Newstart requires some advice

[PETERPETER]

Hello everyone i just signed up 2 this site..
I've kept outdoor fish for a few years now but have recently decided to move to indoor tropical fish also. I have just made my first tank its 48'' long, 18'' deep and 12'' high. I know it could have used a little more height but i had to build it to fit into a certain area at home.
I filled it with freshwater from the tap yesterday morning and it was very cloudy i left it a day (with the pump on) and its clear now. I am wondering how long i must leave it before fish can enter. And also would there be any benefits in adding water from my well established pond to the tank? to promte faster bacterial growth.
Im also unsure about how many fish could live in the tank and which size may be best suited. I like Krebensis and would like to start with a few of those but i also like firemouths, rams and tiger oscars.. i know oscars are much larger fish so would this be a problem? if anyone could shed a little light on my questions i'd be most grateful. o(*_*)o

 

[Tatya]

You probably know most of this but here is an article on cycling safely.

I'd recommend using the fishless cycle. But if you do - make sure the ammonia you use doesn't foam on being shaken. This way you'll need to wait 2-3 weeks for the cycle to complete before adding any fish.

Are you using a dechlorinator for the tap water? If so you only need to wait 48hrs and until the water warms up before you can add about 4-6 hardy fish (like danios or platys) to start your cycle. You'll then need to wait with only those fish until the tank is fully cycled (which can be upto about 6 weeks).

As for the pond water - its the gravel that will hold the bacteria more than the water. I'm not sure about whether any contaminants can be brought into a tank that way either - I'd wait till one of the others says something before trying it.

As for stocking - from an aeration viewpoint I make it 72" of fish (measure the adult lengths of the fish excluding tail and add them together upto that length). But the tank is shallower than normal for that size tank and I'm not sure how that will affect things. I'm sure one of the others will be able to help though

Welcome to the Board

 

[cichlidmaster]

Hello PP and WELCOME to the board...

I am sure you will find answers to all your fishy questions here as there are a plethora (how do you like that word ) of knowledge here...

I go by Cichlidmaster so I will answer your last question first...

The oscars IMO would not be suitable for this tank due to it being only 12" high. The base dimensions are great for a host of other C/S American species as well as African cichlids.

The firemouths would be great in this tank as well as the Kribs.
The rams would be a bit on the small side if going with the firemouths. I will list a web site where you can view a whole host of C/S American species to get a better idea of what you may like to have.

IMO I would not keep fish over a maximum adult size of 6-8" in this tank. Larger fish than this need at least 6' of swimming space to be at their best.

As for "how many" fish this would depend on several things...size, temperament, filtration and so on...

Keep in mind that larger fish require a lot of filtration.

Do you have any filtration running on your pond? If so take some of the filter material out of it and place it in your filter on your tank. This will help jump start the bacterial colonies in this filter. Adding water from your pond would also help, but not as much. Make sure the water is equel to or very close to the same temperature as the tank water.

As you find more varieties that interest you, feel free to post any questions you may have about them in the forum titled "Cichlid Heaven" and we will be happy to answer them for you.

HTH

tangled up in cichlids

Larry

 

[PETERPETER]

Thank you both for your rapid responses.
In response to your questions i haven't used any type of dechlorinator or artificial bacteria agent. And i do have a flitration system on my pond but its a swimming pool pump because the pond is very large so it uses long wire brushes instead of a type of sponge.
I got the heater in today and bought my lid and i read somewhere adding fish to it would speed the process but i dont want to risk a koi incase the new water damages then and i read on another forum that goldfish are bad for the water.
I also read i should get some hardy fish like mollies or guppies to start the cycle going? this seems lieka good idea if it would start the cycle and i know they are very strong fish because at one point i had guppies brreding outdoors with the others.
Is using all these added chemicals essential? it all seems a little non natural but then our water from the tap is hardly natural so perhaps its a must?
Thanks for the links to the sitte i found them very informative.

 

[adeyc]

Welcome to the nut house. I'm the resident evil mad scientist.The others go from just plain evil to down right insane and we do have a sort of normal scientist about here somewhere.lol

Personaly I wouldn't use those bacteria starter chems. A complete waste of money. If you want to speed up the proccess get a couple of zebra danios, They are about the hardiest fish out and tolerate a lot of mistakes. As for using the pond water I wouldn't unless you were planning sticking pond fish in the tank.(sort of defeats the purpose though)
The pond water may contain bacteria or larvae/beasties that could be harmful tho tropical fish. Maybe someone has some more info on this than I do though.

 

[wetwetwet]

Hi PP

I'm new here aswell but...

IMHO when I was cycling my tank I wasn't in a huge hurry, I just fed the filter bacteria with a bit of flake in the water every day and did my water tests untill Nitrite and ammonia readings had settled down 3-4weeks.

The problem (again IMO) with adding a couple of 'hardy' fish, yes works, but can be distressing if not fatal. And a couple of danios wouldn't be compatable with the cichlids you plan to keep - more likely dinner

Amongst other things our water contains chlorine and chloromin which is harmful and needs to be neutralised.

Get some test kits for water quality so you know when its safe to add fish and helps you identify any future problems you may have if fish become ill.

Anyway I hope that didn't sound too much like preaching, good luck with it all

 

[Dragonslair]

Hi PP, I'm the master sturgeon surgeon. Welcome to this site.You don't tell us where you're from...please do tell. I'm desperate to find someone from around my neck of the woods.
You're in good hands with ciclidmaster-he's you man for the job. I hope you find your time with us happy and enjoyable. We are here not just for the bad things in life, we are also here to share in your good times as well. Enjoy!!!! :laugh: :laugh:

 

[cichlidmaster]

Thanks for the "plug" Dragon 'preciate it.

 

[Rose]

Hi PP I'm the Evil Martini, or Horny Angel (horney as in horns on top of my head). Some of us have been given silly names that we are known by. Welcome to the insanity we call home. Glad your with us and hope you enjoy your time here. Rose

 

[cichlidmaster]

Boy that was pretty "Layed back" Rose!! Not your usual banter for a new member.

What's the matter these late nights getting to you :laugh: :laugh:

 

[Rose]

Just read my ranting in the Admin section you'll figure it out. Yes they are and all the extra work hours I'm putting in too. If it'll make you feel better I'll do a better welcome in the next post. Rose

 

[Rose]

Welcome to the insanity. I'm the Evil One (not really but they seem to think so) and I'll be your tour guide...As we walk in to the mess hall we see Adyec the Ever Watchfull Fish Bouncer. To your left is Dragon Slayer the Master Sturgon Surgon. Adyec bounces the fish over to the MSS and he patches them up again. All while Davy has a few bears. Here we pass by Wacky in the hall way, why he's named Wacky you decide. On our way to see Cichlidmaster feed his Oscars, Dempsey's and such we pass by Great Lakes in all his glory. I would introduce you to Pete but he's the invisible man and hard to find. This concludes our tour for today. Hope you enjoy our stay. Rose (the Evil One)

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Hello and welcome, Pass what my name is, they won't tell me it :laugh: could be da boss since I'm cheif guy, unless the missus is reading this :grumpy:

Think most things have been covered. If your still unsure just post it and as you can see were all falling over each other to post in your topic

 

[Rose]

I'm thinkin, I'm thinkin..... Indian Chief Smarty Pants, Chief bear drinker no hair....

 

[adeyc]

lol. they're all scared of me as well, So I get left alone on the name thing. Oooops now I've done it. lmao