Tropical Fish settup
Discussion
t. If I can use underwater lights (LEDs) do I need such a big hood. Normally I guess these house lights/starters.Reidy10_0 said:
Your local pet shop should answer all these questions and will have insight in to how long to cycle you tank etc as they are using the same water as you.
NO NO NO NO NO THEY WON'T! I say that very passionately as I've spent more of my life than I care to admit helping people who followed advice from staff at their local fish shop. Some are good places give good advice, but a hell of a lot give ridiculous or just plain outdated advice. Verify everything - TFF (the forums I linked) are a good place to verify stuff you're told.Stevenj214 said:
With regards to planting, when I set up my tank last year I went for plastic plants. My thinking was that it was one less variable to go wrong.
My friend went for live plants and became infested with snails.
Snails come in on plants, but would only turn into an infestation if your friend is overfeeding. Tell him to cut back on the amount of food he's giving, or the frequency - he'll notice the snails die off. Fish only need a surprisingly small amount of food.My friend went for live plants and became infested with snails.
Back to the original question: fish don't need lights. Depending on where the tanks sited and what plants you add (I'd go for a few hardy live plants - java fern, anubias, amazon sword) you might need some lighting for the plants. If the tanks in a well lit room (but not in direct sunlight) then I'd only add lights if you like the aesthetics of them - i.e when it gets dark. If its going somewhere shaded then a bog stand light unit will be fine. Not sure about LED's - not used them - but a post on TFF will answer that question. I'd only got for T5's etc if you want a heavily planted tank, and in which case you'll need CO2 as well - more work than I can be arsed with, but some nice looking heavily planted tanks.
Live plants vs plastic is a judgement call - personally I prefer live plants as the look more natural, and provide hiding places and shelter for bullied fish. If you do get some, I've bought from www.plantsalive.co.uk and would recommend them. Only buy from your LFS if you know what the specific plants look like - most sell household plants that will survive in a fish tank for a few months, then break down and get messy. Better to get proper aquatic plants.
As for what hood, personal preference really - you can go without, as long as you keep the water at a sensible level below the lip - reason being that alot of active fish (and some less active that get stressed) do sometimes jump out of the tank. I've pulled a few from the floor behind my open topped tank before.
It sounds like things are getting over complicated.
After all the OP only asked about a 2ft tank, i would recommend not getting bogged down with Co2 etc for now.
After some experience you can then build on your set up.
As for snails you can treat the tank but a simple solution is to add a clown loach to you set up and he will eat them all.
If you buy a complete set up the heater, filter and lighting will be the correct size for the tank.
If you add a simple timmer you can set the lights to come on and off at the same time each day.
Remember to have the lights turn off at night so your plants can Photosynthesis.
Good luck in finding a good pet shop for future advice.
After all the OP only asked about a 2ft tank, i would recommend not getting bogged down with Co2 etc for now.
After some experience you can then build on your set up.
As for snails you can treat the tank but a simple solution is to add a clown loach to you set up and he will eat them all.
If you buy a complete set up the heater, filter and lighting will be the correct size for the tank.
If you add a simple timmer you can set the lights to come on and off at the same time each day.
Remember to have the lights turn off at night so your plants can Photosynthesis.
Good luck in finding a good pet shop for future advice.
Reidy10_0 said:
As for snails you can treat the tank but a simple solution is to add a clown loach to you set up and he will eat them all.
Its a simple solution, but certainly not the best. A 2ft tank is far too small for a clown loach, both in the short term (they're hyperactive and need alot of space, and that tends to upset more peaceful species) and in the long term (they can grow to over a foot long.)Controlling pests or algae by means of fish is always a bad idea. Deal with the root of the problem - stop over feeding.
By the way, when you prep your new water for the 10-15% changes, put it in a clean bucket (preferably that you ONLY use for this purpose) the day before and drop an airstone in it connected to a pump. The bubbles from this will clear any chemicals and nasy run off from farmers fields in our tap water that have little effect on us, but can harm the more sensitive fish. I would always do this in preference to the "magic" drops you can buy for my marine and freshwater fish.
I'd also recommend a gravel cleaner when you do a water change to keep the build up of waste to a minimum if you are not planning to have bottom feeders in the tank - in fact get one anyway as, with due respect, you will probably over-feed them as a beginner.
By the way, watch it if you are getting 2 Siamese fighters.... the clue is in the name. To see what happens, get one, and then put a mirror against the glass to let him see himself..... here's the stuff from Wiki on Betta Splendens...
Because of the aggressive nature of the Betta splendens species, breeders and owners take consideration of other species inhabiting the aquarium:
Two or more Males: Male betta splendens do not fight to the death in the wild; when one fish has won the fight, the loser retreats to safety. In an aquarium, however, there is no retreat, so the victor fish continues attacking the loser, often resulting in the loser's death; therefore, hobbyists rarely house two male B. splendens in the same tank unless they are (a) separated by a partition; or(b) they are from the same batch of eggs and are immature; A Male and a Female: In the wild, females stay clear of males, except during mating. When cohabiting in tanks, males might kill females, and are generally kept apart unless (a) they are juvenile siblings, (b) they are breeding,or (c) there is a partition.Often, before breeding, breeders use a partitioned container to allow female display without risking harm by the male.
Compatible fish of other species: Hobbyists put Betta splendens in tanks with other species after careful research and preparation. Common tankmates include platies (moons), Corydoras catfish, and loaches. Females can share a tank with danios and tetras, but males should not be kept with these species as they tend to nip at their long fins. Shrimp are popular tank-mates because, provided with sufficient natural plant cover, they keep the tank clean without causing stress to the bettas.
The success of a betta in a community aquarium, however, is largely dependent on the particular betta's level of aggression. Whereas some bettas make wonderful community fish, particularly belligerent or skittish bettas are best housed alone. Bettas are very aggressive towards long-finned fish, the guppy for example.
Incompatible fish of other species:
* Very small fish (smaller than one inch) may be eaten.
* Fish with long, flowing fins may trigger aggression. This includes fancy guppies, white cloud mountain minnows (which are suited to cooler water than bettas), and some long-finned tetra species.
* Slow-swimming fish (e.g., fancy guppies) will be unable to escape bullying.
* Mollies may bite the betta's fin or, if large enough, eat the betta.
* Fish belonging to the same biological family as the betta, such as Paradise Fish and gouramis, may attack or be attacked due to their relatively similar appearance and cross species aggression.
* Goldfish are unsuitable tank-mates because of their great appetites, preference for cold water, and high excretion-rate.
* Cichlids are aggressive and certainly incompatible with bettas except for peaceful cichlids like German rams.
I'd also recommend a gravel cleaner when you do a water change to keep the build up of waste to a minimum if you are not planning to have bottom feeders in the tank - in fact get one anyway as, with due respect, you will probably over-feed them as a beginner.
By the way, watch it if you are getting 2 Siamese fighters.... the clue is in the name. To see what happens, get one, and then put a mirror against the glass to let him see himself..... here's the stuff from Wiki on Betta Splendens...
Because of the aggressive nature of the Betta splendens species, breeders and owners take consideration of other species inhabiting the aquarium:
Two or more Males: Male betta splendens do not fight to the death in the wild; when one fish has won the fight, the loser retreats to safety. In an aquarium, however, there is no retreat, so the victor fish continues attacking the loser, often resulting in the loser's death; therefore, hobbyists rarely house two male B. splendens in the same tank unless they are (a) separated by a partition; or(b) they are from the same batch of eggs and are immature; A Male and a Female: In the wild, females stay clear of males, except during mating. When cohabiting in tanks, males might kill females, and are generally kept apart unless (a) they are juvenile siblings, (b) they are breeding,or (c) there is a partition.Often, before breeding, breeders use a partitioned container to allow female display without risking harm by the male.
Compatible fish of other species: Hobbyists put Betta splendens in tanks with other species after careful research and preparation. Common tankmates include platies (moons), Corydoras catfish, and loaches. Females can share a tank with danios and tetras, but males should not be kept with these species as they tend to nip at their long fins. Shrimp are popular tank-mates because, provided with sufficient natural plant cover, they keep the tank clean without causing stress to the bettas.
The success of a betta in a community aquarium, however, is largely dependent on the particular betta's level of aggression. Whereas some bettas make wonderful community fish, particularly belligerent or skittish bettas are best housed alone. Bettas are very aggressive towards long-finned fish, the guppy for example.
Incompatible fish of other species:
* Very small fish (smaller than one inch) may be eaten.
* Fish with long, flowing fins may trigger aggression. This includes fancy guppies, white cloud mountain minnows (which are suited to cooler water than bettas), and some long-finned tetra species.
* Slow-swimming fish (e.g., fancy guppies) will be unable to escape bullying.
* Mollies may bite the betta's fin or, if large enough, eat the betta.
* Fish belonging to the same biological family as the betta, such as Paradise Fish and gouramis, may attack or be attacked due to their relatively similar appearance and cross species aggression.
* Goldfish are unsuitable tank-mates because of their great appetites, preference for cold water, and high excretion-rate.
* Cichlids are aggressive and certainly incompatible with bettas except for peaceful cichlids like German rams.
tenohfive said:
Reidy10_0 said:
As for snails you can treat the tank but a simple solution is to add a clown loach to you set up and he will eat them all.
Its a simple solution, but certainly not the best. A 2ft tank is far too small for a clown loach, both in the short term (they're hyperactive and need alot of space, and that tends to upset more peaceful species) and in the long term (they can grow to over a foot long.)Controlling pests or algae by means of fish is always a bad idea. Deal with the root of the problem - stop over feeding.
Possibly in the amazon but i have never seen one any bigger than 6 inch and that was a specimen.
I would agree if you were talking about a red tailed cat but in my experience a clown loach would be fine in most cases.
Sorry to be pedantic, but Clown Loaches are from Indonesia, so they're unlikely to grow to any size in the Amazon.
I've heard about them growing to around 10 inches, but in my experience you're doing well to get them to half that size before they die. They're nice looking fish, but far too fragile for a typical community aquarium.
I've heard about them growing to around 10 inches, but in my experience you're doing well to get them to half that size before they die. They're nice looking fish, but far too fragile for a typical community aquarium.
The Prophet said:
Sorry to be pedantic, but Clown Loaches are from Indonesia, so they're unlikely to grow to any size in the Amazon.
I've heard about them growing to around 10 inches, but in my experience you're doing well to get them to half that size before they die. They're nice looking fish, but far too fragile for a typical community aquarium.
I've seen pic's of one that hit 13 inches. Granted, it took a long time for them to reach that size - but either way, a 2 foot tank is too small in any case.I've heard about them growing to around 10 inches, but in my experience you're doing well to get them to half that size before they die. They're nice looking fish, but far too fragile for a typical community aquarium.
I stand by my assertion about not trusting advice from a fish shop - I've been to more fish shops than I can count, some new some old, but you still cannot rely on them. If you disagree, go here:
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=26
There you'll see how many people follow advice from fish shops, and then end up on the internet searching for answers as to why their fish are dying.
As for decholorinator being referred to as, "magic drops," you couldn't be more wrong. Its not a new fangled, yet to be tested product - its a staple that the vast majority of experienced fishkeeprs use. Whilst you can leave water out for 24 hours or so to remove chlorine, that doesn't work on chloramine - and depending on your water supply, there may be chloramine in the water. For that you need a decent quality dechlor. I personally use the Nutrafin stuff, but theres plenty of alternatives - every major fish product producer does a version. Pure and simple, it works. If you doubt that, go to TFF (forum linked above) and ask how many experienced fishkeepers on there use it. Not having a pop here - just trying to save alot of time and hassle. When doing water changes, syphon off however much (personally I recommend 30% weekly,) empty and refill bucket with tap water, add appropriate amount of dechlor to the first bucket, then empty into the tank.
As previously stated, if you're going for a betta then if its a male you should keep it at one. If its females you can get away with a few, but they're best kept in groups of 5 or 6 to divert aggression - and depending on how big the tank is you might not be able to get away with that.
Go for a single male, and depending on the size of the tank you might get away with a few other small fish - corys, or ember tetra's maybe. Avoid neons - they're known for being nippy towards long finned fish.
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