Don't turn on your heater while it's out of the water to check if it's working.....

I can second that Suzie...and dont put your heater on the carpet whilst cleaning out the tank......honestly about 20 years ago...trouble is still got the carpet I am not posh so not bovvered

i say angel fish are a no no when it comes to your first fish get guppies or a danio or somthing simple and hardy yet beautifull my dad made the mistake of having a thriving community of neon tetras and other small tetras and adding a bloody angel fish (he killed it for that by putting it in straight vodka!) the angel also killed 2 convicts he was babysitting for julian...

Couple of points to add (purely from my own personal experience, as always with fish your milage may vary).

If you add water straight to the tank (ie with a python type system) make sure you match the temperature of the water. My DIY python system attachs to both the cold and hot taps and I run the water out of the drainage tube to check the temp before putting it into the tank. a python water changer (or DIY version which is easy to make) makes water changes a LOT easier.

Also if you add water straght into the tank make sure you add the chlorine remover as you go and give it some time to take effect before turning your filter back on (oh yeah, make sure you turn your filter off first!).

Dont add to many fish at once and make sure your tank is cycled first (search for "fishless cycling"). Take your time and monitor the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate or you could end up killing all your fish.

In general if one fish can fit another fish in its mouth it WILL eat it. Also if a fish has long whiskers this usally means it is a predetor and will actively hunt other fish.

Make sure you keep doing partial water changes. 50% water changes are perfectly fine as long as the PH/KH of the tank water is similar to the PH/KH of your tap water. Unless you are using CO2, PH buffers or water softening methods then there is not going to be much difference between your tap water and tank water (except for the stuff you want to remove from the tank).

Do get to know the people at your LFS and check out all the LFS in your area. In my experience the guys at a good LFS are a fountain of knowledge. You can normally tell a poor LFS by the quality of the fish and the tanks they are kept in. Ask what they feed their fish on, how long they keep them for before they are sold, etc, etc. As said before if one person there doesnt know everything this is not a bad thing, they could be new to the job and as long as someone there is willing to answer you and knows what they are talking about you will be ok.

Get at least a Ammonia, Nitrite and nitrate test kit. Test your water a lot when you are cycling and for the first few months after you add your fish. If you notice any spikes do more frequent water changes, check how much your feeding and other factors that can cause spikes in the water chemistry. After awhile you will get to notice by the fish behaviour if there are any changes in the water and only need to check if you notice anything wrong (sharp increase in algae, fish losing colour, etc).

PH and KH test kits are good to get a base line of your water but unless you use CO2 or PH changing substrates/buffers your PH shouldnt change to much. Regular water changes will keep the tank water PH/KH close to the tapwater PH/KH

Feed a varity of food to your fish, not just flake food, this will help keep them in good condition.

In general if a fish is supposed to be kept as part of a shoal you need at least 6. More is better if you have the space for them. There are exceptions to this but for the likes of tetra's, danios and barbs this normally holds true. If you dont have a big enough shoal they will not feel comfortable and may hide away.

Some good first fish (cheap, hardy but pretty and interesting fish):
Glowlight tetra's - Never normally look like much in stores but when they get settled in to a tank and are well cared for they get a very bright red colouring and are very pretty. The are active in the bottom-middle area of the tank and like to shoal together (they will also shoal with other tetras).

Tiger Barbs - Important! These can be mean little gits. Do not keep with long finned fish, ever! You also need to keep a fairly large group of them as they will fight amongst themselves and in a smaller group you might get 1 or 2 being picked off. If you are keeping them by themselves or with other hardy fish they are fairly interesting fish and can survive changes in water chemistry that will kill other fish. You can also get in a number of colour forms. Just remeber they are aggressive. They tend to stay in the middle-upper area of the tank.

Cory's - Very cute cat fish. Make sure you get at least 4-5. They dont get too large but you still need a fairly large tank to get a decent group in. Again very hardy fish that are available in a varity of colour forms. Make sure that if you do get a group they are all the same type (different colour forms will most likely not shoal together).

Zebra Danios - Very active blue and yellow fish. Available in a couple of colour morphs and also in a long finned varity (which is my favorite). They tend to stay in the upper 1/4 of the tank so make a good tank mate to a shoal of Tetra's that tend to stay inthe lower level.

Silver tip tetras - I only saw these "in the flesh2 at the weekend and they are quite stunning (much nicer then any photo I have seen). Like most tetras they need to be in a group and will stay in the lower part of the tank for the most part. They have a golden coloured body with silver tips on there fins. Against a dark background and in a planted tank it looks like they hive little lights on the tips of their fins. I was so impressed I have decided to get these for my new planted community tank when it is cycled.

Gupies/Mollies/platys - To be honest I have never kept them but they are all fairly easy to keep and will breed with little effort (especially guppies!).

This post has been edited by xxBarneyxx: Jul 16 2007, 11:01 PM

As this is for newbies, I feel I should address a couple of points here:



Matching temp is not necessary. At a 20% water change the maximum possible temp drop (assuming the water is coming out of the cold tap at the coldest it will ever run in Scotland) on a 24 degree tank is less than 4 degrees. I perform 40% water changes and have never seen more than a 2 degree drop. I never add any heated water in my changes, but take all the water straight out of the cold tap. I also don't have any heaters in my display tanks.

It is also interesting to note that many ray keepers (known as a particularly sensitive fish) just fill with cold with water and many fish happily swim into the colder water, or use it as a que to spawn (such as cories).



Dechlorinator can be added before, during or after. It seems to make no difference. It also acts as close to instantly as you can get. Tolak has seen this in a display from a rep with a tagging agent to show up the chlorine.



Flake food has everything in it that a fish needs. It is a perfectly balanced diet forumlated after years of scientific research. A fish will be perfectly healthy if fed nothing but the correct flakes (assuming it takes them).

That is very interesting to hear. Must be that I have very cold water as if I do a 30-40% water change it can drop the temp by a good 5-6 degrees. I have also heard of people losing fish after doing a water change due to rapid temperature drops (of course this could be due to other causes).


I know nothing about Rays so couldn't comment You are right about the Cory's of course and Danios also like the cooler water. I still prefer not to risk it though.



Thanks! This is something I have always been curious about but never really knew the answer to. I always added some prior to adding the water and then added the rest as I was adding it (then left it 5 minutes before turning the filter back on).



Yes, in theory a good quality flake food should contain everything that is needed. However almost every breeding article I have ever read for almost any fish has recommended certain foods (depending on fish species) to bring them into breeding condition. I personally like to feed a selection of food which, while I might be incorrect, feel is better for the fish in general (I also feed my cats a variety of different food for the same reason). It is up to each person though and I do know people that only feed flake food and do ok.

xxbarneyxx

read your thread last night and really like your tank. I saw that you have cherry shrimp. in a well panted 47 gallon tank can I put those shrimp in with may two small angles and 1 small guormie. I know they will be fine with my tetras.

Scott

I can't answer the last question, but as a relative newbie (6 months or so in the hobby) I have a few no-nos as well:

- Don't buy the first fish that you see and think is pretty. Point out a few fish that you like. Ask about them. Discuss the set up and what they'll be like in it. If I'd just asked for the fish I wanted straight out, I would have bought the lyretail molly, but I talked to the people in the shop (and I know they know what they're on about, I've seen one dead fish in there and I spend half my waking hours in there lol) and they told me that my setup wasn't suitable for it. I left it there. I avoided wasting six dollars, I avoided a lot of disappointment and most importantly I avoided killing a beautiful fish.

- Don't overclean the aquarium. My friend was so determined to keep her tank clean that every three days she pulled out the filter and scrubbed the entire thing out with BOILING WATER. She pulled out half the gravel and rinsed that in hot water as well, and changed some of the water every day. She killed all the cycle bacteria and the fish were dead in a week. Obsession with keeping a tank clean can be as bad as leaving it filthy. (I explained what she did wrong and gave her some cycled filter media and the tank is ok now.)

Don't go for a small tank because you only want one to fit on a countertop or it's for a kid. It will be a ton more work and your kids will get to see their poor little fishies die.

Not all chain petstore employees are bad. Some are hobbysist like you that just want whats best for the fish. Talking to them and getting a feel for their level of fish knowledge is an easy way to weed out the one's who aren't so "into" fish. At my store 5 out of 7 would probaly have the answer to your question. The other 2 will tell you when they don't know and either go get a manager who used to work in the fish department or look at the schedule and tell you when somebody who knows more will be in. The other chain store down the street always has various parasite infestations from their supplier and one of them didn't even know what fin rot was when I pointed out that 1 of the bettas had it. 1 of the others I have met there knew fish a little better but refused to sell me any because I was under 18. I also have never gotten a straight answer to whether they are medicating the fish or not.

Another Rule: Don't keep coldwater fish with freshwater tropical fish. I made that mistake when I was first starting. LOL I have a Mini Fantial Goldfish in with some Platies and a Molly and it is fine but to be on the safe side, don't do it! Think BEFORE you buy. Never buy on impulse.

Nevermind.

This post has been edited by adam98150: Nov 2 2007, 02:17 AM

I have had 3 bad experiences with 3 different stores - 2 specialist aquarium stores, and a very large mostly aquarium store.

As a newbie who has been alot of bad advice, I would have to say:
- go to your LFS and ask their opinion/advice, then dont buy anything straight away.
- go home and research what they said and see if it is accurate, and if they have left anything important out.
- then go back and purchase based on your research.

And have a good look in all of the tanks in the store, not just the fish youre interested in.

The entire goldfish section in one of the stores near me looked terrible. Im talking 10 or so 2ft tanks packed with fish of all different sizes, and every single tank had several dead fish, at least half of the population looking almost dead(ich, fins tucked in, swimming on their side, siting on the bottom).
Then, the rest of the store wasnt so great. Atleast half of the tanks had dead fish in them.

Also, goldfish will try and swallow anything they can get in their mouth. So, break peas up before giving them one.

Hi
Ive just re set up my tank and am having problems with high amonia levels i was told by my local fish shop to do a 50 % water change and feed ever other day which i did as my levels were very high and i am cycling with fish. since i did my water change i know have a white swirl in my water can't seem to get in chrystal clear or find out what it is. im paying £1.50 every 4 day's to get my water tested am i better of getting home tesing kit. don't really no what to do all advice welcome

sounds like bacteria bloom

Um... I have freshwater salt in my comunity tank and I have a small pleco.. I don't want to burn his skin, what are signs that I am doing this?? He seem's fine...

Can you put female bettas in with angelfish??