Hello Please Help

[madness]

hi i am new to the hobby and i have a million and one questions! so if someone could please answer them that would be great

first not sure on the size of tank i should be getting articles i have read suggest that a larger is easy to keep than a smaller one is his true?

if i were to purchase a large tank what would be the best type of filter, external, internal and would it be a better idea to buy a filter that fits into the middle of the tank so all the water would be filtered evenly or would this make no difference?

then theres the substrate i would prefer to have sand in my tank are there what are the pros and cons with this type of substrate also if i were to purchase a gravel filter would i be able to use this with sand or would it be too fine?

what are the best types of plants to purchase? do different plants benifit different fish, would mixing live and fake plants be a good idea so it doesnt get over crowded and i arent forever pruning them.

with water changes should i heat the water before refilling my tank and should i be dechlorinating it before i refill?

ive got a lot more questions but if someone could answer these ones for now that would be great

thanx

 

[TubbyLaLa]

I am a newbie too but can offer some advice,
First off Read the topic on fishless cycling pinned in the newbies section it will save your fish and you a lot of stress
1. look around and decide what kind of fish you want as it is easier to get the tank to suit the fish, than ending up with a tank unsuitable for the fish you finally decide on!
2.Get the biggest tank you can - that way you have more choice on types of fish as you are not limited by size and the water quality is much easier to control.
3.Take anything said at a fish store with a peice of salt and come home and research/ask here before taking their advice, some stores are there to sell equipment/fish not necessarily to give the best advice (no offense to any LFS users there are some great stores but not many where I live)
4.Talk to staff in the store, find out if you agree with what they are saying then stick to that store for now. Every fish store will give you different advice and it gets very confusing!!
5.Good fish stores are hard to find...If you find one keep going back there!!
I hope that is some help but I do not know enough to comment on most of your questions, can just let you know what my experience was when I recently started out.
Good luck and I hope you get lots of more informed help from other members

 

[dc3]

Hi
First of all - welcome to the fun filled world of fish-keeping. Let's try your questions

1) Is a large tank easier?
Yes - a large tank is more stable, and less prone to overstocking. It also depends on your definition of large - if you're new at it a 40g tank at 3' may seem big - but it's not that huge... That said - it's a good size to get - 40 or 45g is big enough but not large enough to get in the way of things if you're a casual keeper

2) Filters
Power-filters (the hang on kind) are the best value for money - get one that is rated for at least 1.5 times your tank volume to be on the safe side. So if you were to go with the above tank - an Aquaclear 300 / Penguin 300 /Emperor something (can't remember the number on the second largest one). A smaller 20g tank will do well with an AC200 or Penguin 200 filter. If you're going the canister route - they take up less space if you're pushing your tank up against the wall - and they're much quieter - thing is they cost a whole lot more - a good starting canister is the Eheim 2213 / 2215 or their Ecco series or a Fluval 205/ 305 or Rena's XP2 or XP3. Eheim's are expensive but worth every penny in the long run and super-quiet. They don't look like anything special on paper but they're like those old BMW's - quality in a plain package

3) Sand
Don't get a UGF - they're absolute garbage and will not work with sand. If you're going the sand route - the down-side is it can get sucked into your filter and make a mess from time to time. I have a cichlid tank with sand and an AC200 with no probs. If you are going to use sand - go to home depot and get play-sand - it's kid-safe and just needs a good rinse in water - $5 and change for a large bag (as opposed to $20 at the LFS)

4) water-change
try and have the water close to the same temp as the tank... measure out your de-chlor (API's Stress-coat / Tap conditioner or Seacheam's Prime are really good) and dose the bucket, give it a few mins and then fill the tank (it works near instantly)

Hope that helps

DC

 

[doresy]

hi i am new to the hobby and i have a million and one questions! so if someone could please answer them that would be great

first not sure on the size of tank i should be getting articles i have read suggest that a larger is easy to keep than a smaller one is his true?
A larger tank is more forgiving due to the amount of water in it. Get the largest you can afford

if i were to purchase a large tank what would be the best type of filter, external, internal and would it be a better idea to buy a filter that fits into the middle of the tank so all the water would be filtered evenly or would this make no difference?
If you buy a really large tank then an external is essential otherwise a good internal is sufficient. Mostly people place the filter at one end for appearence sake. It will filter all the water where ever it's placed
.
then theres the substrate i would prefer to have sand in my tank are there what are the pros and cons with this type of substrate also if i were to purchase a gravel filter would i be able to use this with sand or would it be too fine?
If you mean Under gravel filter (not recommended) it's in the title gravel only. If you mean gravel VAC then you can use it on gravel or sand, it's just that sand is a little more tricky. Sand is best if you wish to have Cory. Many (me included) think sand looks better but it is really a personal thing. More food gets trapped in gravel and rots, for instance

what are the best types of plants to purchase? do different plants benifit different fish, would mixing live and fake plants be a good idea so it doesnt get over crowded and i arent forever pruning them.
No problem with mixing real and artificial....but why? Buy plants recommended on this forum as some lfs sell plants that are labeled aquatic but are not true aquatic. Pruning can be fun and hey....it's not like gardening!

with water changes should... Best to de chlorinate first (it's instant) If you can draw water into a container and leave it in a room to allow it to get to room temperature in the winter it's better. As you are only changing 20-25% of the total the temp change is marginal

 

[madness]

it was the gravel vac i was getting at i have read that using this helps with the water change as well is his true? i would prefer sand because i feel it looks more natural than coloured gravel. you said that food gets trapped in gravel and rots would this not happen with sand or would it be limited also if i were to purchase a bottom feeder would sand be better than gravel?

 

[TerraDreamer]

3) Sand
Don't get a UGF - they're absolute garbage...

Sorry, but I feel that statement is way over the top and without merit. I've been using UGFs with powerheads for many years and have never had issues with either fish health or water quality and clarity. An UGF is quite efficient. I also employ an overrated HOB filter for suspended particulates as well as the obvious additional medium for beneficial bacteria. The only caveat with an UGF is that it needs to be cleaned at least once each year (I do it every six months) to remove built-up gunk underneath, which takes me all of 20 minutes with a garden hose and a siphon tube.

Regards.

 

[dc3]

Terra - I do believe you are right - I made an blanket assertion and I was wrong for that... To clarify - the person wants sand as the substrate, which wouldn't work out. The other thing is that while you use a powerful HOB in addition to the UGF, there are a lot of people using UGF as their primary method in refernce to which I made my statement.
There are several sites (and posts on this forum) that debate the usage of UGF's in general but it's my understanding that the prevailing opinion advocates AGAINST the use of them.

 

[rsands]

the small sand particles would block up the UGF...hence why it is a bad idea.

Sand does look alot better to be honest. The left over food gets sunk into the gravel..but with sand the top layer of the sand is like a sheet, the waste lies on top of it so it makes sucking it up easily.

external filters for large tanks are way to go. they make mantainence easy, dont waste tank space and makes the tank look better with no filter hanging in it.

Always de-chlorinate the tank...it removes the chlorine which can kill the beneficial bacteria needed...if you forget to de-chlorinate the water after water changes just immediately add it straight into the tank....which your going to have to do if you use a python fill no spill system. the de-chlorinator works instantly.

If you use the python system or if filling buckets...set the hot/cold taps or mixer tap with a bit of warm water flowing...this gets the water near the correct tank temp...a bit of practice with mixing the taps and it will allow you to get it to correct temp...hence when you add this correct temp water in, it wont shock the fish.

yes large tanks are easier as the water is more stable