New Tank, New Fish, New Person!

Hi guys,

getting my first tank soon. I do not have a clue what I need to do once it arrives though.

Is there anywhere with a step by step, to help me look after my fish.
Just by reading this forum I have learned that I must cycle the tank, in advance of any fish. So thanks for that bit of advice already but what is the best way of doing this? There seems to be a split amongst people, with regards to instant start products and more gentle methods.

I really do not want to distress any fish I purchase so any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi and welcome to the forum,

Have you any idea on what fish you want to keep....? If not go to some of the sponsor shops and ask questions about the fish you like, then base your tank around the needs of the fish.

Depending on the fish you want there are different water conditions for them. When you find out what fish you want ask on the forum or in the shop or on the net and you will find what other fish you can keep with them and the water conditions they need.

If you need any info or help the members here are very helpful and should be able to help.

Alan

Hi and thanks

I am looking at a Juwel Rio 180 and want to get some social/semi-social tropical fish.
As a beginner, might be good that the fish I get at the start are somewhat hardy.
I do not mind (actually looking forward to) putting the work into caring for the fish but would like them to be able to withstand my newb errors.

I really don't mind what kind of fish they are, just looking for some seasoned opinions on good choices. With these opinions, i'll go a hunting for some good fish.

I sound like such a lost puppy here:blush:

oh and I obviously don't want to put a fish in woth something that will eat it or nibble its fins

Hey welcome to the hobby!
you seem to be into a "community" tank where you can have a broad mix of reasonably peaceful fish.
big variety of colors and shapes and the rio 180 is a great size to start too!!!
enjoy and don't rush:)
Dimitri.

Hi Norrie Rugger,

Welcome to the hobby of fish keeping and to the forum.
Fish Keeping is most addictive and very rewarding hobby. It's great that you are researching the subject before taking the plunge. Research and patience are the two most important characteristics in this particular hobby.
First of all, you need to identify the tank and its size. The bigger, the better as it is easier to keep the water parameters stable. While not huge and does not really suit for larger fish, 180 litres is great - I have one myself as the main display tank and am very happy with it. I wouldn't go for a 'vision' tank with the bow front. It's a question of personal preference but the bow makes it hard to see the fish and even harder to photograph them.
I would look out for a 2nd hand one. You can ask to see it filled with water and also check that it's not too scratched. It would be much cheaper than getting a new one and leave you a little budget for a quarantine tank for example.
Then, you need to cycle the tank. As you have seen, there are different schools about the way to do this. I would go with a small number of hardy fish like danios and a bit of food for a couple of weeks. Then adding a few fish at the time. Checking the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels daily and changing water accordingly.
There are several types of fish you can go for : the Community set up consisting of gentle and well-behaved fish ; there is also the possibility of cichlids which are bigger, more aggressive (some of them) and more colorful - there are other types of setups, the choice is yours. The hardness of your water might influence your choice one way or another as some fish require a higher pH than others.
The maintenance routine is also important. Changing some of the water regularly, cleaning the filters also on a regular basis.
For the rest of the time, all you have to do is watch them - you'll probably find that your television will soon become redundant !
Here are a couple of articles about setting up a new tank which you might find helpful www.irishfishkeepers.com/cms/content/category/5/29/82/ .
There is plenty more information on the forum. Also, don't hesitate to ask, someone will be able to help you.
Go to one or several of our sponsors here - they will be delighted to help you choosing the type of set up.
Good luck with it all.
Valerie

A community tank is exactly what I want.

I have not developed a preference, for any particular type of fish, so would lonve a broad range.
I appreciate that some of them will need to be kept in schools, to curb misbehaviour.

I am surprised at how much I am looking forward to this

Welcome along to the forum, where are you based?

I'm in south county dublin

Woo Hoo,

OK got my 180L tank. Rio 180 T5
Have my gravel washed and placed, couple of bits of decorations.

pH is at 6.5-7
Temp is at 26C
Cycling up nicely

Almost time for the community fishies.
I want to have some nice live plants also.

Any one got some ideas, for some nice colour and activity?

I am assuming from this that the safe start stuff is pointless then?

It would depend on the bacteria (aerobes, anaerobes, spore forming/non spore etc) but I get your point.
I am living in Tallaght but I do not know anyone in this game. All shiney and new to me

I have been told many different things about cycling tanks, from people horrified at the thought of using fish to people who say that it is the only way to go, to people who swear by safe start

Very confusing times

Welcome to the forum,
What John said is exactly to the point, God knows that everyone on this forum when starting out got over excited and went out and baught "bucket" loads of fish and woke up next morning to see them belly up:unsure:
I have tryed a type of safe start while setting up my 180 (i also added some filter material already colonised from my old set up), I left it for two days and transfered my fish into it, I had one casualty a Lake Milawi Peacock Cichlid, but he wasnt doing so well anyway.
The best advice i would give you is to take it slow your first time around and when your more expierianced you can start experimenting (it will save your fish and money),
Definatly try and get some filter media, Ask you Local fish store (LFS) Im sure they would be more than happy to give you some, (but make sure theyre tanks are stable before hand).

Anyway onto fish, everyone should start out with very hardy fish, Zebra Danios, Mollys, Platies, Guppies ect.
Dont go spending big money on a nice fish you see in a store when your just starting out, make sure to research your fish before buying also.

Plants are realy up to your personal taste although like fish some are more hardy then others. and need different water peramiters ect

I would suggest going to The age of aquariums or live aquaria, on the net to get some brilliant fish and plant "profiles".

What equipment are you using?
What decorations do you have in the tank? (they may contain harmfull chemicals)

Anyway thats all i can think of right now.
Make sure to keep us posted on how the tanks comming along.
Any pics??

All the best,
and good luck with your new tank,

Blake

I have nothing other than gravel and two aquarium specific decorations
The Water has gone cloudy (White) in the past day or two (is that normal?)

When I mentioned almost ready for fish, I meant that it was the next step after the cycling had completed.

I am looking at the Danios and Guppies but very anxious as to when to add them, want to keep them healthy.

It is looking very bare and sad at the moment lol.

Hi,
water going cloudy after 2-3 days is totally normal,it'll clear up in a day or two.
It's a bacterial bloom,as your tank is naturally maturing.
if you were to test for nitrite at this stage,you'd probably get a pretty high reading.
The best thing to do (in my opinion)is simply wait for your nitrite to go down to zero.
Once there you can introduce a few fish,danios or anything healthy and hardy.
As everyone says:do not rush and just build up the fish population very slowly:)
Dimitri.

cool dimitri
The water has gone clear again.
Reading have gone to 0 now

thanks for your help Dimitri
posted a pic of the tank, so far, in the pictures section

After the bacterial bloom I tested the water and got Zeros across the board

Brought a sample of water to Sponsor LFS and they tested it for me, to confirm.
All looked great. So I have now got a couple of Neon Tetras whizzing about the tank for the past few days. (those guys really like to move)

Tested the water again this morning and got the below.
pH: 6.5-7
Nitrite: 0.1mg/l
Nitrate: 0-10 mg/l
Ammonia: None detected.
Temperature: 26C on the button
Looking around this seems to be a all in spec.
Can someone confirm this?

Nitrite should be zero, could be down to adding some new fish however,Id do a 10% water change and check the readings again tonight to be sure.The readings are about right for a new tank,but you ideally need to get Nitrite down to Zero at all times. The Nitrate may rise slighty now that there are fish in the tank but I wouldnt overly worry if it rises a little bit,dont add any more fish until you get a zero reading on the nitrite.
Congrats also on the first fish! How many did you get ? Getting new fish is the best feeling isnt it!!!

Gavin

looking good, leave everything settle back down to zero again, and when it does add a few more fish then, you dont want any nitrite, nitrate or ammonia spikes. Remember slow and steady wins the race in fishkeeping.

Cheers guys,

I was planning on leaving them there for a while yet before more, Will wait till all to 0 again.
What are good tank mates for these tetras? They are a bit small yet(~3/4" long)
I got 7 to keep them schooling and not stressed.

They look tiny in the 180L tank.

Well depends on what type of tank you want. Ideally community if you are starting out on the fishkeeping game. Community basically means they will all live peacefully! You want to think of the tank in different layers,the bottom,middle and upper. These are the areas you want to fill.
There are loads of different tankmates that you can keep together. Im only going to put a few suggestions out there however its very much down to what you personally would like in your tank.
Other tetras can be added,there are lots of different tetras out there.
Tetras:
Cadinal : Very similar to the neons you have but the red strip continues through the body. They will mix perfectly with your neons but getting a tiny big bigger than the neons I find.(still v small though).
Rummy Nose Tetra: Lovely fish who are true schoolers and will shoal very well in your tank. The brighter the red nose, the better the water !! Id wait another month before adding them as they can be fussy when added to new tanks.
Black Phantom tetra : A lovely fish,likes plants to swim around.
Congo Tetra: From Africa actually, and very nice fins,great colours. A bit larger than the other tetras at about 3 inches max.
X-Ray Pristella: Havent kept them myself, but alot like these tetras.Shoaling fish also so could be good for your tank. ANother from South America as are alot of the tetra species.
There are loads of other tetras out there from the Charcin species,just check them out before you buy. Personnally Id try and keep to just two schooling types of fish, remember the neons arent actually schooling fish,however they do bunch very close to one another as a way of creating power in numbers sort of experiece.

Other community type fish are guppies and mollies:
Very easy to breed so just be cautious when you are picking out these fish,make sure you get the correct number of males and females etc.. They will breed easily,and while this sounds fab now at the start,its no fun being overpopulated after several breedings! Another fish as an alternative to the guppy (who are a lovely fish with fab colours and finnage),is the endler fish. Smaller in size but very colourful. Might be a little harder to get your hands on. Be careful though as they will breed with guppies also!
A Black molly is a must for any tank I feel, gorgeous velvet type appearance on them when they are in good health. A nice fish.
Gosh there really are too many to name!! Some of the barbs are nice, careful though as some are also aggressive and fin nippers. I have some cherry barbs and they are nice fish. Odessa barbs are very nice also.Stay clear of tiger barbs.
Dwarf gourami's are also very nice fish, ideally get a male and female.
You could also look at kribs, some of the dwarf chilid species also.

The bottom feeders are also great fun to pick out. Some lovely corys out there.
Sterbai cory, bronze cory,panda corys,pepper cory,julii and many more. If you fancy something a little differnt check out Kuhli loaches!! (I think they are very interesting guys, get more than 5 if you are going to really see them).
Then you have the option of check out some sucker fish such as the ancistrus and plecs (make sure you know how big they get as some of the plecs get very big!). Finally as something different perhaps a few shrimp in the tank, harmless and fun to watch! Again though research everything, as mentioned earlier, take your time in adding any fish, slow and steady as Sheag mentioned is the way to go about it. Overloading the tank will overload the filter and you end up with wipeout then!! So research your fish types,have a look at them and their characteristics and what they like and put together a list of fish you want to get!!
Your at the most exciting part of fishkeeping, picking the fish out and learning about them. Ask questions if you arent sure, and enjoy the hobby

Gavin

Hi Norrie,
I see already impatient for more fish:laugh:
the tank's doing fine,just make sure you feed sparingly or your nitrite will spike up.
like Gavin says,a little water change won't do any harm.
as for the future tankmates,there's a long list:)
nothing too big,angels for ex are a risky tankmate but doable.
other tetras,barbs,gouramis....have a little flick through books or the net and see what you like
that you could possibly find in a shop or that can be ordered depending on availability.
Glad to see things are going well!
keep us updated.
Dimitri

Hey Dimitri,

Yeah I am impatient but I can control that;)

I just like to plan ahead, so that I know what I need to do in advance.
I would like to look into some bottom feeders and some colourful fish to liven the tank.
I need to get some more hidey holes and plants before I look to add more fish also.

Thanks all for your replies, you are making this much easier than it would have been.
I have a small shoal of lovely and lively tetras, which I would not have had without all your advice.

ok it is almost a week, since the fish were out in.
I have already done a 10% water change with a larger one due this weekend.

Can anyone fill me in on what (in the filter bay) should be changed weekly?
Is is just the floss?

Hey Norrie,
Yes it is just the mechanical filtration,the white floss,that you need to change and don't go heavy on your next water change,10%should be enough:) .
is your nitrite back to 0?
D