Hi everyone. Looking setting ound the forums I can see the members on here are quite friendly so I thought I'd join. I managed to pick up a 65l tank with a filter for £30. I know I need a heater to keep tropical fish Which is my intention. I want the tank to look as natural as possible so I'm considering and as a substrate if that's wise? Also want some natural plants, bogwood and rocks. Is it ok to use rocks from my local river if I clean them? I'm not sure what stock to use so I'm open to suggestions. I love the idea of having some kind of crabs so would appreciate suggestions for fish these can live happily alongside. I would like to start setting up the tank asap while I'm deciding on stock but not sure where to start. The tank needs cleaning, can I use any cleaning products or just hot water? Do I add plants before I start cycling or do I add the water first? Alot of questions sorry!
New To The Hobby And Looking For Some Startup Advice.
- Thread starter JoelHoare
- Start date
Sand is a good choice IMO, it looks great and is easy to clean (once you get the hang of it) and most fish if they have a preference of substrate it's sand.
I am not sure about the rocks, would think it's okay but wait on someone who has done that before to respond.
Claws + fins = bad idea usually so would not get a crab.
You want to use hot water, and if you want you can use diluted bleach or vinegar. Just water should be fine though unless there are particularly hard stains to get off. You want to rinse VERY well if using the bleach or vinegar.
You can add plants first or later, it's up to you. You're going to be following THIS right? And THIS should help you find some ammonia if you havn't found some yet.
It's hard to recommend fish as not sure what you like. Is your water hard or soft? Any particular colors you like? Micro fish like mosquito rasbora would be great in this tank IMO but some may like their size.
If you get the chance, go to your LFS and write down the fish you like and come back here. We can tell you what would be suitable
Rocks from outside are fine, but must be boiled first. I would reccommend boiling them for a couple of hours and letting them cool over night before putting them in the tank. You'll kill any microorganisms and other parasites that might be hiding in any cracks that way. Good luck with your setup
Thanks for your quick reply! I love in Dorset so the water is quite hard here I believe...
I thought that would be the case with the crabs though I've seen people say it could be done. But I wouldn't want to risk any violence... Are there any other non vertebrae alternatives that would add a bit of variety?
I do like the look of things like angel fish and those mini puffers...
I thought that would be the case with the crabs though I've seen people say it could be done. But I wouldn't want to risk any violence... Are there any other non vertebrae alternatives that would add a bit of variety?
I do like the look of things like angel fish and those mini puffers...
Thank you!Lawalk said:Rocks from outside are fine, but must be boiled first. I would reccommend boiling them for a couple of hours and letting them cool over night before putting them in the tank. You'll kill any microorganisms and other parasites that might be hiding in any cracks that way. Good luck with your setup
Tongue_Flicker
Fish Herder
Hi welcome aboard!
Angelfish would be too big for this size tank, you could do dwarf puffers though. They need a species only tank.
For something other than fish you can keep shrimp or snails.
For something other than fish you can keep shrimp or snails.
Ninjouzata said:Angelfish would be too big for this size tank, you could do dwarf puffers though. They need a species only tank.
For something other than fish you can keep shrimp or snails.
Yep, but your puffers would eat the shrimp or snails if you tried to mix them. In fact, they eat crabs too... I've heard they need an occasional crunch to keep their beaks short (they grow constantly), maybe you could accomplish this with frozen shrimp or something rather than live?
Also, I have mixed crabs and fish once or twice and never had any violence. The main trouble is that most crabs require brackish (slightly salty) water, even though they're often listed as freshwater. I didn't realize this until it was too late for my little crustaceans. Also, if you did get puffers they would certainly eat the crabs so chance of violence would be very high.
Do not boil rocks. The water expands inside the rock and they may explode if your very unlucky. Pour boiling water over it which is fine.Lawalk said:Rocks from outside are fine, but must be boiled first. I would reccommend boiling them for a couple of hours and letting them cool over night before putting them in the tank. You'll kill any microorganisms and other parasites that might be hiding in any cracks that way. Good luck with your setup
I was just about to say that, Techen!techen said:
Do not boil rocks. The water expands inside the rock and they may explode if your very unlucky. Pour boiling water over it which is fine.Rocks from outside are fine, but must be boiled first. I would reccommend boiling them for a couple of hours and letting them cool over night before putting them in the tank. You'll kill any microorganisms and other parasites that might be hiding in any cracks that way. Good luck with your setup
Please, never boil rocks; it can be extremely dangerous!
I was just about to say that, Techen!fluttermoth said:
Do not boil rocks. The water expands inside the rock and they may explode if your very unlucky. Pour boiling water over it which is fine.
Rocks from outside are fine, but must be boiled first. I would reccommend boiling them for a couple of hours and letting them cool over night before putting them in the tank. You'll kill any microorganisms and other parasites that might be hiding in any cracks that way. Good luck with your setup
Please, never boil rocks; it can be extremely dangerous!
Thank you guys for all the advice! Think I'm gonna do some research on tropical fish species and come back here to post my ideas! Glad you mentioned about the rocks! I was wondering if chucking them into a pan of boiling water was a good idea!
Ok so a couple of ideas for stock. Let me know if these are feasible and if not, what the alternatives are...
-Dwarf Gourami OR Bolivian Ram
-6 Galaxy Rasbora
-6 Zebra Danio Or 6 Harlequin Rasbora
Would all these guys cohabit peacefully? And would they all be happy with the same temp water? Is this to much stock in a 65l community? I only put 6 of each ads I heard they are schooling fish and would be happier and more confident in numbers...
Would really like some feedback on what you guys think. Also, in terms of live plants, do I need to be picky or will any do?
Thanks
-Dwarf Gourami OR Bolivian Ram
-6 Galaxy Rasbora
-6 Zebra Danio Or 6 Harlequin Rasbora
Would all these guys cohabit peacefully? And would they all be happy with the same temp water? Is this to much stock in a 65l community? I only put 6 of each ads I heard they are schooling fish and would be happier and more confident in numbers...
Would really like some feedback on what you guys think. Also, in terms of live plants, do I need to be picky or will any do?
Thanks
Dwarf gourami and rams need more space so these would not work in this setup.
Danios need long tanks (about four feet) as they are very active.
You could do either of the rasboras you like (maybe a school of around ten) plus some Pygmy corydoras, I think.
As far as plants, that depends upon your setup. If you want todo the CO2 injection route, you could do more plants but this can be difficult for the beginner and is expensive initially. You also should look at your lights. If you can provide your light information (how many watts, LED/fluorescent/incandescent, that kind of thing), then someone will be able to give a more specific list.
However, good beginner plants are amazon swords (which can get very big with huge root systems), most anubias varieties such as anubias nana, congensis, etc., java fern, java moss, willow moss, corkscrew and jungle val all are pretty low maintenance. I've also had huge success with several cryptocoryne species and bacopa. Water wisteria is a good plant for beginners, too.
Danios need long tanks (about four feet) as they are very active.
You could do either of the rasboras you like (maybe a school of around ten) plus some Pygmy corydoras, I think.
As far as plants, that depends upon your setup. If you want todo the CO2 injection route, you could do more plants but this can be difficult for the beginner and is expensive initially. You also should look at your lights. If you can provide your light information (how many watts, LED/fluorescent/incandescent, that kind of thing), then someone will be able to give a more specific list.
However, good beginner plants are amazon swords (which can get very big with huge root systems), most anubias varieties such as anubias nana, congensis, etc., java fern, java moss, willow moss, corkscrew and jungle val all are pretty low maintenance. I've also had huge success with several cryptocoryne species and bacopa. Water wisteria is a good plant for beginners, too.
Thanks for the quick response again!
Great advice on the plants thank you! I will do some research as to which of those you've suggested will give the look/scape i'm after. FYI my tank will have quite good indirect sunlight and direct sunlight for part of the day. The bulb is a 15w sunglo daylight aquarium (it's a glass tube so is this incandescent?).
I think I might go for 5 Galaxy Rasboras and maybe 5 Harlequins too? (not sure on the harlequins so an alternative would be welcome)
I'd really like a centerpiece fish that's a bit larger than the others but I assume my tank is too small?
Would some snails or shrimp be safe with the above?
Great advice on the plants thank you! I will do some research as to which of those you've suggested will give the look/scape i'm after. FYI my tank will have quite good indirect sunlight and direct sunlight for part of the day. The bulb is a 15w sunglo daylight aquarium (it's a glass tube so is this incandescent?).
I think I might go for 5 Galaxy Rasboras and maybe 5 Harlequins too? (not sure on the harlequins so an alternative would be welcome)
I'd really like a centerpiece fish that's a bit larger than the others but I assume my tank is too small?
Would some snails or shrimp be safe with the above?
Would a honey gourami work? D: According to THIS I think they need a 15g tank, and 98l comes out to 17g or something?attibones said:
Joel are you very set on having the two mid-level schooling fish? They're best kept in groups of 6+, and it looks so much better having one big school rather than two small schools.
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
254 -
234 -
190 -
179 -
159 -
156 -
155 -
129
-
117 -
110 -
105 -
97 -
81 -
81 -
77