Totally New To Keeping Fish

[bawheid]

hi all, dont hammer me for not searching fully etc, this is my first post on here.

Just bought a tank kit from local pet shop ( This tank )

let me know if i have done right or wrong or point me in the right direction, I got stones as well from the shop and washed them thoroughly and put them in the bottom, then fitted the filter/heater assemby ( set at 25o C ) i then filled the tank with water and added the correct amount of AquaSafe to it, I also added the correct amount of EasyBalance ( i got both of these with the tank) and I have put in 3 wee small potted plants (again from the pet shop) and have the heater and filter running, From what i can see, I let this run for a week or so ?

After that, I take it that I get the ph of the water checked ? do I change any of the water at this stage if water is ok, when can i add fish and what kind is best to start off with ?

This maybe a stupid question, but i read somewhere that tropical fish live in salt water

also, the wee girl has 1 goldfish, can this be transferred to tropical tank, the lad in the pet shop says it can but I'm a bit sceptical about this, she also has a wee sucker type fish thing in along with the goldfish, can this go into the tropical tank

and finally for now, one last question, if the above 2 fish can go into the tropical tank, can they go in right now as they are in a wee tank with just ordinary tap water anyway ?

sorry if its a long winded few questions but i want to do this right

thanks in advance

 

[orange shark]

hi all, dont hammer me for not searching fully etc, this is my first post on here.

Just bought a tank kit from local pet shop ( This tank )

let me know if i have done right or wrong or point me in the right direction, I got stones as well from the shop and washed them thoroughly and put them in the bottom, then fitted the filter/heater assemby ( set at 25o C ) i then filled the tank with water and added the correct amount of AquaSafe to it, I also added the correct amount of EasyBalance ( i got both of these with the tank) and I have put in 3 wee small potted plants (again from the pet shop) and have the heater and filter running,

You have it all right up to here. You need to cycle your tank instead of leaving it for a week. Cycling a tank involves the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia, nitrIte and niteAte. For information about cycling and how to do it go Fishless Cycling

can i add fish and what kind is best to start off with ?

You can add your first fish when youo have finished cycling your tank, for your first fish I would reccomend something easy like a livebearer (platy or guppy). For information about choosing your fish look here

This maybe a stupid question, but i read somewhere that tropical fish live in salt water

Tropical fish refers to a temperature, so some tropical fish can live in salt (brackish or marine). But i would reccomend starting with a freshwater tank at the start as it is much more easier to do for your first tank.

also, the wee girl has 1 goldfish, can this be transferred to tropical tank, the lad in the pet shop says it can but I'm a bit sceptical about this, she also has a wee sucker type fish thing in along with the goldfish, can this go into the tropical tank

Goldfish can grow to around 35cm (correct me if im wrong people!) and shouldnt be kept in anything smaller than arouond 30 gallons (I think!), we cant tell you if your suckerfish can live in the tropical tank unless you provide a picture!

and finally for now, one last question, if the above 2 fish can go into the tropical tank, can they go in right now as they are in a wee tank with just ordinary tap water anyway ?

I wouldnt reccomend putting them in until your tank has finished cycling!

Hope this helps, orange shark

 

[rdd1952]

First, hello and welcome to the forum. There are a lot of very friendly and knowledgeable people here.

Looks like orange shark has pretty well covered everything. As far as adding the goldfish and the sucker fish to your tank now, the tank does need to be cycled but if the tank they are in now isn't filtered or cycled then you may as well go ahead and move them to a larger tank. If it is cycled, then hold off until you cycle the new tank. And it would definitely help if you could post a photo of the sucker fish for ID purposes. There are a lot of sucker fish and they have different needs.

As mentioned, the goldfish needs a larger tank as they can grow to over a foot long and would need at least 20 gallons. You've got about 16 galloons. As a general rule, it's best not to mix tropical fish and goldfish as they have different temperature needs. Tropicals prefer 76 to 78 degrees while goldfish prefer upper 60s to low 70s. Goldfish can however adapt to the higher temperatures.

You mentioned testing the pH. While it is important to know your pH, it isn't the most important thing you need to be testing. As mentioned, your tank needs to cycle which means you need to be able to measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Ammonia comes from fish waste and respiration and is toxic. Nitrite is produced when ammonia is processed by the beneficial bacteria that are present once the tank is cycled. It is also toxic. Nitrate is produced when nitrite is processed and is toxic only at very high levels. You always want ammonia and nitrite to be zero and nitrate to be under 80ppm. Nitrate is removed by doing your weekly water changes. Get yourself a good liquid master test kit to test all these things. Stay away from the strips as they are terribly inaccurate and in the long run, very expensive too.

Last but not least, you are very smart not to trust everything they tell you at the fish store. Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of fish store employees aren't very knowledgeable, especially those at chain pet stores.

 

[bawheid]

thanks for the replies not a very good pic but this is the 'sucker' fish thing

 

[rdd1952]

It looks to be some type pleco. There are some dwarf species but most of them grow to be very large and can reach 2' long. Both fish will be ok in your tank for a short period of time but would need a larger home before long or stunting will occur.

 

[bawheid]

another question, how many fish can i have in this tank

 

[rdd1952]

The general guide most often used is 1" of fish (based on adult size) for 1 gallon of water. Your tank is about 15 to 16 gallons so you could probably have about 10 smallish community fish such as tetras, rasboras or corys. The goldfish and pleco you previously mentioned are different as they are larger bodied and both very messy. With those 2 fish, your tank is basically overstocked from the start.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

I also added the correct amount of EasyBalance

Product description:
"Eliminates frequent water changes. Keeps aquarium water biologically balanced for 6 months. Stabilizes pH and alkalinity. (KH) levels for fish and plants. Reduces phosphate levels for improved water quality. Also adds vitamins and trace elements. Use 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons weekly. Freshwater use only."

I wouldn't trust this product at all. Once you have fish in your tank, weekly water changes are really necessary for the health of your fish. Most people recommend at least 25% water changed per week. The only chemical you need to put in your tank is water conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramines.

After that, I take it that I get the ph of the water checked ?

pH is important, but there are other chemicals that are important to check as well. Most notably Ammonia (NH4), Nitrite (N02-), and Nitrate (NO3-). Read the stickied threads about cycling to understand what these chemicals mean to your tank, and purchase a liquid test kit so you can measure them. It's easy I promise. ^^

 

[Lion007]

Well pretty much everythings been covered, so Welcome to the forum
As said a good liquid test kit is a must! It all looks a bit daunting at first, but if i can get my head around it all, anyone can - plus with the test kit you get the added bonus of looking like a nutty proffessor

If you can get hold of some used filter media (must be from a rinning, cycled tank) Then you could add this to your tank & it will cut out most of the cycle, you'll just need to test the ammonia & see if it drops in 12 hours.

Have a good read about the forum - theres loads of usefull pinned topics about the place, helped me out loads

 

[Unseen]

hey go to the live bearer section. there are some fantastic looking fishes that you may enjoy keeping

 

[bawheid]

when i turn the light off at night, can I or should I turn off the pump for the air stone thing under the stones ?

 

[orange shark]

Id just leave it on

 

[bawheid]

thanks for the quick reply, will probably have more questions tomorrow

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

The fish pic you posted looks like a hillstream loach to me. Is this him?
If so, he's not really suited for a tropical tank, and thrives in a slightly different setup then the average tank - they live in fast river systems.

Fish generally always have the bubbles, the same way we always need air, hehe. Turning that off for short periods of time is fine, but it should be left on overnight.

If you like golden colored fish and are looking for something a bit easier to start off with, platies are pretty failsafe. You can find more about them in the livebearer forum. My personal fave for easy care in small tanks would either be cherry barbs or rosy barbs, and they're both pretty readily available.

 

[vinylman]

As has been said, don't use any more Easy Balance. It's intended to take the place of regular water changes, the very thing you need more than anything right now. Just remember to use the Aqua Safe every time you do a water change, it's really the only thing you need to put in tank water - don't let the shop say ''well you really need a bottle of this, and this, and this'' because it's nonsense. All you need to keep handy is Aqua Safe and Protozin, in case of Whitespot brought on by stress. When you do a water change squeeze the filter sponge out in old tank water you've removed. Don't ever throw away the filter sponge, they can be used until they're almost falling apart. Ask as many questions here as you like; your LFS will just try to get you to buy things you don't need. Good luck.