Your current Fish tank Setups!

that tank doesn't look very big for 'loads' of neons, loaches and guppies! neons aren't the best fish to get either, many of the ones bred for the aquarium trade will be infected with neon tetra disease but not only that they aren't very hardy and they are shy and skittish so need a lot of plants/ornaments to hide in.

you'd be better off with cardinal tetras which look almost exactly the same but don't have nearly so many problems.

don't get clown loaches either! get Indian ones (pakistani loach, zebra loach kuhli loach) they don't grow nearly as big and they don't hid as much if you get a group of 3 or so.
 
That tank looks to be no bigger than about 60L. If it isnt then I would avoid all Loaches completely as they prefer living in groups and that water volume will not support them easily.

Never add Neon tetra's until the tank has well matured (6+ months after cycle complete) as they are not a hardy fish at all and require well matured environments to live well. Contrary to popular belief they are not a beginners fish.

A small number of Guppies should be ok in there however.

Finally. Please read up on cycling your tank. Leaving it for a week to settle down does not cycle it and does not make it ready for fish. A fishless cycle is the best way to go and should take between 4 and 6 weeks to complete before adding fish.
 
Fish in cycle is fine, provided you keep an eye on the levels with a test kit daily and do daily 50% water changes at least.
That way you will be able to have fish in sooner, and usually the cycle is a lot quicker :)

If you can get a good amount of "seeded filter media" (dirty spongey stuff) from someone else's filter to lob in your new filter, you will speed it up even more. (as little as 2-3 days!) You can usually find people local to you on a forum that will be willing to help out.
 
Look what I have just got :D :

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just got a 70 litre tank very much looking forward to setting it up and eventually getting some fish, its just going to be a tropical aquarium as i dont think i can put the time into a marine tank, anyone know how easy it is to get a ghost shrimp, cant seem to find them anywhere?
 
Ghost shrimp are great, I have three of them and they are always out rummaging around. They can be quite hard to find, if you ring round all the fish shops in the area chances are someone has some. If not you can get them on ebay (I'm planning to get some cherry shrimps this way as I can't find them anywhere) or other sources online.
 
Maidenhead Aquatics almost always have Shrimp in. In fact, I don't think I have ever visited a branch that has not had multiple varieties available.

On a related note, I just added a sump tank to my main tank, using a PVC overflow pipe and a small pump to return. Its quite a slow flow, but I might add a powerflow and try to make it into a moving bed. Should increase the biological filtration capacity nicely :)
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
Maidenhead Aquatics almost always have Shrimp in. In fact, I don't think I have ever visited a branch that has not had multiple varieties available.

On a related note, I just added a sump tank to my main tank, using a PVC overflow pipe and a small pump to return. Its quite a slow flow, but I might add a powerflow and try to make it into a moving bed. Should increase the biological filtration capacity nicely :)
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Have you drilled a hole in the return pipe just below the water surface to break the syphon in the event of a power failure?
 
andy_mk3 said:
Going to get a few more things to fill the space, and some fish in about a week once it's all settled down.
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You may kmow this, but make sure the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are acceptable before adding any fish (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 5 - 20 nitrate). If it needs another week or more to attain these levels then do it, otherwise the poor fishies will suffer. :)
 
what do you mean when you say brackish ? re: glass fish. As I recently got a glass fish in my tropical tank and it seems happy enough.

Also, my friend came over the other day with some baby fish she had grown/raised for me. Put them in my tank and within 3 hours 2 had become live food for my angel fish. God they are savages.
 
SoSolid said:
Have you drilled a hole in the return pipe just below the water surface to break the syphon in the event of a power failure?
Click to expand...

Nope, I have made a water-level overflow, not a straight syphon, so it does not need one, when the water level drops below the intake, the flow ceases. The Sump has enough volume to take the full amount above the intake :)
 
Magic_x_uk said:
what do you mean when you say brackish ? re: glass fish. As I recently got a glass fish in my tropical tank and it seems happy enough.

Also, my friend came over the other day with some baby fish she had grown/raised for me. Put them in my tank and within 3 hours 2 had become live food for my angel fish. God they are savages.
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Brackish water is slightly salty. A lot of brackish fish are "tolerant" of pur fresh-water but survive best in a saltier environment.

Angels are predatory fish, they will eat anything that they can fit in their mouths. Its the same for most fish when it comes to tropical. If it will fit in the mouth, eventually, it will go in there!
 
I have angel fish which I put in after I had my neons and they never bothered them so I though I would add some more. within an hour my angels had eaten them :\
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
Nope, I have made a water-level overflow, not a straight syphon, so it does not need one, when the water level drops below the intake, the flow ceases. The Sump has enough volume to take the full amount above the intake :)
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I'm jealous I'd love a sump but don't have the space at the moment!

One day I'd like to have a massive tank built into the wall in one room, then a back room behind with access, a sump with built in drainage and an RO system in the room for refils, a quarantine and some breeding tanks as well, my fantasy aquarium lol...one day :D
 
My nan has recently decided she wanted a fish tank, so we've all been reading up and trying to help her out. She now has a tank with six danios in. It's not much, but it's a start. More fish will be purchased shortly. I imagine I'll be posting in this thread quite a few times in the near future! It has got me interested though.

One problem is that her flat is baking hot. She needs to be warm because of her age. The thermostat is on the lowest possible setting and the thermometer is showing about 30 degrees, maybe a smidgen over. What is the best way to bring this down a bit? I started thinking PC watercooling and considered pumps, radiators etc. I did see some fans for sale, but for some reason I can't imagine them being that effective.

So I'm asking for some advice from the resident fishy gurus. :)
 
Wow those edge tanks look really good! Had to get rid of my 120L Fluval tank when I moved into my house as there isn't really anywhere to put it :( Just collecting dust in the shed along with a virtually brand new pump. I'd love to move up to marine but just don't have the space. Whats the smallest marine tank I could get away with? My desktop PC barely gets used upstairs so I'm thinking of getting rid ;)
 
Morbius said:
My nan has recently decided she wanted a fish tank, so we've all been reading up and trying to help her out. She now has a tank with six danios in. It's not much, but it's a start. More fish will be purchased shortly. I imagine I'll be posting in this thread quite a few times in the near future! It has got me interested though.

One problem is that her flat is baking hot. She needs to be warm because of her age. The thermostat is on the lowest possible setting and the thermometer is showing about 30 degrees, maybe a smidgen over. What is the best way to bring this down a bit? I started thinking PC watercooling and considered pumps, radiators etc. I did see some fans for sale, but for some reason I can't imagine them being that effective.

So I'm asking for some advice from the resident fishy gurus. :)
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I must admit I'm not sure on this one, been out of keeping for some years now, though I'm sure someone will be along later and will be able to help you out. Did you attain stable water chemistry before adding the Danio's btw? Due to the heat I wouldn't go adding any more fish for now, there's less oxygen available with higher temps. If you have a heater installed you could turn it off, they don't really need it in the summer, especially with regard to your dear Nan's living conditions. :)

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/caresheets/caresheet.php?caresheetID=20
 
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Just set the heater to a temp lower than the tank is already at, that way, it will not come on unless the temp drops. Perhaps also look at fish that are happier in warmer temps.

Although danios are fairly hardy, and would probably be ok even in an un-cycled tank for a while, but eventually they will get ill under the stress of dealing with the poor conditions. Regular water changes will help keep the ammonia levels down until the filter has matured sufficiently to cope with the bio-load (waste).

However, bear in mind that danios actually prefer cooler water! I would not want to keep them much above 25 really.

Gourami's and other labarynth fish might be better suited to the warmer temps.
 
arc@css said:
Did you attain stable water chemistry before adding the Danio's btw?
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Yes, a sample was taken to the shop and tested. We've also been reliant on a lot of their advice, but they've been absolutely brilliant, they really know their stuff.

Malt_Vinegar said:
Just set the heater to a temp lower than the tank is already at, that way, it will not come on unless the temp drops. Perhaps also look at fish that are happier in warmer temps.
Click to expand...

My Dad seems to have taken charge of the temperature controls, but apparently the thermostat is already at its lowest setting. The big problem is that the air temperature in the room seems to be in the high 20s. I think I might try some fans and see what happens. I already have an old computer fan hooked up to a 12V adaptor and that would be perfect for testing.
 
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