New to fish! Blonde needing help!

[EllRog]

Oh really, hadn’t noticed...

I can be rude and blunt, purposely if you'd prefer? ?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Welcome to the hobby!
@Essjay on point with all the cycling stuff and equipment, she's brilliant, you can trust anything she says Also I had to go back to the photos to look for the dogs head, aawww! Cutiepie.

Really nice tank for your first set up, and that Fluval is a decent filter too, should be plenty filtration for that tank. Canister filters can be tricky to get your head around for the first month or two, I loathed and regretted my first canister filter for 2-3 months, then finally got my head around how it works and how to avoid airbubbles in the hoses which slow the flow (one trick is to prime it, then lift the canister above the level of the water line, and the airbubbles flow through and flow is restored! took me way too long to work that out, and I'm not even blonde ) And now I love canisters and bought more for my other tanks. Might as well clean the filter if it's been dried out and unused for a while, you'll be cycling from scratch anyway. If you post photos of the filter media (meaning whatever sponges or ceramics etc are inside the baskets inside the cyclinder) we can let you know what each bit is and what it's for, and whether any of yours will need replacing or anything

Anyway, I remember how overwhelming it is when you're first setting up, and it's so much info coming at you so fast. Don't worry, you'll pick it up! It's a super steep learning curve for the first six months or so, then it gets a bit easier. Get your head around the nitrogen cycle, research fish and their needs before you buy them, and you can't go too far wrong! Those are the main two things that people get wrong, and lead to most disasters.

While you're scrubbing tanks, stick some youtube videos on, great one here about the nitrogen cycle, the best one I've found for explaining it clearly for beginners

Some other really good videos on that channel, and this one, Aquarium co op is really knowledeable, and really good at giving suggestions for commmunity fish to put together for different size tanks. He has a brilliant videographer too who takes amazing video of their fish, so you can see some beautiful shots of the brilliant fish they have, get some ideas sparking for species you'd like to keep!

https://www.youtube.com/user/AquariumCoop

Have fun with it, and again, welcome!

 

[Essjay]

Do I need to buy a specific type of ammonia?

It must contain just ammonia and water, no detergent, surfactant, perfume etc. It's quite hard to get hold of now for some reason but this one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000TAOZIY/?tag=
seems to be pure ammonia - there's a question in the Q&A section and the person who replied used it to cycle a fish tank.
Failing that, there's Dr Tim's ammonium chloride (Amazon, Ebay) though some people report using the amount the bottle says gives too high an ammonia reading. I would use less than it says, wait half an hour for it to mix in then test. if it's too low you can always add more. Remember to count the total number of drops.


207 manual

FLUVAL 207 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM USER MANUAL

View and Download Fluval 207 user manual online. CANISTER FILTER. 207 water filtration systems pdf manual download. Also for: 07 series, 307, 107, 407.

www.manualslib.com

 

[R84achey]

It must contain just ammonia and water, no detergent, surfactant, perfume etc. It's quite hard to get hold of now for some reason but this one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000TAOZIY/?tag=
seems to be pure ammonia - there's a question in the Q&A section and the person who replied used it to cycle a fish tank.
Failing that, there's Dr Tim's ammonium chloride (Amazon, Ebay) though some people report using the amount the bottle says gives too high an ammonia reading. I would use less than it says, wait half an hour for it to mix in then test. if it's too low you can always add more. Remember to count the total number of drops.


207 manual

FLUVAL 207 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM USER MANUAL

View and Download Fluval 207 user manual online. CANISTER FILTER. 207 water filtration systems pdf manual download. Also for: 07 series, 307, 107, 407.

www.manualslib.com

Thank you, sorry to bombard you all with a 1001 questions. Would you advise replacing the filters etc in the fluval 307 before I start the cycle: I have created myself a basket on eBay. Would you say I have missed anything you would consider a necessity. I have the filter/light/heater,artificial plants and ornaments

 

[ClownLurch]

I wouldn’t bother with a fancy painted background. Black is the most reassuring for fish AND when combined with your black sand/gravel will rely make your fish “pop”.
You can get black card as used by artists to make borders for photo or picture frames for under £5 at “The Range”, just stick it on with gaffer tape. ( I’m from further up north than you originally and it still takes a spanner to get 50p out of my hand).

 

[EllRog]

I wouldn’t bother with a fancy painted background. Black is the most reassuring for fish AVD when combined with your black sand/gravel will rely make your fish “pop”.
You can get black card as used by artists to make borders for photo or picture frames for under £5 at “The Range”, just stick it on with gaffer tape. ( I’m from further up north than you originally and it still takes a spanner to get 50p out of my hand).

I taped a bin bag on the back of the tanks I'm currently setting up ?

 

[R84achey]

I wouldn’t bother with a fancy painted background. Black is the most reassuring for fish AND when combined with your black sand/gravel will rely make your fish “pop”.
You can get black card as used by artists to make borders for photo or picture frames for under £5 at “The Range”, just stick it on with gaffer tape. ( I’m from further up north than you originally and it still takes a spanner to get 50p out of my hand).

Is northerners are tight ? the background came with the tank. It’s the juwel coral reef type one. I don’t want to make my fish confused though so will
Look at getting some black card.

 

[ClownLurch]

I taped a bin bag on the back of the tanks I'm currently setting up ?

You’re tighter than me feller! I thought that was impossible!

I keep the fish I keep because I don’t need to turn the heater on for them, I’m already paying to heat the house. If they don’t like it there’s a chalk stream full of hard water 100 yards along the road, they can get themselves along there. See how they like that.
Fish these days. They don’t know they’re spawned I tell you. Etc.

 

[ClownLurch]

Is northerners are tight ? the background came with the tank. It’s the juwel coral reef type one. I don’t want to make my fish confused though so will
Look at getting some black card.

Sell the picture background on eBay to an affluent southerner or get some diving goggles and take selfies in front of it then tell everyone you’ve been scuba diving in the Bahamas for your holidays.

 

[R84achey]

You’re tighter than me feller! I thought that was impossible!

I keep the fish I keep because I don’t need to turn the heater on for them, I’m already paying to heat the house. If they don’t like it there’s a chalk stream full of hard water 100 yards along the road, they can get themselves along there. See how they like that.
Fish these days. They don’t know they’re spawned I tell you. Etc.

?? get what your given round ere! My whole set up is 2nd hand so I need to replace all the filter media etc! Or as a northerner are you just going to tell me to rinse it art int stream?

 

[R84achey]

Ps am I good to with that list or am I missing anything .

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thank you, sorry to bombard you all with a 1001 questions. Would you advise replacing the filters etc in the fluval 307 before I start the cycle: I have created myself a basket on eBay. Would you say I have missed anything you would consider a necessity. I have the filter/light/heater,artificial plants and ornaments

Why replace the filter media? Show some photos of it, it's probably still perfectly fine to use, just needs cycling again

don't bother with the dip strips for testing water parameters. they're not terribly accurate, which is a problem when cycling or when there's a problem. invest in a liquid test kit like the API Freshwater Master test kit (not sponsored). Seems more expensive initially, but as well as being more accurate, you get way more tests per kit than you do with dip strips, so better value for money.

 

[R84achey]

Why replace the filter media? Show some photos of it, it's probably still perfectly fine to use, just needs cycling again

don't bother with the dip strips for testing water parameters. they're not terribly accurate, which is a problem when cycling or when there's a problem. invest in a liquid test kit like the API Freshwater Master test kit (not sponsored). Seems more expensive initially, but as well as being more accurate, you get way more tests per kit than you do with dip strips, so better value for money.

Thank you I’ve already ordered the test strips but I also have 4 different tetra test packs too. Here’s the filter what do you think?

 

[carligraceee]

What’s the opinion on multiple female betas?

I don't recommend a sorority. I tried one and it was terrible. But- fishkeeping is learn by doing. So do your own research and make that decision on your own! My recommendation is no.

You can do a fish in or fish-less cycle. I did fish in and it worked out eventually but probably wasn't the best idea for a beginner. Read up on it but you have options!