gogfumble
New Member
Hi all.
Am new here (obviously
) and have been reading a lot of good and helpful information.
I am getting a new tank and stand, from seapets.co.uk which hopefully should be arriving in the next week or so. It is a Fluval Roma 200. After reading all the information and opinions I am definitely going to be doing a fishless cycle. Not only does it seem easier and kinder to the fish but this period will take me past my forthcoming exams so hopefully by the time it is cycled I will have more time to devote to making sure my fish population settle in as much as possible. I have read the info on here about fishless cycling and think I can follow that quite easily, I am going to get a testing kit to help me out.
It is my first big tank, I do have a Bi-orb 30l which I HAD as a cold water tank until I read on the net that they are not suitable. I was quite shocked by this, I bought the Bi-orb on recommendation from my LFS along with the fish (well, I should know better than listening to people in pets at home and won't make that mistake again) plus they had a Bi-orb 30l with 4 goldfish in it on display. So we gave those fish to my uncle to put in his pond where they seem to be thriving (they were acclimatised and the like, my uncle has kept coldwater and tropical fish himself for a number of years). At the moment this is empty but I am thinking I might get a heater and start it up again and just put a little school of fish in it. I might not do this straight away though.
I have a few questions though mainly relating to the fluval as I haven't properly thought about the Bi-Orb as yet. I could probably get the answers from my uncle but am after different opinions so I can make an informed decision.
Firstly, plants. I want to use live plants but don't know if I should put these in at the start of the cycle or after the cycle? My mum said she thought at the start of the cycle would be better as it would give the plants chance to start growing and get rooted so when you put fish in they will have a harder time pulling any plants up. What do people recommend? Also, other ornaments/rocks, should these go in at the start or end of cycling?
Secondly - is gravel or sand better for live plants?
Thirdly - Fish. I know I have quite some time before I can stock the tank but I want to start thinking about what fish to put in it so I can make sure they all live well together. What recommendations do people have for a community tank?
If my calculations are correct I can have 122cm/44inches of adult size fish.
I would quite like a few bigger fish as centrepieces, I really like Angelfish, and then smaller fish. Although I am quite happy for recommendations as to what would be better for a relative newbie to the hobby setting up a community tank.
Thanks in advance for the great advice I am sure I will get form this forum and sorry about my long post. You will learn, I have a tendency to ramble in real life as well as on the net.
Am new here (obviously
) and have been reading a lot of good and helpful information. I am getting a new tank and stand, from seapets.co.uk which hopefully should be arriving in the next week or so. It is a Fluval Roma 200. After reading all the information and opinions I am definitely going to be doing a fishless cycle. Not only does it seem easier and kinder to the fish but this period will take me past my forthcoming exams so hopefully by the time it is cycled I will have more time to devote to making sure my fish population settle in as much as possible. I have read the info on here about fishless cycling and think I can follow that quite easily, I am going to get a testing kit to help me out.
It is my first big tank, I do have a Bi-orb 30l which I HAD as a cold water tank until I read on the net that they are not suitable. I was quite shocked by this, I bought the Bi-orb on recommendation from my LFS along with the fish (well, I should know better than listening to people in pets at home and won't make that mistake again) plus they had a Bi-orb 30l with 4 goldfish in it on display. So we gave those fish to my uncle to put in his pond where they seem to be thriving (they were acclimatised and the like, my uncle has kept coldwater and tropical fish himself for a number of years). At the moment this is empty but I am thinking I might get a heater and start it up again and just put a little school of fish in it. I might not do this straight away though.
I have a few questions though mainly relating to the fluval as I haven't properly thought about the Bi-Orb as yet. I could probably get the answers from my uncle but am after different opinions so I can make an informed decision.
Firstly, plants. I want to use live plants but don't know if I should put these in at the start of the cycle or after the cycle? My mum said she thought at the start of the cycle would be better as it would give the plants chance to start growing and get rooted so when you put fish in they will have a harder time pulling any plants up. What do people recommend? Also, other ornaments/rocks, should these go in at the start or end of cycling?
Secondly - is gravel or sand better for live plants?
Thirdly - Fish. I know I have quite some time before I can stock the tank but I want to start thinking about what fish to put in it so I can make sure they all live well together. What recommendations do people have for a community tank?
If my calculations are correct I can have 122cm/44inches of adult size fish.
I would quite like a few bigger fish as centrepieces, I really like Angelfish, and then smaller fish. Although I am quite happy for recommendations as to what would be better for a relative newbie to the hobby setting up a community tank.
Thanks in advance for the great advice I am sure I will get form this forum and sorry about my long post. You will learn, I have a tendency to ramble in real life as well as on the net.
to the forum!
