Newbie and new start up

Hi I am staying in Roodepoort. I am planning to restart my fish tank after 4 years. I have a few questions:

1. Is it worth it to put a mirror at the back of the tank? If so, what benefits have you derived from it?

2. If the mirror is a good idea, any suggestion on how to "plak " it to the back?

3. Whant to try peat this time to get plants blossoming and not suffocating (?). Has any of you used peat? I have bought a cuople of small bags from the nursery (looks like old papagaai slaai...:blink1, will that work? Any suggestions on Peat? (600L tank, using Sera peat will deplete me completely!!)

Thanks!!

 

Hi and welcome. The forum is quiet over the festive period. I'm sure all your questions will be answered once the planted tank ppl get back.

 

Thanks Slayer! After enlisting I strated to scan the web site, I have already found the answer on the soiling for plants. (Very informative site!!)

 

Hello and Welcome to TASA!

For peat, you need to get Canadian Peat. Not available at all nurseries so you might have to look around.

 

Hi and welcome
As Dolphin said be carefull with peat from nurseries normally NO good for AQ and in any event not nutritious as such. More to lower the PH of the water.
But first and farmost Welcome!:bigsmile:

 

Hello and Welcome to TASA

 

Hi and Welcome to TASA

 

Welcome mate.

As Dolphin has said, be cautious of the TYPE of peat you using. If you really wanting to use an undergravel substrate, contact Henk at Westgate Pet Hyper... He is also very passionate about his fishkeeping, and will try accomodate your pocket when getting stuff for you.

Alternately Dolphin (sponsor of TASA) could also get hold of a lot of stuff for you.

 

Thanks for all the good advise! Does anybody have some comment om the mirror at the back? Should I rather ask this question under the equipment section of the forum?

Thanks again

 

Depends what kind of fish you plan to keep, as a mirror might freak out the more agressive species... You can have fun with a fighter male and a hand mirror Cruel, I know, but it is fascinating

 

LOL I was wondering the same thing regarding the mirror at the back... I'm redoing my tank and thought it would be a cool idea to show more depth, think I'll go for a different idea rather ^_^
Welcome Theodorp

 

HI and welcome

 

Thanks Gawie! I intend not to go for the aggresive types, but then one never knows what the future holds....

Groetnis

 

Mirrors may cause fish to become very stressed as they may think it is another fish of the same speices coming into there territory. It may fight with its reflection causing the fish to constintaly ram the glass thereby injuring the fish. If you want to make the tank look bigger, a black backround does that (sometimes), and it also highlights the fish you have in your tank. Busy backgrounds like the one's you get from most LFS have either lots of plants or lots of rocks on them, which 'hides' your fish - so a solid colour will do well in a tank. With regard to the plant substrate, there are a lot of plant gurus on the site who will happily answer your questions.

 

Thanks Wito! There goes the mirror....

I appreciate your insightful input. One tends (at times) to think only for oneself, and forget the destruction the objective may cause to another living creature!

 

Not a prob. The more you get involved with the fish you have the more you get to see that they all have there own personality's. I have a Oscar and she is has the biggest personality of all the fish i have had. If i don't feed her at the right time she will either site and sulk or she will splash water out of the tank. But dont worry we all have to start some were.