New To Tropical Fishtank Setup

[Sykes]

Hello people, iv done alot of reading on google and these forums for setting up a tropical fishtank and how to go through the cycle but keep hitting alot of problems and can't find the correct advice so i'm hoping someone on here can help out.

We bought a full setup (60ltr tank, lights, heater, filter, gravel, some artificial plants and a couple of live plants). The filter is a Interpet PF2 which we are unsure of what settings to use, do we need to use the Venturi setting?, does the filter need to be fully submerged?, do we need an additional Air Pump? etc etc. If tried searching for other people's setups and looked on google so we can get an idea of how it should all be setup but cannot find anything.

The next problem, from new, we cleaned the inside of the tank, gravel and decorations, with warm tapwater. Filled the tank up with cold tapwater and added the correct amount of Interpet Filter Start and Tapsafe which was supplied with the tank. Switched the heater and filter on and left it to run. Approximately 6 hours later the whole tank was full of micro bubbles. The next morning, all the micro bubbles had dissapeared and the the tank is full of white clouds (to the point where you can barely see the decorations or back). We were told this is 'New Tank Syndrome' and will clear within a couple of days. 3 days have gone by and it's getting worse. We have done two lots of water change but was told to only do 20% which we have done.

Is this all a natural process or what do we need to do to make the water clear again and get the cycle finished?

Thankyou in advance for any help and i look forward to reading some responses.

 

[Fortitudo]

The Venturi is a method of getting air into the water VIA the water return from the filtering process.
Basically it sucks air in from outside and pumps it into the water as it passes back into the tank from the filter, this is a good thing to have if you don't have an air stone in your tank and don't want a, sometimes noisy, air pump.

as far as the white cloud in your tank, or New Tank Syndrome, I have never experienced this further than a few hours after setting it up, it usually settles very quickly.
Are you in a hard water area? I know where I live there is a higher amount of calcium in the water which you can see when you pour a glass of water from the tap, a slight white cloud builds but quickly disappears, which is why I use Reverse Osmosis water, which is 99% purified.
I get this at £5 per 25 Litres at my Local Fish Shop, you should only really need 2 as you probably have enough gravel and decorations you should be displacing around 10 litres of water anyway.
Otherwise it's a long wait I'm afraid!

Hope this helps!

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Hello and welcome to the mad house. Ill use bullets point here as i dont want info overload.

The cloudiness is what's called a bacteria bloom, normal and can take 1-10 days on average to clear

you don't need an air pump, i stress need having one can benefit for lots of reasons for now don't bother.

Do not use Reverse Osmosis water with fresh water fish it makes life much harder and lack vital minerals for fresh water(there are a few fresh water that excuse this like discus)

Venturi again not needed if you like it use.

Now then before you even add nay live stock PLEASE read how to cycle a tank in the FAQ, you will have questions after im sure so please read it and post back here were we will give you a hand

 

[Sykes]

Thank you for the posts and the welcome. I'm not sure how hard the water is in this area but iv ordered a test kit which should arrive tomorrow so i will be able to perform all of the needed tests and get some results.

The pet shops in my area all tell me different things and was wondering what you would recommend is best for aeration as they told me that's what the Venturi feature is for? I was informed that 3 main things are needed in order to keep tropical fish. 1/ Plenty of aeration, 2/ The right temperature and 3/ Good filtration.

The white clouds in the tank are still thick (like fog) and it's been in this state for around 2 day's now. The setting on the filter is set mid-way due to the fact it was causing like a white froth effect on the top of the water. The filter has now been lowered and seems to be doing a better job than it was before.

I read the 'how to cycle a tank' earlier but i'm going to have another read through it again and make sure we have done everything right so far and anything else we may need to do. Also how long the process should take as 'Pets At Home' informed us that the tank is safe to put fish in after 3 days but the Bacterial Bloom will still be there for around 2 weeks.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Thank you for the posts and the welcome. I'm not sure how hard the water is in this area but iv ordered a test kit which should arrive tomorrow so i will be able to perform all of the needed tests and get some results.

The pet shops in my area all tell me different things and was wondering what you would recommend is best for aeration as they told me that's what the Venturi feature is for? I was informed that 3 main things are needed in order to keep tropical fish. 1/ Plenty of aeration, 2/ The right temperature and 3/ Good filtration.

The white clouds in the tank are still thick (like fog) and it's been in this state for around 2 day's now. The setting on the filter is set mid-way due to the fact it was causing like a white froth effect on the top of the water. The filter has now been lowered and seems to be doing a better job than it was before.

I read the 'how to cycle a tank' earlier but i'm going to have another read through it again and make sure we have done everything right so far and anything else we may need to do. Also how long the process should take as 'Pets At Home' informed us that the tank is safe to put fish in after 3 days but the Bacterial Bloom will still be there for around 2 weeks.

Hi..Pets At Home will always tell you that your water is fine after 3 days and to add fish..this way they get to sell you even more fish when yours inevitably die due to ammonia and nitrite poisoning from an uncycled filter. You've made the best step so far by registering on here and asking questions..continue to do so (combined with researching the Beginners Section) and a healthy tank is only afew steps away!!!

Terry.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Good news and bad mate.

Bad news is no live fish should be any where near that tank in the next 30 odd days. the tank will not cycle in 3 days what will happen is you will put fish in they will look fine for 7-14 days then die off one by one, this i because the filter has not matured (so it cant process the fish poo/wee) to mature a filter takes approx 30 odd days or less if you can bits of a mature one from another tank and then you should be ready in 20 days odd. (to mature the filter read fishless cycle)

Good news is your asking questions and wont be killing any fish if you stick to the advise here(90% in my experiences of shops will tell your rubbish they want your money we dont on here)

You need the right temp for you fish most common 22-24c the filter should ripple the water, as long as the surface is moving there is enough aeration. when your new try not overthink things keep simple and keep asking questions

 

[Sykes]

I really appreciate this information and this is all new to me so i'm trying to take in as much as I can. There's so much information and procedures regarding a tropical fish tank than I could have ever imagined. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has a matured tank that I could grab some bits off to help mature the tank so it's a matter of going through the whole process manually.

I kinda figured the guy from Pets At Home was feeding me some rammel and this is the reason i'm doing alot of research now so I don't make any mistakes.

At the moment the tank is stable at 26c which again, I was told this is the average temperature for most tropical fish. We are still unsure what sort of fish we would like which will then be more research for what types of fish live together without fighting or harassing. We are looking for fish that are colourful and nice to look at.

There is now another question. With a 64ltr tank and a 600 lpm filter, how many fish can we have in the tank (roughly)? I'm now thinking this can't be answered due to the size of the fish we choose. It's all swings and roundabout's at the minute but while the filter is maturing, this is giving me plenty of time to do the research and make sure we have everything setup correctly

 

[littlenemo]

+1 pets at home will tell you anything. and when ever i have bought fish from there they are always sick white spot not good. hello and welcome to the forum. dont do what i did and fill tank up add nutrin cycle then add fish it does not work belive me first hand experience. cycle your tank properly using the forum method ammonia works well.

 

[Sykes]

Thank's littlenemo. You are the fourth person who has said fish from there get ill and die quickly. I now face a problem that there are no decent aquarium center's near me to purchase fish as we have two other stores whose fish don't seem too good and they are living in filthy tanks with dead fish on the bottom

At the moment im doing a 20% water cycle every other day and adding 'Tapsafe' as well as 'Filter Start'. I was got told this is correct but iv got a feeling after joining here that this was also wrong information.

Funnily enough, 'Pets At Home' told me to fill the tank up and leave everything running for 3 days before buying fish. Failing to tell me you need to add Ammonia to the water! I assume they go by the fish-in cycle method? Or just know the fish will die and hope i return for more. I have been a member of this site for 1 day and already learn't so much.

I'v got slightly confused from reading -Jo-'s post regarding her cycling period. The main thing, iv read alot of letting Ammonia etc reaching certain levels before adding so much PPM etc. Very confusing for someone with my knowledge of tropical fish and setups so i have alot of reading and learning to do and most of all, make sure i stay on the right tracks

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Thank's littlenemo. You are the fourth person who has said fish from there get ill and die quickly. I now face a problem that there are no decent aquarium center's near me to purchase fish as we have two other stores whose fish don't seem too good and they are living in filthy tanks with dead fish on the bottom

At the moment im doing a 20% water cycle every other day and adding 'Tapsafe' as well as 'Filter Start'. I was got told this is correct but iv got a feeling after joining here that this was also wrong information.

Funnily enough, 'Pets At Home' told me to fill the tank up and leave everything running for 3 days before buying fish. Failing to tell me you need to add Ammonia to the water! I assume they go by the fish-in cycle method? Or just know the fish will die and hope i return for more. I have been a member of this site for 1 day and already learn't so much.

I'v got slightly confused from reading -Jo-'s post regarding her cycling period. The main thing, iv read alot of letting Ammonia etc reaching certain levels before adding so much PPM etc. Very confusing for someone with my knowledge of tropical fish and setups so i have alot of reading and learning to do and most of all, make sure i stay on the right tracks

My honest advise for you 1st tank is do a fish less cycle it needs the least work and should you get another tank you will have a head start.
You will need a bottle of household ammonia from boots, homabse or ebay and a ammonia test ket both of these less then £10.
You will add the ammonia daily this will be like fish poo/wee to the filter after it had matured (average takes 30 days) you do a water change then add fish. Please read up on fishless cycle they all work the same way
you aiming for 4ppm of ammonia in the tank at any one time during the fishless cycle

 

[Sykes]

My honest advise for you 1st tank is do a fish less cycle it needs the least work and should you get another tank you will have a head start.
You will need a bottle of household ammonia from boots, homabse or ebay and a ammonia test ket both of these less then £10.
You will add the ammonia daily this will be like fish poo/wee to the filter after it had matured (average takes 30 days) you do a water change then add fish. Please read up on fishless cycle they all work the same way
you aiming for 4ppm of ammonia in the tank at any one time during the fishless cycle

Thanks Al, can you provide an image or link to one of the test kits you referred to? Majority of my knowledge at the minute come's from Pets At Home and was told the test kit i need is a liquid one which cost's £33 from them which i didn't purchase as i found one on eBay for £23. If the kit i need is £10 that's even better.

I have another question now regarding the liquid test kit. How many tests do these kits do before you need to purchase another one? And is it just the solution (whatever it is you mix with your tank water in the test tube) you need to buy?

I wasn't very good at science when i was at school so unsure of what 4ppm is, i'm assuming it's the test result of ammonia in the tank water and will be clearly displayed? EDIT - I understand the 4ppm now, it's a liquid kit and not a litmus paper kit

 

[littlenemo]

skyes stay away from pets at home lol ammonia off ebay link is http/stores.ebay.co.uk/Selections-Hardware-and-Model-Shop?_trksid=p4340.l2563 and api test kit is http/stores.ebay.co.uk/Aquacadabra?_trksid=p4340.l2563
i was cycleing my tank for 6 weeks testing water nearly every day and mine is still well over half full. all you do is add 5ml of tank water to a test tebe add the soloution of what ever your testing and it will show you a colour and you look on the chart and it will show what ever ppm.
i was the same when i joined did not no anything but thanks to me mivering every one one here lol i no quite a bit now and i understand the cycle process. if your unsure about anything mate just ask. peeps on here no a lot

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Forgot to ask where in the uk do you live? The Api kits are £30 for all 3 tests which is just over a £10 per test, you will need 3 at some stage so just get the set if you stretch to it.

 

[littlenemo]

just looked on ebay there is one on there at 16 pound for full kit. bargin

 

[Sykes]

The member's on here are awesome with information. Throw a bearded dragon question at me and i can answer it, throw a fish question at me and i don't have a clue lol. I'm just about to order the full set of testing kit and on a good note, the white clouds are disappearing quite fast. I live in Nottinghamshire and we always get funny taste in water so it's going to take a while to sort i think.

I can't thank you all enough at the moment, i would have still been at square one without the help from here. When i have more questions, i will be back to pick more brains