beginner tropical fish tank

fightin irish

I was wondering if any Tropical fish experts can tell what they see wrong with my setup.

I have 5.Plattys (mollys and not sure of the other ones)
6. Guppys
2. Rams(looks like 2 males, they are constantly at each other)

Today i am collecting live plants and a few more caves, Also a badly needed background, But im not really sure if i have my fish mix right. Hopefully this pic will be helpfull. If i've commited sins please let me know.

Any help wil be greatly appreaciated.

Trevor.

FranknFurter

Looks good but personally I'd turn the pump that its outlet is pushing the water flow lenghtways as opposed to widthways, creates a flow thats much more effective for keeping the water clean.

also you'd be better placing the heater along the back of the tank, more consistant water temp, the gradient you create by keeping the heater in the corner is far to great.

fightin irish

Thanks Frank, Will do as you said.

Kersh

Mollys are not ideal for freshwater tanks, as they do a lot better in brackish water, but other than that, I would agree, lie the heater down. If that is coral garavel then it wont be good for your fish esp the rams. The coral will push the ph up way too high. Substitute the coral with normal gravel, and throw in some bogwood to lower the ph. Looks nice. Just one q..have you got a sheet of polystyrene under the tank, if you do then great, fair play.

Nala

If your live plants don't do well, switch to plastic plants (you can get ones made from felt as well). They look just as good and you don't have to look after them, only clean the algae off now and then. You can even get glow-in-the-dark ones!
Bubble curtains look great along the back of the tank, plus they add oxygen because they keep the water moving.

fightin irish

Thx a bunch folks.

Answering Kersh, The gravel was recommended by the guy in the shop, He was really good to me, things like testing my water when i was just starting up, He also said that the plattys were the easiest one's for me to start off with , I have a towel under the tank , Is this wrong?

BTW do you mean the heater should be Horizontal?
When you say bogwood, What excatly is that?

Again thx lads!!

LegacyUser

Kersh wrote:

Looks nice. Just one q..have you got a sheet of polystyrene under the tank, if you do then great, fair play.

Hi, I have two tanks 35 Litre and 125 litre, neither have polystyrene. What does it do?? Should I lace it to the shop and get some?

FranknFurter

bubby wrote:

Hi, I have two tanks 35 Litre and 125 litre, neither have polystyrene. What does it do?? Should I lace it to the shop and get some?

Can be helpfull if ur worried about cracks, can also absorb some shock if the stand gets a knock but isnt meant for most aquarium stands, as lon as its on a clean level and smooth surface its ok.

No i wouldnt recommend a towel at all, too much flexability, remember, a tiny grain of cat litter size under a full tank can be devastating.

(btw, best posistion for heater along back wall is to point the top in the direction of one top corner with the bottom lined up with the bottom corner on the opposite side, a kind of ............

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If u see what i mean?

fightin irish

Thx frank, thats the way i positioned the heater last night.

fred funk }{

I think your heater is positioned fine as long as there's good circulation the temperature should be consistent through out the tank.

Do you know all the basics about keeping fish? Like cycling the tank.

I think your tank would look great with a light blue background instead of the more common tacky planted look.

fightin irish

Silver Knight wrote:

I think your heater is positioned fine as long as there's good circulation the temperature should be consistent through out the tank.

Do you know all the basics about keeping fish? Like cycling the tank.

I think your tank would look great with a light blue background instead of the more common tacky planted look.

Im nearly sure my tank has nearly cycled cuz the ammonia levels are between 0.2 and 1.2(the markings on the test kit) This was higher a week or so ago.

One thing im not so sure about is ''20% water change''
I've done 2 i think in the last 3 weeks? Is this too much/little?

I auctally seen the blue backgroun in Blanch today, didnt really like the the ordinary backgrounds, so i didnt buy any yet.

fred funk }{

You shouldn't have added fish until the tank has fully cycled.
Ammonia is highly toxic and will kill your fish. The bacteria that grows in the tank and in the filter turns ammonia into nitrite and then turns the nitrite into nitrate which isn't harmfull to fish if levels are keep low with water changes.

If i was you i would do small water changes every day about 10% and make sure you add stress coat to the new water because this will remove chlorine which if left in the tank will kill the friendly bacteria which you are trying to harvest.

Test for nitrite and if you have a reading that means your tank is cycling and in a week or two when the levels of both nitrite and ammonia are 0 your tank will be finished.

When your tank is cycled its best to do a water change weekly but every two weeks should be enough and do about 25% which means replacing 25% of the water in your tank.

I stay away from that place in Blanch because the fish are in really bad shape and the tanks are full of dead fish butsome of there equipment can be cheap. I use Fish FX in Dunlaoghaire for my bits and pieces but find them very expensive with tanks and filters. Aqua village in Blessington are probably the best for fish as they have a huge range and do a deal if you buy two of the same species you get a third one free.

I hope this can help you a little.

fightin irish

Best advice i've got so far thx alot!
Im using ''nitrofin cycle'' daily, Is this what u mean?

About the fish in blanch, Yeah tons of fish DEAD in quite a few tanks, I put it down to the fact that they only ever have one guy on upstairs.(this is the one guy is always quite helpful and you nearly have to lie about your tank before he give's you fish)

The place in Blessingtion sounds good, will deffo make a trip.
When making the 10% water changes is it pointless without the stress coat, I wont be up at Blanch for a day or two?

Thx for your most welcome advice, Hopefully i havn't caused the fish too much stress, I'm already got a bad feeling of guilt!

Kersh

Platys are fine, its the mollys that wont be.

As for polystyrene, I would think it is essential. A towel is too flexible, and wood warps with temperature and humidity, so its not ideal on its own, polystyrene absorbs the warps in the wood, which leaves your tank base level.
What is your ph? If its higher than 7.5 then its too high, and if you want your rams to do well, it should be below 7.0. Rams are also very sensitive to chemicals in the water.
Dont think that just cos fish arent dying that they are healthy.
If that is coral gravel in the tank, then your ph is defo over 8.0.
Bogwood is the dried out wood pieces you can buy in pet shops. They will probably leach tannin into the water and turn it slightly brown. Some people like this, as it goes well with nice green plants. The rams will love this, but bogwood will lose a fight with coral gravel with regards to ph.

fightin irish

The gravel is ''AQUARIUM GRAVEL'' this is what it said on the bag, Does this sound ok?

Kersh

Yep, sounds great, 10% water changes a week are perfect, it will help keep the nitrate down. Sounds like you just need some nice bogwood and plants, a few neon tetras too....: )
Keep testing your water, it should cycle quicker now that there are fish in it.

fightin irish

Thx again for all your kind help!!

Oh btw, can i put bog wood that i litreally cut off a tree as in steep it first for a few days then put it into my tank?

Kersh

No, I wouldn recommend it. The aquatic village in Blessington has some, its a pretty decent shop too, worth a short trip. Best to buy it in a pet shop.

fightin irish

lol me had hack-saw in hand . I'll head out there this weekend, thx again, I'll even post another pic.

fred funk }{

Here's 10 handy rules that will help you keep fish (I stole these from another site)

1. TESTING. Before introducing any fish into your tank, buy yourself a good water test kit. Ideally it should contain tests for:Ammonia,Nitrates,Nitrites and Ph. Readings, except for the Ph should all read zero before introducing any fish.
2.TEMPERATURE. Make sure that the temp. in the tank is suitable for your chosen occupants. Freshwater(generally) 21-27C. Marines(generally)26C
Coldwater(generally) 13.5-20C.
3.FILTRTION. Depending on the size of the tank and the intended occupants, filtration can be mechanical,biological or both. They can be air driven or power driven. Filtration is the heart of any tank. It's the life source of the environment. You will need to know the species of fish you wish to keep and then do some homework about the types of waters and/or environment their natural habitat is and filter accordingly. There are an array of filters on the market and you will be sure there is one for your setup.
4. STOCKING LEVELS. Freshwater trops. recommended 12sq.cm of surface area to 1cm of fully grown fish. Marines For a fish only setup 2.5cm of fish for 9ltrs of water and for reef only 2.5cm of fish to 27ltrs of water. Ponds: 250cm of fish to 5000ltrs of water.
5. KNOWLEDGE. Learn as much as you can about the species you intend to keep.
6. INTRODUCING YOU FISH. Fish should be introduced into your new setup gradually. Overloading your tank will cause problems. Remember your filter wil need to build up friendly bacteria to break down the byproducts from your fish.
7.QUARANTINE. This is a question I'm most asked by newbies. Do I really need to quarantine my fish? The short answer is YES. Introducing new fish to a new system will invariably bring its own problems, so if you can why risk it? Using the same water as the main tank, introduce the fish in the Quarantine tank for a week or so and if there's no probs. then introduce them into the main tank.
8. FEEDING. Twice daily is more than enough. Only feed as much as will be taken within 3 minutes, otherwise it will decompose at the bottom of your tank, causing other problems, such as high Phosphates and Nitrates and unsightly algae.
9. WATER CHANGES. Regular water changes, around 25% per week is good for your tank and good for your fish.
10. CLEANING FILTERS. These should be cleaned regurarly according to the manufactures instructions. It is best however if you don't clean the sponges in raw tapwater, but use some of the water syphoned from the tank. This way the beneficial bacteria are not killed off and only the debris is cleaned away

fightin irish

Thank you silver.

boroughmal

Nice tank mate, bet its looking better with plants in it.
Good advice on this panel.I see that you are taking notice as well.
My only comments is the filte=ration it seems a bit small, You may consider an undergravell as well.
as far as fish shops are concerned I shouldnt be commenting too much, but I do know that fish FX and ian in brittas would be a far better bet than your blanch shop.
Starting from a good fishkeeper is half the battle both their tank are kept pristine and I should know.
Keep up the good work. & post new piccies when you have it right.
Regards
www.fishkeepingsupplies.com
Aquarium and Fish Supply Tropical

dark_jedi_ire

Hi

Best of luck With the new tank, looks good

Question if you don`t mind , where did you get the tank, and how much,?

Also any advise needed on rams let me know, I keep 3 bolivian ram, and have experience keeping and breathing these little beauties

Ph 6.8 to 7 is best Plenty of bog wood ( I got all Mine on ebay cost little and there are even used ones which can be a bonus, As bog wood releases tanin into the water and it slowly turns the Water a tea colour which will not in any way harm the fish and rams really like this as its closed To there natural habitat, bogwood as said also lowers the Ph to slightly acidic which is best for most South american fish) and Plants and cave to hide and establish a territory.


Best of luck With the new tank,

Rob

fightin irish

Thx lads, will reply when i get a min and maybe a picture...thx again

rams


This is an early picture of one of my rams, i have changed the setup of the tank as in the heater etc...

I'll try to post a new//updated pic tomorrow.

BTW i havnt had a chance to buy many plants, work etc, But i did manage to get one. Its growing on a piece of bogwood and is indeed turning the water slightly ''teaish''.

Is having two filters in a tank a silly idea, or should i just stick to what i have and maybe an under gravel filter as said.

dark_jedi_ire

Hiya

Looks Like bolivian Rams, ) have To be one of my favourites,

There really hard to sex, when the that young, but the females have less shimmer in the light and more red on there bellies,

If you end up with what could be 2 females (Stanger things have happened) let me know if you ever want a exchange as I have two males. )

Anyway looks like your using a Fluval 3 or 4 which sound be more than fine for that Size tank in my opinion, If you Want another filter, you could go for something small but I have seen and read mixed views on it, under gravel have there advantages And disadvantages to be honest ( not much help to yeh I know sorry)

Plants: If it growing on bogwood its more than likely a Java Fern

The water Colour is a naturally habitate for the Rams, however it can get out of Controll and if you have live plants at the bottom of the Tank light finds it hard to get to the plant,

Tanin will natually dissappear over time, in the mean time fo rme Anyway I added activated carbon granules to my filter and its works great, As most filters that have carbon sponges (eg Juwel aquarium systems) are not nearly strong enough to remove tanin from the water,

Best of luck

)

Rob

revo

fightin irish wrote:

I was wondering if any Tropical fish experts can tell what they see wrong with my setup.

I have 5.Plattys (mollys and not sure of the other ones)
6. Guppys
2. Rams(looks like 2 males, they are constantly at each other)

Today i am collecting live plants and a few more caves, Also a badly needed background, But im not really sure if i have my fish mix right. Hopefully this pic will be helpfull. If i've commited sins please let me know.

Any help wil be greatly appreaciated.

Trevor.

whats the orange one

fightin irish

They are Mollies as far as i know.

fightin irish

updated pic(not a great one)

updated pic(a bit better light)

update// close up of ram(the specs are air bubbles from extra nozzle on filter)

Let me all know what you think, I still have to get alot more plants, Also the pic doesnt really show the slight dullness from the bog wood.

I started using the extra nozzle for the fluval 3+ filter, it creates ''air bubbles'' into the tank, Is this pointless? or a bit OTT to say?

Once again thx alot.

dark_jedi_ire

Hiya

Really nice starting to get there, fair play

See you got some Bala sharks get fairly big and need a lot of room and tiger Barbs are bad fin nippers, so might want to avoid bettas and angels,

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gbala.html
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/tigbarb.htm


A couple of sites might help yeh out and information

http://www.aquahobby.com/e_gallery.php
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk

I find them great.

Also I get all My plants from this lady and she`s brilliant fast and really cheap and do great deals.


http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk

Also anyone interested in a Couple of free floating plants ( as Mine are running wild on me) I have Salvinia Natans going if anyone wants some, you can see them on the above site.

Rob

dark_jedi_ire

And the nossle is not OTT will help in the long run so Fair play

Rob

fightin irish

Rob thier excellent links, thanks alot, Was reading about Tiger Barbs havin a right go at Bala's, I wreckon the fact i have 5 barbs is the reason that they are keeping mostly to themselves.

Thx again.