Bursting With Questions

[Squid]

I have recently inherited a tank with a few fish (barbs and neons), and i enjoy having the aquarium. What i dont enjoy is the the painful to maintain aquarium setup she had, so I am looking at changing it..

I started by looking at the BiOrb things.. But to be honest it hasn't taken long on this forum, or talking to other people to figure out this is probably not the best bet.. They dont sound too good for the owner or the fish so i think i might stay well clear. Any know if the BiUbe things are any better..??? if not.. anyone recommend a similar sort of thing?

anyway.. the thing i hate about the tank is that to get into it to do anything like, syphoning water out, cleaning the filters and stuff is just a complete pain.. the tank looks like it was never designed to be a tropical tank, as there is not easy way to get any of the tubes and cables into the tank for bubbles and filters. So i have a number of questions. :

1. Do you need those plastic condensation things at the top on all tanks.. she had all the tubes and cables running throught the holes in one of these, so whenever you needed to get in the tank, the heater fell off, the filter dislodged and the bubble tubes popped up... grr

2. Can anyone point me to a tank or discussion on this forum about good beginner tanks that are easy to maintain. the current one is about 60 litres and a little knackered in the corner.. bit worried about coming home to a rather damp room one day. (an all in one kit would be great, but lets not go to mad with the price.. im a begginner)

3. Would you recommend an external filter.. these seem alot easier than getting your arm in the tank to clean the filter pads.

4. How thick should the gravelly stuff at the bottom be. if its too thick, surely its harder to filter clean when syphoning out your 25% of the water each week.

5. on the subject of water. they sell this stuff that you add to the water so you dont have to change it as often.. sounds ok, but surely there is no substitute for fresh water.


any help would be much apprecieated by this newbie.. if i have missed anything on the site that i should have looked at first, could someone be kind enought to point me in the right direction.. dont want a newbie flaming on my first post..

Cheers
Squid

 

[ncjharris]

Ok, where to start!
Firstly, welcome to the Forums, theres a lot of knowledge here, and if you cant find it in a pinned post or with a search, ask away, chances are someone will know or know where to look.

To your questions then.

Personally, I have no experience of BiOrbs, but I have never really heard any glowing tales of them. I think they are bordering on the 'designer aquarium experience' and don't necesarilly consider the fishes well being. For example, they are an orb shape, and have a narrow neck, which reduces the surface area of the water and the oxygen exchange rate, increasing the chance of a low o2 content. But anyway.....

Please bear in mind that regular maintainance is a staple part of keeping an aquarium. You'll need to do it weekly, or if your lucky and plan well, fortnightly. This will include water changes, cleaning the gravel, cleaning the filter and so on. Once you are used to it, you can do it almost on automatic pilot - it does get easier. Just have a rake of newspaper nearby!


1. Condensation trays are pretty much a thing of the past now - they were used before there were specific, water proof light fittings and stoped the evaporation of the tank getting into the light fittings and shorting it out. You don't really need it, unless is serves some other purpose - i.e has anything attached to it that can't be attached to the tank.

2. If you suspect the tank is cracked, or will leak, you should defo look into another tank. Believe me, the last thing you want is a tank that leaks - Ive had it happen and wasted a weekend and a lot of clothes mopping up! As for 'begninner tanks' there are a lot that come with all you will need (lights, heater, filter are the main things). Have a search on a website and see what fits in your budget.

3. If you have the space, externals are better. Easier to maintain, can be hidden and don't take up fish space. But they can be expensive.

4. About 2-3 cms is plenty deep for gravel. When you start keeping plants you may need to adjust this. You're dead right, the deeper it is the harder it is to clean, and occasionally increases the chance that dangerous gas pockets can build up.

5. You are correct. There is no substitute for regular water changes. Please bear in mind that tap water contains chlorine (sp?) and if you are in america chloraninmine which are not things you want in the fish tank. You need to add water conditioner to the water you put in to ensure that its suitable. Products that do this include AquaSafe, Fresh Start etc.
What you are talking about is probably Ammo Lock. Basically (read the pinned topics for more detail), the three bad things you have to take into account for fish keeping is Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite. A build up in any of them is bad, but a well run tank will have bacterial colonies that will minimise the first two. Obviously you are supposed to wait for these to mature, but can preemp the need to wait, or to do regular water changes by adding these, which supposedly convert ammonia into 'less harmful substances'. But nothing is a substitute for regular water changes!

Have a read of all the pinned posts - those in the FAQ sections, search for anything you don't understand and have a read of some of the 'Beginners Questions' topics to get a flavour for what is being asked.

Don't worry, no flaming here - we were all beginners once and still remember when!

Good Luck

 

[emma12321]

I have recently inherited a tank with a few fish (barbs and neons), and i enjoy having the aquarium. What i dont enjoy is the the painful to maintain aquarium setup she had, so I am looking at changing it..

Congratulations, welcome to the forum.

I started by looking at the BiOrb things.. But to be honest it hasn't taken long on this forum, or talking to other people to figure out this is probably not the best bet.. They dont sound too good for the owner or the fish so i think i might stay well clear. Any know if the BiUbe things are any better..??? if not.. anyone recommend a similar sort of thing?

I would avoid the biorb / biubes as they are just too small and overpriced.

anyway.. the thing i hate about the tank is that to get into it to do anything like, syphoning water out, cleaning the filters and stuff is just a complete pain.. the tank looks like it was never designed to be a tropical tank, as there is not easy way to get any of the tubes and cables into the tank for bubbles and filters. So i have a number of questions. :

1. Do you need those plastic condensation things at the top on all tanks.. she had all the tubes and cables running throught the holes in one of these, so whenever you needed to get in the tank, the heater fell off, the filter dislodged and the bubble tubes popped up... grr

You only need one if you don't have a cover over the light and the light isn't waterproof. you could cut the corner off to avoid the cables poking through a hole, this is what i have done on my fry tanks. The trays are also useful to stop fish jumping out.

2. Can anyone point me to a tank or discussion on this forum about good beginner tanks that are easy to maintain. the current one is about 60 litres and a little knackered in the corner.. bit worried about coming home to a rather damp room one day. (an all in one kit would be great, but lets not go to mad with the price.. im a begginner)

I find juwel tanks to be a good make and they come with the filter and heater built in, If you get a new tank you can clone the old one to avoid having to cycle it again. Get a bigger tank as once you get into it you will want more fish always buy as big as you can afford / have room for.

3. Would you recommend an external filter.. these seem alot easier than getting your arm in the tank to clean the filter pads.

I haven't got any external filters but i think i'll go that way in the future, with the juwel filters you just change the floss every 1-2 weeks and rinse the sponges one at a time every couple of months, the floss is easy to reach.

4. How thick should the gravelly stuff at the bottom be. if its too thick, surely its harder to filter clean when syphoning out your 25% of the water each week.

Gravel shouldn't bee too deep as you will get pockets of gas building up in it, an inch to 1.5 inches is fine. I have sand in my tanks and it's an inch deep.

5. on the subject of water. they sell this stuff that you add to the water so you dont have to change it as often.. sounds ok, but surely there is no substitute for fresh water.

Avoid these kinds of chemicals, i change around 20% water every other week, this is all you really need to do as long as you don't overstock. Make sure you add dechlorinator and vac the gravel.

any help would be much apprecieated by this newbie.. if i have missed anything on the site that i should have looked at first, could someone be kind enought to point me in the right direction.. dont want a newbie flaming on my first post..

What fish and how many of each do you have at the minute? remember to research before you get any more and to keep schooling fish in schools. Always check how big fish get and if they are compatible with your current fish, and as you are new to this you should try to keep to the 1 inch of adult fish per gallon guideline then you won't overstock.

Hope this helps

Emma

 

[Squid]

Thanks for your help..

i have only inheritied a few fish.. couple of Tiger Barbs, couple of neons and a big spikey dark brown sucky thing with white spots, that seems to come out at night.

Having not started the last one off, i have been reading up on the fishless cycling thing.. now, slight problem that im sure soem of you have come across.. What do most of you do if the place where the old tank is, is where the new tank wants to be.. but you have to have them both filled up with water and stuff at the same time whilst the new tank is being prepared before the fish..

My god this fish business can be a minefield.

Am i right in thinking that the flashier the fish look, the harder they are to keep. Just wondering what to add to the barbs and tetras when i get everything sorted..

Squid

 

[emma12321]

If you want to put a new tank where the old one is you should starve your fish for a couple of days then bag them up with 1 part tank water 2 parts air then place them in a polystyrene box to keep the temp ok. Keep them covered to minimise stress.

Empty the old tank you can save a bit of water but it isn't really necessary as the bacteria is mainly in the filter and on plants and decorations in the tank. If you are changing your gravel, save some dirty gravel from the old tank and put it in the foot of a clean pair or tights / stockings, place the filter in a bag to keep the media wet.

Set up the new tank, fill it with dechlorinated water and gravel (if using new, lay the stocking full of old on the surface so the bacteria can migrate to the new, this can be removed after 3 or so weeks) or if using the same type just mix the old with the new.

Get the heater going and the tank to the right temp, get the new filter going. Add all the plants and decorations you want to add.

Once the tank is at the right temp, put the old filter in the tank (and keep it running alongside the new for around a month). Float the fish in their bags in the new tank for around 20 mins then slowly add new tank water to the bag, then you can tip them in (they were starved so they have minimum waste in the bag water).

Another way you can prime the new filter is to run it alongside the old filter in the old tank for a month.

If you use this method of cloning you should minimise stress to the fish and avoid having to re do the cycle, keep an eye on the tank stats incase a mini cycle occurs.

Remember its always best to buy the biggest tank you can afford as there will always be more fish you wish you had room for. Keep an eye out for the free ads and look in the buy, sell, swap section. Barbs and tetras should be kept in groups of 6+ and the spiky thing is probably a plec, take a look on www.planetcatfish.com for an id, some of them especially commons and sailfins get huge.

Hope this helps

Emma

 

[laurasmithuk]

i started fish keeping in april and purchased a juwel tank. these are very easy for starters and pretty cheap depending on sie!

please bear in mind though with what ever tank you get it will require some form of maintenance.

 

[Angel Lady]

Cycling for one.. All tanks require work. But my 180 gallon is the one that I dont have to be working on all the time..