New Fluval 240 Aquarium

[SHERRIFFP]

Morning I'm picking a Fluval 240 Aquarium up today in black From a local aquarium shop.
What the first thing I need not has an Aquarium for about 12 yeard I've been looking on YouTube and reading the forum first thing I need is the following -

Substrate
Sand I'm after a white sand
And black backing sheet
And what ornaments im putting in wood any you recommend and rocks etc
Plants I dont know whether to get them today im lost with plants

Any advice will be greatly appreciated thanks

 

[Guyb93]

Hello and welcome to the forum, first steps for me would be to decide how I’m cycling the tank
Iv always opted for a fish in cycle and bottled bacteria, risky but fast

 

[Dajuyu]

You dont have to rush everything in one go .. like plants can go in bit by bit but yeahh you need to cycle the tank first and foremost

 

[Tank Sinatra]

Great tank. I have just set up my own Fluval 240. It’s been running for about a month now.

Things you need to buy:

Substrate (white sand doesn’t stay white for very long - you will regret it)
Decor - driftwood, rocks, caves. Really anything you fancy. I like to keep the decor as natural as possible.
Plants - live plants are always best, but it’s worth doing your research on them as there is plenty of choice
Water test kit - I recommended the API freshwater test kit
Thermometer
Water conditioner - I use seachem prime

I find it much easier adding the substrate, decor and plants before adding water.

 

[SHERRIFFP]

Ill look at other options to white sand what do you recommend

 

[SHERRIFFP]

I've seen a black gravel that looks good

 

[Tank Sinatra]

I've seen a black gravel that looks good

Black gravel with a black background will make the colours of your fish really stand out

 

[SHERRIFFP]

Does it make a difference gravel or sand

 

[Tank Sinatra]

I have gravel in one of my tanks and sand in the other.

The main differences that I’ve noticed are that sand is easier to clean as all the mess just lies on top of the sand. With gravel it sinks between the gaps. The other difference is that plants seem to do better in gravel. But that’s just my experience.

 

[Essjay]

Does it make a difference gravel or sand

It depends on the fish you want. If you plan any bottom dwellers (cories, loaches, plecs) you need sand. And the sand must be smooth not sharp.

Another reason for not going with white sand is it stresses fish. It reflects light back up into the tank which is not normal to fish; and virtually all fish have evolved over a darker substrate so that's what they 'expect'. Fish are dark when we look down on them so they blend in with what's underneath them making them harder to spot by predators like birds.

The cheapest sand is Argos play sand. Just that one play sand, as it's known to be fish safe. There may be other fish safe brands but they've not been tried and tested by members so we can't be certain.

 

[SHERRIFFP]

I have gravel in one of my tanks and sand in the other.

The main differences that I’ve noticed are that sand is easier to clean as all the mess just lies on top of the sand. With gravel it sinks between the gaps. The other difference is that plants seem to do better in gravel. But that’s just my experience.

It depends on the fish you want. If you plan any bottom dwellers (cories, loaches, plecs) you need sand. And the sand must be smooth not sharp.

Another reason for not going with white sand is it stresses fish. It reflects light back up into the tank which is not normal to fish; and virtually all fish have evolved over a darker substrate so that's what they 'expect'. Fish are dark when we look down on them so they blend in with what's underneath them making them harder to spot by predators like birds.

The cheapest sand is Argos play sand. Just that one play sand, as it's known to be fish safe. There may be other fish safe brands but they've not been tried and tested by members so we can't be certain.

I picked the fluval 240 up and got on place in my dining room.. I've got two bags of activesubstrate and two bag of hugo kamishi decorate substrate and a shiny black.

 

[Slaphppy7]

"Activesubstrate"?

 

[SHERRIFFP]

I picked the fluval 240 up and got on place in my dining room.. I've got two bags of activesubstrate and two bag of hugo kamishi decorate substrate and a shiny black.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Thanks, never heard of that one before...

 

[SHERRIFFP]

Thanks, never heard of that one before...

I want pleco, s