Going tropical

[MWISimmer]

Well, the goldfish are thriving.. so time for the next step. Tropical.

We bought our first tropical tank yesterday, it's now conditioning for at least 2-3 weeks without fish then we'll be introducing them a few at a time. Bear in mind everything in there is new hence the slightly cloudy appearance

It's a 65 litre (18 US gallon) capacity tank.

This is the current goldfish tank, looking clear and clean!

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, we're looking at putting a few neons and maybe a red tailed black shark in there... obviously this isn't set in stone and our local aquarium shop, Maidenhead aquatics, have been a great help.. We've been in there on a daily basis for the past two weeks

[Craig.]

Well done mate it looks good from the get go. I used to keep Tropical fish, something I picked up from my dad who loved them. I'll try and post some tips tomorrow.

[BigTruck]

First couple of fish you put in the tank will have a pretty high chance of dying within a few days, so make sure they're cheap  ;)  You probably knew that already though.

Looking nice!  I love those Amazon Plants, they add so much green to the tank

[expat]

You need to "train" those close to you the do's and don'ts. I am working away from home at the moment and am only home at the weekend. I noticed on arriving back that the water looked more like soup than water. The fish were rather lethargic and a closer look I noticed four dead fish and a fish food crust on top of the gravel. Upon asking how much food they had been given, it turns out the answer was about a weeks worth every night for the last three weeks. A complete water change, hoovered gravel and a quick trip to the fish shop for a couple of replacements all is now OK. Another couple of days and I think we would have had to start all over again!

Matt

[Omag 2.0]

Hey, you are of to a good start. By allowing the tank to settle before introducing the fish.

Rememeber to keep a close eye on the chemical situation in your tank. Buy tests like pH, nitrate, etc... If you want to grow plants co2 addition works like a charm.

Regular waterchanges are in order, but only 1/3 at a time. My father pretreats the water by sending it over a ion exchanger to prevent chlorine from drinkingwater to enter the tank.

And remember to climatise the fish to the tank when introducing them. Leave them floating in the water in their bag, before releasing them. And buy some fish medecine, white spot disease is common when introducing new fish...

Good luck with that nice looking tank!  :)

[stuart1044]

Looking good!

I am selling my current tropical setup and moving onto Marine fish at the moment :)

Thats the next big step, where money is easily lost of novice errors.....

Stuart->Reading lots of marin tank books

[BigTruck]

Looking good!

I am selling my current tropical setup and moving onto Marine fish at the moment

Sadly, we stopped sending fish through boot camp last year, they don't do too well when we send them to the desert...I'd suggest starting a salt water tank if you're looking for something different.

[stuart1044]

Looking good!

I am selling my current tropical setup and moving onto Marine fish at the moment

Sadly, we stopped sending fish through boot camp last year, they don't do too well when we send them to the desert...I'd suggest starting a salt water tank if you're looking for something different.