New To The Hobby

[JWilliams24]

Hi all,

I'm new to the hobby and have been looking at the Fluval Roma 90 as a tank for my first tropical setup! Just wondering if anyone has any experience about this kit and any advice for myself as a beginner!

Anything given will be a huge help!

Thanks a lot,

Josh

 

[CezzaXV]

Hello and welcome!

90 litres is a nice size for a beginner, though if you can afford the money/space for a bigger one I would definitely go for it as you'll want it later. Bigger tanks mean more fish, suitability for more types of fish and greater water stability.

When I started out I wanted a kit with everything I needed in it as I didn't really know what I was doing, but it was a poor decision really and I ended up replacing the equipment that came with the tank. These pre-bundled kits tend to give you equipment that is only just adequate for the size of the tank it comes with.

That's not to say the Fluval Roma 90 is a bad tank (Fluval is a reputable brand), but if you can find one second hand you'll save yourself a fair bit of money, which you can then spend on decent equipment for it. If you're not sure what you need, do feel free to ask around here. The people here are great and I regret not asking when I was starting out!

I would at the very least be looking for an external filter, which gives a little more water volume to your system, is easier to maintain as you don't have to put your hands in the tank and doesn't take up space in the tank. I would personally recommend the Fluval 205 for this purpose.

 

[JWilliams24]

Thanks for the reply and advice! Great help! Thank you!

Will make sure to keep all updated when I get started!! Sure I'll be needing this forum again for help soon!

Oh, also to ask; what External filter and heater would you guys recommend for a 90 litre or 205??

 

[PlumbersMerchant]

Not entirely sure mate. Like CezzaXV said is true. i bought a 90 litre tank a year ago and have been regretting it the last 10 months ! just really short of cash or would be buying a bigger one. Buy the biggest your balance will allow. allthough some people frown upon it there are some bargains to be had on fleabay, just make sure you know fully what it is your actually after.
 
Best of Luck, dont rush any decision

 

[JWilliams24]

Alright thanks!

Will be dfefnately researching some more and trying to find the best deals! Thanks so much everyone!

Will make sure to update you all,

Josh

 

[CezzaXV]

The Fluval 205 should be a sufficient filter for a 90 litre tank, though if you're going bigger you may need a bigger filter also.

All the Fluval filters will tell you the maximum tank size they're suitable for, though I would take that with a grain of salt. The filter specs are usually measured under ideal conditions rather than realistic ones. For that reason, if you're in doubt then go for the next one up. Most fish won't mind a bit of extra turnover.

 

[JWilliams24]

Okay, so the 305 would be okay for this tank, and that's what you would say is better??

Also, I am thinking of getting some pearl danios, black phantom tetras, and maybe neons to begin, obviously I will add them slowly and over a period of a few weeks, but just for compatibility, are these species okay together? 
 
After my tank has matured for a while, can angel fish and rainbow fish be okay to add also or is there a risk of the smaller tetras being eaten??

 

[CezzaXV]

Angelfish would grow too big for a 90L tank and they eat neons in the wild, so the neons would almost definitely get eaten, and probably the danios and black phantoms too.

I'm not familiar with rainbowfish so can't comment.

Most schooling fish (ie. your black phantoms, pearl danios and neons) need to be in groups of at least six to be happy, and by the time you've got those in you'd have very little or no space left for anything else.

If you fishless cycle your tank (and you really, really should) then it is perfectly safe to add all your fish at once.

 

[JWilliams24]

Right, so I think it will be better for me to go for the 200 litre then!! 
 
I'll look into alternatives! 
 
Any ideas for big fish I can keep in a community tank that wont eat the small ones???
 


Yeah I do plan on doing a fishless cycle! Thanks!

 

[CezzaXV]

Lots of lovely options for centrepiece fish in a 200L tank. I'm a personal fan of gouramis, but there are all sorts of fish you could go for.

I generally find the best thing to do is go into your LFS and see what takes your fancy, then write down the names so you can google them when you get home.

 

[JWilliams24]

Okay brill! Thanks! 

I'm going to pop into my lfs soon anyway to price some stuff up and have a look! Will definitely update you all, thanks for the help! 
 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Rainbowfish are very ACTIVE swimmers, who despite their smaller size, actually do best in a LONG tank.  The exception to that would be the Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish (Praecox Rainbowfish) which grows to about 3" in length (but sometimes a bit smaller in a home aquarium), that requires only about 2+ feet in tank length.
 
Larger rainbowfish like Boesemann or Turquoise Rainbowfish (very common in the hobby) require a MINIMUM of 4 feet in length, but would do best in an even longer tank.
 
 
I second Cezza's advice to buy the biggest tank you can afford.  Larger volumes of water are easier to keep stable than smaller volumes, and it will greatly open up your stocking options, plus allow you to keep more individuals as well.  Getting a larger tank doesn't necessarily mean that you have to get larger fish.  I have a 6 foot long tank that I am putting fish that grow no larger than 3 inches into.   But, with that amount of space, I can put really large shoals of fish in it, which makes for a far more stunning display, in my opinion.  Going with a small tank requires small fish in small numbers.  Big tanks allows for either big fish, or big numbers of small fish.  Personally, I lean to the latter.

 

[JWilliams24]

Sorry for the slow reply all!

I've looked at the space for the tank and the largest I can fit is a 60/65 cm tank in width! I've done a bit of looking and at my LFS they have the aqua one AR620 which has a unique curved front which I like the sound of and a hood filter system! Any views on this tank???

Also I've found the Roma 90 on seapets with a cabinet and a few freebies thrown in! Is this webiste a good site to order from??

Any and all suggestions will be great,

Josh

 

[Ian Demo]

Hi jwilliams24
 
i bought my roma 90 from seapets & the service was very good,i'd recommend them

 

[JWilliams24]

Hi jwilliams24
 
i bought my roma 90 from seapets & the service was very good,i'd recommend them

 
 
Thanks very much! The offer is definitely the best around by far! 
 
Please does anyone know of the AR620 and how good a tank it is?? I have heard, about some more research, that the filter system isn't very good Any comments on this??