Another newbie!

[Thomas A. Anderson]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure you've all been asked these questions before but please bare with me.

I purchased a tropical aquarium starter kit yesterday, I washed tank and gravel, filled it with tap water, added filter, heater and plastic plants.

Then I added some living bacteria (Bactozym) and some anti-chlorine stuff (Aquasafe), and also a few flakes of food.

The tank has been running empty of fish now for 24 hours, and I have noticed that the water is fairly cloudy.

1.) Will the water clear?
2.) How soon before I can add some fish?
3.) What fish should I start with, that don't fight/eat each other, and ideally I don't want to breed them either?
4.) Is there anything I have missed or should do?

My tank is about 34 inches X 10 X 16.

Thanking you in advance.

 

[Alien Anna]

Hi,
welcome to the group. I'm quite new myself.

Then I added some living bacteria (Bactozym) and some anti-chlorine stuff (Aquasafe), and also a few flakes of food.

For future reference, I think most of us feel that so-called "bacteria in a bottle" are probably a complete waste of money, but the worst thing they do is persuade newbies that a tank doesn't need proper preparation before you add fish (which is a very good way to kill fish).

Why did you add the food, by the way? As a potential source of ammonia for the beneficial bacteria or for some other reason?

The tank has been running empty of fish now for 24 hours, and I have noticed that the water is fairly cloudy.

1.) Will the water clear?

The cloudiness is probably a bacterial bloom, which is a good sign. However, once it clears that is only the beginning of the process. You need to get water test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and start watching for signs of the nitrogen cycle starting up in your tank. i.e. that bacteria are changing ammonia (fish waste) into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate.

If you don't wait until this point (called "cycling") before adding fish, the ammonia or nitrite may well kill your fish.

2.) How soon before I can add some fish?

See above. I would strongly recommend so-called "fishless cycling". Hopefully someone can give you the webpage (?). That will take about 10-14 days and doesn't put any fish at risk. Otherwise, you need to buy the hardiest fish, like danios, and the whole process will take about 6-8 weeks and require a significant amount of risk to your fish.

3.) What fish should I start with, that don't fight/eat each other, and ideally I don't want to breed them either?

Breeding is not a problem you generally have to worry about because it's quite difficult to prevent eggs/fry being eaten if you do want to breed. There is a vast range of fish you could buy, so in order to guide you we need to know what kind of water you have (hard or soft, alkali or acid) and what type of fish you are interested in. Go down the library and take out some good fish books with photos and see if you can narrow down your choices.

4.) Is there anything I have missed or should do?

Water testing, as I mentioned, is a vital part of setting up a new tank. You have been wise not rushing into thinks - people on this group will be more than happy to guide you and by taking advice and going slowly, you should avoid most of the pitfalls.

Good luck!

 

[Dragonslair]

Welcome CCAL, sorry too lazy to spell out your full title.
I am a moderator on a forum, and I would like to offer you a very warm welcome to this madhouse we call home. We are a friendly bunch here and we know where you're coming from- believe me we've all got the T-shirt. :laugh: :laugh: I like to think of this group a happy family-like all family we sometimes disagree, we sometimes verbally fight but at the end of the day we all kiss and make up. The one thing we all have in common on this site is that we are passionate about our hobby. There is no such thing as a silly question in here, if it concerns you and you're looking for an answer-it's not silly. There are varying amounts of expertise in here and someone is bound to know or at least point you in the right direction.
Anna, I think has pretty much covered your first questions. So there is not a lot more for me to say, other than...WELCOME.

 

[cichlidmaster]

WELCOME, WELCOME...
To the craziest place on the net for fishkeeping.

As Dragon said, Anna pretty much covered things.

Have fun here and come back often.

Larry

 

[Alien Anna]

Hi,
here is a copy of something I posted on another group, about fish choices:

Some easier fish you might like to consider (not necessarily together - you will need to check compatibility) are:

Danios
White Cloud Mountain Minnows
Black neon tetras
Neon tetras
Cardinal tetras
Penguin tetras
Dwarf gouramis
Pearl gouramis
Siamese fighting fish (betta splendens)
Platys
Guppies
Cherry barbs
Bristle-nosed pl*cos (ancistrus)
Otocinclus

Fish to avoid IMHO (no offence intended) include:

Red-tailed black sharks (aggressive, territorial)
Chinese Algae Eaters (aggressive, territorial, eats fish eyeballs!)
Tiger barbs (aggressive, notorious fin-nippers)
Suckermouth catfish (common pl*cos) (v.large, up to 14")
Pencilfish (v. sensitive to any water quality problems)
Goldfish (ruin water quality, eat everything, need 10 gals per fish)
Oscars (same as goldfish, only also v.large)
Angelfish (very sensitive to water quality problems. Eat neons in wild.)
Discus (ultra sensitive to water quality problems, hard to keep)
Most cichlids (aggressive, territorial, many are v.large).

Also, one tip is that most tetras are known to be "fin nippers", particularly with long-finned species like bettas.

Your mileage may vary, and I'm sure to get shot by the fans of one or other of these fish, but at least go carefully if you are interested in one of the more difficult fish. Check out your fish wish-list with the group before purchasing and we can probably save you some pain

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

Hi all, thanks very much for your very nice welcome and kind words.

I live in a quite hard-water area (I have to clean my kettle bi-monthly), and the reason I put a little bit of fish food in was for the bottled bacteria (bacterii)?? to feed on as per the advice of the geezer in the pet shop.

 

[Macquatic]

Hi cc&l, welcome to the Friendliest Fish Forum on the Net. Anna and Drag have given you the lowdown for starting, so just be patient and you won't have too many problems.
Remember, every fishkeeper was a beginner once!  Mac.

 

[gadazobe]

Well, not much left for me to say other that welcome!! And, yes please, I would love a creamcheese and lox bagel

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Welcome to our little fishy place. I'm one of da Bosses, although I'm more of a pupet :laugh:

As to your questions, Anna has covered most of it.

Get some test kits as anna said, Ammonia, PH, KH and GH would do fine just now. Hagen or API liquid test kits are good. Take a set off readings and let us know.

As for fish, reading books is good. Your most likely to notice the pictures and pick one that look nice. In every desribtion look for max size of fish and Aggression. Then when you have your Ph and GH readings compair them with the fish. Take a few trips to your lfs (local Fish shop) and see what they have on offer. Then read up on them. Cos eventually you can only get what they have.

Readding articles on the main site is good heres a list of some
A begginners story. (by Pete A)
Cleaning your tank
Ph, GH anf KH
Fish Index

 

[Great Lakes]

CC, Welcome to the site. Most things have been covered. But let me stress that when you get your fish, do it slowly, a couple a week. And with the size of your tank, I would kep it under a dozen total for few months. This way if you have any troubles, you shouldn't sufer catastrophic failure. Fewer fish means your biological load will be easily managed.
And remember, a successful aquarium can be around for years and years, so choose your fish carefully, and ask a lot of questions, we have a lot of answes.

 

[Rose]

Davy in his quest to give you all the info in article forgot to mention this one (from a different board...sorry davy gotta do it). As having you read the article will save us lazy sods a bit of typing later on once things start happening in the tank. Happy reading and welcome home.

Cycling safely

 

[Tatya]

Hi there Welcome to the board

I'd definitely recommend Fishless Cycling

But you'll need patience to last the 2 - 3 weeks without any fish in your tank (you can't add fish after you've started the fishless cycle before its finished cycling).

If you choose that path you need to make sure that your ammonia source doesn't foam on being shaken - and don't over do the ammonia - too much ammonia and you'll severely restrict the oxygen to the bacteria and kill the cycle. Definitely not good

If you decide on this way and have any questions I'm sure there are a few of us here who have been through it and can help. Kenliz and I for starters

 

[whacky]

Got nothing to say that hasnt been said already so i will just say hello.

Be patient though things get tricky when you rush things.

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

Hi all,

I'd just like to ask ur advice again, the geezer in my local pet shop said that I don't need to check my water until after I have added some fish for a few days.

Is this correct?

And about how much would I expect to pay for the test kits (Sterling)

Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dragonslair]

This is my personal opinion and the rest may disagree with me on this. I think there is no right or wrong time to test the quality of water in your tank. The key is test regurarly and especially after any treatment to the water. Remember water treatments can alter the chemistry of water too. There are seperate test kits for different water tests sold individually and they retail for arounf £4.00 per kit(maybe a bit more in London) and to buy the complete water test kit starts from around £40.00. Depending on the type of fish you have will determine what tests you wish to carry out. I have personally bought an eSHa Aqua Quick Test Strip pack for £9.95 from a firm by mail order called Animal House. They are extremely competitive and fast with their delivery. There are 25 strips to the pack and it reads,nitrate,nitrite,GH,KH and PH all on one strip. I find it is good value for money. There are other various test kit about