New Tank setup. What do i need?

Hi All,

I am looking at buying a tank and cabinet firstly. Then what i need to know is what must i buy next and there after in order to get the tank up and running properly? Do i need to buy under water gravel filters, gravel ; pumps ; heaters and etc? Please advise on what should i do. Where do i buy these items at reasonable prices with great help and expertise? I am from the Bruma/Kensington area.

Please advise accordingly. Thank you in advance.

Viv

 

Hey PAT...

Firstly, your substrate. If you're not keeping plants, normal pool filter sand will do. You can get it at any hardware store for around R50 for alot.

Filter... I would suggest you use a canister filter. Eheim is the best, with Fluval and Cascade filter also being good. Avoid the Tetra Tec filters. They leak.

Heaters, Depends on the size of the tank. But a 300watt Jager heater will work perfectly.

And then you have a running tank. Let it cycle for a week or 2 before adding fish. You can add a small amount of fish food to start the process.

Then add fish.

 

All I can say is stay away under-gravel filters. why dont you wait and see what Slagter is selling I doubt that you will find better prices any where else and he has a lot of expert advice that he can share. I think you should PM him and find out what all you can get with the tank.

I see slagter beat me to it...lol

 

Hi P.A.T,

First off you need to decide on the size of your tank. I wouldn't recommend smaller than 70L and preferably something much larger. The bigger the better - easier to maintain and far more resilient! At this stage you might want to start researching what fish you want to keep, compatibility etc.

Definitely stay away from under gravel filters! Somewhat outdated filtration technique. internal powerhead, hang on back and canister filters are all far better solutions

 

Yeah, the size of the tank pretty much determines everything else.

Next, what type of fish do you want to keep in the tank, as that also changes the variables considerably.

 

Check the classifieds section of the forum.
I also think that you should first decide on the fish and then pic the gravel.
you could also use a product call ed cycle to get the filtration working quicker.
decide if you want to have a lot of plants too, as this will determine if you need more than one light for your tank too.
welcome to this wonderful hobby and remember to check that the fish you want to keep together are compatible, ie that they will not eat each other.