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Author Topic: Tropical fish  (Read 7780 times)
Arriba

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« on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:29:54 »

Took the plunge and bought a complete set up on e-bay.
i'm not totally new to fish keeping as i have had a goldfish tank a few years ago.But aint kept tropicals.
Any of you keep fish?got any tips?
currently have it up and running but without fish or plants yet.
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Don Rogers Shop

« Reply #1 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:33:13 »

Make sure you walk them daily.
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Samdy Gray
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« Reply #2 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:35:15 »

You'll need to cycle the tank before you add fish. The easiest way to do it is get a couple (i.e. only two) of hardy fish and leave them on their own for a few weeks. Danios are usually good for this. Some people don't approve of this method though because it effectively poisons the fish.

What kind of filtration system are you running?
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Arriba

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« Reply #3 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:40:04 »

it's an elite stingray 15 which goes in the tank.
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Peter Venkman
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« Reply #4 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:41:15 »

You'll need to cycle the tank before you add fish.

Fish AND exercise?  for that reason I'm out!
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« Reply #5 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:41:39 »

Add Ammo Lock and then let the tank go natural for a week before fish.

Zebra Dannios are excellent as Sam says as they are very hardy.

DO NOT ADD ALL THE FISH AT ONCE. Bit by bit is best.

I miss fish keeping...
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LucienSanchez

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« Reply #6 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:41:50 »

Bennett knows loads about this, I'm sure he'll have some decent advice...
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Arriba

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« Reply #7 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:50:24 »

i've done a bit of research about cycling and taking time etc.currently all i have done is get the pump and heater up and running, and put the bog wood in.
it's a 60 litre tank and i want easy to keep fish.
aint bought any accesories yet or plants.i want plants that wont die and will continue to grow,could any of you reccomend which is best?
also what water additives are essential,etc...
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Samdy Gray
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« Reply #8 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:51:34 »

it's an elite stingray 15 which goes in the tank.

Good stuff. Just wanted to check whether you were using a power filter or an under gravel system. With a power filter it's easier to keep plants (depending on what substrate you're using).

I wish I'd never used large gravel because it's a bastard to keep clean. I keep meaning to drain the tank and replace it with fine gravel/sand.

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Arriba

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« Reply #9 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:55:12 »

gravel is around 2-5 ml.
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Samdy Gray
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« Reply #10 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:55:54 »

i've done a bit of research about cycling and taking time etc.currently all i have done is get the pump and heater up and running, and put the bog wood in.
it's a 60 litre tank and i want easy to keep fish.
aint bought any accesories yet or plants.i want plants that wont die and will continue to grow,could any of you reccomend which is best?
also what water additives are essential,etc...

Is the bog wood new or re-used? If new, did you soak it first?

Java ferns & moss and anubias are generally the easiest to keep.

I don't use any additives. Just a pH balance for when I do water changes.
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Arriba

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« Reply #11 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10:57:47 »

all second hand,samdy.
bog wood has been used but i gave it a good rinse.also took the filter apart and cleaned all the parts-sponges, etc.
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Peter Venkman
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« Reply #12 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 11:08:35 »

I miss fish keeping...

So now you just sell them after keeping them while they are dead Wink
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« Reply #13 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 11:27:16 »

Come on down ...........the price is wrong!
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Samdy Gray
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« Reply #14 on: Friday, November 5, 2010, 12:38:40 »

all second hand,samdy.
bog wood has been used but i gave it a good rinse.also took the filter apart and cleaned all the parts-sponges, etc.

All good stuff, apart from cleaning the sponges Smiley If the setup was complete when you bought it then the sponges would've been well matured and you could've used them to cut down your cycling time.

My advice would be to make sure you do regular water and filter changes. I do them every other week which is slight overkill but it keeps the tank clean and healthy. I like to alternate between changing the water and changing the filter (i.e. one week I'll do just the water, the next week I'll do just the filter) but that's just personal preference so as the changes aren't too harsh on the fish.

Most filters have two sponges in them, only change them one at a time so that you've always got a matured filter in.

Clean any algae at the same time you do water changes. As you're using large gravel it's probably best to do your water changes using a gravel cleaner so you can clean all the crap out of the tank at the same time. Always let any debris settle before switching the filter back on.
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