New 125 Litre Tank!

[Torred1771]

Hello guys! I have recently purchased a 125 litre tank and I have just a few questions.

1. I got two pieces of wood that just seem to want to float, I heard that if you soak them in water overnight that they will sink, but they haven't. What tricks do you guys use to make your wood sink?

2. I get mixed reviews on starter fish. One person told me to get Neon Tetra's, and another person reccomended Five Banded Barbs. I would prefer the barbs but would like to know if they will hold up in a new tank.

3. What fish mix well with others??

I got the tank set up last night, I got an Eheim Pickup 2012 Filter for the tank, which is suitable for 200 litres. Also, I have a heater that has the tank at perfect 26C.

Any suggestions anyone?

 

[doresy]

Hi

No 1. You need to soak the wood for a week or two (if it's bog wood or similar) which makes it waterlogged so it will sink. In this time it will also leech out tannin's which otherwise would stain the water in your tank. One trick is to fix it to a piece of slate (with aquarium safe silicone or small cable tie) to keep it submerged until it's waterlogged.

No.2 and 3. You need to research "Fishless Cycling" within this forum before you even consider getting your first fish. This will take a couple of months which will give you plenty of time to decide which fish species you intend to keep.

Please check this out.......... Fishless Cycle info

 

[Torred1771]

Hi

No 1. You need to soak the wood for a week or two (if it's bog wood or similar) which makes it waterlogged so it will sink. In this time it will also leech out tannin's which otherwise would stain the water in your tank. One trick is to fix it to a piece of slate (with aquarium safe silicone or small cable tie) to keep it submerged until it's waterlogged.

No.2 and 3. You need to research "Fishless Cycling" within this forum before you even consider getting your first fish. This will take a couple of months which will give you plenty of time to decide which fish species you intend to keep.

Where do I buy Aquarium Safe Silicone?

 

[doresy]

Hi

No 1. You need to soak the wood for a week or two (if it's bog wood or similar) which makes it waterlogged so it will sink. In this time it will also leech out tannin's which otherwise would stain the water in your tank. One trick is to fix it to a piece of slate (with aquarium safe silicone or small cable tie) to keep it submerged until it's waterlogged.

No.2 and 3. You need to research "Fishless Cycling" within this forum before you even consider getting your first fish. This will take a couple of months which will give you plenty of time to decide which fish species you intend to keep.

Where do I buy Aquarium Safe Silicone?

Any LFS (local fish shop) but they charge the earth for a small tube If you do eBay then this will do... Silicone

 

[winkle]

Welcome to the forum

The wood will sink eventually, but if you do buy the aquarium safe silicone you can also use it to make safe and secure, nifty little slate caves. Any bottom dwellers you end up with are bound to love them!

I'm sure as you've come to a forum seeking advice that you're a thoughtful person, but please please please take what local fish shops say with a pinch of salt. You get rogue traders in every profession who are more interested in making a buck than the customer's needs or their livestocks' welfare.

Cheap fish are cheap for reasons. They are either so easy to keep and breed that they become common as muck and almost need to be given away (like guppies, mollies, platies, swordtails... these guys give birth to live babies at a rate that puts rabbits to shame), OR they eventually grow ridiculously enormous and too few people have the space to keep them (common and sailfin plecostomus, clown loaches and bala sharks are generally freely avaliable for next to nothing and all can grow bigger than 1 foot in length if looked after properly).

I hope you have loads of fun setting up your new tank!

 

[Torred1771]

Welcome to the forum

The wood will sink eventually, but if you do buy the aquarium safe silicone you can also use it to make safe and secure, nifty little slate caves. Any bottom dwellers you end up with are bound to love them!

I'm sure as you've come to a forum seeking advice that you're a thoughtful person, but please please please take what local fish shops say with a pinch of salt. You get rogue traders in every profession who are more interested in making a buck than the customer's needs or their livestocks' welfare.

Cheap fish are cheap for reasons. They are either so easy to keep and breed that they become common as muck and almost need to be given away (like guppies, mollies, platies, swordtails... these guys give birth to live babies at a rate that puts rabbits to shame), OR they eventually grow ridiculously enormous and too few people have the space to keep them (common and sailfin plecostomus, clown loaches and bala sharks are generally freely avaliable for next to nothing and all can grow bigger than 1 foot in length if looked after properly).

I hope you have loads of fun setting up your new tank!

Thanks for the advice.

My local fish shop tends to give fairly good advice, plus I know somebody that works there.

Also, "tannin" was mentioned, when the wood turns the water a "tea" color. I don't mind the color, I think it looks nice depending on which fish you keep, but is it harmful for the tank?

 

[Torred1771]

Well this tank got a crack in it and leaked all over my carpet, so I have gone for a BRAND NEW tank instead. Last night I bought a slightly smaller tank, a 90 Litre Bow Front! It looks pretty amazing and I am hoping to get plants and fish by Thursday if all goes well. I am currently soaking my wood in hot water for a few days to let all the color bleed out.

 

[Tizer]

Have you cycled the filter so it can deal with the fish waste? sounds to me like you are just going to fill up the tank, turn on the filter and expect it to "work".

Have a read of the beginners resource section on here, regarding fishless cycling.

If you know all about this, then fair play, crack on.

Doesnt seem like you have though, if you plan to put fish in there, on Thursday, they will be dead by Sunday if the filter isnt cycled (a process which can take more than a month). Oh, and dont believe your local fish shop when it comes to giving you advice about bacteria for your filter from a bottle, which im sure they will try and make you use / buy. It doesnt work. So as good as you might think your local shop is with the advice, i suggest you ask here first.