Your current Fish tank Setups!

Once the tank is fully cycled it will need much less maintenance but yes it is a pain to work on.

For feedings, its catch 22. I would keep feeding but keep it very light.

In terms of the water changes, it entirely depends on what the tests are telling you. The higher the ammonia/nitrite the more water you need to change.
 
Thanks again for the continued support mate, its a mine field when you're starting out.

On a plus since changing the water all 4 shrimp i know i definitely still have seem more active, ive searched high and low for the missing one but no sign of it.

I'll likely do a fish less cycle on my next tank I think...
 
Vidar said:
Thanks again for the continued support mate, its a mine field when you're starting out.

On a plus since changing the water all 4 shrimp i know i definitely still have seem more active, ive searched high and low for the missing one but no sign of it.

I'll likely do a fish less cycle on my next tank I think...
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Well, once you have 1 tank fully cycled, you can use some/all of the media to kick start the new tank. As long as you don't go crazy, add more fish over time rather than all at once, you should be fine.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
@Nasher Sorry but most of this post isn't great advice, i noted you removed a load of it. Manufacturers don't underestimate the size of their filters, the fact is you do not need a massive filter to sustain loads of life in a tank. The problem is that most filters do not provide enough flow for things like planted tanks so you need to over size them and the other advantage to over sizing the filter mean you can clean it less. But if you are just running a basic fish tank you do not need a huge filter....

I saw you removed a load of other information about amounts of media that is also simply not true. More isn't better, once you get past 'enough' then any more is just a waste of money and a significant amount of bacteria is contained in the tank. Go into any old school fish store and you will see 200 fish in a small tank running on a single small sponge filter. Kesgrave Tropicals mentioned a few days ago is exactly like that.
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Shops usually overstock their tanks hugely. If you go to one which actually knows what they are doing, you'll often see huge filters (sometimes custom made) hidden under the tanks. The water quality in fish stores is not always great either which is why you should never just empty it in to your own tank.

If you want to FULLY cycle a tank (as in grow nitrate eating bacteria as well) you need a big filter and lots of media. The right kind of media too as it won't grow on everything, sponge will never reach that stage.

Almost all of the useful bacteria is inside the filter, not the tank itself.
 
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Nasher said:
Shops usually overstock their tanks hugely. If you go to one which actually knows what they are doing, you'll often see huge filters (sometimes custom made) hidden under the tanks. The water quality in fish stores is not always great either which is why you should never just empty it in to your own tank.

If you want to FULLY cycle a tank (as in grow nitrate eating bacteria as well) you need a big filter and lots of media. The right kind of media too as it won't grow on everything, sponge will never reach that stage.

Almost all of the useful bacteria is inside the filter, not the tank itself.
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Your right many shops do run centralised sumps but many don't which is why i refereed to an 'old school' shop that doesn't. Have a look at aquarium co-op online, you'll see 300 fish in a 29 gallon tank running off a single sponge filter and there is no ammonia or nitrite in the tank. Are you suggesting they 'don't know what they are doing'? You do not need massive filters for fish tanks, that is a fact. They do a lot of water changes but that's not for ammonia, it's for nitrate and waste organics generated by the massively overstocked holding tank.

Most bacteria isn't confined to the filter, its distributed across every surface in the tank and its entirely dependent on how much surface area you have in both. My large tank has a deep substrate, loads of rock and wood, plants etc so it will contain a significantly higher proportion than a bare tank which will contain next to nothing.

Nitrate eating bacteria also doesn't require a big filter and lots of media, it requires a low oxygen environment which is something completely different. That is almost impossible to do inside a commercially available canister filter regardless of what media you have in it. There is just far too much oxygenated water flowing over the media to achieve it.

To get nitrate eating bacteria you need to create an area of low flow and months of waiting for things to happen. Lots of reefers achieve this by creating a deep sand bed where the oxygen runs out. Another option is to do it in a sump where you can add baffles to exploit stratification and make the fresh water flow over the top so it doesn't doesn't mix with the deep bed of media underneath. You can achieve something similar in a freshwater tank doing the same thing but again you need a deep substrate or a low flow area but you need more than just a special media.

Media like biohome claims to be able to support anaerobic bacteria which I don't doubt but it needs to be in the right conditions and a fast flowing canister filter isn't that. It also doesn't replace water changes because it can't deal with waste organics and other toxins in the water.
 
Reefers acheive the natural filtration by having porus live rock, we dont use filters as they become a nitrite factory and deep sand beds also become a nightmare (altho it does work for some)

Im not sure why the constantly changing filter on a freshwater tank hasn't caught on if im
Honest, i know they are used in koi ponds etc, as it removes the detritus etc before its even had a chance to break down.
 
^^ Sumps are extremely uncommon in freshwater because its cheaper. The fish cost peanuts compared to salt water so people are not willing to pay proper £££ for the tank unlike a reef.
 
I wouldn’t say Sumps are uncommon is freshwater.

Freshwater fish are more common than Saltwater. Most people do not understand sumps and how they work, and are always worried about flooding the house. Also most freshwater keepers buy full tanks stands and filters. The tanks are never designed to hold a sump. And nobody wants one sat on the floor next to the tank

You’ll find most freshwater tanks of 6x2x2 and over are sumped. And the fish being cheaper ? Common fish yes.....guppys etc etc.

But Stingrays and Arowana are £300+ each
 
Lol b0rn2sk8 gives so much incorrect information on these forums, he's like the aldi of fish keeping and doesn't like to spend or try products that work for a cheap way out, that sort of fish keeping died out in the 70s IMO, get with the times matey
 
You what? You say the information is wrong yet don’t state what is wrong nore what it should be. You finished it off with a thinly veiled insult at the end. It’s like the brexit debate all over again...

Go on then, what have I said that is so wrong you felt the need to throw insults but not bother to correct any of it?

@MadMan-JaMeS, how many people do you think there are in the UK with tanks larger than 6x2x2 (roughly 500 litres) or keep things like stingrays/arowana? Compare that to how many people have tanks between 20L and 200L and keep a tropical community or goldfish, I think we can all agree extremely uncommon is an accurate description.
 
You totally ignore new methods of fishkeeping, things have moved on you know but you don't see the benefits, how is that an insult, don't insult my 35 years of fishkeeping I know what works and what doesn't.
 
You called me the Aldi of fishkeeping... to call someone the Aldi of something suggests they are low quality or cheap, like I said a thinly veiled insult.

You also said I have given so much incorrect information but haven’t stated what it is that is wrong.

How have I ignored new methods of fishkeeping or insulted your 35 years of fish keeping?
 
@b0rn2sk8 There are plenty of people out there with tanks much larger than 6x2x2, there are plenty of people who keep Arowana and Stingrays. I would not say extremely uncommon is accurate. I'd just say uncommon is accurate.

Sumps are more common in Saltwater because all the extras needed to keep those fish, Skimmers and things alike which generally won't fit onto your standard tanks.
 
due to an accident draining water i need to remove the tank from the living room so i can get some new flooring down, would it be okay to keep my fish in a 45 litre plastic tub maybe for a few weeks ( i can get something bigger if need be ) and i can use my filter on it.

the tank is in poor condition no lid scratches all over it i don't really want it back in my room i want to bin it and get a fluval roma 125 in due course.

current fish is

10 glowlight tetras
5 rosy tetra
1 golden gourami
1 tiger barb.

cheers.
 
Make sure you get a food safe container.

They sell large ones in b+q, i kept my salt water fish in one for around a month when i moved and only lost 1 fish due to me being stupid and not covering up pump a impellor
 
i don't have any room for it elsewhere i picked up a 51 litre food grade tub from b and q as noobcannon suggested, that fits in the kitchen got the external filter set up on it few decorations in it barrel ect. plants floating about might put some gravel in it.
 
I would pub some substrate in from your tank if you can (will make a mess initially), it will add a lot of beneficial bacteria. Should be all good otherwise.
 
Just an update, the water changes seem to be doing the trick. The Ammonia, nitrite and nitrates are all way down. Ammonia now at 0.25 for example.

I think a couple more and it will be okay. Definitely going to look into getting a bigger tank next month though and going to try the mulm method of cycling the tank maybe.
 
Just purchased a 25l tank for the front room coffee table as a reward to my kids moving schools so well. Waiting for the water levels to sort themselves out before we stock it. I had to fight to not let it get filled with luminous gravel, rocks, plants etc. Trying to find a nice balance between interesting but not massive maintenance.
 
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