Greetings!

[Helium_Junkie]

Hullo there! My name is Matt, I live in East Sussex (South East England) and I have recently begun looking into fishkeeping as a hobby

I have many questions, and have been trying to answer them with articles on the internet as well as a couple of books, but now I feel I need some real discussion regarding my options.

Firstly, I have not kept fish before, but I am quite keen, so please be ruthless in pointing out any daft suggestions I make

So, on to the questions:

1) What Tank?

I've been looking at the Fluval Duo 1000, 100*40*40cm, what opinions on this tank? My budget isn't huge, and I would like a tank of 100cm or so, any better suggestions?

2) What filtration system?

I have considered an undergravel filter, with powerhead for the filtration in my tank, but have seen some less than favourable comments regarding this method... but no real reasons as to why. So is it a bad idea?

I would like a community tank, and will be asking more about what kind of fish to keep, but these questions are the top on my list

Also, any decent UK online suppliers?

Thanks for reading!

-HJ

 

[keeper-of-fish]

what ever you deside to get make sure when starting out cycle your tank (you cant buy fish untill your tank is ready some tiems your tank take a month to cycle there are dirrections on this fourm) and also buy fish that are commpatible No Sharks they grow to big they sell them in pet stores but stay away from them for filtration buy a external power filter you will kick your slef if you dont i felt like it.
as for the fish there are tons get fish as i said above that are commpatable and also that wont out grow your choice of aquarium try to figure out the gallons of your tanks also buy a test kit that tests nitrate nitrite and ammonia and ph if u have questions ask go in the chat people in there are great!

 

[Leslie]

I agree, don't get an undergravel filter as there are much better filters out there now. The trouble with undergravel is that all the uneaten food, etc gets pulled under the substrate and rots there. It's very hard to get to it when it's under the substrate. In years gone by the UG filter was the best filtration out there but now there are better ones IMO.

As far as the size of tank... get the largest one you can afford on your budget. You won't regret it. Good luck... welcome to the wonderful world of fishkeeping.

 

[appleblossom]

undergravel filters are very inefficient, difficult to clean, dont allow the addition of carbon to remove metals and medications from the water, and suck all the waste into the gravel making it difficult to clean which can mean water problems as the trapped waste builds up.

Buy a hang on the back filter, or a juwel tank which has a good filter/heater unit incorporated into the tank. If you have the budget get an external cannister filter (probably around £60).

Decent online UK suppliers is limited to www.trimar.co.uk, thats the only one ive found. (yes their website is painful)

Most people choose hardy fish as starters as they can often survive any mistakes you make along the way as you learn, and dont need an established tank. (still needs to be cycled though)

I reccommend danios - often used to cycle a tank as they are very hardy. They like to be in groups of 5 or more, and are always active zipping around the tank. They add a lot of activity and are fun to watch. they come in many types, long fin, zebra, leopard, pearl, have a look on google image search for some pictures.

Another good starter fish are platys (also called moons) - these are another hardy fish that can usually survive the cycling process. They will be happy in a newly established tank and are live bearers which means that you can expect lots of baby fish to raise, or a free meal for your fish from each female once a month. They are best kept in ratios of 2 or 3 females to 1 male. Platys are a quite active fish and come in so many colours that I cant realkly list them all here. They are a bright, cheerful addition to any new community tank.

 

[K-Holed]

Welcome!

I've run Ug filters for years on my tanks and never had a problem, but as people have mentioned there are better filters out there now.(more convienient at any rate!) For a tank that size you could get an Eheim ecco filter for £45 and that if you go top of the range.

 

[clutterydrawer]

Heya The tank you're thinking of sounds fine to me, as long as you get fish that are suitable for it. The msot iportant advice I wold give to someone who is jsut setting out is always, always research a fish before you buy it. Impulse buys = trouble. often people buy a juvenile fish not knowing it grows to 24", or that it's a predator which will eat their other fishes. Otehr than that: don't overstock. And don't get an undergravel filter.

 

[Helium_Junkie]

Thanks very much for the replies so far, I have settled on the Fluval 1000, it comes with an internal filter... how hard would it be to upgrade this in the future?
I figured that if I bought another then I could condition it by running it on a bucket of siphoned aquarium water, using the fishless cycling method until it was ready and then just switch em... would that work?

Also, the tank has a stand which isn't that cheap... is it really stupid to put the tank on a table or some such?

 

[clutterydrawer]

If this tank is 100x40x40 it will have a volume of 160l, meaning it weighs 160kg, which I think is about 352 pounds. That's just the weight of the water, not including the filter, heater, substrate, etc etc....so you are gonna need one hell of a strong table. I put my 54 litre tank on a sideboad and after a few years I think the sideboard might be bowing a bit under the tank, so never underestimate its weight. Also some manufacturers void the waranty on a tank if it's not been kept on a specially designed stand.

So basically, get the stand if you possibly can

 

[Helium_Junkie]

OK, so if I buy the tank now, what do I need to start it cycling?
If I add live plants should I do it straight away or after fishless cycling is complete?
What needs to be done to tap water before it goes in the aquarium?

Checklist of things to buy now:

Fluval Duo 1000 Aquarium Set
- Double Light Canopy
- Contains:
- 1 x Fluval Glass Aquarium 100cm x 40cm x 40cm
- 1 x 1000mm Glo-Light Double Light Tube Canopy
- 1 x Fluval 3 Plus Underwater Filter
- 2 x 36" Flourescent Bulbs
- 1 x Tronic Heater
- 1 x Digital Thermometer
- 1 x Nutrafin Max Tropical Flake Food Tub
- 1 x Nutrafin Cycle, Aqua Plus, & Plant Grow Water Treatments
- 1 x Carbon & Polyester Filter Pads
- 1 x Green-X Phosphate Remover
- 1 x Aquarium care Guide
- 5 x Assorted Plastic Plants

Also:
Gravel
Plants? See question above.
Siphon for cleaning
Water Treatment? See question above
Algae Scraper

Anything else?

 

[Phantom Thief]

You need to dechlorinate water before it goes in. Make sure the water treatment treats both chlorine and chloramine. The plants can be added anytime.

yes, there is something else... FISH!!!

P.T.

 

[CBXGhosty]

Hi, unless you have already bought your tank, IMO i would get a second hand one, i could not believe the price of new tanks, so i wnet onto ebay and bought mine for £150, that included filters, lighting, gravel, planents, rocks, pump and everything, even hjad some fish which i still have some alive - i got it about 2 years ago

what i got for my money



My Tank

 

[ajhainey]

Hey - I have that tank! PetsAtHome have the whole thing (tank and stand) for £210 to give you an idea on price - but take a look at ebay - theres some great second hand deals about if you are short on cash...I wish I had looked there first...

The 'kit' has everything you need except siphon, fish nets, gravel, rocks, fish/real plants and a test kit. The aqua-plus is a water conditioner. You can add plants at any time.

So far has been great. The only probs i have had are that the filter is ungodly powerful and had to be turned to face the corner like a troublesome schoolchild to get the fish to come up to the top and that the canopy gets a little water in it - which leaves residue on the lights..no problem as such yet, but it worries me....

It would be very easy to change the filter, its freestanding. I would recommend the stand (although mine is shoddily finished) as it is required for the guarantee - and the tank weighs more than your average sumo wrestler

There are full instructions in the manual - but basically fill with water and add some aquasafe and cycle. Put the heater and filter in, place your plastic plants and away you go. If you have access to anyone with a tank it would be quicker to run the filter in their tank for a couple of days and then transfer it to yours.

Good luck!

aj xx

 

[Helium_Junkie]

Thanks AJ,
Well, as it happens PetsAtHome is where I went anyway, I bought a Fluval 1200, 120*40*40 with stand.
I don't do second hand stuff really, the few times I have I've regretted it!

Set up the stand and placed the aquarium on top... and CRACK!!!!!

Nah, just kiddin'

All looks good so far, breaking for dinner now before fixing up the hood, cleaning the tank out and filling with gravel.

A question about cycling: Where can I buy Ammonia?

Thanks again for all the advice so far! MUCH appreciated!

 

[clutterydrawer]

Set up the stand and placed the aquarium on top... and CRACK!!!!!

argh
I jumped when I read that

Anyway.......it can be tricky to find ammonia in the UK (apparently) but have a look in some hardware stores. You need stuff that doesn't foam when you shake it. A brand often found here is Jeyes Kleen Off.

 

[Vip]

Me to when i read that i was like oh no.
Welcome to the forum matt, its good to see you have asked us the questions and it also looks like you have looked into what you want, if only most of us were like that eh.