New To Keeping Fish

[coldcazzie]

Well if they are willing then I'd go for that. Quite frankly it's the least they can do after giving you bad advice! it's just a shame that for every one person like you there are probably 20 more who just follow the advice with no questions asked and their fish suffer for it.

 

[maisy12345]

Thanks a lot for all your help ,much appreciated,Coldcazzie

 

[maisy12345]

Hi,everyone well ,done a 50 percent water change,also used my NEW gravel vacuum pump from pets at home ,which cost me £6 ,and doesn`t work .,it syphons the water off,but doesn`t clean the gravel at all,and the second time i put it in the water it wouldn`t work at all .So ,could anyone please reccommend a gravel pump and would a battery one be better,also how much are they and where would i get it from ?
Thanks

Just going to get a test kit tomorrow now,and try doing a 50 percent water change daily till the problems solved

Only need a gravel pump suitable for a 28 l,although thinking of getting a bigger one already as i`ve grown a certain fondness for my little fishies,lol!!

 

[coldcazzie]

Hehe you've got the bug already?! won't be long before you've got full blown MTS (that's multiple tank syndrome!)

A battery one would probably be a waste of money tbh, all you need is a large tube, that then attaches to the hosing you use to drain the water. Doesn't need to be fancy - no fancy shapes or extra bits on it. The only thing some people do like is having a bulb to start the siphon going without having to suck on the end of the tube (risk of manky tank water ), but I've never needed one, I start the siphon by filling the tube, putting my finger over the bucket end and taking it to the bucket, then letting go. I can take a picture of mine if you'd like, so you can see?

How are you doing the gravel cleaning? You have to push the cleaner right down into the gravel, right to the bottom. Then the force of the water being drawn through the gravel draws out all the muck and crap from where it's settled. Then pull it out, move to a new bit of gravel and repeat. If it's not pulling anything up then it could be that your gravel is nice and clean, but even so I would still do it every water change. You can't clean your gravel enough at this stage.

 

[maisy12345]

Good morning Coldcazzie,
yes I`ve got the bug ,and only had these fish for over a week,the instructions on the packet were hold it 10cm above the gravel ,but will try holding it in the gravel tonight,thanks for offering to show pictures, all help offered is much appreciated,thanks

 

[coldcazzie]

Tut. That will be why then - you won't clean anything from all the way up there! Will see if photobucket is working and upload a piccy for you.

 

[coldcazzie]

Here's a picture of my gravel vac.

As you can see - nothing fancy about it, just a large tube attached to a thin hose. I put a hose connector on the end of it a while ago so I can attach it to the garden hose. Then when I do a water change I throw the hose out the front/back door, start the siphon, and empty/clean away while one of the kids waters the garden.

Here's a picture of it in my QT. I have sand in my main tank which requires different method of cleaning, but my QT is gravel and my main tank was until about 6 months ago. I've tried to show what you should do (sorry it's so difficult to see - the tank is empty at the moment and stored in the garage so a bit condensation-y!) - you should be pushing the gravel cleaner right into the gravel, as far as you can.

Does that help somewhat?

EDIT: sorry, that picture is not as clear as I wanted it to be. I was trying to get the cleaner right up to the glass so you could see how far down I pushed it.

 

[Marto666]

My experience of 'Pets at Home' was completely different.

They tested my water and told me that my ammonia was too high and told me to complete water changes for a week before coming back and testing again.

They certainly wasn’t trying to rip me off as I was ready to purchase fish.

Depends who’s working at the time I guess but the staff I spoke to were extremely knowledgeable.

 

[coldcazzie]

Yeh I have similar problems with mine - sometimes they are great, refuse to sell people angels and neons at the same time etc, but sometimes they are just appalling. Seems to be worse with goldfish than tropicals. Presumably because if they told everyone who wanted a goldfish that they would need a 4ft fishtank then they wouldn't sell any goldfish...

 

[Marto666]

I’m quite lucky to have a number of shops to buy fish from locally so would prob go elsewhere but they are the most convenient for an independent water check

May I ask what is wrong with keeping Angels and Neon’s? Will Angels eat Neon’s?

I have a couple of Neon’s but was hoping to add some Angels.

 

[coldcazzie]

Yes. Angelfish are a neon tetra's natural predator. It's like keeping a cage with cats and mice in it and then wondering why the cats eat the mice!

I vary. Sometimes I buy from them. Sometimes I don't. I get a 20% discount so that's a strong reason to shop there. But I absolutely refuse to add the fish until they've been QT for 6+ weeks because I don't really trust their stock very much. It's swings and roundabouts. Other local shop I use is much more expensive, but I trust their stock more.

 

[maisy12345]

Thanks Coldcazzie,I`ll do that tonight ,along with my 50 percent water change,will do that for a week and see if it makes a difference to cloudiness of tank,what do you use to get rid of algae,have bought a magnetic cleanerbut haven`t used it yet?

 

[marieukxx]

I used that cheapo pets at home siphon and the instructions were rubbish. I managed to get it going in the end by pushing it right down into the gravel and lifting up again and it really worked.

 

[Marto666]

Yes. Angelfish are a neon tetra's natural predator. It's like keeping a cage with cats and mice in it and then wondering why the cats eat the mice!

I vary. Sometimes I buy from them. Sometimes I don't. I get a 20% discount so that's a strong reason to shop there. But I absolutely refuse to add the fish until they've been QT for 6+ weeks because I don't really trust their stock very much. It's swings and roundabouts. Other local shop I use is much more expensive, but I trust their stock more.

Opps, I wasn’t aware of that! You just saved the life’s of 4 Neons..

 

[coldcazzie]

Thanks Coldcazzie,I`ll do that tonight ,along with my 50 percent water change,will do that for a week and see if it makes a difference to cloudiness of tank,what do you use to get rid of algae,have bought a magnetic cleanerbut haven`t used it yet?

Depends on the algae. Algae on your glass can be cleaned with the cleaner you have. Algae on the ornaments/plants can be cleaned by rubbing it off with your fingers/a brush. Algae that is free floating is more difficult, especially as some kinds actually get worse when you do a water change, and the best thing to do is not water change!
For the moment I would just do the water changes you're planning, and ignore the cloudiness. It will probably clear up with time. If in a month you still have it, then I would start to ask more questions, but your tank is still very new so try not to worry too much about it at the moment just get your cycle sorted, everything else will fit into place later.

Yes. Angelfish are a neon tetra's natural predator. It's like keeping a cage with cats and mice in it and then wondering why the cats eat the mice!

I vary. Sometimes I buy from them. Sometimes I don't. I get a 20% discount so that's a strong reason to shop there. But I absolutely refuse to add the fish until they've been QT for 6+ weeks because I don't really trust their stock very much. It's swings and roundabouts. Other local shop I use is much more expensive, but I trust their stock more.

Opps, I wasn’t aware of that! You just saved the life’s of 4 Neons..

Good! Glad to hear it! this is why you should always research your fish before you buy. Some people have made neons and angels work, by buying tiny angelfish and growing them up alongside a large shoal of neons, but often they come home from work one day, or get up one morning and find that some of them have mysteriously disappeared. Something about night time certainly makes angels go into stalk mode. I had a pair of angels who wouldn't tollerate anything smaller than them in the tank with them. They are cichlids after all, with all the natural agression that goes hand-in-hand with that