Newbie Needs General Help

[kalm2kaos]

Hi all, first post so be gentle with me..

Was out with the girlfriend last weekend looking for a fishtank for her son, we didn't get one as its his choice,we were just looking. Anyway,to cut it short I ended up getting a Fluval uno 600.(sold as a complete starter system,with pump,heater etc)
Am reading as much as I can,especially on here.... but have a really daft question,

The heater that came with it is an "aquaclear" branded item with a dial on the top

Do I immerse it totally in the water? or should the top part be out of the water?
(supplied instructions don't make it very clear)
My concern is with the usual water/electricity mix

If it is totally submerged,then what is its best orientation? horizontal or vertical?

Tank is still dry and empty at the moment,but will wipe it out and fill it up soon

Hoping to set up a nice community tank, something to de-stress me after the horrors of the day, looking for color and variety, can anyone offer advice on fish grouping etc, any that are really unsociable to other fish and should be avoided? Am looking for a good mix,but nothing too big.

The more I look into this hobby,the more there is to think about

But hey....I'm gonna give it a damn good go

TIA
K2K

 

[Sheridanp]

Wait, how big is the tank? And, you should do a fishless cycle, or must I should say. I'm still a big newbie too. Hehe.

 

[kalm2kaos]

Wait, how big is the tank? And, you should do a fishless cycle, or must I should say. I'm still a big newbie too. Hehe.

63 litres/nearly 14 gallons

 

[silver tipped]

Hi,

I don't own the same heater but mine is completely submerged and is vertical. Remember to have a drip loop at the bottom of the cable, so that should any water run down the cable it drips off at the loop and doesn't continue to the plug.

I have a 63l as well and I have it set up as a communtity tank. I have platies, silver tipped tetras, dwarf neon rainbows and a few amano shrimp. They all get along fine. Remember that fish like tetras should be kept in groups of 6 or more as they are shoaling fish and livebearers should be kept, ideally, in a ratio of 1 male to 2/3 females. (expect babies very quickly though)

I set my tank up for a week and then added the tetras BUT I wouldn't do this again. I would do a fishless cycle. This causes no stress to fish although does take longet and needs patience. There are plenty of topics here to help you.

I am still learning myself but I hope this helps a bit and good luck with the fish.

 

[James007]

Hi Kalm2Kaos.

I bought the Fluval 600 Uno pack about 2-3 months ago. I stick the thermometer vertical on the back wall to one side. Aim to get all of the glass shaft in the water - doesn't matter if a bit more goes in the water as its waterproof. I have mine with about the top inch sticking out of the water. I assume you also got the Fluval 2 plus filter - this will create a good flow around the tank so don't worry to much about whether the thermometer will heat the tank evenly.

I have my filter also on the back wall. Ensure that your outlet nozzle sits about 1 cm below the water surface. The plastic attachment (venturi) then clips into the end of the nozzle with the 'chimney' protruding out of the water. This means that your filter will blow air bubbles out of the nozzle. Try it with or without the venturi to see what you prefer. I find the bubbles help keep plenty of oxygen in the water - the fish love playing in it too Your power lead to the filter will go into the water - again don't worry, its waterproof.

Once your tank is up and running you need to decide whether to do a fishless cycle or a cycle with fish. Most people recommend fishless cycling as its quicker and you can put all your fish in at once.

 

[kalm2kaos]

Thankyou all very much,have helped ease my concerns, am off this afternoon to get some water testing type stuff, and a few plants,maybe a rock........aaargghhhhhh more money!!

Oh well