New And Need Advice Please.

[jody04]

Hi i'm new here and also new to aquariums and fish in general.
Ive just purchased a 90 litre fish tank and a filter/heater for tropical fish,the heater and filter have been running for 3 days,how long should a new tank be running for before you add fish?
also i've been a little overwhelmed by the variety of fish,could someone give me an idea of a suitable selection and amount of tropical fish for a tank this size?
also i quite like the little red crabs that are often seen in some pet shops,are these suitable for these kind of tanks or do they need a differant set up?

Thanks in advance,Jody.

 

[basil1]

Hi jody and welcome, firstly don't even think about fish yet no matter what your local fish shop tells you or LFS as you will need to do a fishless cycle first, look for this on forum, 3 days is nowhere near enough time to introduce fish, trust me, as you will be told by the rest of the members on here, you will only end up by wasting your money , and worse dead fish, your tank needs to mature first, this will take time and patients, but will be well worth it in the end, while your tank is maturing it will give you time to look
up on what fish you would like, a friendly communty tank or spiecies only, as fir the cute little crabs, you won't think they are that cute when your fish start dissapearing, please look up the fishless cycle first, be patient, it will take time, but will be well worth it, one tip, whatever your LFS tells you, check it out on here first, these guys are only to willing to help with FREE honest advice,

 

[Wills]

Hi Jody welcome to the forum and the hobby! A 90 liter tank is a nice starting size But believe me if you get hooked the tank will just grow and grow

A Basil said the best bit about this forum is the information you get that you dont get from the shops. The best way to set up a fish tank is whats called a fishless cycle. A cycle refers to the mass of poisonous chemicals that occur as a result of the fishes poo in the early weeks of a fish tank.

There are guides to do this in the beginners resources and is dead easy to do just time consuming and its the best way to start of a successful tank.

The crabs are not suitable for community tanks as they will eat most small fish. What other fish were you interested in?

Wills

 

[jody04]

thanx guys,was thinking about the regular fish like the Neons,guppys and catfish.
does the tank need to cycle for fish poo and stuff as the tank is new?
i thought it would have to mature for a few days....
i'll keep away from the crabs then,ta for the advice.

 

[Wills]

I would read through this section.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

Basically when you set up a tank you have 2 options 1 a fish in cycle which uses the fish poo to create the ammonia source to start off the cycle that will establish the tank for life. The problems with this is there are fish being exposed to a lot of toxins which can easily kill them or at least make them ill which both outcomes are bad but then again you can control this cycle with lots of water changes each day for about 6 weeks.

The second way is the fishless cycle which is where you get pure ammonia from a hardware store and add a small amount each day. The ammonia is the poison created by fish poo but because there is no fish to poo you use the pure chemical to avoid putting fish in what is essentially toxic water.

So basically the choices are

controlled Fish in cycle = fish now but lots of water changes and constant risk of death and disease
OR
Fishless cycle = fish in about 6 weeks so a bit of a wait but 0 deaths and 100% safe tank to add fish to when its ready and rather than constant water changes you add a few drops of ammonia each day.
OR
uncontrolled Fish in cycle = adding the fish after no preparation and leaving the tank to stand without adding any source of ammonia to start the cycle off for a few weeks and then add fish and then they die a few days/weeks later - repeat and start again

I would do the fishless its what I did when I started and its the least stressful

Also a note on the fish you mentioned, the common fish that are kept in tanks are actually becoming some of the weakest fish around as they are bred in such mass numbers that their genes are just really bad and they are just producing really sickly fish now a days and neons and guppies are often the worst affected by this but you do get very good healthy strains of guppies but just be careful where you get them from. Also with the catfish you said about there are thousands and thousands of catfish but I would guess you are talking about either - common plecs or cory catfish google those two names and tell me which - if its the cories go for it but if its the plecs do not get a common one they are sold very often to small tanks and in reality they get to between 12-24 inches (1-2 feet) and there are so many better options than them for small tanks.

I know all of the above is quite daunting but its so important to get this part of the hobby right for your sake, the fishes sake and your wallets sake. Sorry if any of its seemed forceful or shouty but its meant with the best intentions to help you so please take note of what I have said

Wills

 

[Curiosity101]

Gotta just back Wills up. His advice is spot on!

Just one more thing to add, the whole 'wait 2 weeks then add fish' is absolute twoddle. You need to wait as long as it takes for the CO2 to gas out of the water (with the filter switched on this is normally done within a few hours if you wipe the insides of the tank to dislodge the bubbles).

After those few hours you're then ready for fish if going fish in. And you're ready for fishless from the second the tank is filled and everything is switched on.

Definitely read up on cycling so you can make an informed choice. The overall beginners resource centre link is in Wills post, I suggest having a look at that. But the direct link with regards to cycling are in my sig.