Hello...look What I Got Given..

[pistol pete]

Well i have just been given a 6 foot 300l fish tank with metal stand (wood covered)...

I would like marine but its lots of money and it takes a lot of looking after from what i hear..
So i am going to to go tropical i think.. I know it will still take looking after etc..

I am setting it up properly over 2 weeks to ensure it settles properly before fish go in..

Just ordered a fluval 405

I have bought a few plastic plants for it..and some ornaments

gonna make it look a bit like a Gears of war battle zone as have a load of figures i might use a few in it..

and i think it is just gonna be a communal tank (my first tropical tank)..
one thing i have to have is the small sharks..
but am i right in thinking best to get a couple of plecos, first and a few small ones while the tank settles over the first couple of months.. (can you get neons for tropical??)


i shall keep pics going as it gets better..

it has a small circulating pump and 2 heaters
will get the filter in and set up the ornaments etc.
also got an air pump and air wall then leave it another couple of weeks before any fish..

it has been placed where the sun will not hit it

wife is repainting the wood work at the weekend

I did get some light tubes last night
a question about them

got some sand in there now with red/black shingle at each end.. (looks how i want it to)

got some deco for it as well as an air pump and air wall..

got the lights for it.. i bought 2 types.. 1 daylight and one 1 moon light..

how is it best to do it..? day light 12 hours and moonlight 12 hours?
or nothing of a night as 9pm till 7am.. from 7am till 5pm the day light then moonlight till 9pm??

thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

Given? GIVEN?!!! Wow, you lucky, lucky person!!!

You don't need to have plecs at all, unless you want them. Neon tetras are tropical fish. The best thing to do is a fishless cycle to grow the essential bacteria you need. All the details are in the beginner's resource center (link in my sig). This ensures your tank is ready for fish before you put any fish in, and saves a lot of heartache in the long term.

If you're going to have real plants, you'll need the daylight light on for between 6 and 8 hours; any longer and you'll just encourage algae. If you're having fake plants, then you need the lights on literally just when you're actually looking at the tank; the fish will be happy in just the ambient room lighting. The moonlight light is, again, purely for your own pleasure.

 

[pistol pete]

okay thanks..

Its tropical not marine i want to go..
marine looks a lot of hard work..

this is where i am unsure on what fish on the long term.. i want it to be a community tank... but i defo want the little sharks.. i love the elegance of them

i just want it all to look nice a pretty but an bit evil at the same time as its a war scene with the figures etc in there. (2 chainsawing each other, another with a sniper rifle etc etc)

i am making sure the tank i well ready before any fish i do not want to rush it which is unusual for me..

it was given by a guy at work was being moved abroad and it was the last one no one wanted due to its size.. but i had plently of room for it..

 

[fluttermoth]

There are quite a lot of fish known as 'sharks'; you'll need to find out what specific kind you want to give them the right enviroment.

Best thing to do is go and have a look around your LFS (local fish shop) and see what you like and then come home and look them up online or ask on here as to what conditions they need and whether they're suitable or not.

Don't rely on the LFS because thay may be more interested in the sale than the long term happines of you and your fish!

Luckily you have a tank that's large enough for things like Bala sharks if you want them (most people don't!)

I'd be a bit wary of putting those figurines in there tbh; not because of the look of them, but because they propably weren't made to be submerged and the paints etc used on them could be toxic to your fish...

 

[pistol pete]

ahh.// good point about the figures... i did wonder that... i might leave them out thenn
fish welbeing comes first...

ohh bala shark.. "heads off to google..."

hmm nope not the one i was thinking off..
we used to have one at work.. looked just like a very small version of a white shark.. but never ate other fish it was a veggie i think..

other Q is gonna be .. how many fish approx will go in there. obv not all at once... over a period of a year of 2..

cheers

 

[fluttermoth]

we used to have one at work.. looked just like a very small version of a white shark.. but never ate other fish it was a veggie i think..

Hmmm...that's got me puzzled! Albino rainbow shark?

 

[pistol pete]

nope nomal colours of grey on to and white underneath

thanks for your help with this as it is one i want to find..

it grew to about 6 inches long...

 

[lilfishie]

Redtailed catfish? (although they grow HUGE)

Great sized tank especially since it was given to you, look forward to seeing it stocked

 

[CrazyAirborne]

grats on the new tank and

 

[The.FL.Keys]

I must say, what a great bargain

 

[woody88]

Hi, not that I want to deter you from tropical as I love trops as much as marine but honestly marine tanks are no where as near as hard as people make out.
I have a nano reef tank that was given to me in a sorry state which I had to put right myself with no experience in marine whatsoever (nano marine is much harder to maintain than a large marine tank) yet after a bit of research and some help on here I have a beautiful looking tank and as long as I do small weekly water changes which ain't no biggy, my tank stays stable and my fish stay happy.

Yes the initial startup cost can be high depending on what system you go for but maintenance wise it's no more than tropical. Well not alot more anyway! Lol

Plus all this rubbish about 6-8 weeks for it to cycle is nonsense. You can actually setup a marine tank and have it cycled within a couple of days simply by adding mature, cured live rock. It's just so dam expensive!

Anyway like I said I'm not trying to tempt to you to the salty side as I love my trop tank just as much and care and maintain it MORE than my marine tank.
I just thought I'd let you know that marine isn't as bad as people make out that have no experience.

Good luck with the tank anyway mate. It's a beaut!

 

[weezawoo]

As a trop turned salty just recently, I was originally put off by the 'hard work' looking into it, it isn't as bad as some people make out and it is so rewarding (not that trops aren't, I love my platned tank)

 

[nosoup4you]

"Colombian Shark"?

These guys are often sold as freshwater but don't do well outside of a brackish setup at all. They also get like 2 feet long so not really well suited to a community tank with neon tetras.

 

[pistol pete]

thanks but nope thats not the shark....

hmmm marine.. you got me tempted cos i do love them...

what would i need to do to make it marnie and cycle it??
thanks..

and what would i need to do i.e. ading salt etc
and how would i decide on fish?.... all looks quite expensive.. but does look really nice..

i have so far...
sand /grave in the bottom..
a fluval 405.
air pump with air wall for the back of tank and 1 large 1 small circulating pump..

oh and heaters

 

[weezawoo]

The cycle isn't the same as Fresh at all. Basically you have LR which is your filtering system (ish) so the cycle will depend on the rock you get! If you pop over to the salty section there is a lot of info there in peoples journals that would give you an idea of things!