Noob with 68l tank

[Scoop940]

Had a good read but first post.. be gentle! B)

Friend of mine is moving house and had a tropical tank kicking about he didn't want, it got into a bit of a state, only had a plant in it but he had left it running half full to keep the plant alive.

So got it home, cleaned it up filled it up, new bulbs and stuff...

This is whta it looked like then:

Checked the water stuff after a couple of days and looked oK for fish. Got some platies as apparently they are pretty tough and good poo-ers ( to help the bacteria in the filter get going )

Water nitrite/ammonia levels are still looking low, will check again tonight and hopefully get a few more fish this weekend ( the kids will enjopy picking some out)

Any recommandations?

Will probably do some neons 6 but would like a few singles/couples. Need something as a bottom feeder(s)

Are snails good or bad?

Any other noob tips welcome!

Scott

 

[Clairel]

I would recommend Bronze cory's as bottom feeders, once your tank is cycled, there lovely little fishes....

If you do get any, you need them in a group of 3 or more

Claire x

 

[Bloo]

Lovely tank
The best advice I can give you to start off, is to read some of these pinned articles - in particular the newbie no-no's. But other's are very helpful too.

Another tip is to understand the cycling process and your water. After all, the quality of your water will reflect in the health of your fish.
Great article on the Nitrogen Cycle

Also, get yourself some basic water tests. Nitrite and Ammonia are your most important, but also advisable is your pH & Nitrate tests.

The best, cheapest and best value for money with consistent results, are API (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) - available in most shops or online.

And probably the most important tip of all - research thoroughly before buying ANY fish. Understand their requirements and know the size they are likely to reach as an adult.

Good luck !

Ps: just realised one of my tanks is the same as yours a Tropiquarium 68 (which is actually 72 litres) or 19 US gallons. Out of interest, what filter are you running - is it an external ?

 

[Scoop940]

Lovely tank
The best advice I can give you to start off, is to read some of these pinned articles - in particular the newbie no-no's. But other's are very helpful too.

Another tip is to understand the cycling process and your water. After all, the quality of your water will reflect in the health of your fish.
Great article on the Nitrogen Cycle

Also, get yourself some basic water tests. Nitrite and Ammonia are your most important, but also advisable is your pH & Nitrate tests.

The best, cheapest and best value for money with consistent results, are API (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) - available in most shops or online.

And probably the most important tip of all - research thoroughly before buying ANY fish. Understand their requirements and know the size they are likely to reach as an adult.

Good luck !

Ps: just realised one of my tanks is the same as yours a Tropiquarium 68 (which is actually 72 litres) or 19 US gallons. Out of interest, what filter are you running - is it an external ?

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Will read some of those articles, cheers!

Got a Freshwater Master kit from API ( Got about 4 tests in it ) that's what I have been testing with

Can remember the name of the filter (It's a weird name), its a big sqaure one that sits the cupboard underneath, the friend that gave me the tank said it was good for a 6'x3'x3' Marine tank so is plenty man enough!

Cheers

Scott

 

[Bloo]

Forgot to mention about the neons - make sure your water is absolutely tip top. They aren't the hardiest of fish especially in "new" tanks. They generally prefer tanks of 6 months or older.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Nice-looking tank!

Once you've read the recommended topics, test the water daily for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

Do NOT get any more fish until the cycle is finished.

Six platys is rather a lot to cycle a 19 gallon tank, so you're going to need to keep a close eye on the water stats. Once the cycle is finished you will be able to add a few more fish but not a vast amount. A small group. Rasboras for instance are hardier than neons.

If any of your platys are females, you are also likely to get fry in the tank, so you might want to leave space for that. I was quite understocked when I set up my livebearer tank 6 months ago: now I have to find the space for 20 odd fry of different ages. Great fun, though, and the kids love it.

3 bronze corys is pushing it a bit; you will need to be careful about filtration if you go for that. There are smaller corys you could go for.

Claire, I can't help noticing that you keep recommending fish without calculating the inches/size of adult fish and the capacity of the tank (unless I'm confusing you with some other Claire on the forum, in which case please ignore). Please let us all be careful not to do this!

 

[Clairel]

Sorry, i await my punishment

C x

 

[Clairel]

Still waiting.........

C x

 

[Bloo]

Actually Claire, they weren't entirely a bad idea - especially as the tank seems to have some extreme filtering going on. But three would probably be the max as they reach approx 3 " and they are also little poop machines.
I have a couple of Bristlenoses in mine but my tank too is over filtrated and understocked.

But Kuhli's will be better I think They are very low waste producers and lovely fish.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Well, I didn't say the corys were an entirely bad idea, just on the edge. Perhaps a smaller cory (but not the panda=sensitive)? Anyway, the important thing is that the tank has to cycle first.

 

[Scoop940]

Checked the water last night and the nitrite was pretty high ( off the scale actualy ) ammonia still very low though.

Changed a bit of the water and sucked up some of the rubbish off the bottom ( will have to stop my daughter doing the feeding for now ) Added some new treated water and something else that said it reduces nitrite.

Nitrite back down to 0.5ppm this morning.. will keep a close eye on it for the next few days.

Filter is an older version of this:

I have to get a mouthfull of tank water to prime mine

Thanks for the tips folks very useful!

Cory's look nice, as do the Rasboras... not sure on the kuhli's, will need to see some for real.

Scott

 

[dwarfgourami]

Good luck! You will probably want to do daily water changes at this stage since the nitrites are high. And, as I said before, don't buy any more fish at the moment.

About the daughter feeding, I find it easiest to measure out the fish's servings myself and let the children put them in the tank. My platys eat 2-3 flakes a day, spread out over 2 meals, but during cycling you may well want to feed less than this. They also like boiled peas (deshelled), about half a pea per fish or less.

 

[Bloo]

not sure on the kuhli's, will need to see some for real.

Scott

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what do you mean you're not sure about the Kuhli's ?


Only kidding beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but here are a couple of my dudes B)

 

[dwarfgourami]

Kuuhlies are ultra-cute!

 

[Scoop940]

Tested last night again, nitrite-0 Ammonia-0 nitrate-5

Will keep testing everyday