New Tank, New Hobby, Very Scared

[b_rachel]

Hi,

I have recently brought a 48 litre tank and a heater (both aquarline brand) to start caring for some tropical fish. I think just clownfish (not inspired by nemo! I just love them.)

However I'm really scared! I'm worried i might kill them as i know nothing about tropical fish or tanks so am waiting until i feel confident enough to buy the actual fish.

There are a few main questions i would like answered:

1) Should the lighting be left on at all times in the tank
2) Should the heating be left on at all times
3) Should the filter be left on at all times
4) Is the heater okay to be positioned near the filter
5) My heater and filter drop down quite low into the tank is this normal??
6) Any other advice

Sorry to be such a pain but i saw this forum and thought it could be my saviour!!! as much help and advice as possible would be fantastic!!!!
Thanks soooo much

 

[chesterscot]

filter and heater stay on all the time putting the heater near the filter would be good as the filter current will spread the heat through the tank

 

[waterdrop]

Aren't clownfish a saltwater species?

There are three main branches of the fishkeeping hobby (very, very generally!) and they are:
1) coldwater tanks (non-heated, typical would be goldfish tanks)
2) tropical tanks (term has come to imply freshwater)
3) saltwater tanks

Tropical setups are often recommended as a good starting place for beginners and that sounds like the direction you are headed, given the equipment you are asking about.

You are lucky to be here prior, it sounds, to having put fish in your tank. You have a wonderful chance to read a lot here (articles pinned above at top of forum) and to continue to ask queations about preparations prior to having fish.

Good luck and welcome to TFF!
~~waterdrop~~

 

[b_rachel]

thanks for your quick response!!!


what about the lighting, is that meant to stay on too?

and how long should i leave water in the tank before adding fishies!



oh
damn

i thought tropical fish tank meant saltwater
eeeep

im very worried now !!

 

[chesterscot]

before you get any fish check out fishless cycling theres pinned topics onm this subject they should help

 

[waterdrop]

Rachel,

Without live plants, lights are just for humans to see their tank and fish better! With live plants, lights are used for certain hours of the daylight period. It can be a very simple thing if you are a beginner or it can get more complicated for people who get involved in the "planted tank" hobby - they sometimes use complicated lighting schedules and timers.

You sound quite new to all aspects of the hobby, so I'll repeat that you will likely be very, very thankful later on if you can find the time and patience with yourself to read, read and read some more here (you can do searches with the search tool and take your reading in different directions) prior to stocking your tank with fish.

It comes as a very big shock to beginners that the advice they have heard at the store can be so off base.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[b_rachel]

thanks to everyone for all your help !!!!

i think i'll advoid live plants

if anyone know anything about caring for clownfish they would be sooo helpful to give my advice on my tank

also, surely the fishies dont like the bright lights in tanks??

 

[Million]

thanks to everyone for all your help !!!!

i think i'll advoid live plants

if anyone know anything about caring for clownfish they would be sooo helpful to give my advice on my tank

also, surely the fishies dont like the bright lights in tanks??

I don't mean to sound rude, but it sounds like you've done very little research. To keep saltwater fish is a demanding hobby, a LOT more so than a planted tank IMO, so if looking after a couple of plants sounds like too much work, i'd stick to freshwater. It's not simply a matter of putting some salt in a tropical setup.

I think fish prefer to have light, as it simulates the sun in a natural environment - better than living in the dark! Depends how light your house is really, and if you want live plants. If you want to see the fish well, you'll need some kind of light.

Check out the saltwater tank forums if you really want to get into marine aquaria.

 

[waterdrop]

thanks to everyone for all your help !!!!

i think i'll advoid live plants

if anyone know anything about caring for clownfish they would be sooo helpful to give my advice on my tank

also, surely the fishies dont like the bright lights in tanks??

Hi rachel,

I'd like to be sure my statement about plants didn't scare you off from them. Plants don't have to get complicated at all (its by choice that some like to raise more difficult plants and work on their aquascape arrangements.)

Plenty of plants are easy, look great in a tropical fish tank and are much loved by the fish themselves. Like others I suspect you would find a freshwater tropical tank the easiest to begin learning with but its really your own choice and there are people and forums here who can help beginners in any of the branches of the hobby. Good luck with your decisions.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[craig663]

Hi Rachel,

Hey, take a breath and work out why you are doing this ! It is a sliding scale of effort.

like everyone has said it can take you in different directions when you get the bite !

I though I had a brief clue and thought my next move was finding nemo ~ however i have managed to be convinced over the last 24hrs ~ Im no better than a serial killer !

Read all you see, see all you read!

If you want to do it well look at all the info ~ ask when you dont understand !

I wish I had Taken My own advice !

anyway and i hope you find nemo one day !

C

 

[b_rachel]

youll be pleased to hear: Ive brought a few books and done lots of research.

im avoiding marine fish for the time being and concentrating on tropical

im not so scared now ive got to grips with the basics

 

[waterdrop]

youll be pleased to hear: Ive brought a few books and done lots of research.

im avoiding marine fish for the time being and concentrating on tropical

im not so scared now ive got to grips with the basics

That's really great to hear Rachel! Bad information can always be filtered and the more you know, the more you learn what to filter out. Reading books, magazines and other outside sources helps you put the TFF information in perspective. In my case it only reinforced the fact that here you often find much more specific and practical advice in much more detail when you need it.

Hopefully you've discovered how to dig down and find all those pinned articles all over TFF, even though some of them are multiple links down in. I have also found that, if you have the time, reading lots of threads, whatever strikes your interest, is a way to learn. Its surprising, the sort of little jolts of changed understanding you get from "hearing" the coversation of others within the threads.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[vinylman]

youll be pleased to hear: Ive brought a few books and done lots of research.

im avoiding marine fish for the time being and concentrating on tropical

im not so scared now ive got to grips with the basics

Nice one; best thing to do is as well as reading the pinned threads here for beginners, just have a general read through the different sections of the site. Have a look on t'internet at different fish and when you see something that appeals, come back and ask questions about them, there's always someone here. Never buy fish first then ask questions later, however tempting they are. A warning, though; our Piscine pals are very addictive. That may not be the last tank you buy.............

 

[nudzy]

Hi b_rachel and welcome,

The advice I would give is do your research (book, google, on the web), read the pinned articles, ask questions if your not sure about anything, and take advice from more experienced people on here.

I have not been keeping fish for very long, started small, got a two foot tank, and have just cycled my new rio 125. I read loads on here, and asked questions when not sure about something.

Everybody on here is great im sure someone will know the answer to any questions you have, and I feel I have learnt a lot.

Also I think because of this forum, I have been so lucky and have had no bad disasters, (yet!!!) I do so hope it will be the same with you

Good luck with your tank.

 

[Scotty001]

Hi,


1) Should the lighting be left on at all times in the tank - Typically most people will leave lights on for a MAXIMUM of 12 hours.

2) Should the heating be left on at all times - Heaters should be left on all the time, they have a thermostatic switch which means when the water temp gets lower then what has been set the heater will activate and stay on till to set temp has been reached again then de activate itself.

3) Should the filter be left on at all times - The Filter needs to be kept on ALL THE TIME, the filter houses al the GOOD bacteria that keeps your tank healthy and in a livable state for your fish, the Bacteria need contant flowing water through the filter where they live to allow them to survive, without these bacteria your tank will become toxic for fish (have a good look at the Cycle section in pinned topics)

4) Is the heater okay to be positioned near the filter - Having the heater is fine this is what i do as the freshly heated water is sucked into the filter then the flow out distributs the heated water throughout the tank.

5) My heater and filter drop down quite low into the tank is this normal?? - Most Heaters are fully sealed and fully submersable !!! so this is ok. Filters all depend on the type of filter, do you know the make and model ??? if you can post this i and others can advise you better on this.

6) Any other advice - WOW well Read, read some, then more and then a little more, ASK every question you may have. There is no such thing as a silly question apart from the one you dont ask, there are members of this forum who have such a great wealth of knowlge and more than happy to pass it on, thats why were all here, to learn pass on our experiances and guide others as well as constantly learning more ourselves.
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Hi Rachel and welcome, Ive tried to answer a few of your questions above, as many have said already you've done the right thing by joining this forum and starting to read up on this hobby before you have got fish, there are many many things to look at with fish keeping, from what Ive seen your looking to start out in the tropical (fresh water) spectrum.

I would first start research HERE this will go through all the details of a fish less cycle, which IMO is the kinder way of getting your aquarium ready for fish without causing harm to a fish.

Invest in a liquid test kit such as an API Master test kit, In the UK they cost approx £18, you will need this for when cycling your new tank, it allows you to see how it is progressing and when it is safe for you to put fish into the aquarium, it will test how much ammonia is in the tank (Fish need ZERO !!) any ammonia is lethal to fish same as you sucking on a car exhaust pipe. it will also tell you how much nitrite is in the tank (again this is Lethal to fish and should be Zero) there is also the Nitrate test which is what is created from the ammonia and nitrite and is much much less lethal to fish and will always be in the tank, you will be looking to keep the levels to a max of ppm (Part Per Million) the ammonia is converted in the "CYCLE" Ammonia (fish poop) is converted to Nitrite by the good bacteria in the filter, which is then converted to Nitrate by the same bacteria) and to remove the nitrate, this is where the Water changes come in. by changing the water (most people suggest 25% a week) this removes the nitrate in the old water and dilutes the remaining with the fresh water (which must be De chlorinated) Water test kits are worth their weight in gold !! stay clear of the plastic strip testers, there not worth the plastic they are printed on and are by no means accurate !!!!!

I mentioned water that has been "De -chlorinated" chlorine is bad for fish could and prob will kill them, you will need to get some dechlorinate AKA water conditioner, this makes tap water safe for fish to live in.

Reading the CYCLE section will go much more into depth with clearer explanations.

I hope this helps a little, and again ANY questions you have just ASK !!!!!!

Scott