Hi, I'm New!

[Kipsie]

I'm sorry.
I didn't know there was a difference between coldwater and tropical fish. Can anyone tell me more about this? I don't know much about fish.

Well, I guess that makes sense. Tropical places are usually warm, right? Heh.

Edit: I was looking up a few fish, and I saw that some fish lived in conditions from 72-79° F (that's 'cold', right?) and some lived from 72-82° F (Well, my ait conditioner is that low, which is 'cool' in my opinion), so i'm totally lost to what your definition of 'cold' and 'warm/tropical' is. Help?

Okay, i'm reading on cycling. Gosh, i'm really confused. I'm sorry.

Fish come from different waters all over the world. It's actually a bit misleading to lump them into categories like "coldwater" and "tropical" as it's all relative and there is hufe temperature variance within those categories.

In short, though, some fish require temperatures that are warmer than our typical room temperature. This means these fish definitely need a submersible heater that will keep the water warm enough for them. The water wouldn't necessarily feel warm to the touch but the fish really feel the difference. Each species has a recommend temperature range based on where it is from in th world and what conditions it has proved able to live comfortably in. When buying fish for a specific tank we must make sure all the fish will be happy at the same temperature.

Tropical fish are very commonly avaliable and tend to be smaller than many commonly avaliable coldwater fish. This makes them a good choice for the beginner. The heaters are an extra cost but there is not particular skill upgrade from hardy coldwater fish to hardy tropical fish. It's really just a matter of temperature.

I would always recommend a heater in a coldwater tank anyway as while the room temperature will generally be warm enough for them, fish like a stable temperature and in a tank that is the same temperature as the room, the tank's temperature will jump about a bit depending on whether there are people in the room, whether the heating is on, whether it is night or day. Many heaters will go low enough to stay off 90% of the time unless the room gets too cold and then they'll come on.

While researching your fish you'll come across suggested temperature ranges and it'll start to make sense

So, to keep a 'coldwater' fish, you would need a cooling device for the tank? We live in a tropical sunny area (It's 92 degrees now at 5pm) and our air conditioner usually makes our home cold, but then it gets warm when we turn it off.

 

[Assaye]

I'm sorry.
I didn't know there was a difference between coldwater and tropical fish. Can anyone tell me more about this? I don't know much about fish.

Well, I guess that makes sense. Tropical places are usually warm, right? Heh.

Edit: I was looking up a few fish, and I saw that some fish lived in conditions from 72-79° F (that's 'cold', right?) and some lived from 72-82° F (Well, my ait conditioner is that low, which is 'cool' in my opinion), so i'm totally lost to what your definition of 'cold' and 'warm/tropical' is. Help?

Okay, i'm reading on cycling. Gosh, i'm really confused. I'm sorry.

Fish come from different waters all over the world. It's actually a bit misleading to lump them into categories like "coldwater" and "tropical" as it's all relative and there is hufe temperature variance within those categories.

In short, though, some fish require temperatures that are warmer than our typical room temperature. This means these fish definitely need a submersible heater that will keep the water warm enough for them. The water wouldn't necessarily feel warm to the touch but the fish really feel the difference. Each species has a recommend temperature range based on where it is from in th world and what conditions it has proved able to live comfortably in. When buying fish for a specific tank we must make sure all the fish will be happy at the same temperature.

Tropical fish are very commonly avaliable and tend to be smaller than many commonly avaliable coldwater fish. This makes them a good choice for the beginner. The heaters are an extra cost but there is not particular skill upgrade from hardy coldwater fish to hardy tropical fish. It's really just a matter of temperature.

I would always recommend a heater in a coldwater tank anyway as while the room temperature will generally be warm enough for them, fish like a stable temperature and in a tank that is the same temperature as the room, the tank's temperature will jump about a bit depending on whether there are people in the room, whether the heating is on, whether it is night or day. Many heaters will go low enough to stay off 90% of the time unless the room gets too cold and then they'll come on.

While researching your fish you'll come across suggested temperature ranges and it'll start to make sense

So, to keep a 'coldwater' fish, you would need a cooling device for the tank? We live in a tropical sunny area (It's 92 degrees now at 5pm) and our air conditioner usually makes our home cold, but then it gets warm when we turn it off.

If you wanted to keep fish that needed to be in a tank colder than your room temperature would allow, then yes you would need to cool the tank. It's quite uncommon to do so, though. Most people would just keep tropicals in that case.

Some species will adapt well to different temperatures but unless your room temperature is below the mid-80s you'll struggle to keep any fish without a cooling system. Even those temperatures are very high for the majority of fish, including most tropicals.

 

[Kipsie]

My dad told me the tank is pretty small, so I hope it's big enough for a betta.
Okay, so it's going to be a betta!


The same tank rules apply to bettas, yes?

 

[Twinklecaz]

I would say that as it's so warm where you live and Bettas are quite tolerant then you may not even need a heater ( as long as it is a betta you keep).

Hi btw, welcome

 

[Kipsie]

I got a betta today.
I couldn't resist. Walmart had him in a cup and some of the fish weren't even moving.
He was the only fish that interacted with me.
Well, aside from the goldfish that swarmed to me when I passed by their over-crowded tanks. No one there looked happy.
So, i've cleaned the tank (is lemon juice and salt to scrub okay? It had stains. Bad ones.), so now i'm just rinsing it and I have the solution to put into the water... It's from Tetra, I think. I should buy a filter tomorrow.
Hopefully my dad will buy one.

The tank is 10 gallon. He (my dad) has another tank for me but it's smaller, he says. So, I guess i'll have two. I only need the bigger one, though. Hm.

The tank I cleaned also has some dry rubbery plastic stuff at the edges. I think it was to seal it or something? I didn't mess with it too much.

 

[Kipsie]

Ah, okay, the black base frame part at the bottom of my tank is coming off.
And my dad i giving me the new smaller tank tomorrow morning.
Do you think my betta can last until then?
Will more sealant work?

 

[meguro]

do u have any other container to put the fish in? and do u have a tap water conditioner or dechlorinator?

resealing tanks can be rather tricky, have u tested it for leaks yet? ie. filling it with water (preferably in a sink, bath tub or outside) and seeing if its water tight

does ur dad have a tank running with fish in it? if so u could save urself a lot of trouble by taking a fraction of his bio media

edit: u jumped into fish keeping headfirst. its far better if the fish is the last thing u purchase, not the first!

 

[Kipsie]

do u have any other container to put the fish in? and do u have a tap water conditioner or dechlorinator?

resealing tanks can be rather tricky, have u tested it for leaks yet? ie. filling it with water (preferably in a sink, bath tub or outside) and seeing if its water tight

does ur dad have a tank running with fish in it? if so u could save urself a lot of trouble by taking a fraction of his bio media

edit: u jumped into fish keeping headfirst. its far better if the fish is the last thing u purchase, not the first!

I feel so bad now. The fish looked so... Almost dead at Walmart. Ah, well.
My dad knows nothing about fish, so, no.

It has a leak. The base at the bottom leaks.

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZyLXRptEVc

See the black part around the bottom of the tank? That part is coming off.

I figured the tank can only hold so much water, so he's in there.

Oh god, i'm a fish killer.

 

[meguro]

u will probably need to use a silicone sealant to patch up the tank

but by other container i meant something like a large vase or plastic container or bucket etc. (around ~5L). the fish will fair far better in something like that for a few days while u fix up the tank, then it ever would being left in the bag it came with. the tap conditioner is so u can make the additional water safe for it (the water in the bag the fish came with will be about ~250mL at most)

 

[Kipsie]

u will probably need to use a silicone sealant to patch up the tank

but by other container i meant something like a large vase or plastic container or bucket etc. (around ~5L). the fish will fair far better in something like that for a few days while u fix up the tank, then it ever would being left in the bag it came with. the tap conditioner is so u can make the additional water safe for it (the water in the bag the fish came with will be about ~250mL at most)

He actually came in a 2-inch filled small tupperware bowl the store had him in.
I can find a large vase somewhere for sure.

I need advice for the sealant. I'm not handy and my mom's not helping with this at all.

He doesn't seem to love his flakes too much, only the shrimp bits hat are mixed in with it.
But he ate enough.

 

[Ashley1991]

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aqua-Mate-Sealant-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Manufacturers-/260616181422?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3cadef56ae

thats what i use as sealant and thats the cheapest i could find it for you

you will need a gun for it though

Ash

 

[Kipsie]

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aqua-Mate-Sealant-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Manufacturers-/260616181422?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3cadef56ae

thats what i use as sealant and thats the cheapest i could find it for you

you will need a gun for it though

Ash

How much is that in USA dollars?
My dad is coming back from a 4-hour drive and I hope he can take me to actually go and buy that today.


Can anyone explain why my fish avoids eating his flakes and eats the shrimp pieces instead? The flakes are all we have now, and finding a shrimp piece in there is like... Finding a needle in a haystack. There are not much in there.

 

[Kipsie]

He has a filter and a heater and a new tank now.
We had... issues with the sealant plan.

 

[Ashley1991]

sounds like everything is coming together

ash