Hello - New To Fish - New Tank Needs Your Feedback!

[ZoddyZod]

Hello!

I've just set up my very first tank and considering how obsessed I have become with it I'm surprised it has taken me this long to get one!

Here is a pic and a very short video of the tank. I'd really appreciate any feedback or comments you have. In particular, I would like my next addition to be some Blue Ram cichlids and I understand that they need places to hide. Do you think my tank provides that? Obviously I'll be waiting until the tank is well and truly cycled before bringing them in!

So far so good with my 11 zebra danios (bought 10 but an extra one must have snuck in the net) and they seem to be enjoying their new surroundings.

ANSWERS (as asked for from Curiosity101!)

Tank was set up on Saturday and I used Aqua Cycle to give it a kick start.
Introduced danios on Tuesday
Yesterdays readings were:
Amonia 0
Nitrite O
Nitrate 20
Unhappy with the test strips I purchased (PH is very difficult to decipher but looks like 7) so have got a Master Kit in the post to me
Tank dims are 80x35x45 - 125 litres

Here's the vid on youtube (can I embed vids on the forum?)
Short vid of my tank

 

[Curiosity101]

Welcome to TFF.

And I'll be the first to ask (and would suggest you add the answers to your original post aswell)

How big is the tank? Both dimensions and litres please.

Did you cycle it?

What are your water stats?

If you don't know and don't have a test kit then I suggest you get one asap.

If you tank isn't cycled then German Blue Rams are a HUGE no no.

Also they aren't compatible with danios as the Rams should be kept at 28 degrees celsius and I think the danios would really struggle at that sort of temperature.

Ps. Just so my post isn't completely doom and gloom, the tank set-up looks nice.

 

[mixmaster jay]

HI and same here with the obbsession lol hope you find this site fun and usefull mate

 

[ZoddyZod]

Hope to have answered all your questions in the above post

Sorry, should have made it VERY clear that I'm not introducing any other fish until the tank is well and truly settled/cycled.

thanks for the feedback!

 

[ZoddyZod]

HI and same here with the obbsession lol hope you find this site fun and usefull mate

Thanks, hoping to learn lots more.....and how to control my urge to populate the tank

 

[Curiosity101]

Thanks

What test strips are you using? I didn't know there were any that did ammonia... Eitherways I don't trust that ammonia reading, it's impossible for it to be 0 in an un-cycled tank. Stupid test strips...

The bacteria booster you used is more than likely completely useless. Most of them are to be honest, unless they're 'hot off the production line' and were kept in a chilled cabinet that is. But generally speaking I'd expect not to have an effect.

You are now in a Fish-In Cycling situation, the cycle will take anywhere from 4-8weeks normally to complete itself. Until then it is pretty important to keep on top of water quality, aiming to keep Ammonia + Nitrite below 0.25ppm as anything above this starts causing serious health problems for the fish. Obviously you wont know exactly what the stats are until your test kit arrives, but that's just a bit of future info.

You will find a guide for fish-in cycling - Here

 

[ZoddyZod]

Thanks

"What test strips are you using?"

5-in-1 API strips. Amonia was not tested with these. Wife is a nurse and has something in her box of tricks that tests amonia. Hmmm, hoping that isn't a false reading as well then. Either way, drop test will be here tomorrow and water change (20%?) happening tonight

"The bacteria booster you used is more than likely completely useless."

Really? Great! Well at least it was free with the tank

I see you have have some shrimp. I'm very interested in these (fascinated by inverts). Which do you have? And how many? (I see we have the same tank).

 

[Curiosity101]

If you trust the ammonia tester that your wife has then the reading may be 0 (or low enough to be un detectable). Plus they are very small fish in quite a large volume of water so it may not be too bad. I'd just expect there to be a strong reading by now.

And I have Amano shrimp, and impulse buy while my dad was at the lfs I wasn't happy. I said I was thinking about getting some shrimp at some point so he decided to take it upon himself to buy the first ones he saw. But hey, I have grown to love them I guess.
There are 5 in the tank (I think), but like I said I didn't buy them.

Don't see anything wrong with doing a water change tonight.

 

[ZoddyZod]

If you trust the ammonia tester that your wife has then the reading may be 0 (or low enough to be un detectable). Plus they are very small fish in quite a large volume of water so it may not be too bad. I'd just expect there to be a strong reading by now.

And I have Amano shrimp, and impulse buy while my dad was at the lfs I wasn't happy. I said I was thinking about getting some shrimp at some point so he decided to take it upon himself to buy the first ones he saw. But hey, I have grown to love them I guess.
There are 5 in the tank (I think), but like I said I didn't buy them.

Don't see anything wrong with doing a water change tonight.

Test kit did not arrive but nitrites still at 0 and nitrates around 40 (not ideal I understand, but not critical?)

You dont sound too fond of the shrimp? Not interested in them or still a bit miffed at you Dad for buying them? I can understand, my wife has been told to back off when it comes to suggestions for the aquarium .

 

[Curiosity101]

They're cute in their own way, but I personally would have gone for something a bit more interesting and rarer such as Crystal Red Shrimp, Crystal Black Shrimp, Blue Tiger Shrimp etc etc.
There are so many to choose from.

Don't get me wrong, I love having the shrimp in the tank as they are great to watch. And since I really started stocking my tank full of plants they never ever hide. When they were first popped into the tank my dad constantly complained he never saw them. Saying they always hid behind wood, I pointed out that if that's where they feel comfortable then to leave them alone. (He wanted to remove the wood so they had nowhere to hide....)

Well anyhoo, today I was re-homing my corys , and I saw all 5 sat on a piece of rock together. Even when I picked the rock up to remove it (the corys were NOT playing ball), 3 stayed on. Which I thought was quite brave of an animal that is less than an inch in length.

Seriously do think about getting shrimp. But they should be the final additions to the tank, as a sniff of ammonia and they'll be gone. You could in theory add them straight after a cycle, but I'd wait a week until you've had a good set of clear results.

40ppm nitrates is no big deal. Check you tap water as that may be high... It is recommended to aim below 20ppm if possible. But if it isn't then 40 is safe, it's only when you start getting up to 80-100 when it becomes a problem.
Get plenty of plants and they soak the nitrates up, mine often don't even reach 10ppm between weekly water changes.

 

[ZoddyZod]

They're cute in their own way, but I personally would have gone for something a bit more interesting and rarer such as Crystal Red Shrimp, Crystal Black Shrimp, Blue Tiger Shrimp etc etc.
There are so many to choose from.

Well anyhoo, today I was re-homing my corys , and I saw all 5 sat on a piece of rock together. Even when I picked the rock up to remove it (the corys were NOT playing ball), 3 stayed on. Which I thought was quite brave of an animal that is less than an inch in length.

Get plenty of plants and they soak the nitrates up, mine often don't even reach 10ppm between weekly water changes.

Was looking at bumblebee shrimp, they look fantastic! Although I have not properly researched so have no idea if they are suitable. Looked at red crabs as well (would love a very diverse tank) but they seem to need land (which my lfs does not provide for them )

when you say 're-homing' with a , does that mean you are giving them away? Tank too small?

I've got a single lonely java fern on bogwood (which I'm regretting paying £10 for as it looks half dead ) as I didnt want to dive straight in and get a planted tank.......wanted to learn the basics first.

 

[Curiosity101]

I recently purchased some half dead java fern, but I just left it alone and it has sprung back.

Also no, my tank wasn't to small. It was just I decided I'd rather have a bigger group of corys or a bigger group of Kuhlis. I didn't have room to up the numbers of both, so I picked to up Kuhlis. And sold the corys.

Crabs are a bad idea, been there done that, watched them try to go fishing in my tank!!