New To Tropical

[samfishes]

Hi, I am new to the forum and to tropcal tanks! I have a 350L Cleair corner tank which i will be setting up in a couplr of weeks. I just wanted to know what filter media i will need and whether tropical tanks need a uv steriliser?

 

[nurglespuss]

Hi there and welcome

Which filter do you have? is it an internal or an external?

Theres no need for UV, just trap water conditioner (you can use RO water if you wish - but this isn't great if your keeping live plants).

 

[FishyWishie]

You have certainly come to the right place

This forum is great for asking all your questions and don't be afraid to ask what seems like a stupid question chances are I asked the very same things lol. With regards to media as nurgle says this depends very much on what kind of filter you decided on. For a tank that Size I would recommend an external one ideally something like the Hagen Fluval 405 which is good for tanks up to 400l. Many filters such as the 405 will come prefilled with media (I replaced the carbon in one of my buckets with more ceramic rings)

Nurgle also correctly says no need for a uv steraliser if you get algae problems there usually nothing a bunch of MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails) or a magnetic cleaner can't deal with.

Have you considered if your doing a fishless or fish-in cycle yet ? Obviously it's your choice but I would definately recommend the FISHLESS cycle method as described in this http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861 it's far kinder on the fish in the long run and a lot less water changes. I know myself if something died and I had gone fish-in cycling i'd have been blaming myself for any losses.

All the members i've come across have been most helpful in advice but people to specifically look out for replys from (in my humble opinion) include OldMan47 Waterdrop PDSimon JoshuaA and TwinkleCaz

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Sam.
Have you kept some other kinds of fish before? If you have we may be able to easily guide you to the differences between them and tropicals. Often we find the differences are minor.
Unless you have severe water concerns with your tap water, it is often just fine as fish water once it has been dechlorinated.
Something Nurglespuss said may be a bit misleading. You cannot use straight RO water and expect any common fish to survive long in a tank. You can mix RO with tap water to acquire a suitable blend or you can "reconstitute" RO water into fish water by adding chemicals to the purified RO water. That is much like what they do for many forms of bottled drinking water. All chemicals are removed and a mix of salts the manufacturers believe is tasty is added back in before it is bottled.
You will be embarking on a filter cycling adventure once the tank is set up, there is no way around it. There are options though. You can choose to cycle the tank before adding any fish, which is far less work. You can also cycle the filter with some fish in the tank, which can cause a new fish keeper a good deal of stress while trying to keep his fish alive by doing daily large water changes on the tank for the first couple of months. The approach you take should be thought through before you get any fish at all. I have a link to instructions for both types of cycle in my signature area.