Talk To Me Like Im A 5 Year Old ... :)

[fluttermoth]

I see your point saltynay, but I have to agree with Moochy on this. The average lfs really doesn't have that many fish suitable for a cold water set up; and for a 60l tank; there's really only white clouds or possibly some of the danios and sub-tropical livebearers, if it's in a well heated room. Adding a heater gives you a much better choice of what fish you can have; plus the stocking levels for coldwater are so much lower than for trops.

 

[-FighterFishh]

Welcome to the forum!
I only got a tank about a year ago myself, and at first it got new tank syndrome and most of my fish died except for one female fighter, who I still have
Now I've just planted it up to try and keep the nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels down, as well as having a special pad in there which sucks up nitrates/nitrites, too. These seem to keep my levels pretty low [except for the spikes when new fish have been put in].
I now have some mollies, platys, swords and one fighter fish, and they seem to be doing really well
Test kit wise, I have about a £5 one from my local aquarium store, which has nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, pH and something else on it, and that's all I really need to make sure everything is in check

Hope that helps!

 

[MasterHu]

HA! I do SUpport Sunderland ofc i do ... and ok i'll bare all this in mind

 

[coldcazzie]

Ok, but is it vital i leave out the plants or could i add them for the cycle?

This thread will explain why you shouldn't add plants to a fishless cycling tank I am of course assuming that you won't be heavily planting your tank but will be just having a few live plants here and there, in which case, definitely add them after the cycle. Also, the plants section of the forum will give you lot of information about which lpants are suitable and which aren't - often fish shops sell plants which aren't actually aquatic (house plants) which will simply rot in the tank and pollute the water instead of being a complimentary addition.

Also, as for fish that are £5 each... the key is learning what is best for them and providing them with the best environment. If you don't look after them then yes it's money down the drain. If you do though, then £5 a fish will be a reasonable price to pay for something that is going to provide you with joy. Although if you're already resenting £5 for a fish then maybe fishkeeping's not for you - it's a REALLY expensive hobby! I've spent £65 just in the last 2 weeks on fish-related stuff (additional filter media, a new brace bar, food).

 

[moochy13]

im not sure, you could easily fill a tank with 'cheap' fish that would still look great. especially a 60L. cherry barbs, small tetra types, bronze cory, oto's, i usually see them all between 1.50 - 3 quid. bristelnose plec for 4-5 quid, slightly more exotic corys 5-6 quid each. a small tank could easily be filled for not much money, and still look good. rams are currently at my LFS for 3.45, apistos tend to be 6-8 quid where i am.

TOON !!!!

 

[saltynay]

i dont doubt what you're saying, as mentioned i only see what there is (or isnt) in my lfs, and no very little of C/W fish. but considering were talking about a 60l tank, arent koi/turtles/goldfish/amphibs all a moot point anyway, far too big for the tank ? realistically, which coldwater species could be kept in the tank, that you can go get from your lfs and are bright and colourful ? (main requirement of masterHu).

for my part, i should have made it clearer that when i said i dont see much cold water, i meant that all i see are goldfish (too big for this tank) and pondfish.

Fish
Paradise Fish
Any minnow
Endlers - I have kept as pond fish and the survived icing over the water which surprised me
Guppys - I have kept as pond fish and they survived icing over the winter which surprised me
Other livebearers - with research
Killifish - select species due to tanksize
Danios
Southern red belly dace
Buenos aires tetra
Peppered corydoras
Hillstream loach
Bitterlings
Channa assam - size of tank may be an issue not too hot on my channas

Inverts
Red clawed crabs
Freshwater crayfish
Cardinia sp.
Neocradinia sp.

Amphibians
Fire bellied newts
Fire bellied toad
Paddle newt

Plus as its a hex and the OP has an interest in reptiles it may be suitable as a paladarium allowing (I am not to hot on my reptiles or land amphibs):
frogs
Anoles
Geckos
Small snake - garter perhaps


Those are the things that pop to my mind when you say small cold water tank. Many species are sub tropical that can be kept in coldwater or tropical conditions but most can not surivive the extremes of either for long periods e.g. <10C or >30C as it is in someone's home I would not expect them to be

For large pond fish then Koi, Goldfish, Fancy goldfish, Dojo Loach, Sturgeon are pretty standard and I get what you mean by that is all you see as coldwater as they are normally crammed into the large tubs on mass.

 

[MasterHu]

Hey, how do i wash sand ?

 

[sXeLifer]

Thanks, so what about plants? i know my local pets @ home as a large selection of underwater plants would i be better off just going in and asking? ...

You can order them too Live plants

So you can get 25 plants for £6 rather than like 4 for £6 or whatever pets at home sell them for.

This supplier also does batches of 10, 50, 100.

 

[moochy13]

put enough sand for your tank in a bucket, stick a hose in the bottom of the bucket, and turn it on. let the dirt and crap run off the top of the bucket, and when the water is clear turn the sand over to make sure its all getting cleaned, as the sand at the bottom will still be dirty. depending on how much sand you use, it may not take long.

 

[saltynay]

Hey, how do i wash sand ?

1. Place a bucket on the grass.
2. Place the end of a hose in a bucket.
3. Cover with sand up to around 1 inch from the top.
4. Turn on the hose fully until bucket fills.
5. Turn back until 1/4 flow so that the finest sand is being washed over the edge of the bucket onto the ground but the majority is staying.
6. Leave for about 30 mins and watch tv with your feet up.
7. Drain water.
8. Place sand in tank.
9. Admire.

 

[MasterHu]

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EwuzVqEIL4

basically that.. until l sand is on the bottom, and the water is running clean?

what is the best way to once its clean, transferring its from bucket to tank?

 

[coldcazzie]

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EwuzVqEIL4

basically that.. until l sand is on the bottom, and the water is running clean?

what is the best way to once its clean, transferring its from bucket to tank?

Make sure you move the hose around in the bottom of the bucket to get to all corners. It will be pretty obvious at first - theres a lot of foam and muck comes up, and then it'll stop, then if you move the hose around it'll start again.

And I used a little trowel thing from my kids sandpit to transfer the sand. Tried to tip it but it wasn't having ANY of it! lol

 

[MasterHu]

lol, ...


thanks, this may or may not be a stupid question but when filling the tank, do i ALWAYS use cold water, i have the heater ready to go in, do i use cold water and let the heater warm it or use warm water to begin with?


PS:

couldn't of picked a better day to be outside messing around with sand and water .. its raining + wind, and cold =D

 

[moochy13]

when first filling the tank, with no fish, cold water will be fine, straight from the tap. keep an eye on your thermometer to see when its heated up. dont have the heater on with no water in, the heater may shatter. when you have fish or have started the cycle, always use dechlorinated water that is roughly the same temp as in your tank.

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

i have a combi boiler so i use hot and cold to try temperature match as close as i can to my tanks temperature so the fish dont feel the temperature changes to much and stress

and tell me about it i spend 3 hours cleaning and braking slate in the freezing cold 3 days ago the things we do for fish!