Newbie

[leylandbobby]

Hi guys, brand new to the forum and hail from Leyland in Lancashire. Just wanted to say hi, and tell you a little about my set-up. I just bought a 6 foot x 19 inch column tank that I would like to keep tropical fish in. It's a nice set up with the external Fluval filter in the base leaving the tank nice and clear for fish.
I see myself owning some of the more expensive and exclusive breeds in the future, and would love to get into the breeding side of things just as soon as I have done the necessary walking, but just for now I would love to have lots of little fish that like to shoal and would like them in maybe three tiers top, middle and bottom dwellers and would love to hear your suggestions on how to successfully achieve this, and also what your choices regarding species would be.
Also let me know if you have any suggestions for other interesting additions. One thing I did realise after filling the tank is that I would have loved to have had some plants but wouldn't know where to start, getting them to where I wanted to plant them will be no small task.

I bought a good quality testing kit and it's all systems go, so I'm itching to get started. Thanks in advance for anybodys input.

 

[Skins]

Hello and welcome to the forum,

Keith.

 

[leylandbobby]

Hello and welcome to the forum,

Keith.

Hi Keith, Thanks.

 

[KittyKat]

Welcome, you'll probably be looking for a large group of Corys for the bottom, tetras or similar for the middle, hatchetfish for the top. Corys require sand, the rest do best with plants.

 

[BusyMumof5]

Welcome along..
Hope you love it here, I do

 

[the biffster]

hi and to the forum

 

[leylandbobby]

Welcome, you'll probably be looking for a large group of Corys for the bottom, tetras or similar for the middle, hatchetfish for the top. Corys require sand, the rest do best with plants.

Hi, and thank you for your swift response....I knew I had left something out, the bottom of the tank is pebbled.
Looks like I should find a way to get those plants in there. Tell me, would they be happy with fake plants as I was thinking that I could maybe weight the bottom of them and drop them in....#40##, I didn't really want to do things by half but this doesn't sound very structured, dropping plants 6 feet through water and hoping that they look ok.
I'm going to have to find a way to make a proper job of it. It would help if I had more than a foot clearance above the tank.
I'm starting to sound unhappy with my lot, I'm not, I love my tank and wouldn't swap it, but I wish that I had thought things through properly before filling it with water.
Any and all suggestions welcome. I will keep things posted.

Hi Busy mum and Biffster, it's great to be here....what an awesome resource

 

[dayzofspeed]

welcome to the forum from another northerner

 

[KittyKat]

Welcome, you'll probably be looking for a large group of Corys for the bottom, tetras or similar for the middle, hatchetfish for the top. Corys require sand, the rest do best with plants.

Hi, and thank you for your swift response....I knew I had left something out, the bottom of the tank is pebbled.

Corys are no go then..

Looks like I should find a way to get those plants in there. Tell me, would they be happy with fake plants as I was thinking that I could maybe weight the bottom of them and drop them in....#40##, I didn't really want to do things by half but this doesn't sound very structured, dropping plants 6 feet through water and hoping that they look ok.

Ok, on first read I though you meant a tall tank, then second read I decided you didn't Ok, so first through was right.. that doesn't give you many fish you could keep! Basically, you do not have much surface movement to work with here.. so that limits the fish you can keep. Can you give a link to the exact product you have? I am getting a plan formed...

I'm going to have to find a way to make a proper job of it. It would help if I had more than a foot clearance above the tank.
I'm starting to sound unhappy with my lot, I'm not, I love my tank and wouldn't swap it, but I wish that I had thought things through properly before filling it with water.
Any and all suggestions welcome. I will keep things posted.

Are you cycling?

 

[Whitey_144]

if i had a large tank, i'd be tempted to fill it within neon tetras, would be awesome to see a massive shoal of them! come to think of it, has anyone on here got any photos of this?

other bottom dweller options are loaches, like clown loaches, not sure if they are proper shoaling though.

i dont quite understand the dimensions of your tank either?...i may have confusued myself!

 

[KittyKat]

The tank is 6ft tall and 19" wide, in the shape of a cylinder.

 

[leylandbobby]

Hi Dayz, it doesn't get much closer than Leyland and Leigh. Thank you for all of your responses. Whitey, Kat is right it is 6 feet tall and a sort of 50p shaped cylinder, commonly called a column tank and the idea of shoals of neon tetra's swimming around inside is fab.
I just got back from the local fish shop where I asked about sand as I love the idea, and also asked about the cory's etc. The guy in the shop advised me to add a small amount of little fish just to see how things go as it is the first time it will have been populated, he had some Pentazona barb on offer and recommended that I buy some of those, so I bought a dozen of them (they're only the size of drawing pins) and they are now flying around my tank like excited children.
Kat, I'm going to quickly work out how to put a pic up of the set up, it would have been a good idea to do it earlier, but at the moment I seem to be supremely gifted with hindsight.
Just to go back to the sand, it has no doubt been mentioned on here before but they are charging £15 for 10 kilos and your local builders merchant sells the same product, however it's £4 for 25 kilos....now where did I put my camera?

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

welcome to tff

 

[KittyKat]

the idea of shoals of neon tetra's swimming around inside is fab

Unfortunately, (without further info, at least,) the tank shape will probably limit you to all of 20 neon sized fish.

I just got back from the local fish shop where I asked about sand as I love the idea, and also asked about the cory's etc

Maybe 6 dwarf Corys, but if I'm honest, I don't think the tank will take them.

The guy in the shop advised me to add a small amount of little fish just to see how things go as it is the first time it will have been populated, he had some Pentazona barb on offer and recommended that I buy some of those, so I bought a dozen of them (they're only the size of drawing pins) and they are now flying around my tank like excited children.

They are too big for the tank, they grow to 3".. if you keep them, they will be stunted and this will result in health problems.

Just to go back to the sand, it has no doubt been mentioned on here before but they are charging £15 for 10 kilos and your local builders merchant sells the same product, however it's £4 for 25 kilos....

Play sand is fine for fish tanks, needs to be washed a few times before going in.

If you did not cycle your tank, now is the time to get a liquid test kit and start on the daily water changes. You might end up needing to do about 50% per day.

 

[Whitey_144]

hi, that looks like a cool setup, i'd be interested to see the pictures.

i understand now why you want the 3 levels or fish

as kat says, the problem is less surface area = less oxygen = less fish

i'm not sure but has anyone tried a similar shape tank, with an external sump tank with high surface area that is part of the filter cycle and would help with the oxygen of the main tank? (would be tricky to hide though)