Some Beginner Fish tank Questions

TechnoFreek

Hi all,

I posted a few times in this forum earlier in the year in relation to a noob, a small tank and fish dying! I got some good advice in those threads in relation to my tank size and cycling.

It took a while for me to get back to my hopes of keeping fish as I really didn’t have the heart for it after the last genocide but I’m going to give it one last go. Like a poster on another thread, I have a 54L starter tank on the way.

There are some good points made in that other thread about cycling and fish types so I wanted to ask some additional questions. I’m giving this hobby one last try!


1) What is an easy to maintain and clean substrate for beginners?
2) I’d like to add some live plants. Anubias and ferns get referenced regularly as beginner plants. Any suggestions as to exact species to buy and where?
3) What other decoration is a must have or worth considering

I have more questions but will focus on these few first as these will form part of getting the tank ready, along with cycling before I get to thinking of fish.


Thank you

CruelCoin

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Hi all,

I posted a few times in this forum earlier in the year in relation to a noob, a small tank and fish dying! I got some good advice in those threads in relation to my tank size and cycling.

It took a while for me to get back to my hopes of keeping fish as I really didn’t have the heart for it after the last genocide but I’m going to give it one last go. Like a poster on another thread, I have a 54L starter tank on the way.

There are some good points made in that other thread about cycling and fish types so I wanted to ask some additional questions. I’m giving this hobby one last try!


1) What is an easy to maintain and clean substrate for beginners?
2) I’d like to add some live plants. Anubias and ferns get referenced regularly as beginner plants. Any suggestions as to exact species to buy and where?
3) What other decoration is a must have or worth considering

I have more questions but will focus on these few first as these will form part of getting the tank ready, along with cycling before I get to thinking of fish.


Thank you

1 - Depends. IF you have no bottom dwellers then gravel is fine.
If you have bottom dwellers like Cory's then gravel has sharp edges that can damage their whiskers. Better to use smooth glass pebbles or soil pellets.

2 - Any anubias. They're all hard as nails. Ferns are the java Fern

3 - Hiding spots. Tubes, caves etc. Smaller fish appreciate this. making them feel safe and happy means they will act normally and not spend their life hiding in a group in the corner.
Just the availability of safe spots makes them more lively and less cautious.

TechnoFreek

Hey CruelCoin

Thanks for the reply. A few more questions around substrate please!

· I haven’t thought too far ahead about fish occupying bottom, mid and upper parts of the tank. I kind of liked the idea of a couple of shrimp if they count as bottom dwellers. Would gravel be ok for them?
· In relation to the smooth glass pebbles, do you have a link to any sites that stock, I can’t seem to find any. Are they under a different name?
· Is there a formula or something similar to work out how much substrate my tank size needs? EDIT - I see the link on a sticky for this.

Thanks again

penev10

Substrate will be determined by what fish and plants you want to keep.

As CruelCoin said, bottom dwellers prefer sand but it isn't great if you want to use plants that need to be rooted in the substrate.

Personally I'd go with sand as it's cheap and most beginner plants are ones you attach to rocks/wood as opposed to planting.

In a 54L you'd have room for a larger Anubias to grow, an Anubias Barteri (sp?) is the most common Anubias that you'll find. Java fern the same, could get one to grow nice and bushy in a 54L, they go by the name Microsorum pteropus most often. Really depends what you like the look of plants wise and whether you want wood/rock in there too as some plants need that to attach to. Most shops with fish have those plants but you'll find hobbyists selling them too on adverts or wherever.

Mech1

Google 54L tropical tank, pick a picture of something that you would like to aim towards, and post that picture here.

Ive done some of that for you, click here : http://lmgtfy.com/?q=54l+tropical+tank+images, then more images.

TechnoFreek

Thanks. I kind of have something like the below in mind.

I like the idea of a natural, biege colour, not too coarse substrate.
A focal point of driftwood to one side (like the right of this pic), with some tall green plants beside it. Then at the other side smaller coverage plants (like on the left)



Another few I like, not as many plants

TechnoFreek

penev10 wrote: »

Substrate will be determined by what fish and plants you want to keep.

As CruelCoin said, bottom dwellers prefer sand but it isn't great if you want to use plants that need to be rooted in the substrate.

Personally I'd go with sand as it's cheap and most beginner plants are ones you attach to rocks/wood as opposed to planting.

For now, sand sounds good to me, only interested in beginner plants so no probs if attached to wood/stone

penev10

The first picture has Java Fern Windelov (sp?) on the right attached to the wood with Dwarf Sagitarrius or Valisneria planted on the left. Ambulia (Limnophila sessiliflora) is probably the tall plant at the back and the one in the middle is a type of Sword plant(Echinodorus).

All of these are relatively easy to grow (never had any joy with Ambulia myself).

I wouldn't recommend a sword plant as they can grow massive - 60cm tall. Also Valisneria can also shoot up to a similar height.

Get a piece of wood an/or rock you really like and picture the scape around that, not a bad way to start.

Nick Park

TechnoFreek wrote: »

3) What other decoration is a must have or worth considering

That depends on the kind of fish you want to keep. I have one tank with a school of clown loaches, and they love having plenty of hiding places. It sounds counter-intuitive, but the more hiding places they have the more secure they feel and the more you get to see them swimming around.

I started keeping fish at the beginning of the year and, like you, almost gave up after a fish genocide caused by my own elementary learner mistakes. For a hobby that was supposed to be relaxing, it was causing me way too much stress!

I've learned to provide plenty of filtration (way more than the guidelines on the filter boxes), plenty of oxygenation with spray bars disturbing the water surface, and regular water changes. Now I'm finding fish keeping to be much more fun and the fish seem happy too.

TechnoFreek

Thanks guys. Plenty to work with there.

Anywhere in Ireland selling substrate online that have a good selection?

I'm in Wicklow and no good pet stores near me.

Mech1

just try builders sand, but boil and rinse well. I used playsand once it worked but was a nightmare once i progressed to higher flow filtration as it sandstormed at any opertunity.

Dont put sand deeper than about 40mm at rear tapering to little at front.

"The problem with compacted sand that gets gas pockets in it is not ammonia. When the flow of water to an area is prevented it becomes deficient in oxygen. Different organic processes will happen in an anaerobic environment. To gain the energy needed for life, anaerobics will produce hydrogen sulfide, H2S, instead of producing CO2. Unfortunately hydrogen sulfide is a poison to mammals when it is in the form of a gas and can be poisonous to fish if it becomes dissolved in the water. It is the reason that people stir up the sand in their tanks to prevent the build of colonies of anaerobic bacteria."

penev10

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Thanks guys. Plenty to work with there.

Anywhere in Ireland selling substrate online that have a good selection?

I'm in Wicklow and no good pet stores near me.

PetStop ship I think. They have a decent selection of substrate.

I'd head up to SeaHorse Aquariums if I was you. Well worth the visit, bit pricey but they have everything and would give you loads of ideas.

TechnoFreek

Thanks. Had found sea horse online since.

I was hoping to do that trip for the fish and just get the basics (tank, substrate) now to kick off the cycling Process.

But as you say, seeing stuff in the flesh makes all the difference.

Kinda like the look of this on petstop

https://www.petstop.ie/hugo-kamishi-gravel-white-quartz-fine-1

Or this on seahorse. Could order a couple of bits of plants from there too.

http://www.seahorseaquariums.com/Aquarium-Sand-5-kg/3536

penev10

https://youtu.be/-uXKATVtMWs

Good video on cycling your Aquarium with plants.

TechnoFreek

penev10 wrote: »

https://youtu.be/-uXKATVtMWs

Good video on cycling your Aquarium with plants.

Video links to Smyths ad? :-)

#picksnot

TechnoFreek

Right. Just ordered 10kg of some basic aquarium sand from Seahorse.

Also one Java Fern and one Anubias var nana to get things started.

Could be the end of next week before it arrives though.

Will pay visit to seahorse then to pick some fish after tank is cycled.

No doubt I'll have more questions along the way!

penev10

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Video links to Smyths ad? :-)

#picksnot

https://youtu.be/guT1GKJ7jIo

That's the right video! Bloody ads on YouTube! ðŸ™႒

TechnoFreek

Great link. Very clear and insightful. Looking forward to getting setup and kicking the cycling off.

Collecting tank at the weekend. Then the sand and plants from seahorse due next week.

TechnoFreek

Plants and sand arrived today, a week ahead of supposed date.
Anyway will start prepping tank tomorrow.

I read a tank should be running a day before putting the plants in.

Regardless how do I store the plants until ready to put in the tank? They're just in a sealed plastic bag in the delivery box

Mech1

Plants are gonna die real quick, get them in treated water at the right temp asap

Mech1

A bucket and a heater will do

TechnoFreek

Mech1 wrote: »

A bucket and a heater will do

Perfect. I have a small tank I'll sit them in it with a heater. Thanks for the quick reply.

Update - transferred to small tank with heater. Fingers crossed.

ted1

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Thanks guys. Plenty to work with there.

Anywhere in Ireland selling substrate online that have a good selection?

I'm in Wicklow and no good pet stores near me.

http://www.aquatic-village.com Depends what size of Wicklow you are in

penev10

Mech1 wrote: »

Plants are gonna die real quick, get them in treated water at the right temp asap

I've found any plant I've come across to be very tolerant of chlorine and low temperatures. Maybe I've just been lucky.

Don't worry if you see a bit of die off initially, especially with the java fern, it'll adjust and grow back.

Mech1

penev10 wrote: »

I've found any plant I've come across to be very tolerant of chlorine and low temperatures. Maybe I've just been lucky.

Don't worry if you see a bit of die off initially, especially with the java fern, it'll adjust and grow back.

But have you seen them left in bags as posted or worse out of the bags, at room temp overnight ?

TechnoFreek

Thanks guys. Got the tank setup this afternoon. Wiped down, washed sand, got a 2cm layer in tank, added water and treated. Have filter and heater running now.

Will transfer plants from small heated tank tomorrow when new tank heats up.

Will post a photo and no doubt have a question or two.

TechnoFreek

Ok. So here is the tank setup. Just got plants transferred this evening. No sniggering at the back please!



Java Fern on the left, does it look a big iffy do you think? Anubias on the right, bigger than I was expecting.

Little one at the back is plastic.

I was at the folks house today looking for a few stones to attach plants to. Brought a bag of them back with me. Liked the shape of unused ones so just put them in the tank to pad it out a bit. I'm no aquascaper for sure.

Anyway, I watched video posted earlier about planted fishless cycle. Very informative but one thing I'm not clear on. Should I add some fish food to the equation of just leave the plants to it for a month or so?

Thanks again.

OnDraught

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Ok. So here is the tank setup. Just got plants transferred this evening. No sniggering at the back please!



Java Fern on the left, does it look a big iffy do you think? Anubias on the right, bigger than I was expecting.

Little one at the back is plastic.

I was at the folks house today looking for a few stones to attach plants to. Brought a bag of them back with me. Liked the shape of unused ones so just put them in the tank to pad it out a bit. I'm no aquascaper for sure.

Anyway, I watched video posted earlier about planted fishless cycle. Very informative but one thing I'm not clear on. Should I add some fish food to the equation of just leave the plants to it for a month or so?

Thanks again.

Looks good. A small bit of fish food will be grand.

TechnoFreek

Hey guys, so while the tank and plants are doing their thing, maybe we might talk about the cool stuff, fish!

I’m looking for ideas and suggestions for combinations of fish based on my goal for the tank and particular fish I’ve seen and liked. I appreciate not all combinations will work together, compatibility issues, aggression, nipping, size etc.


Goal
My goal is to have a community tank as full * as possible with a wide diversity of fish to include colour and behaviours. I’m a beginner so I need tolerant, easy to manage fish.

* Full but not over stocked, be clever and efficient when it comes to choosing fish and their max size.


Requirements
Top, mid and bottom dwellers
Schooling fish
Centrepiece fish
Clean up Crew

Fish I Like
Honey Gourami
Betta
Guppies
Raspora – e.g. pork/lamb chop, mosquito
Tetra – e.g. Ember, silver tip, glowlight
Corydoras
Swordtail
Cherry Barb
Red Cherry Shrimp

OnDraught

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Hey guys, so while the tank and plants are doing their thing, maybe we might talk about the cool stuff, fish!

I’m looking for ideas and suggestions for combinations of fish based on my goal for the tank and particular fish I’ve seen and liked. I appreciate not all combinations will work together, compatibility issues, aggression, nipping, size etc.


Goal
My goal is to have a community tank as full * as possible with a wide diversity of fish to include colour and behaviours. I’m a beginner so I need tolerant, easy to manage fish.

* Full but not over stocked, be clever and efficient when it comes to choosing fish and their max size.


Requirements
Top, mid and bottom dwellers
Schooling fish
Centrepiece fish
Clean up Crew

Fish I Like
Honey Gourami
Betta
Guppies
Raspora – e.g. pork/lamb chop, mosquito
Tetra – e.g. Ember, silver tip, glowlight
Corydoras
Swordtail
Cherry Barb
Red Cherry Shrimp

I’d leave the Betta out. If you mix him with guppies he will most likely tear them apart. He’s also likely to be nipped by the shoaling fish.

If you can find decent guppies they’ll be ok but personally I’d leave them out as well. They’re very poorly bred these days and are likely to die off prematurely.

Everything else is fine. You want the barbs, tetras, rasboras in a group of 10 so I’d choose one type as opposed to a couple of each. They won’t colour up properly and you’ll miss out on seeing the males courting the females.

Honey gouramis are great and there’s a few different variants. The males have lots of colour while the females are quite drab but it’s worth having both for the interesting behavior.

Swordtails are livebearers to if you put in males and females you will have lots of fry.

Put the cherry shrimp in last as they won’t like the unstable conditions for the first couple of months. They will breed. Wether the babies last will depend on how much cover you have in there.

Corys will be grand but just make sure you get 5 minimum and a good sinking food.

Add about 5 small fish and leave them for 2 weeks to start. The people in the shop will try to sell you more. Don’t do it as you already risk losing the first fish. The more you add the higher the chances of losing everything goes.

TechnoFreek

Thanks onslaught for the detailed reply.

So if I plan on a schooling fish, get ten for a proper school but put 5 in first without any others to get tank going?

Where do those schooling type fish usually occupy, top or mid tank? I'm guessing not tye bottom anyway!

Should I be buying a mix of male and female or one sex only?