New fishkeeper

[Honeybear]

Hi. I am Matt . I have just joined the forum. I have a fluval Roma 200 I am/will be a 1st time fishkeeper. I want to do a planted tank and like all sorts of fish species. Just not sure what I want and how many fish I can keep. I really like long finned zebra danios and many gaurami species. I am thinking teras as well but not neons. Just wondering how many types of teras I can keep as well as the gaurami/danios

 

[Essjay]

The first thing you need to do is find out how hard your tap water is. It is recommended to keep fish which originate in water with similar hardness to our tap water. The fish you like are all soft water fish, but it is relatively easy (though costly) to lower hardness by mixing hard tap water with pure water such as reverse osmosis water.
I suspect you do have hard water with a location of Colchester. You can check just how hard by entering your postcode here

Public Water Supply Zone Information..

That should give you a drop down box with your hardness in several units of measurement - can you post here the numbers for "calcium carbonate" and "degrees German" - those are the two units used in fishkeeping.

 

[MattW]

Welcome to TFF Matt!

I agree with what @Essjay said. It's much easier to keep fish species that prefer similar water hardness to your tap water.

 

[Sparx]

Welcome along

 

[Honeybear]

The first thing you need to do is find out how hard your tap water is. It is recommended to keep fish which originate in water with similar hardness to our tap water. The fish you like are all soft water fish, but it is relatively easy (though costly) to lower hardness by mixing hard tap water with pure water such as reverse osmosis water.
I suspect you do have hard water with a location of Colchester. You can check just how hard by entering your postcode here

Public Water Supply Zone Information..

That should give you a drop down box with your hardness in several units of measurement - can you post here the numbers for "calcium carbonate" and "degrees German" - those are the two units used in fishkeeping.

Welcome to TFF Matt!

I agree with what @Essjay said. It's much easier to keep fish species that prefer similar water hardness to your tap water.

Hi thanks for your advice
Cal/Carb 321.838
Deg German 18.28

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello and welcome. A 50 gallon tank is a nice size for a beginner. I would suggest you resist the temptation of keeping a community tank (several fish species together) and focus on one species. I'd recommend Platy fish. Very tolerant of mistakes in tank management and not real particular about water conditions other than you using a water treatment and getting most of their water changed out at least a couple of times a week.

10

 

[Honeybear]

Hello and welcome. A 50 gallon tank is a nice size for a beginner. I would suggest you resist the temptation of keeping a community tank (several fish species together) and focus on one species. I'd recommend Platy fish. Very tolerant of mistakes in tank management and not real particular about water conditions other than you using a water treatment and getting most of their water changed out at least a couple of times a week.

10

Hi thanks for your advice. Trouble is ever since I started thinking about keeping fish I wanted to start a community tank. My dad has a small tank with tetras in and it looks really nice. Platy,s all though really colorful weren't really on my list of potential pet fish

 

[Essjay]

Cal/Carb 321.838
Deg German 18.28

Fish profiles refer to calcium carbonate as ppm and deg German as dH. Just different words for the same thing. You have very hard water, I'm afraid, so most of the fish named in post #1 are not suitable.

This leaves you with 2 options.
#1 Change the fish you would like to keep to those suited to hard water.
#2 Change the water to suit the fish you want.

#2 is not very difficult. You need a supply of reverse osmosis water and a GH tester - there are many brands on the market. Fish stores sell RO water as do those stores catering for window cleaners - our window cleaner uses it. Or you can buy equipment to make it yourself, though as the process wastes water it can be expensive if you are on a meter.
Tap water and RO water are mixed to get the hardness (GH) to the level needed by the fish - this is why you need a GH tester so you know what proportions of tap and RO get the level to what you want. This is done before the water is put in the tank so the level in the tank remains constant. It also means you need some RO water on hand at all times in case an emergency water change is needed. It also means fishless cycling is a good idea as fish-in cycling involves a lot of water changes. The "useful links" box on the right contains a link to the various methods of cycling a tank.

We have members who live with hard water and prefer soft water fish so use RO water. One of them has made this comment on the forum

I kept soft water fish in hard water for years following that logic. The average life of my fish (including cardinals) was 12-18 months. Now I use RO the average life for the same fish is 6-7 years. My fish are also much brighter coloured now.

Fish stores are notoriously unreliable when it comes to advice. Most workers have little knowledge and are trained merely in how to make a sale. Always do your own research and never ask them for advice.
Seriously Fish is one of the most reliable out there. Many other sites give misleading or inaccurate info. Seriously Fish tells us the tank size a fish species needs; the hardness, pH and temperature it needs; whether it needs to be just a single fish, a pair or a group and so on. Always check on whether a fish is suitable for a tank before buying.

Knowledge Base — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Hello welcome aboard matey, I too have very hard water and I keep rainbow fish.

Whether you choose to go RO or keep fish suited to your local water (which I recommend, especially as a beginner) we're a good bunch here and will help you step by step

 

[Honeybear]

Fish profiles refer to calcium carbonate as ppm and deg German as dH. Just different words for the same thing. You have very hard water, I'm afraid, so most of the fish named in post #1 are not suitable.

This leaves you with 2 options.
#1 Change the fish you would like to keep to those suited to hard water.
#2 Change the water to suit the fish you want.

#2 is not very difficult. You need a supply of reverse osmosis water and a GH tester - there are many brands on the market. Fish stores sell RO water as do those stores catering for window cleaners - our window cleaner uses it. Or you can buy equipment to make it yourself, though as the process wastes water it can be expensive if you are on a meter.
Tap water and RO water are mixed to get the hardness (GH) to the level needed by the fish - this is why you need a GH tester so you know what proportions of tap and RO get the level to what you want. This is done before the water is put in the tank so the level in the tank remains constant. It also means you need some RO water on hand at all times in case an emergency water change is needed. It also means fishless cycling is a good idea as fish-in cycling involves a lot of water changes. The "useful links" box on the right contains a link to the various methods of cycling a tank.

We have members who live with hard water and prefer soft water fish so use RO water. One of them has made this comment on the forum



Fish stores are notoriously unreliable when it comes to advice. Most workers have little knowledge and are trained merely in how to make a sale. Always do your own research and never ask them for advice.
Seriously Fish is one of the most reliable out there. Many other sites give misleading or inaccurate info. Seriously Fish tells us the tank size a fish species needs; the hardness, pH and temperature it needs; whether it needs to be just a single fish, a pair or a group and so on. Always check on whether a fish is suitable for a tank before buying.

Knowledge Base — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Hello welcome aboard matey, I too have very hard water and I keep rainbow fish.

Whether you choose to go RO or keep fish suited to your local water (which I recommend, especially as a beginner) we're a good bunch here and will help you step by step

Hi. I have no idea what to do. I am a tad overwhelmed with all your advise. And maybe a little bit gutted. I don't really understand about Ro water stuff. I just wanted a great tank. Obviously my dream is still to have the tank I want. But need more info these things and what to buy etc

 

[Honeybear]

Hi. Can anyone who lives in a hard water area such as colchester give me a few suggestions on what to keep in my planted 200 litre tank. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

[MattW]

@Essjay would it be possible for Honeybear to use rainwater? Mixed with tap or does that lead to more problems? I've always been confused with water chemistry so it would be interesting to see if it would work.

@Honeybear
@CaptainBarnicles mentioned Rainbowfish

45 Rainbowfish Types - Different Varieties of Rainbowfish

45 different types of the rarest, common & most popular aquarium Rainbowfish (with photos) available in the fishkeeping hobby.

aquadiction.world

a smaller species - https://aquadiction.world/species-spotlight/forktail-blue-eye-rainbowfish/

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

It can be overwhelming to begin with, but once you understand the basics it's pretty straightforward.

You can still have a great looking tank with hardwater fish! So have no fear have ypu clued yourself up on the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle your tank? If not, there's your first job

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Here's your starting point

Cycle Your Tank! A Complete Guide For Beginners

Fishless cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ Silent or plant cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/planted-silent-cycling.470400/ Fish-in cycling...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Honeybear]

It can be overwhelming to begin with, but once you understand the basics it's pretty straightforward.

You can still have a great looking tank with hardwater fish! So have no fear have ypu clued yourself up on the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle your tank? If not, there's your first job

I have not received my tank yet. Bought it from maidenhead aquatics. Will recieve it in about a week. Kind of know the basics. I am to use plants and substrate, driftwood etc. I heard that can help with water hardness. I have done plenty of googling and have found out that some species of tetra and cloud minnows can handle hard water and danios. So that is encouraging. Have not read up about rainbow fish so thanks for that. My dad lives in reading and he has tetras. He uses rain water from his water butt for his water changes.