Budding Aquarist

Viperbot

Hi all.I see there is a lot of fishkeepers here so decided to register to get some sorely needed advice. I am interested in setting up a tropical fish aquarium but Im a complete noob to this hobby and am lost in a sea of info. I have done a bit of research over the past while and have been leaning towards keeping African Cichlids but have been warned that they are not for beginners and that I should look into setting up a community tank first to learn the ropes. Any advice with regards to tank/fish and equipment would be greatly appreciated.

ValerieR

Hi Viperbot,
Excellent decision ! :-) Glad to see another budding fish-keeper! You'll see, it's addictive ! :eek:

First of all, you need to determine how large a tank you can keep/afford. The larger, the better as it is easier to keep the water parameters stable.
Once you have determined the size of the tank, you can look at the type of fish you can/want to go for.
I don't keep African cichlids, but I know they need a large tank and a lot of space. The difficulty with these is the aggression level. Some people over-populate their tanks (adding filtration) in order to reduce the aggression.
I would err towards recommending community fish to start with too as they are cheaper to purchase, however, once you keep the tank maintenance up, there is little difference between community and cichlids.
Before you go ahead, I would recommend you read up on cycling your tank, subject that is well documented on this forum and others.
Good luck with your project !

ValerieR
www.irishfishkeepers.com

Viperbot

Thanks alot for the advice ValerieR. I have made a shortlist of the tanks I'm interested in, and will decide soon. It's going to be at least 90 ltrs anyway as I have read that the bigger the tank is, the more stable the ecosystem.
Definately going to start with community fish for now like tiger barbs, angels etc. Have done research on the nitogen cycle and think Im ready to go.
Thanks again.

ValerieR

Excellent ! Good luck with your venture. Any questions ... post away. I'm sure someone will be able to help you. :-)

ValerieR
www.irishfishkeepers.com

Jimkel

Hi there, good to see someone getting into one of the greatest hobbies on Earth! now heres my advice.

Afrcan cichlids - Easier and hardier then most small community community fish
Reasons - 1: tough fish, can take fluctuations in parameters
2: They love hard water, which is most likely what comes out of your tap
3: Less fish as they are larger, easier on the filtration (A few shoals of tetra and some guppies and mollies can really be a burden on your filtration)

My opinion. I currently keep roughly 10,000 fish of almost every variety in the hobby, the Africans are by far the easy ones,! trust me go for Lake Malawi fish

Jimkel

Viperbot wrote: »

Definately going to start with community fish for now like tiger barbs, angels etc. Have done research on the nitogen cycle and think Im ready to go.
Thanks again.

Whoa there! now you've just mentioned two of the most aggresive fish that fall under the title "Community fish"

Angels grow large, and will eat and kill small fish, Tiger barbs grow large and need to be kept in large groups to avoid them hassling their tankmates.

I would never recommend angels to a beginner, they require strict water parameters and as they are from south America they like the water Neutral to soft, in Ireland we have Nuetral to Hard, very hard. If you want a safe bet opt for fish that would occur in the same parts of the world, ie: if you want to keep angels then keep tham with SA fish that can handle themselves. but bare in mind that when 2 angels pair up to breed they can terrorize other fish. Tiger barbs are another fish I would consider to be moderatly difficult to keep as aggresion levels are gonna be a problem. If you must keep these fish then get 2 angels and about 12 tiger barbs.

If you have your heart set on community fish try these easy mix's:

Small fish:
- Zebra danios, Pearl Danios, Bristlenose pleco (Ancistrus sp), Cherry barbs, White cloud mounain minnows.

Small and Medium fish: Rosy Barbs, Harliquinn Rasboras, Mollys, Swordtails,

Small and medium livebearers - Mollys, Platies, Swordtails,(and maybe a shoal of Neon tetra)

If you really want angel fish try : 2 Angel fish, 8 Silvertip tetra, 1 Blue ram (Microgeophacus Ramerezi), Bristlenose pleco, 6+ Cardinal tetra or Rummynose. although this requires softer water that involves alot of messing around.

These in my experience are good mixes.
If you have any questions I will be happy to help.

Viperbot

Hi Jimkel,
Thanks for taking the time to post your very informative replies. I was just researching what fish to start with when I was notified of your reply. You are dead right about those Tigers and Angels, not to mention Ive just learned that those two species should never be kept together because of the Tiger's habit of nipping fins. To be honest, I know in my heart that I want to keep African Cichlids from Lake Malawi. You seem very confident that I can keep these extraordinary fish even as a beginner, and TBH I 'm really glad to hear that because I know that I'll end up with these fish anyway and I would feel like I'm wasting my efforts on anything else. Can you tell me what I would need to start with. ie..size of tank, type of cichlid and how many. Also, as this is a going to be a new setup, will they survive the cycle? Sorry for the question blitz, and thanks in advance.
Viperbot

Pimp Ninja

Its been a long time since I kept Cichlids, but Ill give some advice based on my current community setups, and memory.

With tank size, go for as big as you can afford and fit into the room you will be keeping it in. Bear in mind that once you fill it with water, it will be difficult to move.

For cycling, get some goldfish. I know they arent tropicals, but they are very hardy fish and should be able to put up with the changes that the water goes through during the cycle process. Other hardy tropicals would also be suitable, ask at your LFS what they recommend. If you go straight for your chosen fish, and they dont cope well with the cycle, it might work out to be an expensive cycle. You can also do a fishless cycle, or get a kick start from an existing filter.

Pick up some test kits to check the hardness of your water. You will also need ammonia (NH3/NH4) nitrate (NO3) and nitrite (NO2) test kits. The latter 3 will be the most important when cycling the tank.

A PH Test kit will also be helpful.

You can get 3 in 1 or 5 in 1 test kits which cover most of the above, but generally not all. Some say the 5 in 1 kits are not as accurate, in my experience I have had the same results with both kits on comparisons.

Join a Club/Society
There are a number of active clubs, both online and with monthly meetings. Most clubs have sponsorship with the better shops, including discounts, and occasionally hold open days.
I cant encourage you enough to check out a couple of your local fish shops. Have a chat with the staff there and see do they know about any local fish keeping societies. Ask if they sponsor any.

Club/Sponsorship works both ways. If a shop sponsors an fish keeping club, this is a really good sign that the shop is up to the standards that a club/society demands of them. It is also a sign that the club is large and active enough for the shop to want to sponsor them.

If a shop has no idea about local clubs, then it might be an idea to try and find another shop.

Viperbot

Hi Pimp Ninja,
Yeah im certainly going to join a community to help me out along the way. The guy in my lfs seemed ok but it is part of a bigger chain and and when I asked him some questions he was a bit hesitant. Think I'll keep looking around for a place that specialises in these keeping tropical fish.

Pimp Ninja

Where are you based?
I can make some recommendations based on my experience if I know any in the area.

Some of the larger places will have a specialist that is not always there.

ValerieR

There is an Irish-based discussion forum at www.irishfishkeepers.com. This community regroups 2 clubs : the ITFS in Dublin and the CFKS in Galway. These clubs meet monthly. However, you don't have to be a club member to take part to discussion or competitions in the forum.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.
Kindest regards,
Valerie

Viperbot

I am in Finglas in west Dublin. The closest shop to me is Petmania in Santry. It's a big shop with lots of fish and tanks but it's a new place and havn't heard much about them.

Viperbot

Thanks for the link Valerie. I'll check them out.

Pimp Ninja

Theres also http://www.irishfishforum.com. Grouping 2 clubs LFKS in Dublin and MFKA in Cork. Im a relatively new member there.

You are about half way between Kinsealy Pet shop on the Malahide Road, and Petstop in Blanchardstown.
These are two fantastic shops that sponsor all societies mentioned.

Viperbot

Sweet. Going to check out Petstop in Blanch tonight. Had a look at their site and they have a huge collection of aquariums, complete with starter kits. Prices seem very reasonable too. Really can't wait to get started now. M50 traffic....here I come!

Jimkel

Viperbot wrote: »

I am in Finglas in west Dublin. The closest shop to me is Petmania in Santry. It's a big shop with lots of fish and tanks but it's a new place and havn't heard much about them.

Thats where I work , if you drop into me I'll chat to you about cichlids.