Hi & Some Advice

[Alex.]

First things first Hi guys - i'm new here, just registered today!

Basically, i am moving house at the end of the month, and want a tropical fish tank to have in my new living room to brighten things up and give me something else to look at other than the TV!

I have been doing quite a lot of reading (im that type of a person!) before i take the plunge into it, and have the advantage of time on my side as i'm planning to buy the kit within the next week or so - but not actually have it set up etc for another 3-4 weeks.

First impressions are there is a LOT of things to do! It sounds quite intimidating but i think with places like this i'll be fine! I have chosen to go for a tropical aquarium as i want something a bit more interesting than standard colwater 'goldfish' aquariums but marine aquarium's sound a little too complex for me as a beginner!

I have seen a tank and cabinet set which looks like a good deal - but i want your opinions before i do anything! I don't want a tank that is too big but if it comes with a stand that is designed specifically to have the tank on it is a bonus!

http/www.rocketaquatics.co.uk/juwel-rekord-aquarium-black-stand-special-offer-p-4569.html

That is what i have seen so far.

My question is - 1 - does that look like a good deal? and 2 - if not, what parts do you recommend separately that can make up something similar?

As mentioned i don't want it to be too big, but looking at the dimensions of that particular one it sounds reasonable whilst not being overly big.

Any help appreciated guys, i think i'm going to have lots more questions before the time comes to set it all up!

Thanks!

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Hi, firstly well done on asking for info BEFORE taking the plunge

That seems a nice sized tank for a beginner..i had a 30L when i started and by god did i regret it a month or two down the line, the bigger the tank then the easier the maintenance is !!! What i would say though is that the filter included in that package doesn't seem quite good enough for a tank of that size... if i am reading it correctly it states that it comes with a simple 'bio-wheel' filter. What i would highly recommend is an external filter.. i use a Fluval 205 for my 125L which is more than enough filtration, but there are alot more experienced members on here that can guide you through other make and models.
Also, ensure you read up on the info provided in the beginners section regarding cycling your filter BEFORE your fish go in, with the emphasis always being on a fish-less cycle..your fish will love you for it!!!
Welcome to the forum and hobby... and remember, the only stupid question you can ask is the one you didn't!



Terry.

 

[Alex.]

Thanks for the reply! So do you think the filter is a little underpowered here? I've seen the filter you mention - they are quite expensive on their own! Although I think there are a few on eBay I could maybe go for.

What is the advantage of an external heater? And does it take up a lot more space?

Also in regards to size of the tank - how many fish do you think a 125l tank can eventually hold? There is a 90l one I saw which was quite nice but I don't want to go too small!

Thanks.

 

[Tizer]

check out the fluval roma range of tanks, nice design and build and the cabinets are pretty decent too. resale value isnt bad either when you want rid. worth checking ebay

 

[Akasha72]

Hi Alex, I have that exact tank - I bought it with my xmas money as I wanted to upgrade from a 2ft tank.

So, the tank is great. It's a great size - not too big but not too small either. It has a hinged lid for easy access and a small lid in the middle for dropping in food. There's not a long wrong with the filter - it could be a little more powerful for my liking but it's perfectly adequate for the tank. The heater sits in a slot next to the filter sponges so you don't get to look at it as a decoration. The heater is very good. Mines set to 25 and the thermometer is measuring 25 exactly (a lot of cheaper heaters arn't anywhere near as accurate)

My stock can been seen in my sig so as you can see you can fit in a good few fish.

I paid £124.99 just for the tank (with it's lid, lights, filter and heater) and that was the cheapest I could find new. If I'd wanted the stand it would've been around the price you've got quoted.

I think the price is good and Juwel are good tanks - I'd say go for it.

If you have anymore questions feel free to ask

 

[Alex.]

Thanks! So you think the filter will suffice? As I mentioned earlier does anyone have a rough guide as to how many fish I can keep in this tank?

If I'm not mistaken, if i went for this kit - all id need is a water testing kit once I've cycled the tank to make sure the waters ok - and then the gravel/sand, plants and te actual fish! Am I right in thinking this?

Thanks for the replies so far, much appreciated

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Both myself and Akasha have similiar sized tanks.. our inhabitants and the number of which are in our signatures, just to give you a rough idea.

Terry.

 

[Akasha72]

Thanks! So you think the filter will suffice? As I mentioned earlier does anyone have a rough guide as to how many fish I can keep in this tank?

If I'm not mistaken, if i went for this kit - all id need is a water testing kit once I've cycled the tank to make sure the waters ok - and then the gravel/sand, plants and te actual fish! Am I right in thinking this?

Thanks for the replies so far, much appreciated

Yes, the filter will be fine. It's built for this tank. There's a black box in the back right corner. Inside this is a slot for the heater and a larger slot which contains a long plastic tube that the filter sponges fit into. All you'll need to do is fit this together then add your substrate and any decoration you want (not including plants just yet) You can then set your heater to about 25 degrees and fill with cold water - if you put a bowl or jug of some discription on the substrate and pour the water into this it will stop your substrate from getting spoiled by the water hitting it. You can then turn on your filter and heater and start cycling the tank. There's ways to do this - all described in the beginners section.

Add a good dose of API Stresscoat (de-chlorinator) and Stresszyme (bottled bacteria) and let the cycle begin.

Good luck, we're all here if you need any more help

 

[Tizer]

Have a good read of the beginners resource section regarding a fishless cycle, the above info is some what vague and offered in good faith is a little off track. Bottled bacteria cycles have been carried out on here by various people and proven not to be worth the cost of the products involved. All you need is a bottle of ammonia (Homebase/Boots) and you can get cycling the tank. API stress coat is also not necessary and i would recommend a bottle of Seachem Prime off eBay as its highly concentrated dechlorintor which will save you money in the long run. Also not necessary to use until you have cycled the filter/tank. Which could take you 4 weeks or more. Plenty of time to read into stocking, plants, lighting , substates and a million and one other things new fish keepers come across. Gluck!

 

[Akasha72]

I kept it vague Tizer so's not to confuse and intimidate. All the info is there to be read in the beginners section at his leisure.

I also proved a couple of weeks ago that bottled bacteria does work. I wrote a post about it in the discussion section under the title "you may find this interesting"

 

[moochy13]

i find the inbuilt juwel filters to be very good, better than most other internal filters ive seen. it will be fine for that tank, people seem to think theres some sort of automatic reason why everybody needs big ugly external filters. its just not the case. if stocking is sensible and maintenance regular enough, it will be fine. the only downside is its visible in the tank, and takes up a bit of space. obviously the smaller the tank is the more this is emphasised. you soon get used to it though.

edit - infact in my sig pic you can see my old juwel internal in the corner. not exactly visually offensive. i removed mine because my tank is overstocked and needed a bigger filter to compensate. also thats not a juwel tank and the filter didnt come with it - i had to chop one down with a saw to fit it in the tank. as a result it was always a bit of a bodge.

 

[Tizer]

Add a good dose of API Stresscoat (de-chlorinator) and Stresszyme (bottled bacteria) and let the cycle begin.

It was more of a case of this paragraph being left open to interpretation. To someone new to the hobby, he might think thats all he needs to do and leave the tank running for a few weeks with no ammonia source.

I still stand by what i said though, bottled bacteria is a load of crap. Maybe it only has a 1% success rate and you got lucky. ;p coz the number of threads on here with a positive outcome, is extremely small.

 

[Alex.]

Thanks so much for the replies so far!

Few questions I have -

1 - I'm grasping the concept of fish less cycling now I think. Basically it seems we're trying to kick start the bacteria forming in the filter and in the gravel etc before we actually add the fish - thus giving us a stable environment rather than an up/down one when we first add them? And we're using ammonia to kind of imitate the waste the fishes would usually produce? One thing I don't quite understand yet, is how does just adding ammonia to dechlorinated water start this cycle? And can I have the ornaments / live plants in the tank at the same time?

2 - with water changes, I presume it's easy to dechlorinate the water I'm putting into the tank? and once the fish are in - are they ok with the temperature drop that this will surely temporarily cause?

3 - is the best thing regarding the light on the tank to run it on a timer that, for example, puts it on for 12 hours - then off for 12 - then on etc? I presume the filter and heater are always on?

Thanks again!

 

[Akasha72]

Hi again Alex, I'll try and answer your questions as best I can but as I did a fish in cycle I'm no expert at fishless cycling.

I understand it's best to do a fishless cycle without plants. Everything else is fine. The filter needs to have bacteria to break down ammonia into nitrite (also harmfull to fish) and then into the harmless nitrate that will feed the plants when you add them.
To kick this off though there needs to be ammonia present for bacteria to feed on. I'm unsure how it all starts up which is why I use a bottled bacteria despite the posts on here saying it's rubbish.
Bacteria can lie dormant in an old filter just waiting for a trace of ammonia to bring them back to life so why can't it lie dormant in a bottle?

Maybe someone else can explain it better.

2. The best way to do water changes is to part fill your bucket with cold water then add some hot until it's roughly at the temp of the tank water (I do this by feel) In the wild fish would be subject to fluctuations in temp when it rains so a slight drop won't harm. Always de-chlorinate the water before adding it to the tank (you don't want to ruin all your hard work of getting bacteria to grow by letting chlorine kill them all!)

3. It's good to have the light on for a bit in a morning and again at night - it can confuse algae and stop it developing (or so I read somewhere)
Your filter and heater need to be on perminately.

Hope this helps

Akasha

 

[moochy13]

ammonia is food for the bacteria, the ammonia fueled water runs through the filter, growing bacteria. you can put everything in the tank before you start, its generally easier to scape a tank beforehand anyways. technically a proper cycle means you can fully stock straight away, though for cautions sake i wouldnt bother.

dechlorinator comes in little bottles, you just add a couple of drops depending on how much water you're doing. there shouldnt be a temp drop, you ened to match teh temp of the new water to the tank, a degree or 2 out isnt so bad, judging by touch is ok.

light doesnt matter at all, its there purely for own benefit so we can see our fish - unless you're growing live plants. even the fish dont care if theres light or not. ambient daylight is enough for them. lights shoudl be on for about 8 hours, too much light = algae problems. filter is always on, when cycling you can have the temp a bit higher than you would with fish in, it makes the cycle go a bit quicker. i started cycling at 30C, my tank now sits at about 25-26. heater always on unless youre removing enough water to expose it - hot heater + air can equal bad times.