Newbie With A Fluval Edge

[peter1979]

hello, as the topic indicates i am a complete newbie to fish-keeping and purchased a fluval edge on a whim at the local garden centre. I realise from previous posts that this tank has some mixed reviews and to be honest if i had room for a larger tank then i would jump at the chance. At the moment i only have the corner of a desk in my study to spare so the size suits me fine.
Anyway, on advice and research of this site i have input the gravel, of which i need probably to add another bag as it is not deep enough, and filled the tank 3/4 full. I have dechlorinated the water and turned the heater on. I bought 3 small plants today but these will only be for short term until i get some better quality ones, i just wanted to see what they looked like in the water. I have ordered a API freshwater master test kit and should get this tuesday, also a book on mini aquarium keeping as suggested in another post. My aim is to start a fishless cycle as soon as possible.
My questions are, do i start the cycle once the temperature is up to its optimum (i have the fluval heater which sits at 26C)
also do i have plants in during the cycle? or do i add them after/can i add more after?
Should i have the heater on during the cycle?
do i need the tank full for the cycle or can i add more to top it up afterwards?

a few more questions as well please.
Have many others on here got this tank? if so what sort of fish are you keeping in it? and also how many?
from the suggestions i am toying with the idea of getting some of the endlers livebearers or mini rasboras, possibly with some of the red cherry shrimps or similar.
Would i be pushing it to say have the livebearers or rasboras (one group of 5 and 6 respectively, not both) and say 2 otocinclus cats?


and finally!! can anyone recommend a aquatics retailer in the bristol area? i went to pets at home today to look at plants and they were useless!

cheers, sorry for the long post, i want to make sure i try to do things the right way.
peter

 

[Assaye]

Otos need larger groups than two - I don't think you'd be pushing it to have 4-6 otos and one group of small, mid-swimming fish. You could also have 4 endlers in there, with the otos. If you want otos, don't get another group of shoaling/group-living fish as you'll need to have 10-12 fish and that would be over stocking IMO. Add the group that is most important first and then add others slowly so that you can keep an eye on the water stats to make sure you're not over working the filter.

Fishless cycles are best at 29-30 C and are best done in the dark as the elevated ammonia levels lead to algae if exposed to light. For this reason it is best not to use plants while cycling.

You need to keep the heater on and you only need as much water as it takes for the filter to work, because you are cycling your filter and not your water.

Are you planning to use the pure ammonia method to cycle?

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, you want to start the adventure of finding the right ammonia right away and sometimes it can take some time. Once you have it and your test kit you can get started. Besides the ammonia, the bacteria like a lot of oxygen so it might help if you leave the surface a little below that top plate, to get a wider area exposed, assuming the filter still works under that condition. If your heater is fixed at 26C it will be a disadvantage by 3 degrees C but will simply make the fishless cycle slower, not stop it. As assaye says, algae can be minimized by a black-out fishless cycle but if you want a few plants and are willing to accept the risk they might have to be tossed after the cycle and a big cleaning of brown algae done, then its no big deal to have the little fishless scene there for yourself during the two months of cycling.. gets pretty boring and little bits help!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Wills]

Sounds like you are on the right track The fish you have mentioned are all excellent choices for that tank. I would avoid ottos, in a small tank it seems to me a bit silly to put in fish you kind of want but mainly want for cleaning purposes. I would go for the micro rasboras and get a badis fish and some shrimp

Or a trio of sparkling gourami and a trio of endlers could look nice, but stick to males to avoid babies

 

[peter1979]

thank you for the replies. Today i managed to find some ammonia from robert dyas but it does not indicate the dilution or even any other ingredients. The make is 'homecare essentials' and just says 'ammonia' with little other information on the bottle. It doesn't look to be dyed or perfumed, i haven't done the shake test yet to see if it foams.
After i had left the heater on all night for the first time, i checked the temperature when i returned from work and it was at 23C, which is 3 degrees below what it says it should run at. I went to the aquatics place near me to get a syphon and some more dechlorinator and asked them about it and they said the fluval edge heaters are a little underpowered and as they are not adjustable they might not work well if the room the tank is in is a bit cold, which it is a little due to the current cold snap. Should i look at getting a better heater? I looked at some in the shop but they were all quite large and pretty unsuitable for such a small tank.
Also i noticed the filter unit has been damaged whilst i was inspecting it just now, which means i will have to return the filter unit to the shop on tuesday, my next day off, to get it replaced before i start the cycling.

I have decided to get shot of the plants for the cycle, it seems easier and makes more sense, but i would like to know when i decide to get some more in the future, do tey just get planted directly into te gravel? can they grow in such a coarse substrate? or do they need a sand/gravel mixture.

can anyone recommend a small adjustable heater suitale for an edge tank?


cheers
peter

 

[Wills]

Just a thought, how about swapping the edge for a slightly bigger tank if your taking it back. If they have any arc 35s in they are a fantastic small tank with a few more options as for stock Just a thought? With heaters Ive always gone for just the basic glass ones always worked fine for me

Wills

 

[ian]

^^^thats a good shout Will, there are some cracking Arc tanks. Cheaper than the Edge as well. Not that i'm against the Edge, but the Arc wins for me.

 

[peter1979]

The reason i have gone with the edge is that at present i am living in a small house with 5 other people and i only have a small corner of my desk available as space. This will change in 6-12 months though and i plan on getting a bigger tank then. The edge takes up such a small space it sits in the corner of my desk and still gives me room to put all my papers, laptop, printer etc. Anything bigger and it would give me enough space. I will check out the Arc though, just out of interest. I am hoping though that the retailer will just exchange the filter box without all the hassle of getting the whole tank packed away again.

 

[Wills]

Ah right I understand, the arc tank isnt that much bigger I dont think but its easier to get your hands in and better for heating look pretty nice as well

 

[pix1]

hello, as the topic indicates i am a complete newbie to fish-keeping and purchased a fluval edge on a whim at the local garden centre. I realise from previous posts that this tank has some mixed reviews and to be honest if i had room for a larger tank then i would jump at the chance. At the moment i only have the corner of a desk in my study to spare so the size suits me fine.
Anyway, on advice and research of this site i have input the gravel, of which i need probably to add another bag as it is not deep enough, and filled the tank 3/4 full. I have dechlorinated the water and turned the heater on. I bought 3 small plants today but these will only be for short term until i get some better quality ones, i just wanted to see what they looked like in the water. I have ordered a API freshwater master test kit and should get this tuesday, also a book on mini aquarium keeping as suggested in another post. My aim is to start a fishless cycle as soon as possible.
My questions are, do i start the cycle once the temperature is up to its optimum (i have the fluval heater which sits at 26C)
also do i have plants in during the cycle? or do i add them after/can i add more after?
Should i have the heater on during the cycle?
do i need the tank full for the cycle or can i add more to top it up afterwards?

a few more questions as well please.
Have many others on here got this tank? if so what sort of fish are you keeping in it? and also how many?
from the suggestions i am toying with the idea of getting some of the endlers livebearers or mini rasboras, possibly with some of the red cherry shrimps or similar.
Would i be pushing it to say have the livebearers or rasboras (one group of 5 and 6 respectively, not both) and say 2 otocinclus cats?


and finally!! can anyone recommend a aquatics retailer in the bristol area? i went to pets at home today to look at plants and they were useless!

cheers, sorry for the long post, i want to make sure i try to do things the right way.
peter

Try Maidenhead aquatics, its in hicks garden centre just outside keynsham its on the bypass just before brislington mcdonalds. They have got a good selection of fish and it seems ok in there.

 

[peter1979]

Ah right I understand, the arc tank isnt that much bigger I dont think but its easier to get your hands in and better for heating look pretty nice as well

I just had a loom at one, they look very nice, and almost similar base sizes which would be ideal, but to be honest, unless i have to take back the entire tank to get the filter box exchanged then i probably wont bother. I will phone them tomorrow to see what they advise me. The place i got the aquarium from doesn't stock the Arc's either.

 

[peter1979]

hello, as the topic indicates i am a complete newbie to fish-keeping and purchased a fluval edge on a whim at the local garden centre. I realise from previous posts that this tank has some mixed reviews and to be honest if i had room for a larger tank then i would jump at the chance. At the moment i only have the corner of a desk in my study to spare so the size suits me fine.
Anyway, on advice and research of this site i have input the gravel, of which i need probably to add another bag as it is not deep enough, and filled the tank 3/4 full. I have dechlorinated the water and turned the heater on. I bought 3 small plants today but these will only be for short term until i get some better quality ones, i just wanted to see what they looked like in the water. I have ordered a API freshwater master test kit and should get this tuesday, also a book on mini aquarium keeping as suggested in another post. My aim is to start a fishless cycle as soon as possible.
My questions are, do i start the cycle once the temperature is up to its optimum (i have the fluval heater which sits at 26C)
also do i have plants in during the cycle? or do i add them after/can i add more after?
Should i have the heater on during the cycle?
do i need the tank full for the cycle or can i add more to top it up afterwards?

a few more questions as well please.
Have many others on here got this tank? if so what sort of fish are you keeping in it? and also how many?
from the suggestions i am toying with the idea of getting some of the endlers livebearers or mini rasboras, possibly with some of the red cherry shrimps or similar.
Would i be pushing it to say have the livebearers or rasboras (one group of 5 and 6 respectively, not both) and say 2 otocinclus cats?


and finally!! can anyone recommend a aquatics retailer in the bristol area? i went to pets at home today to look at plants and they were useless!

cheers, sorry for the long post, i want to make sure i try to do things the right way.
peter

Try Maidenhead aquatics, its in hicks garden centre just outside keynsham its on the bypass just before brislington mcdonalds. They have got a good selection of fish and it seems ok in there.

funnily enough i was out there earlier getting some info on heaters, they have a good selection of fish.