Purchasing New Tank Help!

It's up to what fish you like,miso find a fish that you want to get and we will start from there

 

How many fish are advised to place in at the beginning ?

 

It depends on what fish you want to get

 

Would like one or maybe a pair of cichlids to start, I want a commmunity tank though so I would want the best breed that is compatible with other types of fish.

Firemouth cichlids maybe?

 

Cichlids tend to be more aggressive to other fish, so they might not work in a community (depends on the type) and they get fairly big meaning you may only be able to house 2 (again depending on the type)

 

Yeah I seen that was looking at the german blue ram dwarf cichlid. Supposedly peaceful although think it may come down to individual fish.

Would like to get a cichlid, but don't want them to terrorize the other tank mates. Still searching for all sorts of alternatives its hard work lol

 

Haha good luck

 

Do you know the quickest way to have a bonsaI driftwood tree to become waterlogged, should I boil it?

 

Yes, you always boil the wood you buy to release tannins and have it waterlog faster

 

How long should I boil it? Should I keep renewing the water and keep doing this till the water stopes turning dirty?

 

You can do it, but normally wood takes a long long time before it has no more tannins so water changes in the first month will be good

 

I will boil it thursday the tank is due for delivery then. Cant wait.

had plants delivered today, will they make it till thursday in a sealed bag?

 

HI there!

Regarding the wood, I boil or bake mine for 2 hours. Just be warned that unless you are buying wood from a pet store, even after boiling it, it will probably take a few weeks to get fully waterlogged. I'm in the process of water logging a few pieces I picked up on the beach. I have them weighted down with stones.

Good luck with the new tank. It loads of fun to research the fish you want to put in the tank.

 

Thanks for your input inappreaciate apl the help I can get. Its veen an expensive ride so far but its an initial investment, so I am pretty happy so far. Just wish I didnt have to wait a full week for the tank. Purchased it last thursday. Lol. Been a long week.

Do you think I should start the boiling process just now and then leave it in water till the tank comes?

I will try get the wood weighted down in the tank not sure how yet but I see what I can do.

 

Do you think I should start the boiling process just now and then leave it in water till the tank comes?

.

Definitely!

It can be expensive. I spent a ton on my first 2 aquariums. My 3rd I am building slowly and cheaply (I get a lot of stuff off of gumtree). Unfortunately, tanks are way more expensive here in the UK then they are in the US, but there are upsides, I've never had a problem finding the fish I want. So many stores in such a small radius (although I do live in a city, might be different in say the highlands).

 

Defo is expensive it cost me £40 and I only have a small bonsaI tree it will serve as a starter just now and I can add a larger one in future omce I can build funds again spent over £800 now all in. ( the missus thinks I am mad)

I was looking inlin seen tropco been looking at fish in there, can you reccomend a good online shop?

 

As far as online shops go allpondsolutions allpondsolutions.co.uk won online retailer of the year in Practical Fishkeeping poll . I've never used them myself, but I would order from them if I was considering buying online.

There are ways to make things a bit cheaper. One of my aquarium stands is made of breeze blocks and 2"x4" not the prettiest, but sturdy and functional cost about £14 to build and I got the tank second hand (with a light, heater and unused sand) for £50.

 

That's decent. I’ll check out that site see what they stock.

That driftwood has boiled for nearly 2 hours I have it just sitting in water now. It seems to be going well. The water is getting the job done its sinking

Is this going to be a problem??

Its about an inch off level. Will this maybe even out after I add some water or am I best to fix before I am freaking out lol.

 

If purchasing your own fish tank I would recommend having it custom made from a glass manufacturer, as its cheaper and more practical. You can also specify the dimensions of the tank that you want, how many gallons etc. You can also ensure high quality and durable glass if you order the good quality ones.

 

If purchasing your own fish tank I would recommend having it custom made from a glass manufacturer, as its cheaper and more practical. You can also specify the dimensions of the tank that you want, how many gallons etc. You can also ensure high quality and durable glass if you order the good quality ones.

I don't know what you mean?

 

Its about an inch off level. Will this maybe even out after I add some water or am I best to fix before I am freaking out lol.

If the water line is going to bug you, fix it now (but level the stand, not the tank). Adding water won't level your floor (if it does, I'd suggest moving).

 

I don't know what you mean?

Instead of buying a whole branded aquarium, you may want to have it assembled by a glass supplier. Not only can you choose dimensions but is also much cheaper.

 

If the water line is going to bug you, fix it now (but level the stand, not the tank). Adding water won't level your floor (if it does, I'd suggest moving).

I was thinking it may not be 100% accurate reading since its layed on carpet with thick underlay below it, but it probs won't matter as both sides should be creating equal pressure.

Is the tank going to be at risk of damage if its filled unevenly?

That's my only worry.

Instead of buying a whole branded aquarium, you may want to have it assembled by a glass supplier. Not only can you choose dimensions but is also much cheaper.

I’ve already bought the tank though.

 

O p s

Oh well I googled the tank and it looks pretty good to me

 

I was thinking it may not be 100% accurate reading since its layed on carpet with thick underlay below it, but it probs won't matter as both sides should be creating equal pressure.
Is the tank going to be at risk of damage if its filled unevenly?
That's my only worry.

Short answer, no.

 

Short answer, no.

Got an 18mm strip of mdf under one side and its all good now. The work begins.

 

What stocking are you choosing?

 

Right I am in to the 6th day my water parameters are reading

p.h 6.4
ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm

I have 2 platy in the tank only because my daughter has a really small tank (not fit for purpose) her uncle bought her it and the fish were not happy in such small wuarters so I decided after adding a QuickStart solution to add the fish on sunday. They took a few days to settle but they are doing great eating regularly and enjoying such freedom in their new home.

My water parameters seem fine. My tank went through a 2 day cloud bloom which has subsided not 100 percent but looking good.

What are your thoughts on what my next move should be? Should I wait a few weeks before adding more fish?

Cheers

My ammonia was 0.25 ppm 2 days ago

What am I waiting for regarding nitrate and nitrite levels

 

My ammonia was 0.25 ppm 2 days ago

What am I waiting for regarding nitrate and nitrite levels

With two Platies in that tank you won't see the end of the cycle. Nitrites should remain 0, Ammonia should stay below what you can easily identify as green.
The biobloom is good, it's actually a better indication of your cycle in this situation. Once it clears up fully, if Nitrite is 0, you're good to add more fish.
If you can handle the constant monitoring and likely water changes, you can get a bunch more fish, but your current bb colony won't support it. The way I've done it is to add between 50-100% of the bioload at a time. So if you want 2 more Platies, that's 100%, if you want a Snail or a Cichlid, that's 100%, 4 Otocinclus would be 80%ish... Wait for the bloom to clear, keeping an eye on Ammo and Nitrite, and do it again.

 

Just a word of caution regarding stocking - you said that you would like a pair of cichlids, possibly firemouths. They are wonderful fish and full of character which I suppose is why they are popular.

Many years ago I had a 3 foot tank, 30 gallons and, like you I wanted a community tank so I had a few guppies, half a dozen neon tetras, a few Corydoras, that sort of thing. I also got a pair of firemouths.

Everybody got along well, the firemouths were a bit bullish but nothing that was a problem ......... right up to the point where they decided they wanted to raise a family.
The male decided that he was going to establish a territory and not allow any other fish to enter it, unfortunately his territory was the entire tank apart from about 6 inches on the left hand side. He bullied every other fish in the tank and they all ended up corralled into just 6 inches.

The other thing they will do is dig pits in the gravel for their brood to sit in. You have asked how deep a substrate you should have, well if you keep firemouths thy will decide that for you. You'll come down in the morning and find that overnight they have totally rearranged your tank and decor, uprooted your plants and moved a lot of your gravel to a place of their choosing.

The majority of dwarf cichlids in my experience behave in a similar way, I had Kribensis do the same and also Elliottis Cichlids. My Male ElliottI actually hunted down all the other fish and tried to kill them, he would have done just that if I had not seen him and relocated all the other fish to another tank.

By all means get your Firemouths, as I said they are wonderful fish with great personalities; watching their spawning behaviour and the way they care for their eggs and young is awesome but be prepared for upheaval if they spawn with other tank mates present.

 

With two Platies in that tank you won't see the end of the cycle. Nitrites should remain 0, Ammonia should stay below what you can easily identify as green.
The biobloom is good, it's actually a better indication of your cycle in this situation. Once it clears up fully, if Nitrite is 0, you're good to add more fish.
If you can handle the constant monitoring and likely water changes, you can get a bunch more fish, but your current bb colony won't support it. The way I've done it is to add between 50-100% of the bioload at a time. So if you want 2 more Platies, that's 100%, if you want a Snail or a Cichlid, that's 100%, 4 Otocinclus would be 80%ish... Wait for the bloom to clear, keeping an eye on Ammo and Nitrite, and do it again.

Do you think I should order another female platy and a pleco to help cycle tue tank?

Water changes I don't really worry about having to do this. It takes half hour to do a quick change so easily enough done.

Just a word of caution regarding stocking - you said that you would like a pair of cichlids, possibly firemouths. They are wonderful fish and full of character which I suppose is why they are popular.

Many years ago I had a 3 foot tank, 30 gallons and, like you I wanted a community tank so I had a few guppies, half a dozen neon tetras, a few Corydoras, that sort of thing. I also got a pair of firemouths.

Everybody got along well, the firemouths were a bit bullish but nothing that was a problem ......... right up to the point where they decided they wanted to raise a family.
The male decided that he was going to establish a territory and not allow any other fish to enter it, unfortunately his territory was the entire tank apart from about 6 inches on the left hand side. He bullied every other fish in the tank and they all ended up corralled into just 6 inches.

The other thing they will do is dig pits in the gravel for their brood to sit in. You have asked how deep a substrate you should have, well if you keep firemouths thy will decide that for you. You'll come down in the morning and find that overnight they have totally rearranged your tank and decor, uprooted your plants and moved a lot of your gravel to a place of their choosing.

The majority of dwarf cichlids in my experience behave in a similar way, I had Kribensis do the same and also Elliottis Cichlids. My Male ElliottI actually hunted down all the other fish and tried to kill them, he would have done just that if I had not seen him and relocated all the other fish to another tank.

By all means get your Firemouths, as I said they are wonderful fish with great personalities; watching their spawning behaviour and the way they care for their eggs and young is awesome but be prepared for upheaval if they spawn with other tank mates present.

Very good information mate thanks for this, do you think adding one would curb this behaviour regarding territory?
Are cichlids happy enough as one in a tank or do they prefer a couple? Maybe two of the same sex would work?

Cheers

 

Do you think I should order another female platy and a pleco to help cycle tue tank?

Water changes I don't really worry about having to do this. It takes half hour to do a quick change so easily enough done.

Another Platy is good, the Pleco (depending on species, size) is about a 300% increase to your bioload at this point though.

 

Another Platy is good, the Pleco (depending on species, size) is about a 300% increase to your bioload at this point though.

I am going to go for another 2 platys then at weekend, I need 2 females to stop the male harrasing the female so much.

Is this platy pregnant?

 

Is this platy pregnant?

Live bearers, as a general rule, are pregnant if there's a male in the tank.

 

Live bearers, as a general rule, are pregnant if there's a male in the tank.

Possibly a silly question but how many times will they breed?

 

Also will they eat the fry? What will I need to do to help it survive?

 

Also will they eat the fry? What will I need to do to help it survive?

I've seen Livebearers stay pregnant for over a year after the male was removed, dropping babies every 26-28 days like clockwork.
Plants help a lot with survival rates, especially floating plants. Caves and holey decorations help a bit as well.

 

I have a few ornaments for hiding. I also have couple of plants but only java fern just now. So not ideal for hiding. I want to order a couple of platys from tropco but can't justify the price of delivery for 2 platy.

May need to go to pets at home.

2 new platies added to tank tonight. Added seachem stability and paraguard. Lights on tank switched off for 24hours. waiting game now

 

Can I add this fish with my platys probs next friday,

Are these good community fish?

 

I am hoing through another bloom after adding 2 new platys on wednesday.

Ph 6.4
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrates and nitrites both 0

Is it best to leave a water change during bloom?