Goldfish / Tropical fish

DEL 707 · 8 Mar 2007 at 17:49

Chat to the staff and ask them about products for a fishless cycle, saves on having to get hardy fish for the cycle.

Last time I cycled a freshwater tank, some years ago, I just used an Ammonia product I get from a local DIY shop

Scarecrow said:
http://www.tropicalfish.site5.com/tfc/

Used to post there, under this name actually, but spent most of my time in the Marine section.

Mp4 · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:06

I've had tropical fish for 2 months the tank was given to me along with a heater and filters. (Hexagonal tank)

So far ive replaced:

Gravel
Plants
Pump
Heater
Filters
Ornaments
Water Treatments / hp down etc
Food

Fish :

6 Platy
10 Neons
1 Catfish
2 Gourami
2 Algue eaters

As its 2nd hand the lid of the tank is falling apart so having to replace that along with a better light.

Tbh get Goldfish, i regret taking this tank on

Another thing is also if a power cut occurs and your away ... dead fish

Oh and Ebay is mint for fish/tanks/ornaments

lookitsjonno · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:11

Helium_Junkie said:
As for maintenance, you can buy battery vacuum cleaner thingies which suck up any surface mess whilst leaving the water in the tank

where from and how much?

mavity is too much effort for me

MadMan-JaMeS · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:15

i just got a tank last week and have started from a complete newbie

and i've been going to this site http://www.fishforums.net/ a lot great place with lotsa very knowledgeable people.

and it explains everything in most of the stickies but if u need just post and they will answer mate !

Matt · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:18

I'd like a fish tank too! I've been thinking about one for ages, can you get a tropical setup that's low maintenance as i really don't want to have to clean it and replace the water every week or so!

[edit] not cheap is it? :eek:

DEL 707 · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:30

Matt said:
I'd like a fish tank too! I've been thinking about one for ages, can you get a tropical setup that's low maintenance as i really don't want to have to clean it and replace the water every week or so!

There's no such thing

Really it all depends on fish you decide to stock, how many, live plants and filtration system. A good test kit is worth investing in.
Generally, cheap systems require more maintenance.

Matt · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:36

DEL 707 said:
There's no such thing

Damn!

So, generally, what's involved with having tropical fish? eg. what has to be done to look after them? water changes, feeding, etc...

G-MAN2004 · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:37

Helium_Junkie said:
As for maintenance, you can buy battery vacuum cleaner thingies which suck up any surface mess whilst leaving the water in the tank, easiest way to do it

How do they work? I just use the tube which sucks the water up and into a bucket

DEL 707 · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:40

G-MAN2004 said:
How do they work? I just use the tube which sucks the water up and into a bucket

Ever done that with a salt water tank?
Always a good idea to have an emergency pack of mints on standby.

G-MAN2004 · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:42

DEL 707 said:
Ever done that with a salt water tank?
Always a good idea to have an emergency pack of mints on standby.

Lol nah I don't use my mouth

Mr_White · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:42

G-MAN2004 said:
How do they work? I just use the tube which sucks the water up and into a bucket

It has a small impellor which sucks up the water when it's submerged and then blows it out the outlet which you can attach a tube or the net attachment which catches most of the dirty and lets the water back in the tank.

And they have several attatchments for the other end such as a little angled nozzle, a big cylinderical attatchment that sucks up all the dirt but stops most of it clouding up the rest of the tank, or an algae scraper attatchment, they're about £15 from any LFS

As for the bio-orb, I wouldn't but more than 6-10 small tetras in it, anymore is cruel, it's a horrible little tank.

Helium_Junkie · 8 Mar 2007 at 21:56

As Mr White said, but you can also get air powered one - attach to an aquarium air pump and they use air to pull water through the pipes (and straight into the tank again) bringing filth with it, into a small net bag.
Get spare bags

Feeding is a pinch of pre-packaged flake food every other day or whenever they look hungry. Some fish eat different food (i.e. sinking food only, frozen larvae, even cucumbers and the like!).

Water changes are really very easy, in my smallest tank I just plunge a jug in, throw the water down the loo, re-fill, add a drop of treatment, and pour back in. Its not necessary to do this daily, time depends on your filtration.

My larger tank has a big ol' external filter and can go for ages before needing a good change. You can monitor this with clever test devices (strips of paper like pregnancy tests

).

Jet · 8 Mar 2007 at 22:49

You shouldn't keep fish in a bowl really. Fish need as big a surface area as possible to breathe effectively. Get a square tank or don't bother imo, it's not fair on the fish.

ElRazur · 8 Mar 2007 at 22:53

Jet said:
You shouldn't keep fish in a bowl really. Fish need as big a surface area as possible to breathe effectively. Get a square tank or don't bother imo, it's not fair on the fish.

I dont understand, surely their ability to breathe is not hindered by amount of space.....?

Jet · 8 Mar 2007 at 23:05

ElRazur said:
I dont understand, surely their ability to breathe is not hindered by amount of space.....?

Well it is.

http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/information/goldfishbowl.html

Liverpool-Lad · 8 Mar 2007 at 23:15

A small, 2 foot by 1 foot aquarium with a small selection of fish and bottom feeders sounds ideal.