What To Do?

[scott m]

Hi,

I have always loved fish i have my own coldwater pond in my back garden around 400 gallons of water and have always wondered what it would be like to have them in my home. 2 weeks ago my friends friend was trying to get rid of a tank in room for a large one and was selling for £50 with nothing, a 4' fishtank as you know costs alot more than that so i took it from his hands.

No i have a dilema as i have the tank set up next to me with nothing in. i havent a clue what to buy, ive been to 3 fish stores and they all seem to sell the same fish.

the fish im looking for i have seen online discus? i think, i want a colorful tank with many varieties of fish but i also know that not all of them like to live together.

is there anyone who could tell me what fish would be best suited for color and there behaviour in a large community?

Cheers.

 

[Aquascaper]

If you post full tank dimensions plus what filter type you have that will help narrow the possibilities down a bit.

 

[scott m]

4'w x 1'3"d x 1'5"h

when i actually say set up i mean its ready i have no filter pump or heater as im undecided in weather to have tropical or coldwater fish in my tank.
help in choosing the right pump and heater would be grate also.

 

[Electric Warrior]

Hmm, well first of all, if you say that you want to keep discus, you really need to know what kind of water you have? Discus could be kept in a 4ft long tank, but they need quite soft, acidic water in order to be kept. If you don't naturally have these types of conditions in your water, you really need to be looking at an RO unit. Discus are also quite expensive, and delicate. Juvenile fish are somewhat cheaper, but are a lot more difficult to raise. Most people that raise up juvi discus do massive water changes, every single day, otherwise they can get stunted. They also need to be fed, a lot, and are quite messy, so a lot of people keep them in bare bottom tanks when they grow them out because they create a lot of waste and mess in a tank. You could keep an adult mated pair, but that will cost 100+, depending on the variety, at least. Filtration must be excellent and the water pristine, but they also do not like very much flow in the tank. The temperature they need to be kept at needs to be a lot higher than what a lot of fish prefer, so tank mates would have to be chosen with similar care.

 

[Aquascaper]

Regardless of whether you choose coldwater or tropical you will need a filter, for a tank that size an external would be better. You should also familiarise yourself with fishless cycling as you could get started with that as soon as you have a filter and spend the time waiting for the cycle to finish to research what you want to keep in the tank.

If it was me I would get an external filter and start a fishless cycle without putting any substrate or decor in the tank. That way you're options are still open.

 

[phoenixgsd]

i agree, get a filter first, you will have several weeks whilst its cycling to decide what else to get

 

[dannybgoode]

If you want to go for discus read up on them and then read some more and then before handing over cash, have another read. Not wishing to offend anyone on this site but bidka.org will tell you everything you need to know and given the specialist nature of the fish an external site is probably justified in this case (I'm sure a friendly mod will tell me if its not ok).

They are a serious commitment - 30%+ water changes 3 or more times a week, all uneaten food to be removed immediately after feeding, seriously stable water stats (RO water or through an HMA filter).

Tank mates are also an issue as discus need the water temp at 30c.

They are truly stunning fish but need some serious input...

Cheers

Danny B