Any other fishkeepers out there?

DKLS

Interesting question, my tank is powered by a 200 watt thermostat heater and my temp is usually a steady 62-84, 2 strip lights for daylight viewing , and a blue night bulb, and a large Eheim external filter. The lights are on timers.

I dont think of the running costs in terms of leccy and water (not on water meter here), its more the cost of live/fresh food I notice.

mogwai

Not sure about running costs, but as DKLS says, the cost of food, replacing your fish stock should you lose them, and other costs like water conditioner, nitrite/nitrate tests, medicine, is what we really felt. The heater broke down twice in our tank in the last yr, and cost us £25 a go.

Having said that, we do enjoy our tank, and the costs are worth it for us. Just have to be prepared to shell out for when things go wrong, like with medicine, and replacing heaters etc...

ZootHornRollo

try this fish tank running costs calcuclator. it works out how much all the electrical bits will cost to run.

but as has been mentioned above, the costs of water conditioner, food and test kits are the ongoing regular costs you will really notice as you will be handing over the cash for them on a regular basis. Then you have occasional costs such as medical treatments, replacement pads for filters, replacement fish etc.

after 4 years of fish tank ownership i have had to replace one powerhead (£40) and one heater (£15). Visitherm heaters come with a 2yr guarantee, so offers peace of mind that if it goes it will not cost you to replace.

deanos

Anybody got any advice on a fist tank , we got our daughter a fish tank, when we attatch the filter to the side of the tank you can hear a low pitch hum, which is driving me crazy, when its took off the glass its silent, any advice on how i could make it quiet when attatched to the glass ?

Thanks

:beer:

ZootHornRollo

i'm not sure exacly what kind of setup you have.

could you slip a piece of thin card between the glass and filter? or get some of that double sided tape that is made of foam - most £ shops sell it - and stick it to either the filter or the glass, leaving the backing on the other side.

if you just leave it most probably you will not notice the noise at all in a few days.

squeaky

Or bubblewrap or soft packing foam. They tend to float so you'll need to fix them in place.

hampshirebabe

Hi, I'd like to get a fish tank for my daughters room, but have a few questions. I want it as they are supposed to be very relaxing to watch, and the hum of the filters ect are supposed to be good as white noise. I used to have a tropical tank when I first left home, so asumed I'd get another, but which is easier to look after, hot or cold, and I've heard a bit bigger is easier to look after so what size would you recomend a beginner. Another thing I'm not sure about is the lights, do they stay on all the time, or just some times? I've been looking on ebay and some of them have timers, is that for the lights?
I've looked at several websites, and a couple of books, but it all looks very complicated, I dont remember it being that complicated though.
Any help welcome
Mary
Ps. my dd is 1, and i want to put it on a chest of draws so it will be out of her reach.

Froglet

To be honest,i think your daughter is a bit young to be putting a tank of water in her room where she will be left alone with it.Even if you think it is out of reach you do hear about freak accidents.

However if you have it in your front room,or elsewhere but downstairs where she is always being watched then it would still be interesting to her.

For a complete beginner i would start with coldwater fish.Tropicals are not difficult but are less hardy than goldfish.Yes,the bigger the tank the better,easier to maintian a balance.if you go to a reputable aquarists and not just a pet shop where fish are a sideline,you will get the best advice on setting it up and which fish are best and how many.

I started with a 2ft tank,and 2 small goldfish.When they grew i wanted to provide them with more room so i got a 3ft,and 2 more fish.Somehow this developed into another tank and more fish,then we moved house and dug a pond.When we put the goldfish into the pond we then filled the tanks with tropicals.

One pond led to another and now we have 2 very large ponds and over 100 fish :eek:. It is nice that you want to provide them with the best you can afford as they do deserve it,and fish are one of the most neglected pets as people do not realise they are not simple to keep.Water quality is the key to your fish staying healthy.

For more advice,do ask here or go to this site where experienced people will always be willing to advise.
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/forum/index.php

FluffyFiFi

Hi, we got a fish tank from Tesco Direct, it was on special offer and came as a complete kit with the filter and the heater, gravel (although insufficient) and a few plants. We went to the local aquarium specialist to buy the fish and they told us that it takes months to establish the correct water balance for the fish and suggested we only buy a few cheaper fish to start off with as they would all die. We bought 8 fish in total and 8 months later we still have 7 so don't let the specialists put you off.

ziffius

The hum from the filters won't give you the effect you want. To get the effect of white noise, you going to need a mrine tank with trickle filter, skimmer etc.

There are lots of indoor fountains that will give a nice sound to sleep to at night, a few from eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENG-SHUI-WATERFALL-WITH-INTEGRAL-LIGHT-240V-BNIB_W0QQitemZ310019915003QQihZ021QQcategoryZ20569QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/INDOOR-WATER-SCULPTURE-WATERFALL-BOXED-BEAUTIFUL-L-K_W0QQitemZ170189583743QQihZ007QQcategoryZ20569QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6-Dolphin-Indoor-Water-Feature-in-As-New-Condition_W0QQitemZ280195261150QQihZ018QQcategoryZ20569QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-Dolphin-Water-Feature-Fountain-BN-4-valentine-Day_W0QQitemZ330206948991QQihZ014QQcategoryZ20569QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I have a Sharp Plasma ioniser which is great for producing white noise.