Nood Questions...

Ok so I've been looking around at a lot of topics and searched for a lot of things and I still have a few questions... I'm pretty sure they are basic, but I keep reading conflicting things... so...

1st - Water Changing... Do I need to do this? Do I do this with fresh water from the tap? Do i need to keep a separate bucket of water and put the dechlorenator into it and leave it for a week before I change any water? How much water do I change? and how often do I need to change the water? if at all?

2nd - Gravel Cleaning... Do I buy a special Hoover type thing that cleans the gravel? If so can i get one at the LPS? Are there other ways to clean the Gravel? Does the gravel need to be cleaned? I have the finest gravel they had in the shop that's not Sand... It's very little black and orange round stones...

3rd - Plants... When can I put the plants in? Should I put them in before the fish? Does it make a difference what plants i put in? will all plants add to the oxygen in the water? will the plants grow in the gravel? I have 2 pieces of drift wood I want to pull plants through to make it look like the plants are growing out of the wood... I would ideally like to do the Plants maybe today or tomorrow then get the fish on the weekend...

4th - Fish... Now I know this is a very broad topic, but what would be a good fish or 2 to try out my tank with to make sure everything is ok once I have had the water tested and they say it's ok? Should I get one or two of those ones that eat the stuff off the gravel? I think those ones help keep the tank clean?

I think that's it for now... I know this stuff is covered in other topics, but I can't seem to find definite answers...

Thanks For the help!:bigsmile:

 

Firstly - Yes, water changing is a crucial part of keeping fish in a aquarium. Doing water changes removes the fishes waste, which if not done will foul up your water and inevitably your fish will, die. Usually you will not do it straight from the tap, as the water contains chemicals that were used to make it suitable for us to drink, make it inadequate for the fish. These chemicals include chlorine and chloramine ( spelling ) which if put in with the fish will cause burning of the gills and eventually death to the fish. A separate bucket is advise due to the fact the other harmful chemicals can come into contact to the bucket i.e. Handy Andy, which will certainly cause the fishes demise. If you add dechlorinator to the water, you can just stir it around a bit and it will be suitable for the aquarium and fish. How much water you decide to change is up to you but usually 10%-50% is a good amount to do per week.

Secondly-For gravel cleaning, a gravel cleaner is advised. by getting one you can clean you gravel and change your water at the same time. any reputable pet shop that stocks fish should have a gravel cleaner. Depending on how small the gravel it is you should be able to clean the gravel with it.

Thirdly-You can put in the plants immediately in to the tank, but if you get them at your LPS be sure to check them for snail eggs as you do not want a snail infestation. You can put the plants in with the fish but make sure that the tank is cycled first, before putting in any fish. The plants in a aquarium make a huge difference in a aquarium from a aesthetical point of view and a filtering point of view. Aesthetically the plants make your tank look more natural. From a filtering point of view, the plants absorb nitrate from your fishes waste and make water quality much better. All plants add oxygen to the water by means of photosynthesis. You get two main types of plants, ones that grow in the gravel and rhizome plants that grow on wood or rocks. Some plants that grow in the gravel include Vallis, Ludwigia and Bacopa etc, some plants that grow on wood or rocks include anubias, java fern and various mosses.

Lastly-Once your tank is cycled might I suggest getting a few bottom feeders such as corydoras, middle feeding fish such as danios and some top feeders like a gourami as a "main fish". This is just a basic idea of a selection of fish. For a community tank, always try to have fish that accupy all regions of the tank to ensure that most if not all the food will be eaten, and thus keeping up water quality ensure the longevity of your of your fish.

Hopes this helps!

Kind Regards

Peter

 

Nice write up Pete. May I suggest starting with a few zebra danios-They are VERY hardy and will last quite a while.

 

Couldn't agree more with Pete.

Only thing I would add is that the water change volume is dependant on your tank. I would advise you to get a good test kit to test ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. As you learn more, you will be able to apply this knowledge to your tank. You will also get to know your tank. Some people with extremely well planted tanks only do a 25% water change once a month. Some people HAVE to do a 30-40% water change every week. It really all depends on the dynamics of your tank.

A good starting point that I always suggest is do a 25% water change once a week, and at least a 50-70% water change every 2 months.

 

Awesome Peter thats helps SO much! Thanks bud!

Iv been advised to get only a few fish, ie 3 or 4 Oscar's and a bottom feeder... Are Oscar's Fairly "Hardy" fish? if not i might have to go for the Zebra Danio's, Thanks Firefly for the suggestion!

With regards to the gravel cleaner, does it disturd the Gravel, or does it sort of just take the stuff off the top? Should i move through the gravel and clean it well??

And just to clarify, i can go get plants tomoorow and leave it to cycle till sunday and put some fish in?

---------- Post added at 14:09 ---------- Previous post was at 14:09 ----------

Thanks for the reply Zoom,

With the water change does the Temperature of the water not kill the fish when doing such a drastic change ie 50 - 70% of the water? Obviously the tap water will be colder than the recomended temp between 25 and 27 degrees? And i can literally just still in come of the dechlorinator stuff into a bucket of water and then chuck it in?

 

DO NOT GET OSCARS... They get HUGE, eat ALL your plants, and will eat ALL the other fish in the tank. You need a minimum of about 250-300litres of water per oscar... and an extremely good filter.

The water should ideally be close in temperature... but I've never bothered with this. (Yes, it can be considered bad advice... I accept that). Also note that a lot of fish will actually spawn when they get a top up of cold water because their instincts tell them it's the rainy season, i.e more water, more space for fry.

 

Ok so the Oscar idea is out the window... What would you recommend as a Starter fish? I want something that looks nice you see... Should i think about things like Spawning from day one?

Strange what you say about the Oscars coz i heard they were relatively low maintenance...

 

The gravel vac creates a suction so the poop etc. is just sucked up if you move the vac close over the gravel (almost touching). The lower the gravel vac's outlet for water to flow, the stronger the suction. You can do a deep gravel clean where you push the vac into the gravel and agitate the gravel a bit, but this isn't necessary every time.
Not sure when your tank was set up but it takes 1 week at the very least to be cycled.

 

Thanks Kel,

The tank was set up last weekend, i was told i have to let it cycle for a week before i put any fish in it...

Silly question, but do you clean the gravel with the fish in the Tank or take them out?

 

You keep the fish in the tank. Usually they just ignore you or avoid the vac, but if you get a curious fish like a siamese fighter they will sometimes explore all around the vac while you're busy

 

Hi Tom

Glad you found the write up helpful

Do you already have a tank, if so what size and what filter are you running? This will just give us a better idea on what sorts of fish you will be looking at. If you dont have a tank, tell us at which size tank you looking at.

 

I already have a tank, Its about 400mm Deep and about 700mm across and 500mm Wide... The Filter system has 2 pumps, One thats small and green, sits in the water and pumps water up into the filter system, which then goes through a sponge, then through those cylinricle block things that start off big abd get smaller the closer it gets to the other side of the tank, then back down into the water... The second pump pumps into a thing in the water with two sponges on either side of a tube which takes water up and to the beginning of the filtration process(the Sponge...)

 

So the tanks is about 140l. Do you know the flow rate of the filters, should be written on the boxes. Anyway it seems that you have a decent enough filtration system. So do you have any ideas on the tanks look i.e. planted tank etc?

 

Well i bought some Drift wood which iv had soaking in a bucket since sunday, i was told about the Yellow colour it gives off and didnt want that in the tank, but my idea is to pull plants through holes in the drift wood so it looks like the plants are growing out of the drift wood... Thats as fas as i got so far...

Forgot, I dont know the flow rate, I was given the whole set up, it used to house Discus fish, but they moved to a bigger tank so i got this one...

 

Oscars are low maintenance fish compared to other species out there but like Zoom said avoid them they need a big tank and they will eat anything they can fit into their mouths.

 

Thanks Larch!
I will bare that in mind... Are they pretty hardy fish?

With regards to what Zoom said about the Oscars getting to big, Dont they grow to the size of the tank?

 

This is a myth with some fish. Others it's called stunted growth, and will be frowned upon HEAVILY by the forum members. This is like putting your child in a bathroom for it's entire life and asking if the child will be happy. Stunted fish live shorter lives, are generally unhealthy.

LPS stores tell you this "story" to make a sale

 

Ah i see... So it would be like the Josef Fritzel of the Fish world!

 

Hi Tom

You do get plants that will grow on the wood instead of pulling them through the holes. Java Fern and anubias(not BL ones) will do this.
You can also grow moss on things as they grow pretty much on any rough surface.

Vacuuming the substate can be tricky if you have the bottom covered in small plants but if you have open gravel in most places get that vacuum in there and give it a go. My fish all hang around to see if they cant catch something to eat.

With a 140L tank I would most likely get a few schooling fish and some of the dwarf cichlid species as a "centre piece".
There are many like the apistogramma cacatuoides. They usually look way better then the google images

You can also try German blue rams but you have to be sure that your water stays in very good quility.

Waiting for your tank to cycle I might go for little longer than a week. The amonia and stuff will peak and I think it happens around a week. That is why you need a test kit or ask your LPS to test the water so you know what is going on.

You also try some dwarf gouramis for a starter fish. They have some great colors and love plants.

With cahnging water I usuallu stick to 10-20% week rather than the bigger change less often. I cant have tubs around to let the water age so I take it straight from the tap and mix it to about the right temp by feel. I add dechlor while the water is pouring into the bucket and then add to my tank.

 

Hey thanks Vis,

The apistogramma cacatuoides Look awesome in the Google Images!



I think is steer clear of the German blue rams until i know a bit more... The dwarf gouramis look pretty cool! And they only grow to about 8cm so they should be fine for my tank! Im pretty keen on the apistogramma cacatuoides though... Its a stunning fish!