Starting Of Tropical Fish Tank From Scratch

[Oozmiester]

Hello, I've just registered, my name is Oozmiester and I'm looking for advice on setting up a cold water tropical fish tank from scratch.

I've originally kept goldfish and want to give tropical a try.

I have a 64 litre tank, with hanging filter and heater.
Just a few questions I need to ask before I attempt setting it up.

1. When filling up the tank with tap water, will it help if I boil the water first and let it cool ?
I have Tap Safe from when I had my goldfish, is this ok to use in the water for a tropical tank ?
And am I correct in saying I should add 11.5ml of tap safe in a 64 litre tank ?

2. Is AstroTurf ok to put on the surface of the tank, or am I better with gravel ?
I have a cutting which I had in the tank for the goldfish, but wasn't sure if it would affect or cause any problems with the fish ?

3. How long will I let the tank settle, before adding some fish ?

I appreciate any sort of help in my adventure with my new aquarium.

 

[DrRob]

Welcome,
 
1) Boiling, not really, it's a lot of fuss for no great benefit.
 
Tapsafe, whatever it says on the bottle for dosing.
 
2) It's always a risk adding non aquarium stuff, frequently it's fine, but occasionally you run into trouble with solvents, dyes or glues leeching into the tank. Plastics are frequently fine and if it's been in with the goldies then it's probably a good bet.
 
3) There's a section on cycling here that'll tell you everything you need to know about when it's best to add fish.

 

[Oozmiester]

Thanks for the reply DrRob, I'll sack the boiling water then.
I bought some Aquarium tap safe today, as I'll need more in the long run anyway.

The goldies died, when I upgraded to the 64 litre tank, when I added the astro, but I'm not 100% sure that it was the Astro.
I also added plants, so it could have been anything really.
Possibly the stress of going into a bigger tank with different stuff in it, who knows.

Is sand an option, or am I best just sticking to gravel ?

I want to try and keep it as clean and simple as possible,

 

[Ninjouzata]

Did you move the filter media over when you moved the goldies?
 
Sand is perfectly fine as substrate. I think it's easier to clean than gravel myself

 
Also welcome!

 

[Oozmiester]

Hi Ninjouzata, thanks for your reply.
I used the completely new filter, which was probably a big mistake thinking about it now.
I'm only learning these kind of things now as I go along unfortunately.

I might go with sand then to play safe, just in case the Astro isn't ideal.
I watched a video on "you tube" with someone doing it with plastic bottles, holding the bottle under water upside down, and then putting the top on underneath the water to stop all the unwanted bits from getting into the tank.

Is this the best way to do it, when the water is in the tank ?

Wish me luck

 

[Ninjouzata]

Ah, that may have been the cause unfortunately. We're always learning I'm sorry about your goldies. Do you have a liquid test kit btw?
 
I havn't used that method before. We usually put the sand in a bucket and fill with water, stirring it and letting stuff float to the top then pour it out.
Once it's clean we just pour it into an empty tank..if the tank is filled with water already though then I'm not sure how to go about that, perhaps lower the water level as much as possible and then put the substrate in.

 

[Oozmiester]

I don't have a test kit, I took samples to my local shop when the goldies were just lying at the bottom of the tank.
I may get one now for testing with the tropical fish.

I'll try and get a link on tonight, regarding adding the sand when water is in the tank as it seemed to work really well.

Thanks again for all the feed back

 

[Ninjouzata]

Highly recommend getting your own kit. Make sure it's liquid as the test strips are pretty inaccurate. It can be a little price-y but it's worth it

 

[Oozmiester]

Hi Ninjouzata, have you any decent links to the "liquid test kit", so I know what I'm looking for ?
 
Below is a link to adding sand to a tank, while it has water and fish in it which you may find useful.
 
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfkkunBi3V0

 

[DrRob]

API master set is a good kit to cover the bases. You can get them from all sorts of places, amazon included.

 

[Oozmiester]

Thanks DrRob, I'll have a wee look online. 

 
I appreciate all the advice.

 

[Oozmiester]

DrRob / Ninjouzata, I've been searching on the web for what times of sand to use.
Most folk are saying play sand, pool filter sand or Silca.
 
What one would you guys recommend ? 

 

[fluttermoth]

Play sand is good, I use that in all my tanks, but it is very dirty when you get it. I haven't used pool filter sand, but a lot of people love it. I believe it's slightly heavier and either cleaner or easier to clean than play sand.

 

[Oozmiester]

Thanks fluttermoth, I think I'll just go with "play sand", as you can buy that at places like B & Q and Homebase.
For "pool filter sand", I would need to order from Ebay or Amazon I think.
 
I'll make sure I give it a good clean before adding to the tank.