and they have lovely tanks.