Should I Continue The Hobby?

[raptorrex]

Well if you have not taking care of it in the last 6 months at all, then you should get out of the hobby, you have no business having fish. How would you like someone putting you in a cage and all they did for 6 months was give you food every once in awhile.

Congratulations on giving really good constructive advice...

[/sarcasm]

Perhaps if you had read what the OP said more fully, you might have phrased it differently. The OP clearly states he had tried lots of different things and in a last ditch effort tried just leaving it to settle (a well favoured system in days gone by).

well said andy, constructive advice is what's needed here.

i have to agree with the majroty here and say the UG could be the problem.

for me it's a do or die situation, personally i would say go for one last thing to try and sort the tank out, get a decent filter see what happens from there

i too give my full support to Andys comments!!!! (lol must be some sort of a record!!!!)

yes 6 months is long but simply asking him his reasons would ahve been a bit less "upfront" about the situation. This hobby is about learning and looking after your tanks, not firing abuse and tell them to stop the hobby because they aren't having luck.

we all learn from our mistakes...and obivously this user wants us to try and help him resolve the issues!

but def i say the filter isa big part of it...not enough bacteria surface area to keep the tank in safe levels)

a well made point!

Well if you have not taking care of it in the last 6 months at all, then you should get out of the hobby, you have no business having fish. How would you like someone putting you in a cage and all they did for 6 months was give you food every once in awhile.

Congratulations on giving really good constructive advice...

[/sarcasm]

Perhaps if you had read what the OP said more fully, you might have phrased it differently. The OP clearly states he had tried lots of different things and in a last ditch effort tried just leaving it to settle (a well favoured system in days gone by).

Leaving it alone for 6 months to me doesn't seem like the answer, obvoiusly something is wrong. What you need to do is ditch the UGF and buy a hang on filter do 20 percent water changes once a week and add some decloripher when you do that. Also do a water test I gurantee your nitrates are at a deadly reading (off the charts)

however leaving the tank alone for six months did do something! No fish died in that time, small maybe, but still some sort of success. imo it may well have given a clear pointer to what may be wrong! not bad for it "not being the answer" dont you think? i can only hope people are more helpful to you when you need help, though perhaps there are some on this thread that may not be!

 

[BigC]

Hi,
I would definately continue in the hobby, but what is needed here is a less stressful hobby. I am old skool so to speak from the days when aquariums were a theraputic pastime. None of these fancy meds and constant tinkering to do yer head in.
I would set the tank up with a 25mm bed of unwashed fine gravel mixed with some garden loam no additives, then place another 40mm of washed fine gravel on top of this.
Here you have your plant substrate. (no UG filter) Heaterstat 76'F and an internal power filter finishes off the inside. Add the water, set everything running and put your lights on timers to mimic daylight. Buy some nicely balanced tubes (daylight equivilants) Decorate with rocks and easy to grow plants such as Java Fern, Hygrophilla Polysperma and the likes. Have some floating plant like Salvinia to diffuse the light. Here you have the basis of a good tank. I very rarely test water. but I do leave my tanks to run in as it were for 2-3 weeks before even thinking of adding livestock. Now I know people run off to the LFS and start buying on impulse (totally the wrong thing to do) The tank should be peaceful and tranquil so as you can sit down and watch it without watching a full scale war.
Fish stocking is a matter of taste but the following stocking list will provide you with a nice balanced aquarium that will not only look good but will endear you more to the hobby rather than you thinking about quitting.
All aquarium levels should be represented

Top level = 6 Marble Hatchets
Mid to lower = 20 Cardinal Tetra &
6 Black Phantom Tetra
Bottom = 6 small Corydoras species (your choice)
Feed only once per day, good quality flake, frozen or live. Do not over feed.

Most important, every week draw off 2 gallons of aquarium water and replace with fresh add to this 1 table spoon of Blackwater Extract thats all you need do apart from some filter maintenance from time to time.
I am in no way trying to impose my ideas on anyone but I would rather offer you some help rather than have you give up.
This aquarium blueprint works I have set it up for friends and neighbours on various occaisions and they can sit down after a days work and really enjoy their aquarium.
I hope this was of some help to you and hope you stick around.
Regards
BigC

 

[andywg]

i too give my full support to Andys comments!!!! (lol must be some sort of a record!!!!)

A rarity indeed

however leaving the tank alone for six months did do something! No fish died in that time, small maybe, but still some sort of success. imo it may well have given a clear pointer to what may be wrong! not bad for it "not being the answer" dont you think? i can only hope people are more helpful to you when you need help, though perhaps there are some on this thread that may not be!

[devil's advocate]
Did leaving the tank really do something or not? Could it not be that the last 5 remaining fish are the hardiest fish that are able to survive in whatever problem is afflicting the tank?
[/devil's advocate]

 

[cheesy feet]

Just to expand on plants...I think why you did not have good luck with them before was either they were not aquatic plants but terrestrial or the plants you had needed high light, ferts etc.Some easy plants which should survive for a couple of months even if negleted are java fern, java moss (and others), vallis, anubias's, wisteria, crypts, hygrophilia polysperma rosanverg, hydrocotyle lecocephala, four leaf clover, rotala rotundifolia.I have not actually had the 1 of the plants on the lsit but have heard good things from other members about how easy it is to care for.

 

[vinylman]

Yes, get a filter that's up to the job. You say you've tried several different species of fish. Do you know the exact water parameters in your area. If so, did you buy fish that are suitable for your water conditions. I can't help thinking that a lot of people overlook that, and it's the most important part of buying fish. Buy fish that suit your water; don't buy them then try to MAKE them suit your water by buying bottles of additives that you don't need. Just take your time, test your water then draw up a list of fish to suit. Please give it another go. When it comes to plants, just go for the hardiest and quickest growing you can find. If you start the tank again from scratch, don't overlook the fishless cycle.

 

[kribensis12]

Do u dechlorinate?

 

[raptorrex]

i too give my full support to Andys comments!!!! (lol must be some sort of a record!!!!)

A rarity indeed

however leaving the tank alone for six months did do something! No fish died in that time, small maybe, but still some sort of success. imo it may well have given a clear pointer to what may be wrong! not bad for it "not being the answer" dont you think? i can only hope people are more helpful to you when you need help, though perhaps there are some on this thread that may not be!

[devil's advocate]
Did leaving the tank really do something or not? Could it not be that the last 5 remaining fish are the hardiest fish that are able to survive in whatever problem is afflicting the tank?
[/devil's advocate]

oh bum! thats twice i agree with you in one thread . i guess the only way to find out is go back to the old ways. now i'd love to be right, but not enough to suggest that.

And so to the solution. Remembering that the OP already has fish. How would we remedy this?
Some have advised, probably rightly, a complete re-cycle. would you leave the, hardy, fish in the tank? If not what would we do with them?

 

[bluefire]

thanks for all the really helpful replies guys. From what has been said the eneral consensus is that I need a new filter, as i do dechlorinate and have tried most of the hardy plants accepted. Looks like im gunna be going shopping soon, this time I want to try and buy the best filter i can, im thinking cannister, is there anything i should look for or avoid?

 

[andywg]

Look for Eheim, the best and most reliable. Avoid Fluval, many people (myself inluded) have had a wet puddle on the floor due to their poor design/manufacture.

 

[DevUK]

Look for Eheim, the best and most reliable. Avoid Fluval, many people (myself inluded) have had a wet puddle on the floor due to their poor design/manufacture.

Oooh, don't start the Fluval debate again

I have a fluval 204 (second hand) and I've not had a problem. Saying that, I recently bought a Tetratec EX700 and I'm impressed so far

Decide how much you can afford, and then shop around and see whats available in that price range. Then ask on the forums/search for info to form your own opinion

My personal reccomendation would be the tetratec as I really do like it, and its a very good complete package (all tubing, spray bars, media, inlet/outlet taps etc).

 

[Miss Wiggle]

eheim or rena for me, the rena is a tad too noisy for my liking but much cheaper than the eheim and the performance is great

 

[Maximumbob]

Like a few others I think the filter is the issue here.

For those on a budget you cant get better than a tetra tec.. the ex700 would suit a 40g aquarium. It complete with ALL you need to get set up. Some other filters come without filter media, so dont forget to budget for that.

If you live in USA the tetratec ex700 brand is known as Marineland C220.

If you keep an eye out you might catch a bargain. e.g. a previous model of eheim range is on sale in Dr foster and smith atm.

Aquatics online has them in UK for a good price. However, you may get one cheaper in a sale if you are lucky.

Another budget option I have recently heard about is the Jebo range of external filters. CHarterhouse has some for UK. But i'm not sure about USA. If you check out the charterhouse site there is feedback from those who have bought them previously. Some interesting info in there

I recommend sticking with it. The filter will make a huge difference. Then you can focus on making the fish happy, and setting up a maintenance schedule that can be managed while you are at Uni. With an understocked tank and a large external there will be very infrequent filter cleaning needed... maybe every 4-6 months if the flow rate stays good ... but we'll cross that bridge..

Good luck

Max

ps. If you are not on a budget, get an eheim. They are the best, but you pay for it.