FlyingFish78
Fish Fanatic
So about 3 weeks ago the missus and I made the decision to buy a tropical aquarium. Neither of us know the first thing about fish keeping so we've had to learn everything from scratch.
We were told numerous falsehoods by the LFS, such as, for example, that it's OK to add the fish after only a few days. He also sold us 60 fish - which we paid for - and we later found out it's way more than the filter can handle.
The tank itself is a Fluval Roma 240 and it comes with a Fluval 306 external cannister filter, which sits in the cabinet underneath the tank. The tank itself looks really nice but the filter outlet is designed really badly and I had to make a DIY fix of the problem which I detail in an earlier thread.
We used 25kg of a basic pea-sized gravel for the substrate and decorated the tank with plastic plants. We chose plastic because it's easier for the beginner to manage. I plan on eventually replacing all of the artificial plants with real ones, but this has been made difficult by the LFS recommending the cheap builders gravel. I've already placed a couple of real plants in the tank; one we bought from the LFS growing on a small piece of bogwood and the other planted straight into the gravel with a small layer of fertilizer underneath.
Anyway, I did a fish-less cycle for 2 weeks and thought it would be a good idea to conduct a practice hoover of the gravel and a practice 50% water change. All went well except...
I forgot to de-chlorinate the new water and ran the tank for another 2 days before I realised by blunder. Disaster.
So I added enough aqua plus to dechlorinate the whole tank after doing another water change.
Well, after learning the hard way I will, from now on, be extremely careful to dechlorinate the water first.
Following this disaster I spoke at length with the LFS. This time it was one of the other assistants and he seemed much more knowkedgeable and sympathetic than the first one we spoke to. He basically recommended using some Nutrafin Cycle and running the tank for a few more days. This we did, and tested the water on day 3:
PH - 7.5
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 30
At this point I felt it was time to add some fish. After doing a lot of research we decided upon Zebra Danios to begin what is most likely a fish-in cycle. We chose them because apparently they're one of the best, if not THE best, fish for beginners; being both extremely hardy and easy to care for.
I went to the LFS and returned with 6 Danios on 2nd of Jan. They seem perfectly happy in their new home. I've been water testing every day and the past 3 results have all been identical:
PH - 7.5
Ammonia - 0.1
Nitrite - 0.1
Nitrate - 30
The ammonia amd nitrite levels are just a trace. The testing kit is a liquid test tube type and the water colour is barely distinguishable from clear, hence why they're both rated 0.1. I've placed an order for an API test kit, which is apprently a lot easier to read and more accurate.
All seems well so far. I'll monitor the water for another 7 days and then gradually begin adding more fish. I'd like another 2 Danios to bring the group up to 8 and probably add some Cherry Barbs, but we'll see. A few Dwarf Gouramis would be a nice addition but they may not like sharing a tank with the highly active Danios. I'll make sure to do a lot of research becore making a decision on which new fish to add.
Anyway, that concludes my first journal entry about my foray into the wondeful world of fish keeping. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
We were told numerous falsehoods by the LFS, such as, for example, that it's OK to add the fish after only a few days. He also sold us 60 fish - which we paid for - and we later found out it's way more than the filter can handle.
The tank itself is a Fluval Roma 240 and it comes with a Fluval 306 external cannister filter, which sits in the cabinet underneath the tank. The tank itself looks really nice but the filter outlet is designed really badly and I had to make a DIY fix of the problem which I detail in an earlier thread.
We used 25kg of a basic pea-sized gravel for the substrate and decorated the tank with plastic plants. We chose plastic because it's easier for the beginner to manage. I plan on eventually replacing all of the artificial plants with real ones, but this has been made difficult by the LFS recommending the cheap builders gravel. I've already placed a couple of real plants in the tank; one we bought from the LFS growing on a small piece of bogwood and the other planted straight into the gravel with a small layer of fertilizer underneath.
Anyway, I did a fish-less cycle for 2 weeks and thought it would be a good idea to conduct a practice hoover of the gravel and a practice 50% water change. All went well except...
I forgot to de-chlorinate the new water and ran the tank for another 2 days before I realised by blunder. Disaster.
So I added enough aqua plus to dechlorinate the whole tank after doing another water change.
Well, after learning the hard way I will, from now on, be extremely careful to dechlorinate the water first.
Following this disaster I spoke at length with the LFS. This time it was one of the other assistants and he seemed much more knowkedgeable and sympathetic than the first one we spoke to. He basically recommended using some Nutrafin Cycle and running the tank for a few more days. This we did, and tested the water on day 3:
PH - 7.5
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 30
At this point I felt it was time to add some fish. After doing a lot of research we decided upon Zebra Danios to begin what is most likely a fish-in cycle. We chose them because apparently they're one of the best, if not THE best, fish for beginners; being both extremely hardy and easy to care for.
I went to the LFS and returned with 6 Danios on 2nd of Jan. They seem perfectly happy in their new home. I've been water testing every day and the past 3 results have all been identical:
PH - 7.5
Ammonia - 0.1
Nitrite - 0.1
Nitrate - 30
The ammonia amd nitrite levels are just a trace. The testing kit is a liquid test tube type and the water colour is barely distinguishable from clear, hence why they're both rated 0.1. I've placed an order for an API test kit, which is apprently a lot easier to read and more accurate.
All seems well so far. I'll monitor the water for another 7 days and then gradually begin adding more fish. I'd like another 2 Danios to bring the group up to 8 and probably add some Cherry Barbs, but we'll see. A few Dwarf Gouramis would be a nice addition but they may not like sharing a tank with the highly active Danios. I'll make sure to do a lot of research becore making a decision on which new fish to add.
Anyway, that concludes my first journal entry about my foray into the wondeful world of fish keeping. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
