Some Questions!

[black jack1]

Hi, nice to meet you all.

I have recently become interested in keeping fish and over the past few weeks i have bought a tank (jewel rekord 70),filter,heater,bottle of melafix (sounds good), gravel cleaner. Now, i would like to keep "tropical fish" and was wondering whether anybody had any recommendations...i would also like like to know what kind of food they eat as i have no idea and also whether i have to get more chemicals/salt to make the water more habitable for them.

I also had a question regarding my filter/oxegenator, Basically it uses the sponge and carbon media. In terms of the oxegenation, it has a bar with holes in it, the water is poured back into the tank via these holes. I was wondering whetehr this is enough to oxegenate the tank effectively. It has a capacity to filter tanks of up to 25 gallons, i think mine is around 20.

I also wanted to know how often i should replace the water in the tank, or how much of it how frequently rather.

Finally! I remember reading on the internet somewhere that the sponge in the filter should be rinsed every week and replaced every month. Thats no problem, however...it stated that it shouldn't be rinsed with tap water because it would kill the bacteria...i was wondering what else i could use?

I would appreciate if someone could name a few fishes and a few tips on the best way to look after them, I don't even know what they eat or how often they eat! Or what temperature

Thanks in advance!

 

[kubora666]

not sure on alot of that, but i know you could do a 25% water change every 2-3 weeks
some nice small fish you could have are the various tetra's , barbs , siamese fighters ( betta's)
small loaches, corydoras catfish, just ask your local fish store if you have any problems when purchasing fish e.g size and temprement, you should be able to pick out the lil guys, that are very colourfull such as tetra's but some fish are misleading and can grow huge.
the species i have listed are good ones to start with, i could think of more but i am quiet busy at the moment.
if you are interested in a certain type of tropical fish, buy a aquarium book on them or in general a comunity tank book, it sounds like a comunity tank is the option for you.

regards kubora666.

if you haave any specific questions P.M me

 

[helsekia]

hi black jack.
the best type of food is generally frozen food like bloodworm or daphnia.I feed a mixture of both.

i do a 20% water change once or twice a week depending on readings.I assume you have bought a test kit?

rinse the sponge from the filter in the dirty tank water you have taken from the tank.that way you wont lose valuable bacteria.I dont rinse my sponges every week ,every 4 weeks but ,maybe it depends what filter you have and maybe some will disagree with me.

hope this helps

 

[black jack1]

Hey,Kubora; thanks for the quick reply.

I just googled some of the fishes you mentioned, they look pretty cool and what im interested in. Especially the catfish, i thought they were all freshwater/coldwater for some reason. And your right, i want a community tank a good few different types of fishes. I want to get the experience first and in a lil while i'll get a huge tank, I saw that "finding nemo" fish for sale, i don't know how big they grow or what they're called. Wouldn't mind one of them.
Cheers

hi black jack.
the best type of food is generally frozen food like bloodworm or daphnia.I feed a mixture of both.

i do a 20% water change once or twice a week depending on readings.I assume you have bought a test kit?

rinse the sponge from the filter in the dirty tank water you have taken from the tank.that way you wont lose valuable bacteria.I dont rinse my sponges every week ,every 4 weeks but ,maybe it depends what filter you have and maybe some will disagree with me.

hope this helps

Hi, No i haven't got a test kit yet. Theres so many, ammonium/nitrate/...don't tell me i have to get all of them?

 

[helsekia]

I got a test kit from the lfs.its made by api and cost about £18 i think but tests for everything and last for ages.Mine has lasted about 9 months and i have 3 tanks!you really do need to be testing your water quality.Its a very important part of fish keeping.Is your tank still cycling?I still test my water weekly and my tanks have well and truly cycled and set up for well over 18mnths.

 

[black jack1]

I got a test kit from the lfs.its made by api and cost about £18 i think but tests for everything and last for ages.Mine has lasted about 9 months and i have 3 tanks!you really do need to be testing your water quality.Its a very important part of fish keeping.Is your tank still cycling?I still test my water weekly and my tanks have well and truly cycled and set up for well over 18mnths.

I haven't got any fish or water in my tank yet. I'm still getting everything together, i'm not sure about "fish language"...what does a tank cycling refer to? Can it cycle without fish?

 

[mark7616]

As for your filter the juwel filters are good angle the flow pipe up so its rippling the surface to get good air iin the tank. As mentioned rinse the sponges in dirty tank water and put them in its recomended to change the eery 6 months but not all at the same time. i change the white polypad on top every 2 weeks and that about it. You could have a good community set up with some corys couple of dwarf gouramis platies some tetras just anything thats quiet small really. Have you looked into fishless cycling?

 

[catxx]

p.s. finding nemo fish are Clown Fish, they are marine, not freshwater tropical like you want to be doing, definately not for beginners!!!

 

[black jack1]

p.s. finding nemo fish are Clown Fish, they are marine, not freshwater tropical like you want to be doing, definately not for beginners!!!

Ok! So the fishes people are recomending are freshwater! Thats good. And could someone please explain what cycling with or without fish is?

 

[ElectricMayhem]

And could someone please explain what cycling with or without fish is?

There's a good link to fishless cycling here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

From what I can gather [about to start my own fishless cycle!] a fishless cycle is a way to get all the good ammonia eating bacteria colonising before you actually add fish. It means that the fish aren't subjected to high amounts of ammonia/nitrate/nitrite while the tank adjusts to dealing with them, because the tank is ready to go. It may take a bit longer, but it gives you time to pick your fishies and you know you're doing the best you can by your future fish.

I have a "master test kit" that I use. It cost me $AU35 and tests pH, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite.

Have fun picking your fish!

 

[dwarfgourami]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Congrats on your Juwel 70. Nice tank, I've got one of those and am very happy with it.

As others have said, I would start by reading the topic on fishless cycling. You can cycle a tank by adding a few starter fish, but it is a very slow process, and you risk damaging the health of your fish. Also, you would be restricted to the small number of fish considered hardy enough to cycle a tank. So I would definitely advise the fishless. For this, you need a small quantity of pure ammonia (from hardware store), a pipette, a test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates- and the patience to hold out for a few weeks without the fish.

Other things you will need for your tank include dechlorinator for treating the water (the chlorines put in by the water company are toxic to fish), a bucket or two for doing water changes, a small net.

If you do the fishless cycle, you will not do any water changes until right at the end, when the ammonia and the nitrites have both spiked and then disappeared and you have a big nitrate reading- then you do a big water change of about 70%.

Once the tank is running with fish in it, a weekly water change of c. 25% is recommended. You combine this with gravel vaciing your substrate. Don't forget to dechlorinate the new water you put in! You also want to bring it up to temperature, either by using the hot tap or adding a little from a boiling kettle to your bucket.

With the Juwel tank, you get a series of filter sponges inside your filter box. Of these, the thin white one at the top is the filter floss. This you replace about once a week. Then there is a black carbon sponge which is there to remove impurities from the water. This is not strictly necessary-it can be replaced by another blue sponge, but if you do keep the black one it needs to be changed following the instructions (I think it's every 3 months). If you ever need to medicate, you take out the black sponge first, as that will otherwise remove the medicine from the water. The blue and green sponges you can keep in until they fall to bits. Just gently swish them out in old tank water (when you do a water change) once a month or so, but don't do both in the same week. The beneficial bacteria that deals with the fish waste lives on these sponges, so you don't want to mess with them too much.

This leaves the question of stocking. A good basic rule of thumb for beginners is that a tank should not have, as its final stocking more than 1 inch of small slimbodied fish per gallon of water (for fat fish, or big, long fish, different rules apply- but with this tank you are looking at smallish fish). So we are looking at about 19 inches of fish.

The most important rule is never, ever to buy a fish before you have researched it thoroughly and know about its needs. Some fish are schooling fish and need to be in groups of at least 5-6. Others are territorial and cannot be kept with others of their speces. Fin nippers must not be kept with fish with long flowing fins. So before you buy- google and read the fish index on this forum. And ask!

Some small relatively easy fish include:

platies (colourful and friendly; like company but do not need a big school, can be kept in mixed sex groups or single sex- if mixed you need a ratio of at least 2 females per male, and a plan in case you're overrun with fry, eat flakes, but also appreciate some bloodworm and vegetables as part of their diet)

glowlight tetras (small, schooling fish; diet as above, though somewhat less keen on vegetables)

black phantom tetras: similar to glowlights in requirements but different in look

corydoras (peaceful bottom dwellers; schooling- need a group of at least 3; eat catfish tablets, like a little extra meat such as bloodworm or daphnia)

Someone mentioned bettas- but you may have problems with them in a community tank, as they can get aggressive, or become the target of fin nippers.

A word of warning: at some stage the shop will tell you that no tank can do without an algae eater and they will try to sell you a Chinese Algae Eater, aka golden algae eater, or golden sucking loach. Run a mile!-these fish look very cute when they're young but they grow into aggressive monsters. Your tank does NOT need one of these. Tell them firmly that you haven't got the tank space (you haven't).

You will find that some fish, such as dwarf gouramis and neon tetras are said to be more suitable for a mature tank. This means you should only introduce them after your tank has been running with fish for several months without problems.

In my Juwel 70 I keep 4 platies, 1 guppy (he's grown up with the platies) and 4 peppered corydoras- that is a comfortable stocking, with activity on all levels of the tank, but not more waste than the filter can comfortably handle. I feed twice a day, small quantities, but give them a fasting day a week.

Got to go- school run!

 

[black jack1]

Thanks for the useful tips Dwarfgourami! What temperature is your tank running at? I'm just wondering what temperature the fishes mentioned in this thread would be happy with if they're put in the same tank.

I've had a read regarding the fishless cycling, so i'm getting all the test kit ready to give the fishes a kick start for when i get them.

Also, I'm not sure if i made it clear before. I don't have the original jewel filter that comes with the tank. I have a clearseal filter that uses that blue sponge and carbone media. It also has a big spray bar...i was wondering whether that was enough for oxegenation or would i have to get a diffuser going?

Also, one final question. Seen as all the good bacteria will be on the 1 blue sponge i have in my filter...i was wondering what i would have to do in order to maintain that bacteria after i have to dispose of the older blue sponge? I mean if i put a new one in after having taken my older (shredded) one out, the ammonia levels may rocket right? So what would be the best way?

 

[demonmagus]

also, do not buy a common plec or a sailfin plec, these monsters can grow to 18 inches and 2 foot respectively! They look small and cute but they grow!

To answer your sponge question, cut half of it, and cut half of the new one, and then leave the halfs in there. Also, you don't need to replace them every month, I'm not sure if you do replace them at all tbh