Returning to the hobby after some years.

[Bolendo]

I am sure there are many in the hobby who have had to step back from keeping tropical fish for various reasons. I am now retired and able to spend time once again on this fascinating subject. I see that technology has advanced, species available have diversified, and general knowledge has increased in the intervening years since I last heard the soothing whir and bubble stream of an aquarium.

I bought a 4 foot tank (18"high) on Gumtree that came with six fish. Of course that meant I had to purchase a small "transition" tank to accommodate them until the big tank was properly set up. Finally, I spotted a beautiful custom-made two-foot aquarium in a wooden cabinet that I couldn't resist on Ebay.

When I collected the four foot tank, I noticed it was made from 80mm thick plate glass, and weighed a ton. It looks to be quite old and solidly constructed, although it came with state-of-the-art filters and LED lights. A friend made a sturdy timber table with six legs especially for it. It is now fully set up, awaiting the chlorine levels to fall before I can introduce the fish.

The seller had two male swords (one red, one green), two zebra danios and two pearl gouramis. I was told that they were survivors from some previous disasters, and were particularly hardy. I was happy to adopt them and give them a future home, even although I want to diversify into invertebrates and amphibians. I bought a 60 litre biorb from my local pet store to house them meantime. I am not convinced about the biorb as a suitable longterm habitat for fish, as the proportions seem to be all wrong - the bottom area is tiny compared with the volume of water. It also looks top-heavy, even although it may well be quite stable because of the weight of the water. I guess the selling point is its (so-called) easy maintenance, with a replaceable filter cartridge. I suspect it will either end up the domain of African dwarf frogs or small shrimp or crayfish, once the fish vacate their temporary home. One advantage of the Biorb is its optics - modest-sized inhabitants look enormous, especially when swimming at the back. I would be interested to hear if anyone else in the forum has had experiences with this overblown goldfish bowl.

I have some questions, but will try and identify the right forums to ask them in.

 

[Uberhoust]

I am a new member, who started back into the hobby about a year ago. I think you will find the group helpful and friendly though there are different opinions and ideas which make it more interesting. Enjoy your new aquariums and share how they develop.

By the way 80mm glass for the tanks would be very heavy. I expect there was a bit of a typo.

 

[ClownLurch]

Welcome to this place.
80mm!

Gourock! Awwwwwwwhhhh mmmaaaaaannnnn. I worked up that way 30yrs ago this summer. Where does the time go? Wemys Bay, Dunnoon and Bute, had a great time. Food poisoning from the bakers on the left as you drove into Gourock, a beer on the ferry before work. Pretending we were footballers at night in Largs. Pub in Greenock were they’d not had an Englishman in for 25yrs. Heavy duty hangovers.
It’s all coming back to me now.

Anyway enjoy yourself on here.

 

[Guyb93]

80mm ??? 8cm ? 3inches , is the tank bulletproof lol can we see a picture of the terminator tank ?

 

[madmark285]

When I collected the four foot tank, I noticed it was made from 80mm thick plate glass, and weighed a ton. It looks to be quite old and solidly constructed, although it came with state-of-the-art filters and LED lights. A friend made a sturdy timber table with six legs especially for it. It is now fully set up, awaiting the chlorine levels to fall before I can introduce the fish.

What type of filter are they? Did you save any bio-material to help cycle the tank?

 

[Bolendo]

Firstly thanks for the warm welcome. Yes, I must explain that I was born and brought up on the wrong side of decimalisation. Despite all my efforts, I can never visualise metric measurements, and always have to refer to Google for conversions, sometimes unsuccessfully (as in this case). I always felt that a pint sounded more appetising than a litre, whether it was milk or beer. So, sorry about the error. For the record, I think the glass is 9mm thick, but I am open to correction.

Mark, I attach a photo of what I think was the filter that was in use. Another Eheim unit came with the job lot, presumably as a spare. The sponges in that one were brand new, dry and unused. I attach a shot of that too. The sponges inside the used filter were still wet and dark when I picked the equipment up. I sealed it in a plastic bag, so I assume the bacteria would be still active when I plonked the filter back in the filled tank, back at my place, some hours later.

I haven't been able to work out the volume of the tank yet. One heater/thermostat unit seemed used, and another looked new, so I assume the seller was only using one, and keeping the other as a spare. Is one heating unit sufficient for a tank of that approximate size (4' x 18" x 16")? If not, I will hook up the spare.

There was also an Eheim air pump and a length of plastic tube included, but no air stone. Would there be any value in getting a new airstone and installing it?

In my day, we were still using undergravel filters. I guess they are a thing of the past.

I also bought some dechlorinating chemical, and put what I thought would be the correct dose into the water, just to be on the safe side. I have ordered some hair grass, a coconut shell with Java Moss, some dwarf hair grass (eleocharis parvula), some Christmas moss and some Cabomba, as well as some Ostracod seed shrimp. I am amazed at what you can order on Ebay and get delivered! How times have changed.

The lighting unit has two tubes that look like LEDs. They are very bright. I tried removing one, but it looks like they only work together. Is it possible for a tank to be too bright? I thought about putting a perspex sheet under the light with some green clear plastic to reduce the glare and provide some shaded parts. Maybe this isn't necessary.

I look forward to any comments. I don't claim to know very much - I am here to learn.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Welcome!

The glass is definitely 9mm. (Or 3/8 of an inch)

Have you read up on how to properly cycle your tank? If not, please read this.

Is it possible for a tank to be too bright?

Yes, it is possible. You won’t really know until you get the tank all setup.

 

[Sgooosh]

I am sure there are many in the hobby who have had to step back from keeping tropical fish for various reasons. I am now retired and able to spend time once again on this fascinating subject. I see that technology has advanced, species available have diversified, and general knowledge has increased in the intervening years since I last heard the soothing whir and bubble stream of an aquarium.

I bought a 4 foot tank (18"high) on Gumtree that came with six fish. Of course that meant I had to purchase a small "transition" tank to accommodate them until the big tank was properly set up. Finally, I spotted a beautiful custom-made two-foot aquarium in a wooden cabinet that I couldn't resist on Ebay.

When I collected the four foot tank, I noticed it was made from 80mm thick plate glass, and weighed a ton. It looks to be quite old and solidly constructed, although it came with state-of-the-art filters and LED lights. A friend made a sturdy timber table with six legs especially for it. It is now fully set up, awaiting the chlorine levels to fall before I can introduce the fish.

The seller had two male swords (one red, one green), two zebra danios and two pearl gouramis. I was told that they were survivors from some previous disasters, and were particularly hardy. I was happy to adopt them and give them a future home, even although I want to diversify into invertebrates and amphibians. I bought a 60 litre biorb from my local pet store to house them meantime. I am not convinced about the biorb as a suitable longterm habitat for fish, as the proportions seem to be all wrong - the bottom area is tiny compared with the volume of water. It also looks top-heavy, even although it may well be quite stable because of the weight of the water. I guess the selling point is its (so-called) easy maintenance, with a replaceable filter cartridge. I suspect it will either end up the domain of African dwarf frogs or small shrimp or crayfish, once the fish vacate their temporary home. One advantage of the Biorb is its optics - modest-sized inhabitants look enormous, especially when swimming at the back. I would be interested to hear if anyone else in the forum has had experiences with this overblown goldfish bowl.

I have some questions, but will try and identify the right forums to ask them in.

are the "swords" swordtials?

 

[Essjay]

The filter in the first photo looks like a Fluval U series as it has two outlets, though there may be other brands which look like this.

The 4th photo is an Eheim Pickup filter, the number on the bottom indicates it's the 200 model

EHEIM pickup 200

The EHEIM pickup is a small practical filter with a special concept The filter is simple to attach in the tank with suction cups. The special…

eheim.com

 

[Essjay]

The dimensions give a volume of 227 litres/ 60 gallons (it's always American gallons in fish keeping, except for the King British range of products which use Imperial gallons. When in doubt use litres as there is only one type of litre). That does not mean it holds that volume of water as we have to leave a space over the water and the substrate and decor take up more of that volume.

Do you have testers for ammonia and nitrite? Those are very important when setting up a new tank, or as in this case setting up a tank which has been moved. They are importat as ammonia and nitrite can kill fish.

The lighting unit has two tubes that look like LEDs. They are very bright. I tried removing one, but it looks like they only work together. Is it possible for a tank to be too bright? I thought about putting a perspex sheet under the light with some green clear plastic to reduce the glare and provide some shaded parts. Maybe this isn't necessary.

Floating plants would help, and a lot of fish like something over their heads.

 

[ClownLurch]

Another vote for floating plants and lots of them.
I got back into it over a year ago and was amazed to find how few undergravel filters were around as well.

 

[Sgooosh]

Another vote for floating plants and lots of them.
I got back into it over a year ago and was amazed to find how few undergravel filters were around as well.

I like floaters but i was dumb and had a currect and it killed a lot of duckweed and both of the waterlettuces

 

[Back in the fold]

Excellent ! Another returnee to the hobby. Really helps to be retired. I am and I have time to play around with live foods, be serious about breeding and actually do my water changes on a regular schedule rather than hoping for the odd bit of free time here and there. The new technology that you mentioned isn't anything to get starry eyed over. Submersible heaters are nice but all the old standard stuff you used years ago is still the way to go. I saw a post here recently about those Bio Orbs that you likened to a goldfish bowl. I wouldn't buy one but I wouldn't refuse the gift of one if it were offered. The're cool in an odd way. Sure getting to be a lot of Englishmen here of late.

 

[Bolendo]

Thanks for all your positive and helpful replies. PheonixKingZ I read the article from the link you kindly sent, and diligently followed it through. I was not in a hurry to introduce the fish to their new home, and it paid off. They are now settled in happily.

Sgooosh, I believe they are swordtails, but you can confirm from the attached photo.

​

Essjay, thanks for identifying the equipment. I have more or less figured out how to install and get it to work. Thanks for working out the volume. I had used an online ready-reckoner to get some sort of results, but yours is more accurate.

Ammonia and nitrate testers came with the tank and equipment, so I was able to make sure the water was cycled properly before I introduced the fish.

The interior decorations are not of my own choice - they came with the tank - but they will do for now. I have since introduced another filter and heater since the photo was taken. The two filters produce quite a lot of current, which the fish seem to appreciate. I wondered whether it would be too much for floating plants, bearing in mind Sgooosh's comment. I may resort to putting in an optic filter of some kind, such as a sheet of perspex over the water but under the light, with some green "gel" (semi-transparent plastic sheeting, as used in studio lighting) to cut out some of the light, or some completely dark areas to provide some shade. The white stones are now turning green already, so I think the light is excessive.

I bought 4 more Zebra Danios to go with the two I had, three female red swordtails, and some red cardinals. I don't want to overcrowd the tank. There are two blue crayfish, two barley crayfish and some small yellow shrimp, which appear sporadically.

I am interested in purchasing some golden African Dwarf Frogs, but I don't think they compete too well for food with the existing fish. I thought about putting in a divider to give them a corner of the tank to themselves, but Ebay doesn't provide dividers big enough for a 18" x 15" frame. I may have to buy another small aquarium especially for them.

I have just ordered 4 hatchling European Pond Tortoises which should arrive next week. I used to keep individuals of that species in an outside pond, many years ago. These will be too small to go outside for a while, so yet another aquarium will be needed. I suspect that they should be discussed in another forum altogether.

I have now found a retro-style rocking chair and footstool, and have begun to relax for hours, just watching the play behind the glass. The model of the paddle steamer Waverley is actually made of matches, and came with the house when I bought it. If it were to fall into the tank, it would return to its component parts, which would be a shame, as I am not a smoker!

 

[Essjay]

I am interested in purchasing some golden African Dwarf Frogs, but I don't think they compete too well for food with the existing fish. I thought about putting in a divider to give them a corner of the tank to themselves, but Ebay doesn't provide dividers big enough for a 18" x 15" frame. I may have to buy another small aquarium especially for them.

A separate tank is a better idea. Frogs always do better in a species only tank. Besides the problem of feeding them when fish are likely to eat the food before the frogs find it, there is also the question of what to do if the fish get sick as frogs cannot tolerate fish meds in the water.

Be careful about which frogs you buy. Maybe there are golden dwarf frogs now but certainly until recently the olny non-brown frogs were African clawed frogs which grow a lot bigger. Look at their front feet. If there is webbing between the front toes, they are dwarfs, if there is no webbing,they are clawed frogs. Many shops can't tell the difference and they are mislabelled.