Thinking Of Giving Up Before I Even Start!

[trudie1964]

I have always wanted a tropical fish tank, then last week my boyfriend bought me a second hand vision 180 i was so exicted. All this week ive been reading the threads on how to set up the tank, maintenance and of course what fish to put in it. Now im really scared - yes the advice is really helpfull but i didn't realise how technical it would all be. To be honest i just thought i would fill the tank with water and fish run the filter and heater and all would be ok, how wrong was i! Think ill leave it till the weekend see if i can get my head round all of this before i start. Or shall i just sell the tank now.

 

[Corleone]

Fishless cycling is a bit daunting, but it's not much work, and it literally does itself, you just watch it happen and add some stuff for a month. Cycling with fish is often a lot of work, but if you go into it knowing how to manage it, even that can be done without breaking your back. The nightmares you see on the forum of people doing 50% water changes twice a day for two months are people who just put fish in water and ran the filter (sometimes not even that), and then found out about the nuances after things were halfway to hell.

Once the tank is established, there's really quite little work to be done - I'm assuming that's a 180 liter tank. My big tank is 200 liters. I do my weekly maintenance on it and a 5 gallon tank running on the same filter in about a half hour on Monday afternoons, and a good chunk of that half hour is spent watching buckets fill.

The reason threads like Miss Wiggle's setup guide and shopping list run long is A. Some of us like to type and make posts like this one that could have just as easily been ten words long and B. lots of extra bits warning people of common mistakes or misinformation. The real procedures are actually pretty simple, and even my big, heavily stocked tank is less work than a hamster when it comes down to it.

When I think something's wrong with one of my fish, I head to the emergency forum, post everything I can tell, and wait for somebody like Wilder to pick up on the thread and help with diagnosis. Once I have a good idea, I head to the store, get the corresponding medicine, and dose it according to the directions. Most of them come in nice pre-measured doses to make things easier.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

awwwwww don't give up before you've even started, I know we can bombard you with loads of info at the start but we just like to cover off all eventualities, common mistakes and such like.

The reality is if you set the tank up properly by doing a fishless cycle there's very little work to be done in maintenance, obviously it takes a few weeks to get the hang of things but I can do my weekly fishtank maintenance on a 60 gal tank in half an hour and cook dinner at the same time! It's honestly easy when you know how to do it properly and you have things set up well.

And the fishless cycle may sound complicated but when you break it down to the basics all you have to do is this

Fill up the tank with water, turn the equipment on, add some ammonia so it gets up to 5ppm
Test once a day (this only takes 5 minutes once you've got the hang of it) for ammonia until it starts to drop (also test pH daily)
Once the Ammonia has dropped down to 0 then top it back up to 5ppm
Start testing daily for ammonia and nitrite, when ammonia drops to 0 top it back up to 5ppm (only once every 24 hrs at most)
When ammonia and nitrite start measuring as 0 or nearly 0 after 24 hours start testing every 12 hrs
When ammonia and nitrite measure 0 12 hrs after topping up the ammonia then you're good to go, just keep going for a few days more to be on the safe side, then do a massive water change and add some fish!

The other factors can be dealt with easy enough all we need to say is keep a daily log of your test readings, post them up here every couple of days and we'll let you know if you're on course or if there's any other action you need to take.

Also remember the fishless cycle takes around a month so you've time to get your head around everything else and we'll be here to help you every step of the way.

Please don't give up before you've even started, it's a wonderful hobby and once you've got past the first few months and the tank is stable it's dead easy.... honest!

 

[kewskills]

Where are you located, you may find someone really close that can help you with media etc. Don't give up though it is such a rewarding hobby.

Cheers, Karl

 

[waterdrop]

Wow! Its so great that you've been reading other peoples beginner threads before pouring even a drop of water!

For every thread seeking some help, there are probably several fishless cyclings out there going along smoothly, just following the instructions and comments made here on the forum. For all the words, the actions are not really hard at all!

We set up a tank for my son and every day now I have moments when I'm surprised how beautiful and peaceful it is to stop and look in. It isn't even really set up like I want it but it already provides so much enjoyment.

One of the cool things about this forum is that its the real thing, its a bunch of experienced members just directly telling you straight out the very decisions and answers they've learned, often from years of experience. Sure, that means lots of words and back and forth, but underneath that you are getting from point a to point b much more directly than you would if you were blindly attempting just by yourself and with the local pet superstore.

What a nice gift and a great tank to start with! As you can see, we all hope you'll give it a go and end up enjoying that chats with us and telling us all about how its going.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[trudie1964]

Thanks guys, ok i can do this! going shopping at the weekend to get everything else i need to get started. I'll let you know when the water is in the tank. by the way im in Brighton.

 

[Corleone]

I'm glad to hear you're sticking with it. You've made an excellent first step, doing your research and learning about how much is involved now, instead of the all-to-common way of coming here only after pet store advice has failed and left you frustrated. A good start like this really helps the process.

I'm in the wrong hemisphere to help you with filter media, but a great many people on this forum are in some part of the UK. Check the list of people willing to donate mature media, or just peruse the active parts of the forum and look for people who have a location near you in your profile. Once you start your cycle, you can PM them and ask if they'll help you with mature filter media. This will greatly shorten the cycle process.

 

[trudie1964]

Thanks corleone, you may be in a different hemisphere but i work nights! Ive checked the list for mature filter media but there's no one listed in my area (Brighton), hopefully someone will see this and make contact.

 

[shelaghfishface]

awww you have my sympathy i felt exactly the same as soon as i started doing things correctly..went something like this..

"hello i wonder if u can help,i have had my tank set up for 2 weeks and all the fish ( too many of them) seem very lethargic, a few have died!"

the reply

have you done a water change?

duh!

that was back in january of this year,and i thought OMG i cant do this its rocket science...... its not!
its like anything thats worth doing, it needs to be learnt and done properly,and if i can get to grips with it anyone can ( and i mean that)
but the feeling of when you "get it" is brilliant, you`ll soon see thats its not that hard and in no time you will be advising new members when they ask exactly the same questions as you are.
i will never forget how scared i was when i added my first fish, was a massive responsibility,, i got up early the next morning to see if they were still alive too,, but honestly if you pack it in now, you will regret it, the tank that you dream of will be a reality in next to no time,and it will have your doing...
please hang in there,,ask as many questions as you like ( i already asked all the stupid ones) read old and new threads,and dont give up!! we need you.


shelagh xxxx


ps start a thread in disscusion asking for media in brighton.. im sure we have a few members there thatwill be more than happy to help you

 

[LauraFrog]

Shelagh has the right idea, ask somebody near you for some mature media and you won't have to wait a month and muck around for anywhere near as long. You'll still have to go through the fishless cycle if you want to do it right, but it wont' take very long (well, it won't take AS long.)

I agree with everybody, you can definitely do it, good luck!

 

[jonnyf84]

its a fantastic choice to stick with it, it really is a rewarding hobby. You will soon pick up what you need to know and you will find things suprisingly easy to remember, cycling your first tank will be brilliant practical experience, take your time and by the end of it i'm sure you'll be amazed at how much you've learnt + you've found the best forum around in my opinion - people here will gladly help you right around the clock. Good luck and have fun

PS - I bet in 6 months time you'll have a damn site more than 1 tank

 

[waterdrop]

The first thing you'll need to discuss here is what type of filter and what type of stuff to go in it. Aquarists don't necessarily use the same filter media as the manufacturer recommends all the time. And the filter is at the core of the first skills that need to be learned. Also, you'll want to discuss testing kits as this is another very important initial thing.

Equipment things usually need to be discussed first or you will find yourself wasting money after listening to a local fish store salesman, at least most of the time.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Mr Bliss]

Welcome to the hobby! The fact that you're willing to do your own research (even if it does seem daunting at first!) means you'll experience a lot less frustration and fish deaths in the beginning.

I'd just like to add one more thing: when you go to the local fish store, be sceptical of whatever advice they give you. You'll notice that the attitude towards LFS advice on these forums ranges from amusement to exasperation and loathing. They'll tell you, with seemingly absolute confidence, to buy lots of useless stuff, to buy fish that won't survive (or will kill your other fish), and many of them haven't even heard of fishless cycling. Most importantly, don't buy any fish no matter how many times the LFS tells you they'll be "fine", until you've done your own research and found out whether the fish are suitable for the tank and the tank is ready for the fish.

There are plenty of exceptions. Some LFS employees and owners are advanced hobbyists themselves. But many aren't, and newbies often don't realize this.

 

[Brette]

As others have mentioned, if you can get some filter floss from an established tank that will really make the process easier. I kind of screwed up the cycling process the first go around with my 25 gallon tank and ended up killing fish. This time though, I got a really big, nasty, brown piece of filter floss (it almost looked like sponge cake) from my sister's tank that has been running for 5 years and dumped it in my filter and the water has been really great. No amonia or nitrite readings at all after almost 2 weeks. If you want to worry less, I suggest you go that route.

It's odd that something as gross as really mature filter media can give you the most beautiful, sparkling clean water.

 

[DaveW860]

I look at it as an awesome way to learn something new. I have friends of mine now that are all about gettin fish tanks cus of seeing my tanks and me telling them about different fish and the setups. And I AM STILL A NEWBIE. It's great, its a great hobby, Have fun with it dont look at it as a chore