New To Forum, Getting A Tropical Tank - Need Advise

[lyncho28]

Hi all

Im new to the forum, ive been wanting a tropical tank for a while so thought i would register on here because im sure at somepoint i will be struggling and need advice .

Basically ive been offered a tropical tank for free so im just needing a bit of info really on the below:

1. whats going to be the best way to transport everything to my house?
2. at the minute it has a snail infestation, what would be the best way to get rid of this, i read up somewhere that you can buy fish that actually eat the snails?

p.s its a fully functional tank with a few fish in already.

thanks in advance for any advice, any help would be much appriciated.

Darren

 

[nikkifro8994]

What kind of fish are in the tank and how many gallons is it?

 

[lyncho28]

the only two fish i know are a red tail shark? and a pleco sucker, they are about 8 little fish too but im not sure what they are im affraid.

the tank is 200 litres.(sorry dont know the gallons)

thanks in advance

 

[KittyKat]

Hi Darren, what size is the fish tank?

Your immediate (pre-fish tank) shopping list should include the following:
* dechlorinator that deals with ammonia and nitrite
* liquid test kit for ammonia and nitrite (usually it's cheaper to get a set that contains nitrate and pH as well, and GH and KG is also useful) - test strips are not worth your money are they are not accurate enough
* airline (read about importance of acclimatisation and how to do it - click the links!)
* (alcohol) thermometer

For transporting the fish, you will need:
* fish bags or buckets with lids (fill 1/3 tank water, 2/3 air)
* polystyrene or chiller/cooler box (without the thing that makes them cold) to keep the fish warm
* nets to catch the fish
* bucket/hose for lugging water about
* bucket for substrate if the tank is large
* bucket for plant/other decor
* 2 strong people for moving the tank if it is large or any 2 people if it is over 2 ft long

Fish bags and poly box should be available from your LFS (local fish store/shop); if you plan to use fish bags, as them to show you how to use them.

The most important point about transporting fish is to make sure that the filter remains wet and does not come into contacts with tap water that has not been dechlorinated. Read about the nitrogen cycle for further details.

So, start by unplugging all equipment, then bag the fish, then remove all decor, then remove all equipment (make sure filter stays wet by placing in a fish bag, bucket or at the very least into a few carrier bags without holes), then drain all the water, remove substrate, carry the tank to car (it needs to sit on something that is flat).

Once you get home, add substrate back, dechlorinate new water by the bucketful or add enough dechlorinator for all the water and fill the tank half way up, add decor, add heater (make sure it is submerged completely, unless instructions say otherwise), plug in heater, top up the tank, make sure it is at the right temperature (use kettle or hot tap to get it right, I prefer to use kettle in older houses), add the filter into the tank and switch on, acclimatise fish (very important, or the change in water hardness can kill them), move the fish over to the new tank, top up as needed, leave the lights off for the first day and do not feed in the first day.

After the first day, the lights should be on a timer and you should start by feeding no more than they can eat in 30-60 seconds, once per day, with no food on one day per week (increasing to twice per day in the long run).

What species are the snails? Are they ramshorns? Physa spp.? Snails are usually a sign of a larger problem (again, could be part of the reason that you're getting it for free), so I recommend that you ignore them throughout the move (or remove some of them), and then just look after the tank well. Snail eating fish are a bad idea because most grow quite large or are aggressive, or can even cause other problems with the tank.

What fish are already in the fish tank? Most likely, given that it is going for free, they're either too big for the tank, not compatible and/or the numbers per species are bad.

 

[KittyKat]

the only two fish i know are a red tail shark? and a pleco sucker, they are about 8 little fish too but im not sure what they are im affraid.

Red tailed sharks need plenty of space (4+ ft/120+ cm tank) and become aggressive with age, while common plecos grow too large (up to 2 ft/60 cm long) for most tanks. Depending on the dimensions of the tank and what you want to do in the future, both of those fish might need to go. The 8 little fish are probably a shoaling or schooling species, and are likely to be ok in the long run. If they are suitable for the tank and are of one species that shoals, I highly recommend that you increase the number to at least 10-15 in the longer term.

Plecos need to be caught by hand (hold onto the base of the body (not tail or mail part) very firmly and around the middle loosely. Be careful as they have sharp spines which can cut you (which is also why they would get tangled in a net), also they are quite strong and will actively try to get out of your hands. It is usually easiest to catch them after most of the water is drained from the tank. Also, because of the spines, they need to be at least double bagged, and preferably more. Hold them kinda like this:

/me makes note to self to write up instructions properly

the tank is 200 litres.(sorry dont know the gallons)

The other person should have actually asked for dimensions, not the volume, as the volume doesn't mean very much at all in the grand scheme of things incidentally, 200 ltires in 44 imperial gallons or 53 US gallons.

 

[lyncho28]

thats great kittykat thanks for the advice.

the fish tank is 48inch long, 18inch wide and 24inch tall.

The snails dont seem to be either of them you have listed? the are cone shaped and white.

the tank is from my cousin, she has had it years and is just bored of it now so she said i could take it if i wanted.

i also read somewhere to try transport as much of the current water thats in the tank as possible, is that correct?

the only two fish i actually know are, there is a red shark tail and a pleco. there are a few small fish but im unsure of what they are.

thanks again for your help.

 

[Salam]

the fish tank is 48inch long, 18inch wide and 24inch tall.

I got a tank exactly that size and in fact it is 340 litres / 90 gallons.

Regarding the snails, get yourself some assassin snails, they eat pest snails.

 

[KittyKat]

the fish tank is 48inch long, 18inch wide and 24inch tall.

As mentioned above, the volume of the tank is much bigger than you thought when full to the brim, without decor. (In other words, for treatments, etc, the volume will probably be closer to 285 litres or so.) This is a very nice size for a first fish tank!

On the plus side, it's big enough for the shark. On the down side, it still might not be big enough for the pleco, depending on the species.

When you move the tank, use enough dechlorinator to treat all 340 litres of water, just to be on the safe side.

The snails dont seem to be either of them you have listed? the are cone shaped and white.

What about MTS (Malaysian trumpet snails)? If it's those, then they come out mainly at night and numbers should drop if you feed foods that are slow sinking. Also, they sell relatively well, and at the very worst can be given away for free. Most fish would not eat these. Assassin snails would, but apparently they eat only 1-3 snails per week, which won't make any dent on MTS as each MTS gives birth to one snail every 1-2 days. MTS are almost impossible to eradicate, so if you want to be rid of them, I recommend that you change substrate when you move (highly recommend play and/or sharp sand, as sand gives you more fish options than gravel, unless you have a UG (undergravel) filter, in which case you must stick with the existing gravel and treat it as you would the filter for moving) and completely dry out all decor for 2 weeks, and get new plants.

i also read somewhere to try transport as much of the current water thats in the tank as possible, is that correct?

Yes if you do not acclimatise the fish correctly, no if you acclimatise the fish correctly. Most people don't know how to acclimatise fish without harming them, but you are one up on them as I've linked you to detailed instructions earlier on

Can you ask your cousin what the rest of the fish are and what species the pleco is? And what type of filer there is?