(another) newbie needs advice

[Alurny]

Hello! I've been reading around on the net recently and looking into investing in some fish. Ive picked out these so far
White Clouds (live in 4+: numbers)
Dwarf gourmis (4+)
Kuhlii Loach (2?)
Rasbora Harlequin (4+)

Are these a good mix?
Any suggestions for plants?
Any suggestions for lighting?
Any suggestions for filter?
Any sugestions for tank size?
Any suggestions for sex?

When quarentening do i need to before introducing my fish to a cycled tank?
Do you quarentene in a separate tank? Eg would i need to buy 2 tanks?

Also could i transport my fish when i go to uni in september okay in a car? If it will be possible ill tackle nearer the time. Help would be greatly appreciated. Also could someone give me a list of how to cycle my tank. I just cant understand cycling..... oh and what do you use to test PH? Shall i "borrow" some litmus paper from school? Cheers! Oh and how do you dechlorinate water? I got about £100(bout $180) to start with and would like a smaller tank to begin with.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

to the forum. Introduce yourself in the newbie section.

So many questions!

Dwarf gouramis: Somewhat aggressive, would only keep a pair. More females than males would be beter, but not too many. (Not 100% about this, speculations). A pair is fine if the tank is large enough, I have a pair in a 45 gallon tank without problems.

White cloud minnows: Somewhat cold-water. Not sure how well they would do in warmer temps.

Rasboras, good choice. I would think you might want more since they are schooling fish and because it betters chances to breed. (Do a bit of research and it is easy to sex them. Males are more red, females are fuller, and there is a difference in the shape of the black patch)

Mix is fine, but it depends on the size of your tank. If you want a smaller tank, you will have to limit the amount of fish you have. In a smaller tank (I would say you could get a 30 gallon tank here for 180, though not too sure), I would remove the loaches and the gouramis and get tetras and livebearers.

Bottom feeders: An alternative to khuli's would be the corydoras. You can keep more of them and I would wager they are more entertaining to view (haven't owned loaches). Sizes range from 1.5" to 3", on average. pygmies are smallest, bronze corydoras are the biggest. These guys need to be fed food other than flakes that fall to the bottom. I.e. frozen foods such as blood worms and pellets and algae discs.

Testing kits: You need them since you are starting off so you don't make mistakes. Cycling help is in the beginners section in the pinned articles. It's simple, you just need to try it first and it should work out.

Quarantine tanks: Used to quarantine new stock, bullies, adn sick fish. It is highly recommended. I would say about a 10 gallon tank. If you restrict yourself to the 10 gallon and don't add fish straight to the main tank, you should be able to avoid ammonia spikes (pollution). Quarantine time shoudl be around 1 month to make sure stock is safe.


Filter: Power filter. Get filter floss/ fiber. This will reduce replacement costs for the filter media and it works as well as carbon.

Lighting: Fluorescent.

Plants: Check out the plant section. Suggestions: java fern and/or moss.

Sexing dwarf gouramis: Female is plumper, smaller, and silver.

HTH

 

[Alurny]

Thankyou for your help. I now understand cycling (should do seen as though im a biology/chemistry student lol!)

Ill wait up to see what other people have to say. Oh and is there a section on tank matinence, or is there a book you can recommend i mean the real basics like water changing and general care. Thanks!

Quarintening tank- Do i use water from the tank i intend to put them in? Do i quarintene all my fish eg: First ones ill put in are the harlequins (possibly6). Will i have to quarentene them before i put them in my cycled tank?

Cheers for the informative response

 

[glolite]

Hi again. I would recommend 'Tropical Fish, A Complete Owner's Manual' published byBarron's by Peter Stadelmann. It's a small book and quite cheap, but has everything a beginner would need to know. Includes a chapter on the most popular fish for beginners. I got mine from the lfs (local fish store).

If you start with livebearers such as guppies/platies/mollies, do bear in mind that they each give birth to about 20-40 fry every 3 to 4 weeks!!! I've got loads already. This means you either have to catch them and keep in yet another tank or sell/swap them. If you keep one sex only the males are prettier.

As tank cleaners for a smaller aquarium I'd recommend a bristle nosed catfish or pitbull catfish (pleco is common name) or corydoras as you can keep a few of these together, but make sure to get dwarf ones. Bronze corys get BIG.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Alurny]

Im looking at getting 6 harli's 6 neons and 3 zebra loaches. Now im worried about fry, can i let nature take its course or do they need removing? Where can i sell the fry(as i can guarentee i cant afford to keep them). What kind of tank would i require for this many fish preferbly as small as possible(as i got very little £££). Cheers

 

[glolite]

Don't worry too much about fry, Sorry didn't mean to alarm you. Most get eaten by other fish I'm afraid but my four females have all had one batch and I reckon there are about 8 left, so it takes a while to build up. Have had my first tank for 2 months now. (Now have 4 tanks - Whoops ). Your lfs will probably take baby fish once they've grown a bit and although they don't pay will probably give you a discount on equipment/food etc. It is great fun to watch the fry grow and start eating.

Fry can grow on in the main tank as after the first 2 weeks they don't get eaten by the parents although bigger fish such as dannios(barbs) and angels still will. If you want to keep a separate fry tank between 4 to 8 gallons is fine ie: 'Moby tank'

Your selection sounds lovely, just make sure the loaches arn't going to get too big. I've got Indian and Clown loaches in a 40g and will have to sell on my clowns soon, boo hoo.

 

[Alurny]

) Thankyou. Now im a complete newbie to fish could i pick up the hobby easily? I have the time its just a big investment.......... Could anyone recommend a tank size,filter,heater,light, plants suitable for the fish set up i said? I just want to get an idea of cost....are there any online sites with prices of fishies? Oh and what is gallons in cm dimensions? Gallons to me makes it sound huge )

http/www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...7436298-9313400 (im sorry if links are not allowed ill remove if offends (is this the book)

Oh and food wise.........Flaked for harli's and neons but what about loaches ive read frozen food will that be at LFS? Sinking pellets too sound suitable. Are these loaches peaceful?

 

[gale]

Quarintening tank- Do i use water from the tank i intend to put them in? Do i quarintene all my fish eg: First ones ill put in are the harlequins (possibly6). Will i have to quarentene them before i put them in my cycled tank?

You do not have to quarantine the first stock you put in your main tank. The primary reason for quarantine is to protect any of your existing fish from diseases that new fish might bring in. When you do quarantine you probably won't be able to pull the water from your main tank by then unless you get it from a partial water change, but as long as they're from the same source it's not a problem. Even so you should re-acclimate the fish between the quarantine tank and your main tank.

 

[Alurny]

Okay thankyou gale! The first fish(the harlis) can go straight in. And then i'd have to quatrentene the others(neons) for upto a month before adding them? Ijust use same water source and it will be ok? Cheers for clearing that up.

 

[gale]

I would say 2 weeks but truthfully I have never quarantined any fish. I guess I've been lucky but in the future I will be quarantining them before putting them in either of my other tanks. Probably only for 2 weeks though.

 

[glolite]

That's the very book.

10 gallons is about 60cm long, 30 wide and 30 deep. Mine cost around £65 new and is a Juwel Rekord. Nice starter tank as it comes complete with filter, heater and lights. Some say the bigger Juwel tanks are unreliable as the heaters and filters are inadequate for the size tank. I haven't had any probs yet (touch wood) but then an additional heater is about £20 new.

You could look on ebay, just type in 'juwel' in their search area. I got my 40g second hand with fish for about £200. If you go for as big a tank as you can afford it is better. I soon outgrew my first as it is a very addictive hobby!! I'm lucky being fairly ancient with some money to indulge with ) Naughty I know but hey what else would I spend it on. he he

Loaches eat pellets and algae wafers but not sure on Zebra loaches. Someone else will know if you post a new topic. Tropical chitchat or beginners but it might get move to the specialist site. You have to chase your questions round sometimes.
Good luck

 

[Alurny]

Yep just picked out that very tank. Will that be suitable for these fish? Will there be room for expansion? Its it carryable on a bus? Or am i gonna have to get my girlfriend to drive me ? That shop you reccomended sells that tank. What will i need to buy to add to the tank? Will this cost more than £100? lol! Oh and do i need a cabenet? Or will a solid surface do?

 

[glolite]

I should get your girlfriend to drive you, it is carryable but I'm thinking Xmas crowds, tank might get kicked and broken.
Yes should be suitable for your fish but don't put them straight in will you, coz they'll die Patience really is worthwhile, honestly, I've learnt by my own mistakes and it's quicker and safer to fishless cycle.

 

[Alurny]

Yep ill lets it cycle for a month. I gonna get and read cover to cover that book in that time. How do i convince my parents that i can start with tropical fish its just goldfish are so dull!

 

[glolite]

Just tell them goldfish grow quicker and take up more room and poo more therefore make more smell!!!!