[wheettebott]

Hey,
Been on the look out now for a while for a good deal on a tropical aquarium setup, finally saw one today. Been doing lots of reading and research and i think i have a good setup for a beginner......

-65 Litre tank with a red and white light in hood (and with a curved front!)
-Under gravel filtration system
-100 watt heater

I've set it all up........
-washed all the tank and equipment in plain water
-fitted the under gravel filtration
-washed the gravel
-set the thermometer to 26 degrees C
-added tap water
-added Tetra "Safe Start" biological activation liquid

So now i've got to wait about a week i believe then get some hardy fish to start up nitrogen/ammonia cycle.
So do you guys think i've done everything correctly so far?
what fish would you reccomend to start the tank up with?
do you think its best to add live plants now or wait for the tank to establish its self a bit more first?

thanks for the help, cheers![thumbup]

[poRmawayncmop]

don't get one..... very very hard work and u'll hate ur self when they all die becasue you cocked up with the nitrate levels

poor things

that's my advice.

[UFJon]

the gourami is a good start fresh water fish. they grow to 4-5 inches depending on tank size. dont put too many fish in , maybe 2 and 1 algae eater. but the gravel filter is the best way to oxygenize the tank and clean. have fun, aquariums are fun but require some work. i miss having an aquarium lol i had a 55 gallon tank, and it was awesome. make sure u clean the tank about 10% using a siphon every month, take out the feces and wwaste.

[Gudronich]

I'd stay away from UGF. In my experience a good hang on or canister filter will give you much less of a headache in the long run.

My $.02 of course.

Once you get the aquarium established, just keep up with your regular water changes, and you should have an enjoyable hobby. Just keep an eye on those NO3 levels.

You may even like it enough to jump into saltwater, which in my opinion is easier to keep up with than a FW setup (once you do your research and get over the initial sticker shock).

[courlerwele]

I used to wash gravel in cold water and then again in a pan with boiling water than one wash with cold water. ( this may be an obsolete method though.)

And after I filled the tank with water I added quite alot of oxygen generating plants.


And Salt Water is not easier, it's more critical than fresh tropical water. Of course depending on what you are going to put in.

[engideNedmupe]

My friend is very into aquariums. I'm always amazed at all the technology and work we have to put in to create something nature does without batting an eye. [yes]

[poRmawayncmop]

My friend is very into aquariums. I'm always amazed at all the technology and work we have to put in to create something nature does without batting an eye. [yes]

yup and equally how easily we can destroy it too

[engideNedmupe]

yup and equally how easily we can destroy it too

That too. I guess he had a fish die overnight and didn't notice it till he got home the next day. Did what he called "ammonia bomb" and wiped his whole tank out before he got to it. Many fish and lots of coral. Was a very beautiful set up.

[UFJon]

i did salt water , and really it aint any more beautiful than fresh water tank. the fish cost more tho.

[AngelinaTheElf]

For that size tank, leave it a week but with live plants in which will set things off nicely. You need Nutrafin cycle which is a biological supplement which provides all the baceteria necessary and also removes the chlorine from the tap water. I would personally leave it for 2 weeks before putting any fish in and when you do get 6 Neon Tetras, they can survive in very bad water conditions.

I keep Discus which are probably the most difficult freshwater fish to keep in an aquarium. I have to do 25% water changes every week, some aquarists do that amount every day but to set my tank off I got Tetras which co-exist very nicely with the Discus, and theyre also very happy in the 30c temps that the Discus require (and green algae thrive [thumbdown])

Keep on top of it and its a very rewarding hobby, but it can be a royal pain in the ass especially when you go away for 2 weeks and ask someone to look after it for you [no]

[aabbaDE]

I would get a bottle of ammonia, & start dosing that into the tank. Let the bacteria build up so it can process it in no time!

I would suggest you google fishless cycle. & join some tropical aquarium forums. Fishless cycle is the way!

95% of tropical fish owners would suggest you do this. Fish in cycle is not really fair for the fish. they eat, crap, and no bacteria build up to prcoess the ammonia. takes a long time & they may die.

the safe start is useless too - but thats just my opinion.

[wheettebott]

Thanks for the help guys!

Little update:
-Planted up the aquarium with various plant
-Bought an external canister filter as i have established that my under gravel filtration system is crap
-Got some ammonia and a master testing kit

I'm going to do a fishless cycle, as boring as it is to stare at a empty tank for 4-6 weeks i think the end result will be a lot more rewarding, going to kick that off when my external canister filter arrives tomorrow

EDIT: BTW slinger mighty imppresed you are keeping discus! how many do you have? got any piccies?

[Gudronich]

Thanks for the help guys!

Little update:
-Planted up the aquarium with various plant
-Bought an external canister filter as i have established that my under gravel filtration system is crap
-Got some ammonia and a master testing kit

I'm going to do a fishless cycle, as boring as it is to stare at a empty tank for 4-6 weeks i think the end result will be a lot more rewarding, going to kick that off when my external canister filter arrives tomorrow

EDIT: BTW slinger mighty imppresed you are keeping discus! how many do you have? got any piccies?

Looks like you are doing things the right way!

Post some pics in the coming weeks of your progress.

What are you planning on keeping?

[wheettebott]

Here is what i am looking at keeping......

-bolovian rams
-kribensis
-apistos
-harlequin rasboras
-ottos
-corydoras
-tetras

not going to keep all of them obviously, but they are the fish that are currently in the mix!

Here are a few pics for those interested..........

[Gudronich]

Very nice aquascape [thumbup].

I've always liked cory's myself, they tend to have pretty funny personalities.

Hopefully your fish won't demolish the beautiful plants like my Cichlids do [cursing].

Also, nice idea going with smaller fish...when I started off I always wanted something "big and bad" like Oscars and Jack Dempseys, but having one large predatory fish isn't nearly as a beautiful as a community tank.

[UFJon]

wow awesome ! u inspired me to go back and set up my own lol