Some Basic Questions...

PaulEbs

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Hey,

I've recently set up a 40 gallon tank with all my old tropical fish in, I've never really done water changes with my old large tank but have been doing a lot more research and realise this is essential.

My first question is when replacing the water with a water change, what sort of water should i use? people seem to say water that's been standing and dechlorinated... but does that actually mean a few buckets of water dechlorinated and left for a day or something??

Also... I have a smaller 19L tank, one of those hexagonal ones... And my girlfriend wants a little fish with lots of character, like a fancy goldfish. But after looking up how much room they need, 19L is not enough.

Are there any small fish [apart from bettas] that look funny [have big eyes] and will be ok in such a small tank? If there are no alternatives i have a 5 gallon tank she could use, any ideas for that?

Cheers, Paul.
 
hay regarding the water change...im new as well to all this!!!
But i asked the same question a few weeks ago!!!

what i was told is to take the water out of the tank...and with the new fresh tap water use a thing called water safe which starts bacteria and helps the bad things go and make it visable for the fish to live in!!!

And again i may be wrong but hope it helps abit "H"
 
when i do my water changes i fill the bucket (or buckets in your case) add dechlorinator and leave it to settle/warm up anything between a day and an hour, depending how impatient I am. but my fish are tough lil creatures, if i had more delicate ones i'd fill the buckets in the morning/night before and do the change in the evening like clockwork.

19L (5 US Gallons) is only REALLY suitable for bettas (i love my bettas i do), as its a hex you can only keep a single fish in it really, not much surface area, to be kind. you could consider a dwarf puffer but they require a lot of regular maintenence and need to eat snails and not flake, they're not easy pets but definately different and have good little personalities. definately NOT a goldie, that would be cruel, goldies in my opinion shouldn't be kept in anything smaller than a 20 US Gallon (when they're little).

dwarf puffer care thread - http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=136616
 
Thank you for your help...

so if i treat some tap water in a few buckets the day before I execute a water change, and then use that water?

I thought puffers grew to 20cm+?

Do u have any info on these fish? are they easy to get hold of?

Cheers, paul.
 
i posted a link to this forum. dwarf puffers only grow to 1.5" and are freshwater.

ask your local fish place if they stock them or know where to get hold of them, you should be able to find some.

you'll only be able to keep ONE in a 5 gallon hex.
make sure it's well planted (with silk or real plants, depending on your preference) and lots of hidey holes and caves for them to explore.

ohh you could also consider endlers (small wild guppies). but maybe only keep say a trio of males or something similar, search on this forum. they still breed like guppies!! but only grow again to about 1.5".
 
Thank you very much for your help, i'm going to look into the dwarf puffer. I think my girlfriend will love it!

Amazon swords, sand and some bogwood would be alright for him wouldn't it?

Cheers, paul.
 
sounds perfect! maybe get a few pieces of bogwood and arrange them to make some tunnels and caves. puffers are smart little creatures and need places to explore. sand and amazon swords would be perfect. maybe something tall at the back like vallis for him (or her) to play in too?
 
I and many others dechlorinate our water and pour it straight in. No room in my house for letting 4 buckets of water stand around- not to mention that I'm getting my 240 ltr tank next week! Dechlorinator works instantly and I do the temperature bit by adding hot water to the bucket (other people just use the warm tap).

A betta is the best option if you want a "character" fish in the 19 ltr. Another possibility might be a trio of heterandria formosa, a small livebearer, but they are not prettily coloured, so she might not appreciate that.
 
sweet..

one more q... do dwarf puffers actually Puff up when scared???
 
yes they do. but i wouldn't try and make them do it, it takes a lot out of them and can kill them. however there has been reports of puffers puffing up just because they weren't getting enough attention!
 
ok, cool, cheers 4 the info.

And yet another question...

I now know that fancy goldfish need atleast 10 gallons to be in happy conditions.. and that's only when their baby size, but fancy goldfish don't seem to swim much at all, surely a small fancy on his own in a small tank would be sufficient? I'm just curious...

Cheers, paul.
 
they will swim, well wiggle, around the tank. they also produce a LOT of poop, so the larger the tank the better, and overfiltered too. the smaller the tank the harder it is to control ammonia levels, especially for a fish that can potentially reach 12"+. keeping them in anything less than 10 gallons will stunt their growth.
 
I understand what your saying, but surely a baby goldfish will be alright, with over filtration, and water changes, until he reaches another inch or so in the 19l?

Paul.
 
I understand what your saying, but surely a baby goldfish will be alright, with over filtration, and water changes, until he reaches another inch or so in the 19l?

Paul.
It's better to buy fish that will grow to maturity in your tank rather than say Im gonna buy a baby blue whale and when it grows a bit Ill move it on :lol: Or the other old chestnut. "I might eventually be overstocked when all my fish reach maturity but Ill be buying a bigger tank by then." Most people rarely do.

Your "baby" goldfish will grow quick, poo and pee as much as a St Bernard and will soon turn his water to utter swill. Go with the betta or the puffer or get a bigger tank.

Good luck
 

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