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Posted by Yowie on October 2, 2007, 8:13 am
Please log in for more thread options Hi. My online name is Yowie. I'm from Australia. Please forgive some newbie
questions - I don't know where else to ask, and there doesn't seem to be any
other newsgroups related to keeping fish.
I 'inherited' a tropical fish tank, with fish. Its 2'x1'x1.5'. I got it
all, including the water, heater, filter etc. But it didn't come with
instructions.
The fish are:
1 cardinal tetra
5 neon tetras
1 black neon
2 rummy nose tetras
3 zebra danios
1 pearl danio
1 bristlenose
1 'mystery fish' which I have yet to identify but looks like a fat neon but
with an orange stripe rather than a blue stripe.
I am a chemist by trade so have no problem with testing and adjusting pH. I
have water conditioner which I have used religiously with topping up the
tank. I've had it now for 6 weeks, with no fish death and still nice clear
water so far, which I take as a good sign.
My questions (and I apologise if they sound stupid).
1) It comes with a light. The tank looks wonderful with the light on, but
surely the fish & plants aren't supposed to live in bright neon light 24/7.
What sort of light/dark cycle should I be using? Do fish care if it is
really dark and suddenly goes really bright (or vice versa?)
2) I have the sort of filter that sits above the water line and forms a
waterfall. But the fish muck falls to the bottom of the tank. Am I supposed
to get rid of this? I have seen 'gravel vacuums' but wouldn't this disturb
the plant roots that are just starting to re-establish themselves?
3) I have noticed that some of the gravel and larger decorative rocks are
getting a green tinge. I assume this is algae. Do I need to get rid of it.
If so, how?
4) Seems that I also got a snail, a little brown one. I have read that
snails are a problem. Do I need to get rid of this one? if so, how
5) Do I need to change the water if the pH is OK? Why? If so, how much and
how often?
6) How often should I change the filter pad? Can filter pads be cleaned &
replaced or is a new one each time required?
7) The volume of water that the pump can push through the filter can be
varied. Any ideas on the flow rate it should be set at? If I set it at full
power, the force of the water going back into the tank seems way too much,
disturbs the gravel at the bottom and (not unexpectedly) the fish don't go
to that side of the tank. I"ve got it set so that it makes a few bubbles,
but the fish are still happy to swim in the current.
8) The fish food says I should feed the fish 2-3 times a day, with enough
food that they eat it all in 2-3 minutes. Trouble is, the food is like
dust - and once the 'waterfall' pushes it into the water rather than it
floating on top, I can't see it. Are there any other signs that would
suggest the fish are being over or underfed?
If these sorts of questions are innapropriate here, I apologise. A pointer
to the right place to ask newbie questions and/or a Tropical Fishkeeping for
Dummies site would be welcome.
Thanks
Yowie
--
If you're paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off, how many
pancakes can you fit in a doghouse? None, icecream doesn't have bones.
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Posted by Ian Prideaux on October 2, 2007, 12:41 pm
Please log in for more thread options
Yowie wrote:
>
> I 'inherited' a tropical fish tank, with fish. Its 2'x1'x1.5'. I got it
> all, including the water, heater, filter etc. But it didn't come with
> instructions.
>
> 1) It comes with a light. The tank looks wonderful with the light on, but
> surely the fish & plants aren't supposed to live in bright neon light 24/7.
> What sort of light/dark cycle should I be using? Do fish care if it is
> really dark and suddenly goes really bright (or vice versa?)
>
If you've no plants, then you don't need any light. For plants to
flourish, you need 8-12 hours of light per day, depending on the light
and the plants. If you don't leave it on enough, then the plants will
turn yellow and die. If you leave it on too long, then algae will choke
everything. I have mine on a time switch, it goes off about an hour
before I go to bed, so that I get some room lighting from it, and it
doesn't suddenly switch the fish to total darkness.
> 2) I have the sort of filter that sits above the water line and forms a
> waterfall. But the fish muck falls to the bottom of the tank. Am I supposed
> to get rid of this? I have seen 'gravel vacuums' but wouldn't this disturb
> the plant roots that are just starting to re-establish themselves?
>
Gravel vacuum = good, but just take off the surface muck and don't chew
up the plant roots.
> 3) I have noticed that some of the gravel and larger decorative rocks are
> getting a green tinge. I assume this is algae. Do I need to get rid of it.
> If so, how?
>
Algae's not a problem, but when the rocks start to look really hairy and
ugly, take them out and scrub them with a stiff brush in some tank
water. You may find that it never gets that bad.
> 4) Seems that I also got a snail, a little brown one. I have read that
> snails are a problem. Do I need to get rid of this one? if so, how
>
If they reproduce, then they'll eat all your plants, take it out and
smash it before it gets chance.
> 5) Do I need to change the water if the pH is OK? Why? If so, how much and
> how often?
>
Yes. Depending on the plants and the fish load 10-20%, every week or
two. Google for
aquarium nitrogen cycle
and you'll be able to read about why you need to do water changes, from
now until eternity :-) Buy an ammonia/nitrite/nitrate test kit, and use
it. Don't worry about pH too much, the fish will have got aclimatised to
your local water, and be happy with it. Certainly don't radically adjust
the pH, that'll stress/kill them. Just topping up what's evaported is
not sufficient, since the disolved salts will be left behind, and the
water will get harder and harder. Snails like hard water, plants dont,
depending on the fish, they're not too fussy.
> 6) How often should I change the filter pad? Can filter pads be cleaned &
> replaced or is a new one each time required?
>
Only when it starts to physically fall apart. When you do a water
change, you can take the pad out and clean it in the removed water. DO
NOT CLEAN IT UNDER THE TAP, it'll kill all the bacteria, the ammonia
will spike and kill all your fish. This is important so I'll say it again:
DO NOT CLEAN THE FILTER PAD UNDER THE TAP. If the filter does clog so
badly that you can't clear it, or it falls apart, a lot of filters have
two pads, change one, leave it for a month and then change the other, so
that you keep some matured filter medium, and you don't remove all the
bacteria.
> 7) The volume of water that the pump can push through the filter can be
> varied. Any ideas on the flow rate it should be set at? If I set it at full
> power, the force of the water going back into the tank seems way too much,
> disturbs the gravel at the bottom and (not unexpectedly) the fish don't go
> to that side of the tank. I"ve got it set so that it makes a few bubbles,
> but the fish are still happy to swim in the current.
>
Sounds OK to me, my guppies used to like playing in the current/bubbles.
> 8) The fish food says I should feed the fish 2-3 times a day, with enough
> food that they eat it all in 2-3 minutes. Trouble is, the food is like
> dust - and once the 'waterfall' pushes it into the water rather than it
> floating on top, I can't see it. Are there any other signs that would
> suggest the fish are being over or underfed?
>
Once per day, all they can eat in 2-3 minutes is fine. When it falls to
the gravel, they'll enjoy digging around for it. If you feed less often,
then there'll be less muck for you to vacuum out, the water will have
less ammonia/nitrite/nitrate, you'll have to change less water, less
often, and the fish will be healthier. I feed mine some sinking pellets
as well, some like to take flakes from the surface, others like to dig
for it.
> If these sorts of questions are innapropriate here, I apologise. A pointer
> to the right place to ask newbie questions and/or a Tropical Fishkeeping for
> Dummies site would be welcome.
>
> Thanks
>
> Yowie
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Posted by Yowie on October 2, 2007, 4:59 pm
Please log in for more thread options > Yowie wrote:
>>
>> I 'inherited' a tropical fish tank, with fish. Its 2'x1'x1.5'. I got it
>> all, including the water, heater, filter etc. But it didn't come with
>> instructions.
>>
>
>> 1) It comes with a light. The tank looks wonderful with the light on, but
>> surely the fish & plants aren't supposed to live in bright neon light
>> 24/7. What sort of light/dark cycle should I be using? Do fish care if it
>> is really dark and suddenly goes really bright (or vice versa?)
>>
> If you've no plants, then you don't need any light. For plants to
> flourish, you need 8-12 hours of light per day, depending on the light and
> the plants. If you don't leave it on enough, then the plants will turn
> yellow and die. If you leave it on too long, then algae will choke
> everything. I have mine on a time switch, it goes off about an hour before
> I go to bed, so that I get some room lighting from it, and it doesn't
> suddenly switch the fish to total darkness.
<snip 6 more questions & answers>
Thanks so much for all your answers. I really appreciate it.
Yowie
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> I 'inherited' a tropical fish tank, with fish. Its 2'x1'x1.5'. I got it
> all, including the water, heater, filter etc. But it didn't come with
> instructions.
>