Tropical fish - think I could get into this

[davidwort 0]

you can stunt them to a certain extent, but it's more likely they'll die from some problem, having said that my sister has a goldfish in a regular rectangular tank, not very big perhaps 18" 40 litre ish tank (pretty small whatever) and this one fish is now about 20cm long, 6 or 7 cm deep and just keeps growing.

Goldfish seem to be able to cope with pretty poor water conditions, but after looking at the variety and small size of alternatives to goldfish if you just buy a 10 quid tube heater, I don't think I'd ever have goldfish again.

[v8rumbler 0]

you can stunt them to a certain extent, but it's more likely they'll die from some problem, having said that my sister has a goldfish in a regular rectangular tank, not very big perhaps 18" 40 litre ish tank (pretty small whatever) and this one fish is now about 20cm long, 6 or 7 cm deep and just keeps growing.

Goldfish seem to be able to cope with pretty poor water conditions, but after looking at the variety and small size of alternatives to goldfish if you just buy a 10 quid tube heater, I don't think I'd ever have goldfish again.

 

Well I do have a heater -- just not using it for obvious reasons.. What fish would you recommend then?

[coolrado 0]

I have a couple of tanks a 250l aqua one aquience bow front corner tank and a 4x2x2 tank, the bow front tank has 1x dragon goby, 2x paradise fish, 1x hoplosternum catfish, 4x bristle nose plecs (2x normal 2x albino), 4x golden wonder panchax, 4x Bolivian rams, 1x scarlet bruno plec (my favourite), 4x zebra snail eating loaches, 1x unknown L number plec, 2x angel fish and 2x Congo tetras, the 4ft tank has 1x black shark, 1x albino bristlenose plec and a blue cherax crayfish, I know your not really meant to keep any fish with a crayfish but the black shark rests on top of the crayfish in it's den and the bristlenose just keeps the algea down and keeps out of the crayfishes way.

 

Most of the fish are relatively young but we have a 6ft tank downstairs for the bigger fish.

 

There does seem to be some debate about water changes, when I used to do regular 20% water changes I had quite a few fatalities, I was then advised by an old guy who had been keeping fish for years to just leave the water alone and just top it up when needed, I haven't done a water change now for 2 years and have not lost a single fish in that time, I test the water regularly and clean out the external filter every two weeks, the water is crystal clear (apart from the beneficial tannins from the mopani wood and the plants are nice and healthy with a steady co2 supply and good lighting.

 

If you want to see beautifully aquascaped tanks check out http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/ I could spend hours in there.

[davidwort 0]

...

Well I do have a heater -- just not using it for obvious reasons.. What fish would you recommend then?

Platys, Guppies and Mollys for a beginner like me I reckon, all 3 varieties seem to be thriving in our new tank and come a wide variety of colours and fin shapes, they seem a little more entertaining than goldfish varieties too and they rarely grow over 2 or 3 inches long. They are pretty hardy and will cope with quite a range of tempertures and water conditions and you can usually get them free as they breed pretty prolifically :)

[Philuk 0]

the point with bowls is that they dont have alot of surface area which is what oxygenates the water. it could be a metre tall but if its only the diameter of a cd then there isnt enough moving surface area to cope with many fish! i do water changed maybe every 2 weeks and i have the odd fatality but nothing major! ive had allsorts of fish in the 2 years ive been doing it but my favorites i think are the kribensis, because i have a pair of them they coour up really well when there mating. altho they still scoff the eggs that she lays. stupid fish! my dollars are always humping aswell which is a bit weird!

[Critical_Mass 10]

Yeah bowls are a no no. Plus there's too many fish in that small bowl imo.

 

That why i dont get those small nano tanks or ORB tanks. They're more for design then actually keeping fish. :nono:

 

David - my dad has that exact same tank and can assure you they are very good quality.

[corradophil 3]

Yeah bowls are a no no. Plus there's too many fish in that small bowl imo.

 

That why i dont get those small nano tanks or ORB tanks. They're more for design then actually keeping fish. :nono:

 

David - my dad has that exact same tank and can assure you they are very good quality.

 

Mine is a Juwel, and again it is great quality. It's about 6 years old, and I am the 3rd owner. I am friend with the first 2 owners, and between us there have been no faults at all with the tank, pump, filter, heater - all good.

[Big Adam 0]

Iv had a 60l jewl for alomost 10 years and the only problem i had with it was my mother!

she was left in charge of feeding the fish while i was at uni until she phoned me one day crying

me - whats matter?

mum - your fish.

me - what about them?

mum - there all dead!

me - how that happen?

mum - i felt the water and it seem cold, so i turned the heater up and now there all dead!

me - you not check the themoiter?

mum - i thought it might of broke!

:cuckoo:

 

i have two tanks now, that and a 40l aqua cube, both planted with large external filter!

filteration and regular water changes are important in keeping a healthy tank, as is buying fish from a reliable source so stay well away from pets at home :mad:

 

ill post some pics of my efforts!

[Critical_Mass 10]

Consider looking into the Fluval tanks, similar designs to the Jewal, just as good quality and are infact cheaper. I was hunting for a jewel 190L corner tank on ebay and they were really sort after and went for in the region of £200. But i found a Fluval Venezia going for £100 which i was able to snatch up. Not sure whey but there's just no where near as many people going for the Fluval despite it being the same size and quality. Plus, there's less wood on the actual tank part and is replaced with black plastic, which i prefer and more importantly the Fluvals come predrilled from factory to allow for external pump plumbing.

[Philuk 0]

get onto www.fishforum.net i got my tank from there. :) i wouldnt buy a brand new one because they are so much cheaper second hand. its the travelling that costs the money! lol

[coolrado 0]

another place to get some real bargains is http://www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/

[VR6 Lee 0]

Get a tropical fish screensaver.. cheaper

[Critical_Mass 10]

:lol:^^^^

 

Or try UltimateReef.com im a casual member on here, infact only visited a few times, but found them helpful.

[davidwort 0]

we've got about 10 molly fry now, 6 or so caught and put in a breeder net and another 4 or five in the tank, but with plenty of live plants and cover in there it seems they have plenty of places to hide, one female guppy in particular has a taste for them but they seem to be getting big enough and wary enough to avoid them now :)

It's fast becoming snail city too with eggs introduced from the live plants :lol:

[Critical_Mass 10]

Get some assassin snails david. Those trumpet snails breed like h3ll. Get a few assassin snails who love to eat them. But from when i remember they're not as cheap as they used to be anymore.

[n3p 3]

Hoping to set my own tank up someday, my best mate is well into his fish and the hours I've spent hypnotised by the tanks is beyond sad! He used to have 2 stingrays before focusing more of his attention to marine. I've attached some pics for you fish lovers out there :nuts:

[davidwort 0]

love the Clown, but a tank in a conservatory :cuckoo:

[Critical_Mass 10]

Yeah madness, temperature fluctuation galore.

[adolf1976 0]

pic of mine

isnt it funny how most owners/members have more than just their c in common

[Critical_Mass 10]

Thats a nice setup mate :D

[adolf1976 0]

thanks . Its actually a marine tank but i got it ex display for £80 rather than 300.

Have neglected it recently but its still very clean.

I got three types of algae eating loaches and they help a lot. Also got a moss ball which is meant to help keep the water clear or so i was told.

Reading this thread has kicked my ass into gear again. Gonna clean out filter and treat it to some more plants and fish in next few weeks.

My fatherinlaw has one too with a co2 jobby for the plants to grow but his tank is very green.

Thanks again mate youve made me feel the love again :)

[Critical_Mass 10]

£80! Bargain :D

 

What make of tank is it? It looks like a corner tank but has a flat piece of glass at the back.

 

Ive lost the love a few times due to algae growth, whatever i tried i still had loads of algae growing. The water was spot on and the fish thrived but then so did the algae.

 

Cant wait to get my tank set up again, its sat empty in the corner at the moment.

[adolf1976 0]

its a amazon tank from world of water. It is a corner one and like you said with a flat bit on the back. It was missing the light unit but i made one up.

Now to be utterly honest i havnt touched this tank in six months not even a water change!!!!

Now feeling quite bad about that :(

i cant remember the name of the fish but i have:

2 with black stripes along the middle which love the 'little green hairs' that usually grow on leaves.

2 sucker loach which love the green on the glass.

2 albino catfish which eats anything on the gravel.

1 shark which eats most things

2 snake like loaches with tiger stripes on em .black stripes on light orange body.

1 fighter and about 20 various types of tetras.

I use a eheim external filter and two heaters set on low.

Did go through about three differnt filters from fluval and the like and did suffer with a bit of green but the eheim has bio filter media inside and its done very well.

It did cost me a bit more but spares are readily available. Im glad i paid extra now.it sits below the tank so water changes is a matter of closing the tap. Disconnecting the filter and draining the water down a bit.

I truly got new found inspiration now and on me way out to get my buckets and spare media for filter clean and water change this afto

[adolf1976 0]

oh btw ive never ever done a water check?

I filled the tank left it for five days and gradually introduced fish.

Did go thro a few plants before i found ones that would grow in the gravel. The ones on half a coconut shell seem great

[Critical_Mass 10]

Yeah thats what im pleased about mine, i can put a filter underneath not in the tank. Though i'll be getting a sump set up at some point.

 

Wouldnt worry about a water change as long as its stable, but you'll have to check the water to know that.

 

Really you should have left the water with no fish in it for at least 2-3 weeks, just to allow the water to cycle. But i suppose it was ok what you did as obviously the tank is doing well now.