New To Fishkeeping

[robbo1078]

hey guys, have been signed up a few days and read through a multitude of the different topics and discussions on here.

So i got a 60l tank last saturday, the person that gave it to me come round and set it up, with their old filters, heaters and sand (substrate?). we filled it half with fresh water from my tap, adding tapsafe, let that water heat up a bit, then added the majority of the water that they transported the fish in. Then after an hour or so we introduced the fish back in to there old home, a few guppies, neons, bottom cleaners (cant remember what theyre called), a danio, something else im not sure what it is, and a pleco. They've took back there pleco to put in their new tank but i want one to replace it.

Any suggestions on what pleco i should be getting for that size tank, and also how often should i do water changes as i havent read a topic that specifies a regular guideline.

Another thing is, can i replace the filters that are currently providing the oxygen in the tank with a bubble strip? As it is in my bedroom and the filters are keeping me awake

Any other general pointers would be good,

Looks like a good forum you have here so i'll be coming back regularly

 

[Cazgar]

I can't help on the plec, but you need the filter to deal with the fish waste, a bubble strip will not do that.
Water changes should be done at least once a week, 25/30%
You also need to find out what bottom cleaners you have as some can grow quite large, & may not be suitable for your tanks.
Oops forgot to say, welcome to the forum, you'll get lots of help here

 

[Spurry]

Hi and welcome to the forum
60lts of water is not much for a plec a common plec is going to grow well over 12"
I take it the tank is about 2 foot long ? Then no on the plec sorry
There are some small ones about if you can find them like pittbull plecs (lda25)
Do your research before buying one

Water changes min 20% per week
I'm not shore what you mean by removing the filters and adding bubbles
No filter = dead fish you can get a new filter but you wilm need to run them both for a month or 2
For it to cycle or you could use the media from the old one

What are the other fish ?
Have you photos ?

 

[robbo1078]

woahh, quick replies! lol

what i meant witht he filters is, that they are underwater ones anyway, so keep them in there, just underwater, not taking them out at all, but at the moment the head is above water, if i put them underwater and a bubble strip in, would this be okay?

The people that had the tank befores pleco was about 3-4 inches when they took it and they said they'd had it a few years so i would have to ask what type theirs was...

hmmm when i say bottom cleaners, im not sure im using the right name lol, but i will ask and see what they are

thanks for your help and i'll try and get some photos up in a minute, ill go take some now.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Seems you were lucky enough to have an established tank as your very first one, lucky you!

Welcome to the forum, there are PLENTY of knowledgable people here willing to help. May i just include a couple of quick things that will no doubt be mentioned to you?
Get a liquid based water test kit. You may have to do a test now and again in the near future (which in turn can tell you when to do your water changes)
DO NOT change, throw out or turn off the filter with the sponges in..these sponges are full of our little friends that are changing the poisonous waste given off by your fish (Ammonia) into a chemical that is far safer for them,but needs water changes to keep it at a certain, safe level (NitrATes).
I would, personally, enjoy your tank as it is now.. wait for your water test kit to arrive (API Master test kits are great).. do some water testing for a few days then possibly look into adding some more fish (a 60L tank is only really suitable for a BristleNose Plec.. and i can probably guarantee that them taking back the other Plec maybe a blessing in disguise, they can grow to 2 foot long!).

All the best with it, i hope it continues to stay a healthy tank..but this is the forum to be part of to help you along the way.

Terry.

 

[Spurry]

With out knowing what filter you have we could not say
Post a photo to help identify it for options

 

[robbo1078]

some pics...

The first is the filter im currently using (there's another one the other side of the tank very similar, the second pic is of the bottomfeeder that i dont know about, the third pic is the fish that i have no idea about and the last pic is of my tank, enjoy...

 

[Cazgar]

The bottom feeder looks like it could be an albino cory, they really need to be kept in groups.
You could lessen the noise of the filter by placing it higher up so the spraybar is just skimming the surface

 

[robbo1078]

theres two in the tank at the minute...
do you mean down? because i thought of that i just wasnt sure how much oxygen actually needed to be in the tank so just left it so the spray bit was completely out of the water.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, you can push that filter further down in the tank.

The 'bottom feeder' is an albino corydoras, the other fish is a silvertip tetra.

As long as the filter is causing the surface of the water to ripple, that provides enough oxygen.

 

[robbo1078]

Thanks for the replies very helpful

 

[Teacher Martyn]

some pics...

The first is the filter im currently using (there's another one the other side of the tank very similar, the second pic is of the bottomfeeder that i dont know about, the third pic is the fish that i have no idea about and the last pic is of my tank, enjoy...

That's a silver-tip tetra in the pic there, isn't it?

 

[robbo1078]

Another thing to add is I have some very tiny guppy fry in there or so im told apparently 4 but I've only ever seen one...

 

[Scales9]

I would go with a bristle nose pleco we have 2 and they are really good at keeping the glass clean, they can grow to 6 ", but usually only 5". Not sure how true this is but we were told that unlike some of the other smaller plecos they won't get lazy as they get older and they are very peacefull.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Robbo.
What pleco to get: Get a dwarf type for a tank that small such as a bristle nose pleco. Common plecos can easily grow to over a foot long and as big around as your arm. My local shop actually displays traded plecos in their entry so that nobody can say they don't know how big they will get.
Filters do a lot more than provide oxygen. They are an essential part of maintaining good water quality by removing ammonia and nitrites. You got a cheap start on your tank by being given a cycled filter, this is no time to give that advantage up. Just ask the people that we help here every day who are going through many weeks, even up to a couple of months of cycling a filter before they can get their first fish. If you want a quieter approach to your filter, try simply getting rid of the venturi bubble thing. My internals have only a straight discharge tube with no venturi at all. All it takes is removing that bit of air line that is drawing in atmospheric air and releasing it into the water. That darned thing is so noisy that I refuse to use it in any of my tanks and I do not try to sleep in the same room as where it is located. You get plenty of oxygen in the water with absolutely zero bubbles as long as the water surface has any ripples on it being caused by filter flow. Circulation of the water is all it takes to reach oxygen saturation.