Attention fish keepers

[Morcs]

Im thinking about getting some more tropical fish. Havent had any in over 3 years and would love to get back into it.
My knowledge is pretty good, but one thing is bugging me.

Not sure what size tank to get...

what size tanks do you guys have?

I have oodles of space, but dont want to go hugely hardcore - its more electricity, more cleaning etc... even 80L is a lot of water to somehow get down the stairs and backup again when doing full water changes...

was thinking around the 150L mark...

chur.

[Skunk]

We have a 200L tank with two 200L tank pumps. Makes for a stable, easy care tank. Clean the gravel every six months to one year. Never done a full water change in five years - 20L max.

[Stirts]

I have oodles of space, but dont want to go hugely hardcore - its more electricity, more cleaning etc... even 80L is a lot of water to somehow get down the stairs and backup again when doing full water changes...


Go with one of these tanks! They say fish are very soothing, what better place than in the loo when you have a hard poo poo to push out!

And when you flush it cleans the tank!!!

[Squiggles]

http://www.fnzas.org.nz/
I dont keep fish, the olds do, and the tanks (13 at one point) took over the shed where i used to park the bikes...

Got this one to contend with when im watching tv... tv:http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q96/adodge_photo/?action=view&current=fulltank3aug.jpg

[Xile]

At least 150l i would say..
It's easier to create a proper, stable ecosystem in the tank and if you get some cleaner fish/special snails/that kind of stuff it would be even better

(and the bigger the tank, the more fish or the bigger fish you can have)
Hope it'll help...

[Hitcher]

I don't get the fascination some people have with tropical fish. I'd rather watch the lawn grow, or get people to jab my eyelids with burning needles.

[Swoop]

Two fish in a tank.
One says to the other "You drive, I'll fire the gun!".

[alley cat]

150 is a great size. Never done a full water change, maybe 40 liters at a time.
Im a fish geek with 5 tanks running and i might spend an hr a week on them. When you have a good set up the work is F.A.:niceone:

[klingon]

I agree with everyone who says a big, stable tank is the best option.

Within reason, the bigger the tank the easier it is to look after. You have a stable, self-sustaining ecosystem with plenty of plants to use up the nutrients and create oxygen for the fish - everything in harmony.

My tank is around 200 litres (four feet long) - mainly because it's the biggest tank I can fit in the room. I would love to have something bigger. I change 20 litres of water once a week (that's a single bucketful). In summer I use the old water to water my plants. In winter I just syphon the water straight out the window.

Sometimes I don't change any water for weeks at a time, and when I go away on holiday I don't get anyone to come and feed the fish. The lights are on timers and everything else just looks after itself.

As long as you have a decent filter (I use two Eheim Pro II 2026s), you don't over-stock with big fish, and you make sure your plants are thriving, you hardly need to do any maintenance. I don't do gravel vacs and I haven't touched the filters since I set them up six months ago. All I do is feed the fish and trim the plants.

What fish are you thinking of keeping? Personally I like colourful schooling fish that move around the tank together. I have a school each of cardinal tetras (red & blue) gold barbs (gold, obviously), cherry barbs (bright red males, striped orange females), clown loaches (gold & black bands) and a few small algae-eaters (black bristlenoses and black & white siamensis)

IMO for a low-maintenance tank you need to resist the temptation to get big and/or carniverous fish. They create heaps of waste and you would spend half your life cleaning filters and carting water!

Hope that helps - and be sure to let us know what you get!

[klingon]

http://www.fnzas.org.nz/
I dont keep fish, the olds do, and the tanks (13 at one point) took over the shed where i used to park the bikes...

Got this one to contend with when im watching tv... tv:http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q96/adodge_photo/?action=view&current=fulltank3aug.jpg

Oooh nice tank Squiggles! I would rather look at that tank than a TV any day!

[hayd3n]

if there any fish you dont want my turtles will deal to them!!!
200 l tank 28 degrees clean out every 4-5 days cost 20 a week to feed atm andthey r getin a 400l tank 4 xmas wahoo and some fish for xmas lunch

[turtleman]

if there any fish you dont want my turtles will deal to them!!!
200 l tank 28 degrees clean out every 4-5 days cost 20 a week to feed atm andthey r getin a 400l tank 4 xmas wahoo and some fish for xmas lunch

Yup - pretty hard to co-habitate turtles and fish together - but can be done. I don't bother.
2 x 200L tanks here with red-ear and snake neck turtles and 1x 350l tank with a mixture of tropical fish (tetras, barbs, loaches and bristlenose) and a heap of snails. I don't feed the fish to the turtles though - I buy goldfish for that ...

[Skunk]

I don't get the fascination some people have with tropical fish. I'd rather watch the lawn grow, or get people to jab my eyelids with burning needles.
That's helpful :lol:

[Usarka]

I keep tropical fish in my under pants.



Ullo John gotta new motor?

[Morcs]

Wasnt planning on using live plants.

A couple of plecos at full size will rip them out...

was going to let the missus choose most of the fish, and ill just make sure they all can live in the same conditions etc..

then might try breeding. probably start with breeding tetras then see how that goes :)

[Blossom]

Wasnt planning on using live plants.

A couple of plecos at full size will rip them out...<snip>



I have 2 tanks atm, with a third arriving in a week or so. The current 2 are small only 2ft long and just under 2ft long. The new one is 1.2mts long and freaken huge. (ok so I havn't actually measured the height yet as the tank is in wellington atm so not sure of the litreage)
So I am kinda in the same boat trying to figure out what to stick in the new tank.
For what its worth.. My pleco is currently in a planted tank and no real problems. The girl at my local fish shop (http://www.theanimalshack.co.nz/fish-and-reptiles/) has been great helping me figure out what fish to keep etc and I just could not do plastic plants as I subscribe to the whole "non chemical" type of fish keeping.

As far as tank size goes.. It seems bigger is easier in the long run if you get the eco system going well. There are fish keeping groups covering most of NZ at http://www.fnzas.org.nz/ and those guys are fantasticly friendly and full of advice etc on setting up again.
Good luck.

[Xile]

Serious Pete,
Real plants make your tank looks so much nicer and as everybody said too, it would be part of an ecosystem and will help you with cleaning..
and for breeding, use Platys and Mollys, they really easy ;)

[Eddieb]

I have an 80l (3 foot) tank and wouldn't want to go lower than that for a stable environment. I do a 25% water change (2 10ltr buckets) with a vacumn about every 2-3 weeks to keep the water sparkling.

A couple of Bristlenose Plecs keep everything clean and the Neon & Glowlight Tetra's, Danio's and Golden Barbs keep it looking nice.

A Jebo external filter keeps the water clean and I haven't had to change the filter in 6 months but am planning on opening it up next week to give it a check over.

[Morcs]

Serious Pete,
Real plants make your tank looks so much nicer and as everybody said too, it would be part of an ecosystem and will help you with cleaning..
and for breeding, use Platys and Mollys, they really easy ;)

mmm yes might need to breed mollys, as if you have the orange ones, they tend to get killed rather quickly by a similar coloured betta...

[klingon]

Wasnt planning on using live plants.

A couple of plecos at full size will rip them out...

No plants and big plecos = lots of water to be carried up & down those stairs!

[Morcs]

Ended up getting a 65L setup - will hopefully go to a 200L later in the year as and when the fish need more space.

Just finished the fine tuning of the interior. Started stocking last week - got a bristlenose, a betta and an angel.

Now the tank is fully cycled im going shopping tomorrow :D

pic:

[klingon]

Ended up getting a 65L setup - will hopefully go to a 200L later in the year as and when the fish need more space.

Just finished the fine tuning of the interior. Started stocking last week - got a bristlenose, a betta and an angel.

Now the tank is fully cycled im going shopping tomorrow :D

pic:

That's looking gorgeous! Congrats!

Bristlenoses don't grow big like other plecs, and they are fine with live plants - if you keep stocking along the lines you're on, you won't "need" to get a bigger tank at all. Of course ou can go bigger in your own time if you choose.

What colour is your betta? Male or female? I love them but don't seem to have much luck with them. :( (RIP Black Betty)

What other fish are you going to add now? The classic to go with an angel is of course a school of lovely little neons. If you introduce them all while the angel is small they should all get along together just fine.

And are you sure the tank is fully cycled? One week would be a remarkably short time for a full cycle (unless you've introduced media from a live filter). Do you have ammonia and nitrite test kits?

More pics please!

[Finn]

I don't get the fascination some people have with tropical fish. I'd rather watch the lawn grow, or get people to jab my eyelids with burning needles.

I disagree. I had a fish tank once... in the back of my boat. Kept them alive until it was time to set them free. At least that's what they thought.

[klingon]

I disagree. I had a fish tank once... in the back of my boat. Kept them alive until it was time to set them free. At least that's what they thought.

Finn, with a name like yours you should be kind to fish. :eek:

[Morcs]

That's looking gorgeous! Congrats!

Bristlenoses don't grow big like other plecs, and they are fine with live plants - if you keep stocking along the lines you're on, you won't "need" to get a bigger tank at all. Of course ou can go bigger in your own time if you choose.

What colour is your betta? Male or female? I love them but don't seem to have much luck with them. :( (RIP Black Betty)

What other fish are you going to add now? The classic to go with an angel is of course a school of lovely little neons. If you introduce them all while the angel is small they should all get along together just fine.

And are you sure the tank is fully cycled? One week would be a remarkably short time for a full cycle (unless you've introduced media from a live filter). Do you have ammonia and nitrite test kits?

More pics please!

I filled the tank, added some additives and new carbon in my filter, ran all the tests the next morning, and all readings were perfect...

The bettas a red male. wanted a blue one though :(
and the angel is a marbel pearl.

Plan on getting a m/f pair of guppies, around 10 tetras (but leaning toward glowlights rather than neons) and then the rest is undecided, as my knowledge of other cichlids is not great.

[Ixion]

How do you prepare them? Gut scale and fillet, then pan fry in butter? Or a chowder ? or what?

[Ixion]

And what is with the current thing about fish threads? Are fish the new goats or what?

[NighthawkNZ]

No plants and big plecos = lots of water to be carried up & down those stairs!

We have a 250lt tank with an Aqua 650 Filter Pump (and we live in a second story flat)
Have to admitt that's it pretty under stocked at the moment...

[klingon]

I filled the tank, added some additives and new carbon in my filter, ran all the tests the next morning, and all readings were perfect...

The bettas a red male. wanted a blue one though :(
and the angel is a marbel pearl.

Plan on getting a m/f pair of guppies, around 10 tetras (but leaning toward glowlights rather than neons) and then the rest is undecided, as my knowledge of other cichlids is not great.

Aha! The test results have fooled you (as they have fooled so many before you)! If you haven't had an ammonia reading yet, then your tank is not cycled. You have to go through ammonia --> nitrite (NO2) --> nitrate (NO3) before your nitrogen cycle is complete. If all your readings are 0 on day one, that just means you haven't even started the cycle yet, not that it is finished!

If I were you, I would keep the current stocking levels for at least a couple more weeks and keep checking for an ammonia spike. A britlenose should ride out the cycle pretty well, but I don't know about the angel and the betta. As I said, bettas in my tank haven't proved to be very hardy. :doh:


And what is with the current thing about fish threads? Are fish the new goats or what?

No, fish are the new motorbikes. Did you not get the memo? :confused:

[Xile]

Your list of fishes already looking fine! Especially for 65l!
It's looking great mate, cant wait for the pics WITH the fish ;)
it's fake plants that you used innit?

[Ixion]

No, fish are the new motorbikes. Did you not get the memo? :confused:

How the F*** do you wheelstand a fish ?

[gijoe1313]

Old chinese cooky-boy saying ...

Fresh flesh of fish is best before being dipped in flour and sizzled in hot wok, stir fry through with ginger, spring onions, garlic and use hoisin sauce.

Serve with white rice and side dish of vegetables.

Remember, you can eat everything, but the soul!

[Morcs]

Your list of fishes already looking fine! Especially for 65l!
It's looking great mate, cant wait for the pics WITH the fish ;)
it's fake plants that you used innit?

Yip. Cant be bothered with live plants eh...


How the F*** do you wheelstand a fish ?

Not sure about wheelies, but stoppies definately. Like the headstander:

[Morcs]

Had an ammonia reading, not high at all. some ammo lock has gone in, and will test again tomorrow.

despite that, stocked with a handful of glowlights and black widows today.

as soon as the water conditions are perfect, a pair of dwarf neon guaramis and a pair of guppies will go in. Also a bumblebee goby - got to have an oddball heheh.

Ive been told id have to feed guaramis on a different flake food, but what I dont understand, is how to get them to eat the right flake, and the rest of the fish not to eat the other flake :(. On top of that, got the same problem with bloodworms, brine shrimp, and betta pellets, and algae wafers.

I simply cannot believe that the way to feed so many different types of fish with different foods, is to put it all in, and just hope the right food gets eaten by the right fish... could do with some advice...

:)

[klingon]

I simply cannot believe that the way to feed so many different types of fish with different foods, is to put it all in, and just hope the right food gets eaten by the right fish... could do with some advice...

:)

Not gonna happen! The best I can suggest is feeding a variety of food and hope that everyone gets the right kind of food to keep them healthy and happy! I've had plenty of examples where I've used food that's meant to be for carnivores and my so-called herbivore fish have gobbled it all up before the carnivores get a look-in.

So yeah, just feed a variety, not too much of anything, and see what happens.

Doesn't a bumblebee goby need brackish water when it gets older? Must look it up...

[klingon]

Had an ammonia reading, not high at all. some ammo lock has gone in, and will test again tomorrow.

Oh, forgot to mention that AmmoLock will give you a false positive ammonia reading. It turns the ammonia into a form that will be less harmful to your fish - but it will still show up on your ammonia test kit.

If you continue to use AmmoLock you will need to rely on your Nitrite reading to tell you the progress of your cycle. Once you have detectable nitrite you can stop using the AmmoLock as there should be no more ammonia present. Nitrite is still toxic though, so you need to wait until the nitrite is 0 and nitrate is detectable before you have completed the cycle.

Keep an eye on the tetras and if they start to show any signs of stress (eg red gills, hanging around the surface, skin problems) do a 50% water change to dilute the ammonia and/or nitrite.

[Blossom]

I am so adding this thread to my things to refer to about cycling my new tank when it gets here... yeah! Thanks.

[Morcs]

Doesn't a bumblebee goby need brackish water when it gets older? Must look it up...

thats what I thought, but one of the two types (Brachygobius xanthozona) can survive quite well in freshwater.

[klingon]

thats what I thought, but one of the two types (Brachygobius xanthozona) can survive quite well in freshwater.

Well well! Learn something new every day. Thanks for the info.