keeping tropical and cold water fish.

Mankysteve

I would also say the bigger the tank the better and dont overstock, overstocking is most peoples downfall when it comes to fish tanks.

covlass

Thank you all for you comments, we decided on a tropical fish tank as we have wanted one for some time but never had the space. we have just had some building work done and now have a kitchen/ dinner with a space for a tank. Another reason is we have an autistic child who loves looking at the fish every time we go somewhere that sells them so it would be nice to have one at home for her to look at so visual wise something very calming to look at.

Bearing in mind that it will be all new to me i would like to start with a few fish and then be able to add some at a later date.

Which of the methods below is best?
Fish less Cycling – Ammonia method
Fish less Cycling – Fish food method

Mankysteve

Ammonia much easier to control everything. Home base sell it so do boots. You need some that just ammonia/water no other detergents. You'll also need a means of measuring levels i recommend one of the liquid kits Ive got Avi kits brought it three years ago ish and still not had to but many more.

Heres a good set of instructions
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/113861-fishless-cycling/

describes the two methods of cycling usually take about three weekish. Dont bother with those bacteria kits PFK did a test with them and they make no difference.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

biorb kits i tend to frown upon theres no space for a fish to swim appart from in circles and are very expensive for what it is, gumtree have second hand setups, with established filters and maybe some treatments ornaments etc. i would measure the space you have spare and then decide on what tank to have i suggest the larger the tank you can house the better more room for making small errors with small tanks you'll rarely get away with a mistake e.g one or two fish over stocked, filter packs in and ammonia levels rise you really cant get away with in a small tank.i agree with one post suggesting seek local supplier of fish and tanks, not only are your helping in keeping a small buisiness alive you tend to get more after care and support from them. research on what fish you tend on keeping, some have dietry requirements of frozen freeze dried and live meaty foods aswell as flake.

go with fishless cycling at first theres nothing more heart breaking than finding dead fish in a tank you only bought the day before for a child.
if you need help with this post back i'll and i hope others will help you at every stage as much as possible.

theres also another method of cycling a tank thats quick is useing a source of established substrate or filter media. adding ammonia (with this subtrate or filter media in your new filter) over a 10 day period you should see the levels of ammonia drop, nitrite and natrate normalize. ph and kh levels will depend on how hard your water is, the softer your water (from the tap) the more acidic its is the harder the water the more alkaline it is. allways use a treatment called tapsafe or a similar product to eliminate cholrine and chloramine from tap water. chlorine in tap water is harmfull to tropical fish well all fish.

covlass

Got my tank
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/roma-125-black-titanium-and-zebrano-aquarium-and-cabinet-set-by-fluval-21803

Cleaned out tank now rinsing gravel question first of many no doubt How much gravel should I put in? And what live plants should I get?

Gingham_Ribbon

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

the above is why i only have my water tested by them, in propper advice or lack of. you could of bought yourself a snail eater (suckling loach or common plec or similar species of fish) they would of eaten the eggs and snail to keep the population down at a minumum and would of been a good food source for them that way you could of kept your established tank the way it was.

Actually, plecs can get extremely large and 'sucking loaches' are very aggressive and will attach themselves to the sides of your other fish and damage them.

Keeping nitrates low will keep snail populations fairly low and bristlenose plecs are great for dealing with algae and only get to 5 or 6 inches (so not good for very small tanks but okay for 3 foot or above.)

I breed bristlenoses and if you have room and a grow-out tank, they're great fun. But they won't eat snails.

There are a couple of snail eating fish and there are 'assassin snails' but good tank husbandry is the best way to deal with them. (And I kill them with my thumb in the morning if I see them on the glass.)

Gingham_Ribbon

Gravel - fine is best - about 2inches is fine. You can use an aquarium plant fertiliser under the gravel and add some to the water on water changes or put pellets into the gravel next to the roots.

You need to choose plants that are best for your water and your fish.

Have a look here - if you know the pH of your water that will help.

Some fish will eat certain plants and some will need certain types to hide in.

Fishless cycling - personal choice but I don't use fishfood. It's too time consuming and messy. I use Waterlife Biomature. It has the ammonia in it that is needed and I don't have to mess about guessing amounts with a pure ammonia.

Covlass, avoid the round tanks if you can. They don't have enough surface area to oxygenate the water. The fish breathe disolved oxygen in the water that comes from the surface. Deep, narrow tanks and round tanks just aren't suitable. What sort of space and budget do you have?

Gingham_Ribbon

Really, really basic tip here but worth mentioning.

How to buy fish.

It is much cheaper and better for the animals to buy fish from a shop you get to know and trust. Visit a few times and get to know how the tanks look on a regular basis. There's one in Sheffield I wouldn't set foot in because of the state of the poor fish in there. :mad:

The water should be clear.

The fish should be active but not frantic.

They shouldn't be lying on the bottom or gasping at the surface.

There should be no dead fish in the tanks.

Some tanks should have not for sale on them as the fish are quarantined - if not, there might be some in the back - ask.

Make sure you know what the behaviour of the fish you're buying should be like - some fish DO stay at the bottom (eg cories) or come up for air at the top (eg bettas).

Ask for the fish to be 'double bagged' so they don't get caught in the corners and suffocate on the way home.

covlass

Tank is now set up so whilst waiting until it is ready I have decided to start researching fish a little more. i thought it would be an idea to make a spread sheet of fish that we like including the conditions they like and temperament size etc and then that way we can work out which ones we could have.

I have also come across a place not far from where we live http://www.covaquatics.co.uk/

Whom I am hoping will be a good place to go for my fish (when that time comes)

If anyone could advise of what fish would be best that would be of great help. The tank is 125ltrs I have kept colors of rocks and bridge to grey, tank backing is large grey rocks and stones are white grey & brown as I though is many let the colors of the fish more visible, we are looking for nice colorful fish. I would have loved a marine tank but I thought this would be a bit to much of a large project for my first tank.

Than you to everyone for your input & help so far no doubt I will be asking a lot more questions along the way.

Gingham_Ribbon

covlass wrote: »

If anyone could advise of what fish would be best that would be of great help.

This is the best bit about setting up a tank!

What is the pH and hardness of your tap water? That will give us an idea what sort of fish will be easiest for you to keep.

Are you doing a fishless cycle? Not many fish can cope with a fish in cycle, so it's probably best to get that out of the way before the fish go in.

I have tap water that is pH 6.2, KH and GH below 3, so I have to add crushed shell and tuffa rock to my tanks to keep the pH in my tank stable. But most tetras love the soft, acidic water so they thrive in my tanks. I gave my guppies, mollies and platies back to the shop because I wasn't happy with trying to keep the pH at the levels they needed (harder and more acidic.) Even though these fish are supposed to be 'easy' to keep, I don't think they are if the water isn't right.

Your tank is big enough for a bristlenose - keep 2 females or a pair once there is some algae in your tank and make sure there is some wood in it for them to graze on.

Or cories are gorgeous little fish and really active.

For the middle/top layers, if your water is suitable, I love a shoal of cardinal tetras. They're fairly easy starter fish. But if you want to go even easier and more active, you can't go wrong with zebra danios. They're extremely hardy too.

I keep male betta splendens in some of my tanks, only 1 per tank. But I wouldn't buy them from a shop that sells them in tiny boxes. I get mine from large tanks with small tetras and that's how I keep them. They look stunning, have loads of character and are a good starter fish.

I also started to breed kribs. They aren't a great starter fish, but something to look at if you want to go down that road later. Fascinating breeding behaviour and make great parents!