Planning on purchasing an aquarium...

[TAZZ]

hi all - well its that time, pay check is gunna come in =) im prolly gunna grab a tank + accessories sometime this week.

1] what items whould i be looking to get along with my tank? (stuff like heater, light, etc...)

2] how do i prepare the tank so i can add fish in

3] how long will the process take b4 i can add fish

4] what kind of fish should i add to start?

5] when could i add in my betta fish

thanks - these just some questions i got on my mind atm... prolly got more but im kinda tired to think hehe

tazz

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

Initially you will need the following:

1.) A tank the larger the better as they are easier to maintain than smaller tanks.

2.) A filter and hood light suitable for the size of your chosen tank.

3.) A heater suitable for the size of your tank.

4.) Possibly also an air pump and air strone.

5.) Gravel - ensure it is aquarium suitable and not just any old gravel from the quarry, also the smoother the better (IMO) so loaches etc don't hurt themselves.

6.) De-chlorinater. (Try Tetra Aquasafe)

7.) Plants plastic/(silk is better) or real if preffered.

8.) Ornaments if desired or if choosing fish that like hiding places.

Where you choose to position your tank is up to you of course but take into account that too much sunlight could cause increased algae.

Firstly you will need to ensure your gravel is cleaned very very well, perhaps even leaving it in water overnight, but DO NOT use soap.

Before you add water, gravel etc also clean your empty tank again not with soap.

Add your gravel first, and landscape it as you prefer, but you may find it easier to clean if you have it raised at the back of the tank.

Add your filters, heaters etc but DO NOT plug them in yet.

Add your treated (de-chlorinated water) slowly, maybe putting a plate onto the gravel and pouring the water onto the plate to avoid disturbing the gravel.

Add some bottled bacteria (some of us differ on this issue) but it may help reduce the cycling time.

Leave for at least 14 days, and then take a sample of water to your lfs to test your Ammonia, Nitrite and NitrAte levels.

Once you have those readings let us know.

If I have missed anything I'm sure someone will add to this list.

Good Luck

 

[TAZZ]

well just came from the pet store... the tank im prolly gunna get is a 33 gallon one. dimensions are about 39"x12". comes with all this stuff - water heater etc... (cant rem the whole list lol)

an interesting comment though... i asked the clerk about setting up the tank. he was like "u can take the tank, and fish, add water, add the treatment, and add in the fish, if u want to wait, u can give it 24hrs".

heh after reading what i saw here on this site, and getting a comment like that... i went to the library and grabbed me a little reading material.

not putting anyone down... especially not this site, but it gets confusing when u get different opinions about the same thing.

well for me, i guess im just gunna sum it up in a quote:

If your gunna do something, do it properly

no point in wasting time and effort, id rather do it the "right" way from the start.

one question, is this tank too small to add my betta into it? i dont want him eating the smaller neon tetras im thinking about getting hehe (those look hella kewl B) ) if i get a slightly larger fish (larger than my betta) would there be a chance of my betta getting eaten? the clerk again said that other fish will try to eat the betta cause of the fancy tail

one last question heh (well for this post anyway) whats a good starting fish, and also whats the name of that fish taht eats the algae off the gravel and tank walls? i red about it in a post but i dont rem which one

thanks

tazz

 

[cryosi]

33gallon is fine what u getting a 36x15x12 or 39x12x12 thats amble room if u want algae eater try a pair of ancistrus bristle nose catfish i have 4 of them L059 look at these
http/mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/Ancistrus.html

http/www.planetcatfish.com/ilibrary/lori...cistru/49_f.htm

 

[TAZZ]

i think its the 39x12x12 =)

tazz

 

[cryosi]

u get a few fish in there then, depend what u fancy really get a list post it and then we can say whats suitable sizes etc, u can have ur betta, some cory's , some bristlenose or something various others to go with the betta lots of choices im sure the others can post soem suggestions

 

[wetwetwet]

Hey tazz, this is the fun bit about getting a new tank - deciding what your gona keep B)

Yep as cryosi says there are loads of fish that will be suitable for a community tank of that size, though there are some you will find that are notorious for nipping the fins of long finned fish.

The key to it all is to take your time and do the research - find some fish that you like and see if they're compatable with your water conditions and work from there.

 

[TAZZ]

yup heh very true... but im not planning any fish for about at least a week after i get the tank - i rem reading that u need to setup the tank first, make sure its maintaining the right pH and nitrate levels... then u can add the fish after floating etc...

anyone know a site where they have pics of fish and their names? i dont want all small fish, but a few would make the tank look "lively". im thinking one or 2 larger fish... but gotta check teh size cause dont want em eating each other =P

i will b getting some silver chichlids? dunno if thats teh name LOL... but they looked really nice in the tank - like pure white!

tazz

btw how do u clean a tank that size?

 

[wetwetwet]

Loads of sites out there the links are on my office PC,

Heres One To Get You Going

Also look up 'planet catfish' and 'not catfish' there good

 

[TAZZ]

kewl thanks for the link =) i got a book from the library - about setting up aquariums... has some nice info in it, and shows a selection of fish and their names =D

i have a question about feeding. in a large tank, how would you feed all the different species? like just drop in a little of each type? for the algae eaters - i saw u can buy those discs that sink to the bottom of the tank. but what about foods taht float on top of the surface. wouldnt it be a prob if some fish ate more food and otehrs didnt? (over feeding) also what about different diets... like feeding one type of fish one thing and another type somethign else? how would u make sure that the food is for the right fish?

also how much food would u put in a large tank? again the thought of overfeeding comes to mind

thanks

tazz