New To The Hobby - Corydoras Tank

[Toolenaar]

Hello good people of the fishfourms.net, I need your help.

This is my first time here so I will introduce myself.
My name Is Jochem Toolenaar (dont try to pronounce my first name in English it wont sound nice), im a 24 year old guy from the Netherlands. I never really thought about keeping fish but ever since my parents gotten a goldfish I got really enthousiastic about it.

At the moment Im doing lots of research on all that has to do with aquaria. I found a lot of good startup tutorials but some contradict each other, Im specially having trouble determining what is the right time to add my first fish some say you can start out with fish to start the cycling process other say you should wait at least a month. Ill explain what I want to get, and hopefully you guys can give me some advice on the right equipment to buy and the startup process to follow. So here goes:

I want to create a community tank and at some point I want to add Corydoras to my tank, these dont have to be the first fish or even the second I add to the tank but I really like them so it would be cool to get them at some point. I also want to use live plants, want to start with real easy ones to keep maybe 2 different kinds . And I have a budget of about 400euro (550 usd). With this in mind I have some questions:

- Buy a complete kit or buy all equipment seperatly? Im leaning towards a kit, seems more beginner friendly.
- What are the best kits to use, or what equipment should I buy when I dont buy a kit? (I really get lost in everything that is offered)
- What substrate to use?
- What fish to start with and when (considering that at some point they will be neighbors with the corydoras)?
- Should I start the cycling process with fish or without?(would love to start out with fish, but if people advice against it I wont)
- What type of corydoras should I buy, and how many?
- Size of the tank?
- What (beginner friendly) plants to use?( Java Fern, Java Moss, Anubias, Najas, Water Sprite)
- Where to buy? I have a local aquarium shop 1 block away but read some bad reviews online, so im afraid he will just try to sell me more then I need. Other option would be to get it delivered using a webshop.

So thats it, I hope you guys can help get this hobby started the best way possible, thx in advance.

 

[moochy13]

- Buy a complete kit or buy all equipment seperatly? Im leaning towards a kit, seems more beginner friendly.
you should get the biggest tank you can possibly afford/fit in your house. bigger tanks are easier to look after, and if you get a small tank, you'll only end up wanting a bigger one in a few months. look to second hand tanks, thats where the bargains are. buying secondhand should get you all the stuff you need to get going.
- What are the best kits to use, or what equipment should I buy when I dont buy a kit? (I really get lost in everything that is offered)
juwel and fluval seem to be doing the most popular 'all in one' fish tank set-ups at the moment, its certainly what i'd be looking for. if you have to buy seperate, fluval and eheim make good filters. theny ou have to decide whether you want internal (in tank filter) or external filtering (filter kept under the tank in a cupboard or something). also get an API liquid test kit.
- What substrate to use?
its up to you, i prefer sand, some prefer gravel. there are plenty of threads on the forum about the benefits of each. you want cory's, so i would strongly suggest sand (they feed by filtering it through their gills). you dont have to buy expensive sand from petshops, you can use 'playsand' that you should be able to get from toyshops. its MUCH cheaper and does the job, its what i use aswell as loads of others.
- What fish to start with and when (considering that at some point they will be neighbors with the corydoras)?
once your tank is cycled there are no real restrictions, the idea being your tank is fully ready to house fish. neon tetras should only be put in a tnak thats 6 months old as they are quite weak. if you want cory's you are looking at making a community fishtank, so certain types of fish wont be suitable. this is somethign for you to find out while your tank is cycling, keeping you occupied
- Should I start the cycling process with fish or without?(would love to start out with fish, but if people advice against it I wont)
most will tell you to do it without fish. if you choose to do it with fish, its more labour intensive and there is a chance of damaging the fish. i done a 'fish in cycle', and as long as you keep on top of the water changes, and choose hardy fish, it should be alright. however i would suggest a 'fishless cycle'. - What type of corydoras should I buy, and how many?
- Size of the tank?
as big as you can get. as i said, go secondhand. you'll get something twice as big for the same amount of money new.
- What (beginner friendly) plants to use?( Java Fern, Java Moss, Anubias, Najas, Water Sprite)
java fern, java moss, amazon swords, crypts, anubias are all easy to grow plants that dont take much care. though you may have more success with some than others.
- Where to buy? I have a local aquarium shop 1 block away but read some bad reviews online, so im afraid he will just try to sell me more then I need. Other option would be to get it delivered using a webshop.
you should try and use your local shop if possible, but ignore any advice they give you, especially until you know a bit more yourself. your local fish shop (LFS) want money, and will sell you what they can to get it, be it the wrong type of fish, too many fish etc.So thats it, I hope you guys can help get this hobby started the best way possible, thx in advance.

so basically, look for a secondhand tank, which should get you everything you need nice and cheap. get the biggest one you can afford/fit in the house. it WILL save you hassle later on. cycle without fish, read up about the whole process. cory's can go in with pretty much anything, they are very peaceful, so as long as you are creating a peaceful tank, you wont have many restrictions. some corys prefer slightly cooler temperatures, but the majority are happy at 'proper' tropical temps. any fish that live in schools - cory's, tetras, barbs etc should be in groups of at least 6 to keep them happy and acting naturally. when you start thinking you need 6 of each fish to keep them happy, you realise why you should get a bigger tank to beginw ith.

 

[Toolenaar]

Thx for the advice, the bigger the tank the more water to correct mistakes made right? As for secondhand tanks, alot of sources say that this should be avoided because they generally are in bad shape, I dont mind putting in a extra buck for a new tank.

 

[markp2067]

Second hand tanks are just like buying a second hand car, or computer, or what ever. Some people look after things better than others thus meaning some tanks will be hideous but others almost as good as new. It all comes down to the individual.

If your in no rush then take your time and find the right one. Or go out and buy a brand new set up. I'm not sure if they ship abroad but www.seapets.co.uk do some fantastic deals.

 

[Joshwainwright]

I purchased my Roma 125 from Seapets, it only took a week to be delivered and I am more than happy with it. It cost me £230 and came with absolutely everything including a Fluval U3 filter and gravel.

 

[Toolenaar]

After a quick browse I found these:


Juwel Record 800
Juwel Record 160
Juwel Rio 125

Anyone had some experience with these Juwel kits?

 

[moochy13]

the juwel stuff is very good. i have a juwel filter in my tank and it is great, almost silent. my friends fluval filter in comparison is very loud. i cannot emphasise the benefits of buying as big as possible. i have a 130l tank, that when setting up i thought was big. now its full, i wish i had a bigger tank. dont pass off second hand tanks based on one bad experience. there are many more people happy with their used tanks.

i should add, the tank im using in my sig is at least 20 years old i think. originally sold as a fish tank, i then got hold of it second hand and for 6 years used it as a snake tank, including the corrosive snake poo and high temps, then i put it in the attic when the snake was put down , and years later got it from the attic, put it in the garden and filled it up to test for leaks, it was fine now its my fish tank. just proving that even unloved tanks are perfectly good to use.

 

[markp2067]

Juwel always come highly recommended.

Slight side swipe but my fluval filter is dead quiet.

 

[Toolenaar]

Ok, this is what I im planning to buy, so far:

- Juwel Record 160 - 101x41x46 cm, TL's 2x30W reflector and filter Compact 400 L/U incl heater 200W
- Driftwood - 2 pieces of 30/45cm 5 pieces of 12/25 cm
- tetra 6 in 1 testkit
- Riversand, seems to be best for the corydoras

As for plants I would like to get some java ferns and attach them to the driftwood,I would also like to get some plants for in the back of the tank, anyone has any suggestions for easy plants which do well in sand?

 

[Joshwainwright]

Jungle Vallis and Amazon Swords are nice background plants that are easy to keep and grow.

 

[Toolenaar]

Today I went to a local fish shop, not the most local but their website looked the most inviting and it was right. The store was very nice 2floors filled with nice salt and freshwater setups and lots and lots of fish. I sat down with the salesman with some coffee to discuss my soon to be made purchase. I had my eyes set on a Jewel rio 180 (101 x 41 x 50 cm), but the salesman talked me into getting a slightly bigger Trofis Colisa 100 (100 x 42 x 65) with an external JBL cristalprofi E900 filter. also got the following:

• • Juwel background blackish color
  • siliconkit to glue it
  • Jewel 200w heater
  • JBL teststrips (my budget didnt allow me to buy a tubed kit) but might pursua my roommate to buy it
  • an extra JBL t5 solar color 39W lamp, 1 of the trofis lights is blue wich will be replaced for this one
  • a Sochting oxydator and some fluid for it
  • wespro safe to decloronize the water
  • and a bacteria culture for the cycling process

I got a question about the bacteria culture, the salesman said I should use that, and to feed the ammonia drop some flaked fishfood in the tank every day. He said the process can be speeded up to about a week. Is this a good way to do the cycling?

ps: ill add some pictures soon

 

[Joshwainwright]

That is one way of doing a fishless cycle however by adding fish food you cannot determine and have control of the ammonia level. The only way to have control of the ammonia level is by adding it yourself through dosing household ammonia.

 

[Toolenaar]

Ok, so I use household ammonia in combination with the bacteria culture ?

 

[Warehouse]

Ok, so I use household ammonia in combination with the bacteria culture ?

The general concensus seems to be that it's best to add nothing at all, except for the ammonia. I added the culture before I discovered this forum and the fishless cycling idea, and even though my ammonia munching bacteria seems to be growing well, the nitrite is extremely high already, which some have said "could" be down to the culture I added. If I could start again I'd definately go ammonia only.

 

[Uriel]

The general consensues on badterial cultures are that your money would be better spent else where, as there is no proof of there effectiveness. If you have already bought one it is unlikely to have a negative effect on your fishless cycle.