Help :)

[FayFay]

Hi,

I'm new to fish keeping, I have a friend who has given me a 60 litre tank,I need help with stocking after the fishless cycle.

Please help !!

Fay

 

[fluttermoth]

There'll be plenty of time during your cycle to think about fish

60l is a small tank, so you'll want small fish. Go and have a look around your LFS (local fish shop) at the fish that grow to less than three inches in adult size and see which ones you like.

Then look them up, or come on here and find out if they're suitable or not!

 

[BadBadger]

Hey fay
Have a read through here. It will give you a good intro

Some small shoaling fish such as tetra or rasbora would be nice with a few easy to keep plants

Cheers

 

[FayFay]

There'll be plenty of time during your cycle to think about fish

60l is a small tank, so you'll want small fish. Go and have a look around your LFS (local fish shop) at the fish that grow to less than three inches in adult size and see which ones you like.

Then look them up, or come on here and find out if they're suitable or not!

Thanks

I will most probably come back on here its more helpfull i have been looking at some fish over the internet and have seen quite a few gupies, maybe Neon Tetras... ??

 

[BadBadger]

If your thinking of guppies i'd go for male or female otherwise you'll end up with tonnes and tonnes of babies

Personally i think theres some nicer species of tetra out there such as rummynose and cardinals (similar to neons)

Cheers

 

[waterdrop]

Hi FayFay and Welcome to our beginners group!

One thing that can help with your thoughts (it's not strictly necessary but can be a thought starter) is to think about whether the water in your area (your source water, tap or well) tends to be soft and acid, or whether it is hard and has high mineral content. People who have pretty hard water (lots of minerals) have a nice natural situation for livebearers and particularly mollies, which a lot of people like. Platies, swordfish and guppies are other examples of common livebearers. These are all fish that can fit in smaller tanks like yours.

By contrast, people who happen to have soft, acid water have a nice natural situation that fish of Amazonian origin really like. This includes many of the tetras and other schooling fish. There is a stunning variety of tetras that are out there in the shops and many of them look much more beautiful after they have adjusted to a home tank than they do in the shop. One of the great things about having discussions with the members during your weeks of fishless cycling is that you can list fish that you liked from your shops and then find out, for instance, which ones are mean or that nip a lot or that are perfectly calm or are very active... all sorts of considerations! Creating good stocking plans is a real art and most hobbyists keep learning it over the decades.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[FayFay]

Hey fay
Have a read through here. It will give you a good intro

Some small shoaling fish such as tetra or rasbora would be nice with a few easy to keep plants

Cheers

Hey,

Thanks i just need help with everything . Its not only the fish i need to think about its the plants and stuff to, Think i might buy a few books and read up on it all get to know my stuff more then start with my fish and plants

 

[FayFay]

If your thinking of guppies i'd go for male or female otherwise you'll end up with tonnes and tonnes of babies

Personally i think theres some nicer species of tetra out there such as rummynose and cardinals (similar to neons)

Cheers

i just checked out the rummynose tetras and i love them the colours are amazing, What about black neon tetras ??


Thanks

 

[FayFay]

I quite like the idea of java moss but i dont fancy it attaching itself to any of the other plants i buy?? thinking maybe use this as like a carpet, or something ? Im unsure i dont want to make it look messy.

 

[waterdrop]

Books can be really nice to give perspective or to let you look up different types of fish and plants. Of course, modern search engines will give you pictures and writeups of these things too and that's what most of us do I suspect. I know it can feel odd, but in my experience web forums such as this one have really become a much more powerful educational tool. You happen to have stumbled on a really large and nice site for serious hobbyists - I realize I'm biased, being already one of the members, but I was once a bit doubtful.. but have now long since become very grateful for the many things I've learned here from the members.

I would start with 3 articles in the Beginners Resource Center: The Nitrogen Cycle, The Fishless Cycle and The Fish-In Cycle. This is important to get you thinking about the first beginner skill you want to master, that of understanding and having hands-on experience with "The Biofilter." I consider that to be a "primary magic" of the hobby. Then you could take a bit of a break and read the more general articles about tank startup by Miss Wiggle and perhaps Alien Anna and others.

So biofilters are the first main skill you want to come away from this group having mastered. The next skill is that of good water changing technique. The weekly "gravel-clean-water-change" is in some ways an even more powerful skill than the biofilter knowledge because one needs to develop the habit and apply it for years. Then finally the third skill is that of filter maintenance and there are some things to be learned there too!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[FayFay]

Books can be really nice to give perspective or to let you look up different types of fish and plants. Of course, modern search engines will give you pictures and writeups of these things too and that's what most of us do I suspect. I know it can feel odd, but in my experience web forums such as this one have really become a much more powerful educational tool. You happen to have stumbled on a really large and nice site for serious hobbyists - I realize I'm biased, being already one of the members, but I was once a bit doubtful.. but have now long since become very grateful for the many things I've learned here from the members.

I would start with 3 articles in the Beginners Resource Center: The Nitrogen Cycle, The Fishless Cycle and The Fish-In Cycle. This is important to get you thinking about the first beginner skill you want to master, that of understanding and having hands-on experience with "The Biofilter." I consider that to be a "primary magic" of the hobby. Then you could take a bit of a break and read the more general articles about tank startup by Miss Wiggle and perhaps Alien Anna and others.

So biofilters are the first main skill you want to come away from this group having mastered. The next skill is that of good water changing technique. The weekly "gravel-clean-water-change" is in some ways an even more powerful skill than the biofilter knowledge because one needs to develop the habit and apply it for years. Then finally the third skill is that of filter maintenance and there are some things to be learned there too!


Thanks for the advice i have already read one of miss wiggles write ups found it very helpful , I guess just finding out the right information im sure if i get stuck i will find help on here And i will read more of the write ups as well to give me more information on looking after my new tank Thanks again












~~waterdrop~~

 

[waterdrop]

Miss Wiggle was one of the experienced aquarists I learned from on here and was one of my partners in helping lots of people here in the beginner section just prior to oldman47 coming in and helping a lot. For any of our beginners who are doing searches on TFF and come across a thread where Miss Wiggle has participated I can recommend her advice as being very good! She is famous around here for having married another TFF member and they both have lots of busy stuff going on in their lives now but she still pops in from time to time!

Of course there are lots and lots of members and we all learn from each other, that's the beauty and the beast of the thing.

WD

 

[Gelt]

Research, research & research , also no question is a stupid one, well done for taking the first step and joining this forum, the advice you will get from here will save your fish suffering.
Lesson 1 - as a general rule don't take the advice from your local fish store, they just want to hear the tills ringing and see the £'s come flooding in. There are some exceptions to this and outstanding local fish stores (LFS) but again be guided by this forum. In a short while you will be able to ask questions that you know the answer (like I have) at your LFS to gauge their knowledge and quickly find out if it really is a place you want to spend your hard earned cash in.
The beginners section on here is your 'fish keepers bible' as waterdrop has mentioned.
Lastly welcome to the forum and get reading !
G