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Thread: New to this hobby. In need of advice

  1. #1
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    Question New to this hobby. In need of advice

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    Hi everyone, I am new to this hobby and was hoping for your advice on the following queries.

    My kids wants me to have a fish tank. Personally I find keeping freshwater fishes as a start as being the best option. Also I am keen to learn more about them. I came to this forum while I was surfing the web and I am glad to find one.

    1. Is there information in this forum prehaps a sticky on how to start one and what are the dos and don'ts of setting up a tank.

    2. Also I am thinking of setting up either a 2ft or 3 ft tanking depending on my budget. As such what kind of fishes would suit these size. Also is it advisable to keep assorted species of fishes or restrict them to maybe 2 to 3 spcies.

    3. Also keeping a set of big fishes like angel fish or gold fish suits the size of these tanks?

    4. How much of deco do you think is necessary.

    I am quite new to this, is not like I have not kept fishes but I wasn't really into this before. But now I was like to take up this as my new hobby and get my kids involved into this hobby as well.

    I would be much obliged if you could kindly give me some pointers or links to some valuable sites where I can read up more.

    Thank you so much for your time and assistance

    Cheers

  2. #2
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Quote Originally Posted by ihawk View Post
    I would be much obliged if you could kindly give me some pointers
    Let me try

    Let's start with the list of equipments that you would need :

    o tank - any size, as long as you have the budget and space availability. Choice of tank "paper" (those that you paste at the back of the tank) includes blue (light n dark tones available), black, white oyama paper. Most people would go for blue or black. If keeping goldfish, take the lighter blue tone. Don't buy those with prints (i.e. plants,wood,rocks,etc) - very o-biang and 80's . The paper is available in standard sizes, e.g. 2ft, 3ft, and cost just a few dollars

    o tank support - can get those wrought iron stands. 2ft, 3ft usually can get off-the-shelf. 4ft onwards, most would custom-make their stand. Don't try to use shoe cabinet as support - most are soft in the middle.

    o filter - read about what filtration is and why you need filters -> http://faq.thekrib.com/filters.html. Choice of filters include OHF (overhead filter), canister filter, HOF (hang-on filter), sponge filter, undergravel filter, etc. For keeping fish, my preference is OHF for its price, effectiveness and ease of maintenance.

    o lighting - use for providing illumination. Standard size (e.g. 2ft, 3ft, etc) lighting units are readily available. Choice of light tubes include T8 (normal fluorescent), PL (u-shaped tube), T5 (thinner ver. of T, etc. Cheapest to replace are those using normal fluorescent. Try to get those units that come with plastic stands which allow you to alleviate the unit on top of the tank.

    o water changing device - get some length of household rubber hose and a pail.

    o water conditioner - tap water contains chlorine and chloramine which can cause harm to fishes, and thus the need for 'anti-chlorine' that acts as water conditioner. Try Genesis brand that comes in a small bottle and is easy to administer.

    o "sand" or substrate - optional, depending on what you gonna keep. E.g. goldfish tank is usually "bare-bottom" as they produce a lot of waste.

    o "deco" or ornaments - not required. Again, very o-biang and 80's.

    Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
    Last edited by bugeyed; 25th Jan 2010 at 09:18.

  3. #3
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Thank you so much for your kind assistance bugeyed. I didn't know that some things are o-biang. Goes to show how much of things I still don't know.

    Last question, for a 2ft or 3ft tank, do you recommend assorted fishes say maybe 2 to 3 types of species? Reason being my children enjoys colors. Maybe I might scrap the idea of having gold fish because of its heavy waste. I am thinking of introducing 2 to 3 species of fishes into the tank. Whats your recommendation on this.

    Once again thank you so much for your kind assistance.

    Have a good week ahead

    Cheers

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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    you can try small schooling fishes.

    look at this thread http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...schooling+fish to see what types are available. Still don't know how they look like? google for images
    Last edited by boxedfish; 25th Jan 2010 at 13:59.

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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    There are always a few things that you will need to consider first.
    1. If you are getting some colourful fish, you may want to consider some tetras and corydoras. These looks better and live better in a planted tank.
    Before you buy any fishes, you may to consider some form of a planted tank.

    2. Just like in a renovation, where ceiling and flooring are the foundations, in a planted tank, the soil you use is the foundation. Very tedious to add soil or change that later. You may want consider good substrate which plants can root and grow easily.

    3. If you do not want the hassle of planted tank with soil, you may want to consider plants mounted on wood, rocks, coconut husks and others. Easy and hardy plants are those anubias and java ferns. They need less light, and usually left alone by fishes and snails.

    4. Depending on the plants you keep, get the appropriate light.

    5. If you are planning to get larger fish, you may need to consider a bigger tank. 2 ft tanks are usually for starters, but the water quality is usually more stable in a 3 ft or larger tank. You can make more mistakes in a larger tank without so much casualty.

    6. Filter. Very important for any living creatures. They serve a few purposes. (i)Mechanical--they take away the visible shit and ugly stuff from the water. (ii) Bio--More importantly, the bacteria growing in the media in your filter can take away the invisible harmful compounds in your tank, these are ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. Fish, decomposing plants and excess food creates these compounds. The more fish you are going to keep, the larger (litre of water passing through the filter) the filter you will need. The chlorine in our tape water kills bacteria, which is why you will need to get anti-chlorine. (iii) chemical--usually activated carbon that takes away other harmful chemical compound in your water.

    7. Filter also serve other indirect purpose, they create water movement. Certain fish likes moving water. The water movement also breaks the water surface, which increase the dissolved oxygen which your fishes need. Get the type of filter most appropriate to the kind of fish you are going to keep.

    8. It takes time for your filter to mature! That means your bacteria colony in the filter media needs time to grow and accumulate. Usually takes at least 2 weeks for your tank to have enough bacteria.

    To hasten the process, you should get some seed bacteria culture from other fish-keeping friends. (usually a piece of dirty sponge in other people's tank). You can also ask for a piece of dirty filter media from your fish shop. They will usually give it to you if you ask nicely. Most of those instant bacteria culture sold in bottles in LFS don't really work.

    9. Now, after all that at the end of 2 weeks, you can go and finally select your fish. Do find out more about the species and their pecular requirements before you buy them. Some fishes, shrimps and snails simply cannot get along with other fishes, or cannot be kept together because of the different environment they need.
    Last edited by sthh; 25th Jan 2010 at 14:20.
    My fish friends --------------------------------
    1 goldfish tank
    1 discus tank

  6. #6
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Quote Originally Posted by ihawk View Post
    I didn't know that some things are o-biang. Goes to show how much of things I still don't know.
    o-biang to me only lah

    Quote Originally Posted by ihawk View Post
    Reason being my children enjoys colors. ... Whats your recommendation on this.
    For colors, can try tetras and barbs. For most of them are small enough and do school :

    Tetras : http://images.google.com.sg/images?h...gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

    Favorites are cardinal tetras and rummy nose tetras.

    Barbs : http://images.google.com.sg/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=barbs+fish&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&start=0

    Golden barbs, cherry barbs, rosy barbs, ruby barbs are nice and gentle. Avoid Tiger barbs though!

    Best place (good price) to look for these is

    Seaview Aquarium
    2 Seletar West F'way 2 Singapore 798098


    Also look out for this book


    in the library, which has lotsa fish pictures :

    Library Search -> http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/...n+26062+1+10+5

    If you like greens, get some hardy plants like Java Ferns, Windolev, which are usually tied on pieces of wood. Again, Seaview has plenty.


  7. #7
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Omg you guys are really great. Thank you so much for your assistance. I am already feeling being in a good place where I can learn.

    The information you have given me encourages me more to get involved with this hobby.

    I don't want to rush into this but would spend more time in this forum reading and learning.

    My brother has already ordered a 2.5ft tank with comes with a cabinet. He is also into fish hobbies.

    Its indeed a very encouraging start.

    Thank you so much.

    Will note down the points and read the links given. Thank you so much for your help.

    Really appreciate the gesture.

    Cheers

  8. #8
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    If you run straight into the hobby, you might just bang your head head-on.

    Rather, some of our fellow forumers have documented their experience in journals form.
    http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...splay.php?f=19

    You can read even the previous years ones, threads that members are no longer around, some of them have valuable lessons.

    Online fish reference:
    http://freshaquarium.about.com/libra...y/bla_to_z.htm

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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    hi there. Im also a newbie and i have just started out also. Heres my setup, any advice is appreciated.

    I added some substrate from China that was supposedly similiar to ADA. This is from a 10 litre package which i got from Rainbow fish store. Add the substrate FIRST... i added water first.. it was a big big mess... Oh i was advised by the store staff to rinse it in dechlorinated water first also.

    I also added one piece of java fern 'on the wood' which i soaked in potassium permaganate for a while to rid the snails and bad stuff. In the end there I still saw a snail.... i am intending to add some more plants, but is doing some more reading first.

    Fish wise i am going for angelfish with some companions like the loaches and/or the rope fish. I think the Blue rams are a bit hard to care for. Read from these forums that these kind of fish are sensitive to water quality.

    Filter medium is just the bio rings from Angel and the foam for the mechanical filtration. I took some AA bacteria powder form my brother and used it one time. So far i have no idea how the bacteria colony is faring in the tank.

    i can attach a picture of my tank if you guys want a look. But its empty for now other than the java fern and the snail which has disappeared.

  10. #10
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    danfoo,
    You might wish to start a new thread.
    1. Adds to your count.
    2. Topic would be more dedicated to the respective thread owner (starter)
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    ihawk,
    take note that 2.5ft equipments might not be easy to source at times. Most equipments are for 2ft, 3ft, 4ft. So if you have trouble looking for them, know that it is only normal. You can post here so that the rest of the forumers can also do some scoutting in their respective region. You might wish to configure your profile to reflect location like mine so that if I need help, people can come to my aid faster since they are just around my region.

  11. #11
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Hi all. I hope you're having a good weekend. I have just set up a 3ft tank and currently doing water treatment. No fishes yet as I am still trying to read more on the type of fishes i want to have. I still haven;t figured out whether to have 2 to 3 types. Not planning to have any big ones.

    It was a good experience in trying to set up. My kids were excited with it. I only reading up on tank setup for the moment.

    I would like to thank all of you for the encouragement and tips and links so some fishes that i can consider for my tank.

    Managed to snap up tank with a cabinet for $50.00. Guess was my lucky day. Brother spotted that in another forum. Condition of the tank seems good to me so far.

    One question is I heard from the fish seller in bukit merah that different fish reacts differently with regards to PH level. Is that true?

    If its so, then do you suggest that I get a test kit to check the PH value and also what would be the best value before I start introducing the fish into the tank and also is it true that some fishes tend Territorial. If so what mix of fishes would be good.

    Cheers to all


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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Kids, they are always excited. My niece jumps up and down just watching the tank transform week by week. Then she would stick her face onto the tank to look at the fish.

    Liquid base independant test kit recommended. Yes, arm yourself with one. The water PH lately is getting a bit outrageous, last test was ph 7.8 Again within the same area, ph might also differs due to water tank and pipes as they aged. So I do recommend you to have one. I bought my PH test kit from one of the shops near rainbow (Serangoon), it looks like a mama shop, but have the lowest price.

    You still haven't make a decision yet. Take your time to look at your cabinet if reinforcement is required.
    Big Fish or Small Fish. Decide one.
    Hardy or non-hardy. Decide one.
    Cheap ones or good and beautiful one. Decide one.
    Once you have sort out your criteria, you should be able to narrow down which fish you should get. Simulate the number in your heart of that particular fish type or fish community using the virtual calculator to test your bioload.
    http://www.aqadvisor.com/

    If fish type in conflict, the calculator will guide you.

  13. #13
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    yea i was using the electrode PH tester.. was trying to calibrate it with tap water. The value stabilized at 8.0 - 8.1. I was wondering if its the water or the testing equipment. Maybe the water in woodlands are really having higher PH...

    I think its best to buy liquid based testing kit.

  14. #14
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Danfoo, your test kit is accurate (well calibrated). Biotope also tested around that range. I tested my side about 7.8, Market place tested is 8.1 range.

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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    hmmm.... i just tested, it was 7.3-7.4. Calibrate and test again, still the same.

    MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! TIME TO LAY BACK AND RELAX!
    A Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step

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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    First and foremost I would like to wish everyone here and Happy Chinese New Year and many many thanks to all of you for your assistance.

    2 weeks ago, I went to the fish farm with my wife and children accompanied by my brother and his family to get my fishes. I got the following fishes listed below.

    1. Cardinal tetras - 40 of them
    2. Sun red tetras - 40 of them

    these 2 were my fav and thats what I wanted. However my sister and children wanted to buy a few fishes of golden guppies and endless guppies (Never heard of this name before but thats what it was written.I may have the wrong spelling though)

    For the 2 weeks, they were all healty and we were closely monitoring for any deaths or abnormalities. They were lively and their colors were very bright.

    However since yesterday, I am getting a few deaths. The dying ones are cardinal tetras. Yester 2 died, today another 4 more. I don't understand why suddenly this happened. I do have a few plants but no CO2 as they said these plants do not require Co2.

    The rest of the fishes seems fine and healthy. I am getting worried about the recent deaths thats occuring. My cousin said that there were too many fishes and could have increase the bio load but I only feed them once a day. I am suspecting whether the nitrate level may be high. Sorry but I haven't got a chance to by a testing kit yet as I am still reading about taking care of the tank.

    Why the sudden deaths of the fish, I have seriously no idea. So sorry but I am new to this.

    I was hoping whether you could kindly give me some advice as to what to check and how I can treat to prevent further losses or even spreads to other fish types. I love my sun tetras.

    I am at work now and will be going home later. So do let me know what I can do to help my fishes and to prevent deaths. I think 2 and then today 4 deaths is enough for me to panic now.

    Thank you so much for your assistance.

    Have a good week ahead.

    Cheers

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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Have you cycled the fish tank (as in put in afew fishes and let it run for a month or more to let the biofilter/bacteria grow) first?

    If not, you're having the classic "new tank" symptoms...ammonia poisoning from the fishes' own waste building up over the last 2 weeks and not enough bacteria to break it down.

    Do regular water changes of 20% of the tank's volume (once a day or once in the morning and once at night) and see if that'll save the remaining fishes...most likely you'll get more death for a few more days even after starting this changing.

    Remember to dechlorinate the tap water and ideally, leave the tap water to age overnight before using it to change the tank water. You don't wanna stress the fishes anymore than you have to.

    Get an ammonia test kit if you're really feeling generous and that'll tell you if its really ammonia poisoning.
    Meanwhile, please read up on the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia -> Nitrite -> Nitrate


    Edit: Ok, just saw that your tank was setup on the 30th Jan. And you added 80 fishes at one go afew days later 2 weeks ago...I can almost confirm that its ammonia poisoning...please find out more on how to cycle your tank and use the remaining fishes that survived to achieve that. Good luck!

  18. #18
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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Adding 80 - 100 fish at a time even to an established 3ft tank is not recommended.

    Also did you take time to acclimatize them before adding to your tank?

    Most bros would consider adding 40 fish at a time to not be a good practice. The sudden increase in waste and ammonia can trigger a mini-cycle especially if the tank is not well established and fully cycled already.

    The bacteria cannot convert the waste ammonia into the less toxic nitrate fast enough.

    You might want to consider an ammonia binding product for now, to ease the stress and keep the rest of your fish alive.
    You can try API Ammo lock or Seachem Amguard both are easy to find.

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    Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    have cycle you tank? is this tank planted tank?
    -Robert
    Aquascaping is a marriage between Art and Farming
    My Blog: http://aquatic-art.blogspot.com/

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    Thumbs up Re: New to this hobby. In need of advice

    Thank you for the advice you have given. So I should expect more deaths during the water change. Guess it was my wrong doing in trying to rush the tank.

    I will try the suggestions you have given. See how it goes.

    Thank you so much for your kind assistance.

    Cheers

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