Essential Equipment

techmynd

techmynd

Medium Fish
#1
Sep 15, 2010
57
0
0
#1
Okay, I bought my first aquarium and few fish. Not everywhere pre-loaded ready to use aquarium is available. If we look at youtube there are pretty fancy, nice and all aquariums we can see but what I got is somewhat glass combined together to create a glass container stick with silicon and wooden hood over it and wooden base. There is a little external pump which creates air bubbles in the aquarium.
I have not got a filter that is placed below the gravel and i have not got the submersible internal water filter. And the aquarium light is a pinkish tube rod and its aquarium light of 10W.
I had experimented last night with a custom made filter which is created using coke bottle, cotton, gravel, pvc pipe and pipe from the pump (seen at youtube) but that gone worst and whole water became whitish. Just cleaned the water and removed that dummy filter.
I am going to buy another light for aquarium.
I am going to buy an internal water filter and gravel filter today.

Please advise and share what are the essentials of the fresh new aquarium.
I think the internal water filter with pump and gravel filter are necessary. And the aquarium corners should be covered with plastic covers because in my case aquarium glass corners are naked from top and bottom.

All confused...need advice.


This is 2 foot wide (24 inches), 1 foot backwards and 1 and half foot height aquarium. What will be this in gallons? How much gallons is this aquarium?
 

Last edited:
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blue_ram

Large Fish
#2
Jun 21, 2008
516
0
0
Florida
#2
There is no need for an under gravel filter. A HOB filter like Basic care guides - Filter Systems is what you need for filtration.

You have too many fish in the tank until it is cycled and the fish you have will outgrow the tank very soon.

You can try Product Catalog some have had success with it speeding up the cycle.

Best thing to do would be to return all the fish and get one or two Zebra Danios until the tank gets established and cycles.

The cycle is the nitrogen cycle which converts fish pee and poo to nitrates which are not toxic.

How many gallons/litres is the tank?
 

techmynd

techmynd

Medium Fish
#3
Sep 15, 2010
57
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0
#3
Under Gravel Filter and Internal submersed Water Filter

I am reading about these under gravel filters and yesterday I went to pet shop and they told me that only water submersed internal filter won't work. Under Gravel filter + submersed water filter both will prove good. I think 'AquaClear Power Filter' is also a submersed water filter. I think I will have to see myself and try both these. They say that you have to clean under gravel filter using siphon as well.

I will go to shop today and reconsider under gravel filter and internal water filter and then buy.

I have removed all plants and all stuff from aquarium and here are updated pics + fish pics. I will post updated pics with filters in next post.









Fish food and water treatments



updates coming....
 

ryanoh

ryanoh

Large Fish
#4
Mar 22, 2010
858
0
0
#4
Your tank is 22 gallons, but as everyone said, you need to cycle it first before adding all those fish. Also, and don't feel bad because I made this mistake too, but you have both cold and warm water fish in the same tank. Your goldfish and coy need to be in cold water, and your pleco, barbs, sharks, and what look like platies to me need warm water. I also think you should take the fish back and get some better compatible ones.

But otherwise, nice looking tank. I think the stand and hood are pretty cool.
 

techmynd

techmynd

Medium Fish
#6
Sep 15, 2010
57
0
0
#6
Alright. I got an Internal filter and an under gravel filter and re-setup the aquarium. Guy from the aquariums shop helped me and I do not know whether the process is right or wrong but here is how he set these two filters.
They also said that coy (Koi) fish will disturb goldies.
They also said that this fresh water aquarium is a kid aquarium - get marine water aquarium with live plants.

Got some new gravel as well.
Got bigger net.
Got flakes.
Got shower bubbles maker.
Will post the pics in updates.

details here

I am posting images in next two replies.

New water, new gravel, new filters for 22 gallons and 18 fish.
Okay! I did a mistake but I am thinking to create a 250 gallons now - may be in coming 2 or 3 months.

Will all these fish be happy in 250 gallons? I want an Oscar as well and Oranda lionhead goldfish with these.

New Aquarium Plan
==============
Length: 96 inches - 8 foot
Width:24 inches - 2 foot
Height: 24 inches - 2 foot
Water capacity: Approx. 250 Gallons (240 gallons exact)
906 liter water

1/2" to 3/4 tempered glass ???? what is this?
They say that they use 8mm thick glass for this setup.
I am confused about thickness of glass.

I will relocate the fish.
Will build the aquarium and post the images of process.

Please advise.
 

techmynd

techmynd

Medium Fish
#7
Sep 15, 2010
57
0
0
#7
Here are two filters.

Starting condition. For experiment I added cucumber pieces in aquarium for pleco and she dug few times, don't know its a good idea or not.
















 

techmynd

techmynd

Medium Fish
#9
Sep 15, 2010
57
0
0
#9
@Dylandrewsdad:
Most of them are too big or aggressive to be in a small tank..
Wait until the tank is cycled..

Someone told me to put bala sharks in aquarium because they will move the goldies around more.
How much time is needed for a tank to be cycled?
Currently 'under gravel filter' and 'internal filter' are working and all the fish are in there.

@ryanoh:
Take the fish back and get some better compatible ones..

I like the following fish... Can you please group them for compatibility...

Oscar
Fantail Goldfish
Oranda lion head goldfish
Comet Goldfish
Pleco
Tinfoil Barbs
Koi (coy)
Bala Sharks
Albino Rainbow Sharks
Blood Parrots
German Rams
Multipunctatus Catfish
Pearl Gouramis
Angelfish
Molly fish
GloFish (glowing fish)
Glowlight Danios
Neon Tetras
Pigeon Blood
Julii Cories
Guppies
Betta
Pakistani loaches

Please advise me about my new tank idea...

New Aquarium Plan
==============
Length: 96 inches - 8 foot
Width:24 inches - 2 foot
Height: 24 inches - 2 foot
Water capacity: Approx. 250 Gallons (240 gallons exact)
906 liter water

1/2" to 3/4 tempered glass ???? what is this?
They say that they use 8mm thick glass for this setup.
I am confused about thickness of glass.

And the covering around aquarium corners or support will be of wood or metal?

Thanks
 

Dylandrewsdad

Dylandrewsdad

Large Fish
#10
Aug 13, 2010
870
0
0
Sicklerville, NJ
#10
Bala sharks should be in a school of 6 or more and need a tank at least 6 ft long as an example. It takes up to 6 weeks to cycle a tank. Do you have means of testing the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrates? When the ammonia reading is 0, the Nitrite reading is 0 and you have a nitrate reading (Most fish keepers like to keep around 10 PPM) the tank is cycled.
 

techmynd

techmynd

Medium Fish
#11
Sep 15, 2010
57
0
0
#11
@Dylandrewsdad: O Dear! Going to buy those devices for testing. Thanks..

Fresh Water Aquarium Equipment and Fish Food









Fresh Water Aquarium Ready





 

ryanoh

ryanoh

Large Fish
#15
Mar 22, 2010
858
0
0
#15
techmynd said:
@ryanoh:
Take the fish back and get some better compatible ones..

I like the following fish... Can you please group them for compatibility...

Pleco
Koi (coy)
Pearl Gouramis
Molly fish
GloFish (glowing fish)
Glowlight Danios
Neon Tetras
Guppies
Betta
Click to expand...
I went through your list and took out the fish I'd never kept before. I've read about most of them, but I don't feel like I should give you advice unless I have experience. Hopefully someone around here can help you out though. Everything except the koi would be okay to put into a tank together, but you'd have to choose between either a betta or a gourami. They're both surface breathers and will fight over territory. I had one of each in my tank and the gourami died before I was even able to return him to the store.

As far as specifically about bettas, I'm sure you know should only have one male, and that the males are more aggressive of the two genders. You can put one male into a community tank, but I've never done it. I have one female in mine, but you CAN have more than one female as long as you have like 5 or 6 atleast. I haven't done this either, but again, someone else should be able to advise you on this.

Another thing to be careful of, watch what kind of pleco you get. The ones you usually find in stores, the "common pleco," get like two feet long. I had one I had to rehome about a month ago when he got to 10 inches. There's smaller types that get about 6 inches, such as bristlenose, bulldog, pit pull, rubberlip, and whiptail, so I'd make sure you got one of those.

Also make sure you know that mollies and guppies both will breed like crazy if you have males and females in the tank together. If you want to keep and raise the fry make sure you have either lots of plants for them to hide in, another tank to put them in, some type of net or box to hang in your main tank, and most importantly, room to raise them once they grow up.

Hope all of that helps. Sorry it got so long.
 

techmynd

techmynd

Medium Fish
#16
Sep 15, 2010
57
0
0
#16
@ryanoh: Thank you. Valuable information.
Now that I understand that I really like fish keeping, I know I need couple of more tanks. One I plan to build first and I was planning it to be 8 foot but I have reconsidered it and it will be 6 foot (feet) for now. I plan to build a fresh water large aquarium. I will go salt water later.
I have been learning a lot and this forum is really big help.
I am into Goldies. I will prefer to have different sort of goldies and raise them. I will choose their tank mates.
I like oscar but I will need another tank for the oscars. My big main tank will have goldies. I will post the images of building tank and then goldies when It will be ready.
Now I am feeding my fish mixed food including flakes, really small pellets, pellets granules etc.
I did not know about the cycle process and I did not cycle tank before starting this because people at aquarium shop did not guide me properly.
Filters are going well. Tank remains clean most of the time except when I put food in it and fish look happy.
I am monitoring the fish growth and soon I will re-home these fish in a bigger tank.
Thank you guys.
 

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