My N00B Fishy Thread Of Questions, Answers

[DBT85]

I'm just stating out in the hobby and so this thread will hopefully form the bulk of my experience with my questions and maybe your answers as I go along!

I've wanted an aquarium for ages but could never really see anywhere to put it until wifey suggested we move the BluRay racks. Initially I started looking at some 180l tanks and then realised I actually have enough room for a nice 240l tank instead which would cost more to buy new . Thanks to someone suggesting ebay and aquarist-classifieds I'm hunting around for some second hand bits to save a pretty penny.

I've already ordered myself a test kit (API master) so I can see what my water is like before I begin, I've made a couple of enquiries about some tanks and I've even put an offer on a TetraTec ex1200 (Go Team TetraTec!) which would filter all the water 5 times an hour (240l tank, 1200l/h filter). I realise I'll probably need another later but I figure for early stocking levels one will be fine so I probably won't need another for several months.

So anyway, some of my random questions from my beginner readings thus far.

These have all been answered now so thanks for all the great answers! Please move on down the thread to see any new ones!

I think that's about it for now. I'm in no rush to get fish in a tank so I'll be making sure I've done a full cycle before I finally add any fish.

 

[sheffieldlad]

1 that's correct
2 your choice
3 again your choice. I would say heater on lights on as much as plants need them
4 don't know
5 correct.
6 don't know for certain. Yours sounds adequate. Make sure the flow isn't too fast/slow for the fish you intend to keep.



-paul

edited because I spelt my own name wrong

 

[littlenemo]

correct
upto you. as stated. i put mine in while cycling
turn everything on while cycling
black and white is used black sometime because u can see it and if it comes off etc u will see it in tank
correct clean it really well and i mean really well. its fun lol
sounds fine should do the job.

have fun. lee

 

[Essjay]

In my opinion....

1. Correct
2. If you are intending a fishless cycle put them in after. Two reasons - plants use ammonia as food so it's difficult to tell if your ammonia is dropping because the bacteria are growing or if the plants are using it, and ammonia + light = algae and you need the lights on if you have live plants.
If you are doing a fish-in cycle, add the plants straight away as they will get rid of some of the ammonia for you (not all of it by any means, you'll still need to do plenty water changes)
3. Cycle with the heater on, bacteria grow faster in warmer water. For fishless cycling, heat the water to around 30 deg C. Lights - depends if you have live plants or not.
4. Just appearance. However, clear silicone does get discoloured if you ever have to medicate with coloured medication (they're mainly blue and you end up with pale blue silicone)
5. Yes, that's the way to clean sand, be warned it can take ages!
6. Sounds fine

 

[DBT85]

Thanks for those replies so far!

In reference to 2 I'll be fishless cycling. As I said I am in no rush and it seems slly to give myself more work and put fish in a potentially toxic environment if I can avoid it.

Just spoken to a very nice Angelo about a Rio 240 tank and custom cabinet. Hopefully he'll get back to me soon!

 

[XeroTolerance]

1. Yes
2. Since you said you are doing a fish less cycle, yes.
3. Cycle with the heater set close to 80F. Remember to lower it depending on what fish you add.
4. Usually people use it for decoration.
5. Exactly, it's easier said then done though.
6. That sounds good.

I hope that this helped.

 

[DBT85]

Thanks for those answers guys!

I've now put an offer in on a new Hydor ETH 300 to heat my tank (which I do not yet own lol) and the TetraTec ex 1200 has gone up to £50 on Ebay with a £10 delivery fee so I think for the sake of £30 I'll just buy a new one with the warranty.

On to more questions though!

We have three cats who I'm sure are going to be fascinated by the tank and its inhabitants, has anyone got any good ideas for latches or anything to prevent them being devious and opening the flaps and getting in? I think my mum has a child proof catch on one of the cupboards in her kitchen that is attached with sticky pads which would probably work.

I'm looking around for black sand to use as a substrate and think Unipac Granite Black might be a nice fit. Would anyone like to hazard a guess at how much I'd need in a tank 1200mm x 400mm?

Having seen a few images of the Gold Laser Corys I've decided that I must have them! Am I right in thinking that many Corys are fine with other types of Corys? IE I don't need 6 of the same in many cases, 2 or 3 of a couple of types will be ok?

Can't think of anything else at the moment!

 

[the_lock_man]

1. Filter media should not be changed according to the manufacturer as you'd lose all your bacteria. Clean biological filters in tank water and not tap water. Correct? Yes correct
2. If I'm going to use live plants, I put them in AFTER the cycle is complete? Also correct, the plants will use some of the ammonia, so it will delay the cycle a bit
3. Cycle with the lights and heater off? Or just the lights?Just lights off. Heater very much on, and cranked up to 80-82ish Fahrenheit
4. Why is Black silicone used? Is is special in some kind of way that is not readily apparent? I don't particularly care I just like to know! Dunno
5. Cleaning sand is essentially, put sand in bucket, fill with water, woosh around, empty water. Rinse (literally) and repeat until runoff is clear.Yes correct. If you have a hose and a garden, put the hose into the bag of sand, turn on, and leave it for an hour.
6. How many times should your filter(s) be doing a complete water change every hour? A TetraTec EX1200 in my 240l tank will do it 5 times for example. 5x turnover is good.
   

 

[the_lock_man]

Thanks for those answers guys!

I've now put an offer in on a new Hydor ETH 300 to heat my tank (which I do not yet own lol) and the TetraTec ex 1200 has gone up to £50 on Ebay with a £10 delivery fee so I think for the sake of £30 I'll just buy a new one with the warranty.

On to more questions though!

We have three cats who I'm sure are going to be fascinated by the tank and its inhabitants, has anyone got any good ideas for latches or anything to prevent them being devious and opening the flaps and getting in? I think my mum has a child proof catch on one of the cupboards in her kitchen that is attached with sticky pads which would probably work.

I'm looking around for black sand to use as a substrate and think Unipac Granite Black might be a nice fit. Would anyone like to hazard a guess at how much I'd need in a tank 1200mm x 400mm?

Having seen a few images of the Gold Laser Corys I've decided that I must have them! Am I right in thinking that many Corys are fine with other types of Corys? IE I don't need 6 of the same in many cases, 2 or 3 of a couple of types will be ok?

Can't think of anything else at the moment!

On the cories, no, they can tell the difference, so need 6+ each species. That said, the bronze and albino are colour morphs of the same species, so they can be mixed. I have half an idea at the back of my mind that a Gold Laser Cory is another colour morph of the bronze, so if so, they would shoal together as well. I may be wrong about that, but I can definitely remember that Cory Venezuelensis (Red Line Cory) was thought to be a naturally occurring colour morph of the bronze (Cory Aeneus), and I thought the same applies to the gold laser. I await correction by someone more knowledgeable than I!

 

[Tizer]

tiz correct, they all part of the Anus family

 

[Fintastic!]

Gotta love those Corys!

 

[the_lock_man]

tiz correct, they all part of the Anus family

Spelling, dear boy.........

 

[CezzaXV]

In regards to the black silicone question, it tends to be because clear silicone can turn green with algae, and once it starts changing colours its impossible to get back to clear and it just looks awful.

 

[DBT85]

On the cories, no, they can tell the difference, so need 6+ each species. That said, the bronze and albino are colour morphs of the same species, so they can be mixed. I have half an idea at the back of my mind that a Gold Laser Cory is another colour morph of the bronze, so if so, they would shoal together as well. I may be wrong about that, but I can definitely remember that Cory Venezuelensis (Red Line Cory) was thought to be a naturally occurring colour morph of the bronze (Cory Aeneus), and I thought the same applies to the gold laser. I await correction by someone more knowledgeable than I!

Ahh ok I'm glad I checked (not that i'll be buying any fish for at least 6 weeks). The 240l tank should be big enough for 6 of them, just wonder if my wallet will be when I find some!

Since I've kind of decided on what equipment I'm getting and just need to actually source it, I'd better start looking a little more into the actual fish that'll be living inside it and some plant options.

 

[DBT85]

We'll my API test kit arrived today so I did a battery of tests this evening on my tap water.

The flash on my camera has made a few things look different to how I saw them unsurprisingly.

My PH came out at 7.6 on the standard test and 7.4 on the high test so i'm working on a 7.5 as an average.

Ammonia looked like 0.25 ppm which concerned me a little but i can imagine it could be an error in the test or something, i'll do another one tomorrow.

Nitrite came out at a 0

And Nitrate came out at I think 40ppm which concerned me at first as I know you have to do water changes to drop the Nitrate down after all the bacteria has converted and Ammonia and Nitrite however after searching a little on here 40ppm might not be too bad in terms of fish health as long as I do make sure I check it and change the water regularly.

In about 40 minutes my Ebay item should finish for the Hydor heater and I also ordered some Ammonia today as well. My plan for the next 3 days at work is to try and call a few more LFS and ask some n00by questions to see what kind of advice they give and then any that give me confidence that they are not being silly I'll try and visit at the weekend to get a feel for the staff and the shop and the prices. Thus far I've only been to one so that's all I have to compare against at the moment. I'll also probably try and pick up a new Tetra Tec EX 1200 on my travels around those shops provided the price isn't TOO much higher than I can find it online (about £90).

Looking forward to finally finding a tank from somewhere and getting it in place an cycling. I've also seen the backgrounds that aqua-maniac.com makes and they look fantastic so I'm going to try and drop one of the dark Rock ones in.

Aside from deciding that I'll also add a Pleco to the setup to go with the Golden Laser Corys I still don't know which fish I'd like and I have next to no idea about plants (though I do like the look of Dwarf Hair Grass as a carpet in one section of the tank like a little garden)

EDIT: Someone sniped my Hydor ETH 300 bid last night which was a little annoying, I won another one this morning though for £27.60 posted so its not all bad! So far my spending for an aquarium I don't own is £53 lol.