New To The Hobby

[RCA]

The Roma looks like a nice tank.  In respect to the AR620, I have an Aqua One 980 its bigger brother, with the filter in the hood and find it easy to maintain.  I am also running an external on it, but that is only because I bought it second hand and it came with it, as the guy did not know how to use the hood filter!  Some people say that the filter takes up space for lighting, but I have found my plants all seem to cope OK.  The filter is generally quiet, although it does make a trickling sound so it depends if you like this or not?  Mine is in the bedroom and I find it quite relaxing.  When people come to stay and I let them use this bedroom I tend to put a piece of filter wool in the return shoot so that it baffles the noise of the water returning to the aquarium.  It does not affect the filtration and as long as you remember to remove it during the daytime it should not get clogged.  If it did the filter has an overflow feature anyway.
 
There is also a previous discussion re: this tank http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/339672-aqua-one-aquastyle-620
 
Also google "Aqua One Aquastyle 620 review" and you will find some other interesting links pertaining to discussions on the AR620.
 
This is a good video (although made by the manufacturer!) to give you an overview of the tanks http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3cF27eKRcM
 
NB: you do not need to use carbon in an aquarium, especially if it is planted.
 
So really it is up to you as to where you are planning to put the aquarium and which appeals to you/your decor the best.  Some people do not like curved fronts on the tanks as the corners can distort the fish, to be honest it does not bother me and the tank looks great.  That said I also have a Juwel Vision in the dark colour which looks like a good piece of furniture and there are no fish in it yet!  A lot is down to personal preference, so have a look around at reviews and comments but in the end take the one that appeals to you the most.
 
Couple of thoughts:
Are you in the UK?
Do you want a new aquarium?  You can get some good offers on Gumtree, as I did with mine
 
Keep us posted on your fishy journey.

 

[JWilliams24]

Thanks very much for the reply!

Been a great help! Great advice!

I really do like the feature of the curved glass front, so I think I will be going for this tank!

As to your questions - I am in the UK, south wales, and yes, I would prefer it new and in perfect condition out of the box!

A few more questions - being a complete newbie - would you all recommend fishless cycle?? And what sort of water test kit would be best??

Sorry for all the questions,

Will be sure to update you all soon and include lots of pictures (and hopefully a tank log),

Josh

 

[RCA]

Just caught me before I sign off

You may want to put your location in your profile as this helps when people are advising you. 
Seeing as you have decided on new I will not go through all the benefits of getting one already set up etc.
 
Fishless cycle is better for sure, hopefully there will be something in the Resource Centre on here about it.  Ideally if you know anyone with an established tank you can get some mature media from them to help kick start the process.  However, the bacteria need to feed so read up on adding Ammonia to the water.
 
Best test kit is the API liquid test kit.  Check the expiry date (old stock do not have an expiry as it is a different coding system), they have a two year shelf life I believe.  Be careful with the test tubes, they are VERY easy to break!  Steer away from the dip tests as they are generally not as good.
 
Do not apologize about the questions, the more the merrier

 
We all started at the beginning and it is great to be able to help newbies into the hobby.  Be warned though of the addiction of the hobby and from suffering at a later date from MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome)

 
TIP:
Look at what you want to get, if you are not sure about it then write it down, whether it be equipment or fish.  Come home and do your research.  I research all new stock and equipment before I get it.
Check with your LFS what process the fish go through on their arrival with them e.g. are they treated and if so for what?  How long are the kept in quarantine before being put up for sale?
 
I tend to go to the same store and have never had any issues with my fish from there, they quarantine the fish on arrival and treat them prior to sale, they also do not sell from a tank whereby there have been losses.  Not so long ago I bought four beautiful corys (x2 a week apart) from another store not too far away, their tanks looked clean and some people recommended this store.  Equally the price was half of my usual store for these rare corys.  I lost three of them over a short period with no clear reason, the ones at double the price are still waiting for me in my usual store!  So in other words, check out your stores and go with what you feel is the best bet, sometimes you have to pay a bit more but in the long term it is worth it.

 

[JWilliams24]

Thanks!

Location is now there!

Great! I'm definately going to fishless cycle and found loads of great resources online and from books!

Thanks for the advice! Will be going with the API test kit!

Thats amazing advice!! Never thought of that before! Thank you so much!

Cant wait to update you all with a soon to come tank log where I'll be setting up a new post! Would love it if you all could check it out when I have it up and let me know what you think!

Thanks again,

Josh

 

[RCA]

Your welcome Josh.  Have you thought about what substrate you want to have?  This needs some thought as you need to consider the type of fish you like and whether you are planning to have plants or not?  Hard thing to change if you get it wrong!  I have found the Unipac stuff quite good, and I like the Senegal.  It is not as large as gravel but slightly larger than sand.  My corys and loaches seem happy with it.  I also have a Flora based product for the plants in one of the aquariums.
 
Looking forward to hearing from you once you begin your journey.  Any ideas when you plan to get the tank?
 
BTW - did you look at the UFO's by AquaOne?  They are a corner aquarium.  I have the UFO350, which I got for £20, and run an internal filter in there for my Betta in the profile.  It sits on the desk next to me just perfectly.

 

[JWilliams24]

Yeah I want some sort of fine gravel incase I do ever get corys! I'll have a look at these products! cheers! 
 
Well, as soon as really! Just waiting for some money to get in really! My birthday is coming up so should be more towards the end of the month in reality!
 
Yes I have! Does look quite a nice tank, but no where near me has it, and as I said I would prefer new instead of used!


NB: Is 4-6mm too big for corys??

 

[RCA]

I think that is the Natural Aqua Gravel?  If so, then yes too big for corys, they like to dig around and if the gravel is quite large then it can cause barbel erosion. 
Before I had the Senegal one of my corys lost its barbels, they have since grown back on the finer substrate.  I do however realise that the Senegal is more expensive but I believe you will be happier with it in the longer run.

Check out the Panda Corys - they are cute and do not get too big.
 
With the UFO 550 ask your LFS if there is any chance they could get one in for you to look at?  If you tell them you are considering the two they may do this for you?  Go to YouTube as there is a video showing you the UFO's filtration etc.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

image by eaglesfan54, on Flickr
 
Yes, Pandas are really awesome little cories!  My largest ones (females) are about 1.25-1.5 inches.
 
 
This is one of my juveniles, he's currently about .75 inches long - at about 4 months old.

 

[JWilliams24]

Wow those corys do look really nice!!! I will need to get some! Do they like a mature tank though??

I'll have a look at my LFS soon and ask! Thanks!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Most cories prefer a "seasoned" tank.  Pandas are a bit more sensitive than some of the other varieties, so waiting until the tank is roughly 6 months old is usually the best course of action.

 

[JWilliams24]

Most cories prefer a "seasoned" tank.  Pandas are a bit more sensitive than some of the other varieties, so waiting until the tank is roughly 6 months old is usually the best course of action.

 
Brilliant! Thanks!
 
Can't wait to get my tank going now!

 

[JWilliams24]

I have a few questions to share with you all! Any replies and advice would be appreciated!
 
Regarding my soon to be new tank, I will be going for the AR620! So that's 90L!  (It's all the space I have; but researching, seems a nice size to begin!)
 
I have been thinking of my fish list and the ones I definitely want are:
 
5x zebra danios
2x pearl gouramis
1x angel fish
 
NB: I have researched but have found little use in any sources so I thought why not ask you guys personally;
 
Anyone had troubles with angels with these fish, and will they even be suitable in this tank?? 
 
Also any other suggestions for extra fish, like corys as previous discussed!
 
Josh

 

[DrSlackBladder]

I'd go for sand if you're considering corys.  I bought 6 pepper corys shortly after my 100 litre tank was fishless cycled, with dorset pea gravel substrate.  After a lot of reading and advice on this forum, I made the switch to sand (coarse gravel sand from P@H rather than playsand, and the corys are so much more lively and active playing around in the sand.  Good luck with the fishless cycle.  I used Kleen Off ammonia solution and API Master Test Kit, took about 6 weeks to cycle with a little mature media from a small 20 litre tank.

 

[JWilliams24]

Sound thanks for reply!

So my birthday is fast approaching and I can't waut to get this thing started! Will be starting a new thread about my log! Hope to see you all there and give me as much advuce and support as you can - thanks a lot to everyone!

 

[RCA]

Your

, we are excited too ...look forward to hearing more.