Aquariums..

[JMC]

Any of you have aquariums? I’m going to be setting up one soon but there’s so much stuff. I have a 40 or so gallon tank but think I’m going to get us a small 10 or 12 gallon to get started before I dive into the big one. But after looking around, I think by the time we buy everything to get the 40 gallon setup we could get one of those kits that comes with everything. The only thing we have is the aquarium. No filter, heater..nothing. I’ve been doing some reading and realize my problems with fish in the past resulted because I did a few things wrong. Think I can get it right this time. So tell me what ya got.

[dyates]

We used to have an aquarium with little fishies in it. Our son begged for them so we gave him the responsibility of keeping the aquarium clean, feeding the fish etc. Of course he promised he would but this didn't happen. I ended up having to deal with it so we finally got rid of the fish and the aquarium. They can be nice but I don't care to ever have one again.

[58ford]

The biggest mistake most people make is putting in too many fish.

[dyates]

What kind of fish are you going to get?

[thornton04]

I have a 55 gallon salt water tank. It is easy to keep but hard to keep fish alive LOL. I have two nice size fish that we have had for about 2 1/2 years and they kill any new ones i put in there.

[Fish-Bait]

Any of you have aquariums? I’m going to be setting up one soon but there’s so much stuff. I have a 40 or so gallon tank but think I’m going to get us a small 10 or 12 gallon to get started before I dive into the big one. But after looking around, I think by the time we buy everything to get the 40 gallon setup we could get one of those kits that comes with everything. The only thing we have is the aquarium. No filter, heater..nothing. I’ve been doing some reading and realize my problems with fish in the past resulted because I did a few things wrong. Think I can get it right this time. So tell me what ya got.

there was one for sale in the impact last week....like 50 gallons with everything for 200. I think that's cheap.

[Conveyor Belt]

Get the larger tank is my first advice. Larger water volume gives you room for error.

Second bit of advice is patience. The water is going to be cloudy as hell for the first week or so until the bacteria get under control. You can get a handful of gravel from someone with an established aquarium in order to seed the bacteria. Put it in some panty hose if the gravel doesn't match your gravel.

Get a sackful of feeder goldfish to help break the tank in. You're gonna want to throw in all the fish you want, but they're gonna die if you throw them in first, so take some time and use the feeder fish.

Decide what you want out of the tank. Do you want a loud tank with colorful gravel and ornaments or a natural tank. What kind of environment do you want? Get your tank scaping done. However, if you're doing a chiclid tank, then it's pointless because they're going to move gravel around like crazy. Pea gravel is VERY cheap and looks nice as a substrate. I've used it before and it looked really good. Took a while to wash out, but the cost savings were wonderful.

Slope the gravel down toward the front of the tank. Also, a black background looks really good on a tank as opposed to one of those printed seascapes.

I tried growing plants, but never had the lighting for it. The lights required to grow plants are/were very expensive, and I never got anything to grow worth anything. I did find some nice artificial plants, though that looked nice.

Algae eaters aren't going to keep your tank clean. Keep the tank away from sunlight and limit the lighting hours on the tank to help control algae.

I've got lots of books on the subject if you'd like to borrow them.

[daisy]

CB's advice is great.

I had goldfish and they put out so much ammonia and grow so big.

I have heard bigger tanks work better,

Freshwater is easier than salt-water to keep up and cheaper if a fish dies.

20 years ago a friend had a saltwater tank and a $40 fish died. we drove to Laurel to get one.

Her anemone kept going through the filter and living.

I no longer have one.

2 cats anda parakeet are enough for me. My betta even died.

[marion]

I have a small tank with a danio and a catfish. All my others gradually died. My dad brought me a 40 gallon and I was all excited about it. The ex-bf gave me the one I have now with the fish in it, helped me set it up and everything. He was also going to help me with this one, but he's gone now and I just can't seem to get motivated about it, even though I love having fish.

[RedRocker]

I'd advise against getting one of those 'starter' kits from our local discount stores. They are equipped with the bare minimum for filtration, and the glass tank itself is seldom sealed at the top .. meaning you may have to leave the water line a bit below the molding to keep it from seeping out around the top. A good pet store can sell you a great setup, but shopping around online can save you as much as 50% over what fish tank accessories cost in retail stores. I'm with CB on the natural gravel and black background ... that is the exact setup I always use. I tend to like my tank to look more natural ... plants arranged haphazardly, and in groups.

Your 40 is a great sized tank. Big enough to put nice decor in, and enough capacity to give you some breathing room when it comes to making mistakes. The setup I always recommend is to use both an undergravel filter with a single powerhead, AND a back filter. Aquaclear back filters have always served me well since they have washable foam filter media. An Aquaclear 200 or 300 is great for a 40 gallon. A Hagen 301 powerhead on a nice undergravel filter such as a Penn Plax Undertow will help keep your water nice and clear. If you find the current to be too strong, you can dial down the force easily. Definitely follow CB's suggestion about feeder fish ... goldfish if you are going to do a goldfish tank or guppies, or black mollies if you are going tropical. You won't need a heater with goldfish, but that 40 gallon tank will need about a 150 to 200 watt heater of you are going to do tropicals. Submersible heaters are best in my book, since you can hide them easier if you choose. Don't position the tank directly across from a window unless you want the creeping green funk. I have my light on a small timer to give it 12 hours of light per day, and I will leave it off all day sometimes during the week. The light is for you ... the fish don't need it. Feed sparingly ... enough so that every fish gets some, and very little or none goes to the bottom. Few tropical fish will search the bottom for food, and any that falls there is likely to decay and spike your ammonia. Take water samples to your pet shop once a week after the initial 3 or 4 weeks. When both the ammonia and the nitrite levels have fallen back to near zero, you should do your first water change ... probably about 25% of your tank volume, then about 15% every 2 to 3 weeks ... depending on how light or heavy your fish load ends up being. Don't change any water until the pet shop tells you the ammonia and nitrite are gone, or you'll just prolong the balance cycle. Ok ... I am realizing that I have written a book here, so I'll shut up ... not to mention the length of this paragraph :) This stuff just excites me ....lol

Good luck!

[carsalesguy]

tanks be fun-

currently running a 100gal tank- 2 pacus 10lbs each, a kissing gromie, an african ciclid, and a spotted talapia from miami

45 gallon tank- breedin south american sicilids

53 gallon corner tank- used to be home to peacock bass, but they died. so going with angel fish and probably another parrot fish

and becca's 10 gallon- runnin guppies

biggest thing that i found that helps with nitrates- go to crystal reef and get a bag of coral gravel. for some reason it keeps the nitrate levels to nil, and i have never had a problem balancing the tank. in agreement with redrocker with teh aquaclear filters- all my tanks have them on them and not a big deal- solid filters, and i've owned a LOT of filtration systems.....

BTW i don't run any undergravel filtration systems- they aren't needed in my setups-

[Conveyor Belt]

I never really cared for undergravel filtration b/c you can't clean under the filter unless you break the whole tank down.

And you have that tube running up the back of the tank. Sure, you can hide it with plants, but still...

Powerheads are good, though, for giving that current in your tank.

[JMC]

thanks for all the info..as I do more research, I may be back with questions. :smt023

[JMC]

What kind of fish are you going to get?


not really sure yet...

[wammer]

I have an electric yellow african cichlid in my aquarium. It is a beautiful fish. I got it from Petsmart about 2 years ago as a baby and now it's pretty big. I love it :)

[carsalesguy]

i'm eyeing a 200 gallon tank now- may use it for the pacu's since they are getting HUGE and turn my 100 into a salt tank. from what i heard salt is easier with a bigger tank

[RedRocker]

I never really cared for undergravel filtration b/c you can't clean under the filter unless you break the whole tank down.

And you have that tube running up the back of the tank. Sure, you can hide it with plants, but still...

Powerheads are good, though, for giving that current in your tank.

I just use a gravel vac to keep the gravel clean, and whats under the u/g filter is inert anyway. I just set my 29 back up in September .... I never tear it completely down, just water changes and gravel vacuuming.