Thinking About A Tropical Setup

[samyboy]

i have limited resourses (money wise) but a stack of glass thats just getting in the way i think ive got enough glass for a 27UK gallon tank (approx) been reading round here for a few days now and read up on the topic so i know to cycle the tank and not to use DIY silicone and everything.

main reason for the tropical set up.......lfs has some beautiful cichliads cant remember for the life of me exactly what they were but they were a very pale (albino?) and all looked in good health at a price of £15 are these a good starter fish or would they require alot of specific care and attention, id also like a small group of shoaling fish is this possible with a cichliad

if all goes to pot at least the coldwater fish should have a bigger home

thanks in advance

 

[Talz]

By cichliads do you mean cichlids? If that is the case they tend to be VERY agressive and territorial but some types mainly central and south american are a bit more mellow, could you get a picture so we could help i.d it?

 

[samyboy]

yes appologies on the miss spelling had a look through the fish index and im shure it was an electric yellow

reading up on the fish the tank should be about the right size but there not to keen living alone, although thinking about it they didnt have the black stripe on the fin, ill check in the lfs tomorrow for the correct name then have a good read up on them, any other beginner tropical fish reccomendations welcome

thanks Sam

 

[Talz]

yes appologies on the miss spelling had a look through the fish index and im shure it was an electric yellow

reading up on the fish the tank should be about the right size but there not to keen living alone, although thinking about it they didnt have the black stripe on the fin, ill check in the lfs tomorrow for the correct name then have a good read up on them, any other beginner tropical fish reccomendations welcome

thanks Sam

If they are the electric yellow I cant advise a community setup with them, they are very aggressive and territorial (I acually tried 2 in my first community setup years ago before I realised that you cant just throw any 2 fish in a tank and have them get along ) It has horrable, they killed 2 of my weather loaches I will never get over that one... all because of my ignorance *ahem* anyway take a look at my post in "potensial fish to avoid for newcommers" its a pinned topic in this forum, you might get some ideas! Good luck!

 

[samyboy]

yep i read that earlier and googled your sujestions think ive decided against the cichlids and ill go for smaller group fish then a corydora then maybe a cichlids specific tank in the future

thanks for the help

 

[Xebadir]

If your lookin for a good species thats hardy, and a great learner: Try a Platy shoal or A hardier tetra shoal(such as the black widows). Not only are these great cycling fish, they also dont react adversely to the nitrate spike.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=88634

For some good info on cyclers, Nitrogen cycle and a few other things.

Good luck with building your tank, let us know how it turns out.

 

[Captain Retardo]

If you want Cichlids maybe you could get some South American Dwarf Cichlids they are small (Maximum size is around 3 or 4 inches), nice, and pretty hardy! They do sometimes cost a lot though (I think it is around $15-$60 American for most of them) (Unless you get a Bolivian Ram which is pretty much available in stores, cheap ($4-$8 American) and it is a chichlid!)

...Corydoras are a really great fish also though

 

[Talz]

Yes platys would be a great choice, also black neons, they arnt acually neons by the way

By the way those suggessions were just a general guide line, dont be afraid to ask about other types!

 

[samyboy]

many thanks for all the advice people, work still hasnt started on the tank as i didnt have time to go out and buy the silicone and the stuff in the garage is that anti backterial stuff (which i gather is no good for fish) been thinking more on the subject and reading through some books )im doing a horticulture coarse at college the college also does animal care and fisheries so the libary has an incredibly good collection of aquarum books ) think ive decided to start off with some tetras then possibly add an albino corydora at a later date.

at the moment ive got a 2 gallon cold water tank, im guessing this would be useless for tropical fish especially for a beginner?

thanks again for the help, Sam

 

[Captain Retardo]

Well goldfish shouldn't really be kept in 2 gallons, more like 20-30 gallons. But you could get a betta for that tank.

 

[samyboy]

never been that keen on them although ive been looking through google pics and reading up on them (didnt realise how small they were) i quite fancy one, im shure my tank would be ideal considering people keep them in vase's all i really need is a heater and some way of filtering the tank without creating a current

 

[Talz]

never been that keen on them although ive been looking through google pics and reading up on them (didnt realise how small they were) i quite fancy one, im shure my tank would be ideal considering people keep them in vase's all i really need is a heater and some way of filtering the tank without creating a current

It might be hard to do that without any current atall... they dont acually need fillters you know