Fish Tank Reloaded - Restocking a tank from scratch

OFDM

Anyone who read my last post on this board will my final coldwater fish was not doing to well. It had swim-bladder problems which eventually caused the fish from not being able to rise from the bottom of the tank. Although I tried the usual things like water changes, adding salt and medication for internal infections, the fish failed to recover, progressivley getting worse an experiencing some pine-coning near the tail end.

Anyway, now I want to restock the tank, this time with tropical fish and need some advice on what to do next.
As I see it there's two options, (1) keep the water in the tank and thus the bacteria that have built up, which would hopefully make cycling easier but which could possibly also keep a source of infection that may have killed the other fish or (2) start over with fresh water, cleaning out the gravel completely and cycling the tank with 2 or three hardy fish. Views on these options would be appreciated.

Things I need to get are new filter sponges (the old ones are a bit worn out), a heater and internal thermometer. I have two canister filters (a Hagen Fluval 1 and Fluval 2) - is this too much filtration for the tank (24in x 12in x 12in) - I've read conflicting views on this from various sources.

Any recommendations on which breed of fish and how man to get for cycling would also be appreciated. With the two filters would an airstone be overkill?

Also can anyone recommend a good book on fish keeping? - I've read that "You and Your Aquarium" and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Fish" are supposed to be good, but the second one is out of print - anyone know where to get it?

Nala

I don't know enough about tropical fish to answer all your questions but I can tell you that leaving the old water in the tank would probably be a bad idea, in case whatever illness your other fish had was caused by the water. Emptying and cleaning the tank, putting fresh water in, leaving it to mature and introducing the new fish gradually should do no harm.

whiteshadow

if you're getting new sponges you may as well start from scratch
as you're getting rid of most of the bacteria by throwing them out.
as for filtration, the more the merrier in my opinion.
some fish don't like fast water movement so you can just half block the outlet
with a bit of wood or something. or turn it towards the glass

tiger barbs would be good to help start the re-cycling.
hardy fish and tough as nails..

the swimbladder was probably not a fault of yours or your water,
ornamental coldwater fish can be prone to these diseases by
just the amount of interbreeding they do in the trade.

put in a heater, and keep one of the sponges and youll be laughing

OFDM

I'm going to replace both sponges in case there's any contaminent in them. One them n fairly bad shape anyway. Normally when replacing sponges I leave them sitting in the tank for a couple of weeks to let bacteria build up in them.

How many Tiger Barbs should I get to start of with to help cycle the tank?

whiteshadow

then you may as well drain all the water and clean out everything including the gravel.
to make sure. i think the bacteria in the filter would actually need water flowing constantly through it to ensure it stayed alive instead of just sitting in the tank.

another alternative would be to keep the water, or at least half of it, and cut up a bit
of the sponges... and stick it in with the new sponge, at the bottom to ensure the bacteria spreads.

as for the tiger barbs, get a shoal of them, at least 6 but 8 if possible.
but leave it settling for a week or two. most good fish shops will test your
water and let you know if it's ready to add fish to.

barbs can be quite nippy fish but if you get a shoal then they generally
chase each other as opposed to any other fish around.

throw in some bogwood as they like soft acidic water, other fish that
you could add would include angel fish, tetras, gouramis etc.

let us know how you get on and good luck

OFDM

I think I might start with 3 Tiger Barbs to give the bacteria a chance to build up, then add more when ammonia an nitrite levels drop. Would this be a good idea?

If I eventually get 7 or 8 tiger barbs, how many more fish could be put in the tank (2ft x 1 ft) and what breeds would be suitable for mixing with a shoal of tiger barbs?

Nala

OFDM wrote:

I think I might start with 3 Tiger Barbs to give the bacteria a chance to build up, then add more when ammonia an nitrite levels drop. Would this be a good idea?

If I eventually get 7 or 8 tiger barbs, how many more fish could be put in the tank (2ft x 1 ft) and what breeds would be suitable for mixing with a shoal of tiger barbs?

Have a look here

I haven't time to Google for much else but I can tell ya that if you're in the Dublin area, Lucan Library have some very good books on tropical fish.
What you're looking for is a community setup , i.e. one containing different species of fish that can all live together peacefully.

Have a look here

and here

to work out how many fish you can keep.

Decide which fish you want, and how many, beforehand. Remember that they are usually young when you get them so remember to allow for their size when fully grown. Most books and websites will tell you how big a fish will get.

KoNiT

A few years ago, I had 6-7 barbs & 2 angels... the barbs tore shreads out of the angels & a betta...They had a serious fettish for long fins.... I brought them back to the pet shop -he exchanged the barbs no problem

I've restocked my 4' tank since then - & the barbs are back!
I've
1 clown loach
1 Red tailed shark
4 Green Tetras
5 neon Tetras
2 Black Widows (I think they're called that!)
5 Tiger Barbs
4 minnows
3 scissor tails

I was surprised to see two of the barbs attacking the clown loach yesterday.
The red tailed shark is attacking the barbs also. Tell the truth, the shark's attacking everything! Very territorial fish & is no 1 suspect for the demise of a few fish...

whiteshadow

OFDM wrote:

I think I might start with 3 Tiger Barbs to give the bacteria a chance to build up, then add more when ammonia an nitrite levels drop. Would this be a good idea?

If I eventually get 7 or 8 tiger barbs, how many more fish could be put in the tank (2ft x 1 ft) and what breeds would be suitable for mixing with a shoal of tiger barbs?

to be honest i'd jump in the deep end and start with a shoal of 6,
i know you haven't much room but they are relatively hardy fish
but if you add just 3 they could get a bit territorial for when you add
the next 3.

Because you have 2 filters and will over filter the tank,
you can bend the rules a little in terms of how many fish you can keep.

an alternative would be to add danios
http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/Drerio.html

these are tough as old boots too but are smaller so you could build it up gradually.
im just a sucker for barbs so that's what i'd do.
bit of bog wood for cover and to soften the water and some plants.
lovely.

whiteshadow

KoNiT wrote:

A few years ago, I had 6-7 barbs & 2 angels... the barbs tore shreads out of the angels & a betta...They had a serious fettish for long fins....

yup they're little nippers alright, especially with the bettas but am supprised
about the angels. and even more supprised that they were attacking a clown loach.. :eek:

the red tail sharks are seriously aggressive tho aren't they..
i had one in with barbs and a pair of kribs but he just spent all
day and night chasing and bullying everyone... you can tell a good
aquatic shop from a bad one if they have 2 in the one tank,
a big "NONO"

OFDM

Great info everyone. I'll look into the Danios too.

But where can I get bogwood?

whiteshadow

any fish shop really.
plug: fishfx in Dun Laoighre