Newbie Wth No Idea :-)

[Emz85]

Hi everybody,
 
I am new to aquarium keeping and very excited, although did not realise it was quite so complicated, before doing my research I was one of these who thought I could fill my tank with some water, put a few pretty things in and then add some pretty looking fih who would live together happily ever after..............haha
 
So, Ive had my aquarium for 3 days, it has been filled up with water, have put the gravel in and a couple of (washed) ornaments. I have not yet introduced any fish as I want to do this properly, I don't want fish dying on me unnecessarily. Tomorrow, I think I am going to go and buy a couple of live plants to put in. Do you think it is ok to do this now? When do you think it will be ok to add some fish? I was thinking a couple of zebra danios to start with? I have heard lots of contrasting advice from pet shops/facebook groups so thought I would join a proper fish forum.
 
Do you advise I get my own water testing kit? The pet shop says they can test my water but I wasn't sure if it would be better for me to have my own? Any advice would be greatly appreciated
 
Emma
 
PS.......My aquarium is 140litres, not sure if this will make much difference to advice
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[the_lock_man]

The loudest advice you will get from this forum right now is to do a fishless cycle.
 
Cycling is the process of growing bacteria in the filter to process the ammonia that the fish produce, through nitrite to nitrate. TO do this without fish, you need to use bottled household ammonia. READ THIS. It is probably the most important aquatic document you will ever read.
 
And yes, I do recommend getting your own test kit. Get a liquid one, not the paper strip ones.
 
And lastly
 

 

[ADW1988]

As the Lock man says (btw this is my first post) FISHLESS CYCLE... I'm in the middle of my first "FISHLESS CYCLE"..
 
Patientce is certainly a virtue..
 
So all I would say is get the Ammonia in a bottle suitable, a pippette (i use a 5ml one) and the API Master Test Kit (or any liquid test kit)
 
And cycle that tank Fishlessly! I know thats not a word but hey... Fishless cycle.. I'm finding it quite fun..
 
NB dont get sucked into cheats like Safestart etc... I really really don't advise them..
 
Do you know anyone with a Freshwater tank? Maybe nick some of their filter media to kick start.

 

[Ch4rlie]

to TFF.
 
Pretty much everything a newbie needs to know to start with has already been said basically.
 
Your first hurdle is reading the fishless cycle, yes there is quite a bit of information to take on at first and slowly but surely you will begin to understand the process and what to look out for. Thats how I started, at first, was totally flummoxed and panicking about if am doing the right or wrong things regarding cycling, don't worry, if you are in any doubt whatsoever, ask on this forum. People are pretty much always happy to help when they can and offer good advice. 
 
2nd hurdle is getting a freshwater master test kit, you've already got plans to get one, a lot of people on this forum uses API Master Test Kit and these are usually around £35 from you local fish store (LFS)  but cheaper to get online, I got my API kit online and that was about £18. Shop around! There are other kits out there, Salifert and Hach usually but these can be quite expensive, it much more of a personal preference at a later time, to start with API is a decent piece of kit to start off with. 
 
3rd hurdle - deciding how to set up your tank, what fish to get, ask about all these stocking questions on this forum.
We will advise what works for us (also what does not work as well)
 
Most of all, relax and enjoy your first forage into fish keeping. 

 

[brittgs]

Welcome.  I am quite new to fishkeeping and have found this forum to be a big help.  Great info here on doing the fishless cycle and the members have given me some excellent advice.
 
Brittgs

 

[DianaFaye]

I would also like to add, on top of the advice already given, to research the different kinds of fish you may be interested in to learn about their care requirements and compatibility with other fish. Look around the store, see what fish catch your eye, and go home and search the internet. Do not rely on store info cards or the staff for this. Too many times has a person sought out the advice from a store clerk only to find out later that the fish they bought turn out to be tank bullies, grow too large, and/or quickly die. I have a little more respect for stores who will actually turn away prospective clients from particular fish, but I still do not trust them entirely. Also pay attention to fish that are "schooling" fish, as these needs to be kept in a minimum group of 6, and the more the merrier. You'll also get a lot more enjoyment out of a larger school of fish (like tetras, for example). They will feel more secure in their surroundings, resulting in you seeing them swimming about more, and it's really neat to watch their natural behaviors when they are in a group. A "species only" tank may initially sound boring because there is only 1 type of fish, until you see how the group interacts with each other as they swim throughout the tank. There is also an idea of adding a "centerpiece fish" as well as having a nice sized school; usually a dwarf gourami is suitable to that purpose