Setting up an AQUARIUM, how MUCH, and how DIFFICULT?

El Presidente · Jan 17, 2014

I've been thinking about buying an aquarium, and know that amongst NSC there are experts on practically all subjects under the sun.

Realistically how much would it cost to set up a decent sized tank (say at least 100cm), with all the trimmings, and would you suggest avoiding setting up a marine tank if you're a beginner such as myself, as from doing some background reading it seems that there are more things to go wrong, (although they look a lot more spectacular).

Ta in advance xx

:fishing:

knocky1 · Jan 17, 2014

Watch Blackfish first. It will give you an insight of the dangers you face if expanding your marine ecosystem too quickly.

Thunder Bolt · Jan 17, 2014

[MENTION=2019]jevs[/MENTION] seems to have a lot of knowledge about this sort of thing.

The Grockle · Jan 17, 2014

Yeah [MENTION=2019]jevs[/MENTION] is your man. My advise would be go for the largest tank you can afford and accomodate. Much easier to control water quality with a 100l + tank.

algie · Jan 17, 2014

Buy your tank second hand. You will save a small fortune. Or choose a display model like i did. Research and join a fish forum. Get some books. It can get very expensive setting up but it doesn't have to be.

perseus · Jan 17, 2014

It is quite a wide ranging question. Marine aquaria cannot just be left. They require time consuming maintenance about the same as owning a small dog.

One tip: check the glue holding the glass together even on new tanks. Don't buy secondhand equipment especially old glass tanks. They have a limited life span.

Aquarium shop advice can be iffy. If in doubt buy a modern book. (ex writer for Aquarist & Pondkeeper, defunct 1999). A bit out of date with modern equipment. Much improved now.

I prefer flat-sided tanks for photography mainly.

The big question is why? Usually like a moving picture?

algie · Jan 17, 2014

Oh and buy a baby male Britlenose catfish. You will thank me in the long run

algie · Jan 17, 2014

perseus said:
It is quite a wide ranging question. Marine aquaria cannot just be left. They require time consuming maintenance about the same as owning a small dog.

One tip: check the glue holding the glass together even on new tanks. Don't buy secondhand equipment especially old glass tanks. They have a limited life span.

Aquarium shop advice can be iffy. If in doubt buy a modern book. (ex writer for Aquarist & Pondkeeper, defunct 1999).

Never had any problems with second equipment in all the years i've kept fish

Superphil · Jan 17, 2014

I'm an enthusiastic amateur, running a 210 litre tropical tank. The best value for starting up is to buy a complete setup in one hit, the deals are excellent. Somewhere like Maidenhead Aquatics (all over the UK) have deals on for the tank, cabinet, heater, filter, and normally thrown in some gravel, water conditioner, a tub of fish food and that. I'd make sure you go for a renowned brand, like Fluval or Jewell, the components are good quality, and spares and replacements are easier to come by. Oh, and get yourself a book to take you through all the steps, I got this one and still refer to it often now, several years later.

Oh and as was mentioned before, the larger the tank, the easier it is to keep it all in great condition.

perseus · Jan 17, 2014

algie said:
Never had any problems with second equipment in all the years i've kept fish

Glass ages. I used to make my own before you could buy them cheap. The quality of glass varies. Pumps break down.
The cheaper ones do.
Complex decisions.
I would start with a 3 ft tank. Hoods can be cruddy.
LED lights are the future. I still have the flourescent lamps which were always a problem.

With 5 ft tanks the glass is thicker and reaching down to the bottom of the tank for cleaning etc,. is a design factor in location. So is spilled salt water and carpets.

Some fish have limited natural life spans. Some fish grow too big too quickly.

Some people quickly tire of the hobby. Then a second-hand purchase may be OK. Buy very cheap though and treat the glass aquarium part as zero value. A secondhand pump has a cost of £30 to £50 or so. Only worth a quarter of the price, sometimes not even that as bits fall out of them and they run noisy or intermittent.

Superphil · Jan 17, 2014

Oh, my favourite fish at the moment are Ember Tetras, Panda Coreys and Chain Loaches.

Russconha · Jan 17, 2014

I found this to be the best of the fishkeeping forums

http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/

Don't be scared of starting with a marine set up. You'll need patience as it can take a couple of months before you put any fish in while the water is maturing. If you rush it, it will more than likely go wrong.
The key factor is consistency, so the bigger the tank then the better; fluctuations in temperature, acidity levels etc... happen more slowly with a larger volume of water.

NODC · Jan 17, 2014

When i was looking to set-up a tank I quickly discounted marine as it require a lot more work and it would seem small changes could wipe out a whole tank.

I think the best thing i did was to take my time from setting the tank up and then introducing fish. I've also found snails to be of great benefit as they love algae!

El Presidente · Jan 17, 2014

NODC said:
When i was looking to set-up a tank I quickly discounted marine as it require a lot more work and it would seem small changes could wipe out a whole tank.

I think the best thing i did was to take my time from setting the tank up and then introducing fish. I've also found snails to be of great benefit as they love algae!

I'm quite fond of algie too, he has been an NSC regular for years.

sjamesb3466 · Jan 17, 2014

I started my tank 8 months ago and it is looking spectacular. I spend roughly 3 hours a week maintaining it for two 10% water changes alongside gravel cleaning, plant maintenance etc. http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/fish-keeping-articles has a lot of very interesting articles and has been a good guide for me.

I bought a second hand Fluval tank, 140L with pump and heater for £70, a fraction of the cost of a new tank. I will get a new tank in a year or so as the lid is a bit scruffy and I would like to go even bigger however it has been the perfect tank for a beginner. As many have already said, go for the biggest tank you can afford as smaller tanks have less volume of water and therefore small amounts of ammonia and other chemicals can have a great effect on the overall water quality.

I started with just 5 X-Ray Tetra in my 140L tank and left them for 6 weeks to build bacteria in the filter. I then added a couple of fish every other week giving the tank and the filter to adjust to the new fish. Just take it slow and steady and you should be fine. Also, its better to do multiple small water changes (I do 2 10% per week) rather than 20-30% in one go. Good luck!

jevs · Jan 17, 2014

Been keeping trop and marine (plus ponds and koi) for over 40 years now. Here's a basic, simple outline.

Keeping fish needn't be complicated or time consuming. I spend about an hour a month on my high tech planted 5 foot trop aquarium. Firstly, probably best to avoid the marines for a while until you have some experience.

So you're going to need a tank. I would say go for a minimum of 2 foot long, 15" high and 12" wide. As mentioned, bigger usually = better and more stable. That's not to say a small tank will look crap...this is a pic of a 30" x 15" x 12" i set up a few years ago

Ive personally never had a problem with second hand tanks....glass and silicon can easily last for over 50 years. Now here comes the dilemma, do you buy all the components for the tank seperately or do you just get a plug and play type set up ie, you buy the whole lot with in built filter, lights, heater, cabinet and lid....the choice is yours and it's totally down to your budget. A Juwel 240 set up is a common second hand set up and can usually be bought for around £150 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Juwel-Rio...8?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2a366cd61e

The equipment you'll need is a heater/thermostat....capable of heating the water to 78f...often two lower wattage ones are better just in case one fails. You'll need some lighting. T5 or T8 flourescent tubes are the most popular but LED's are getting there now, although they're still very expensive. The amount of tubes and their wattage will depend on whether you want to keep a nice planted tank...but that's for another day.

You're going to need a filter....that's not only to remove solids but also to break down fish waste. They do this by using a highly porous filter media with a huge surface area. Benificial bacteria colonise this media and munch all the ammonia (lethal to fish) produced by the fish into nitrite (still lethal) and then further into nitrate (only slightly harmful at prolonged high doses). This is called the Nitrogen cycle. Filters also provide water movement withing the tank. You can get internal filters or external ones which usually sit under the tank.

Then you're going to want to pretty your tank up. I use a 1" layer of normal ericacious potting compost with a 2" layer of play pit sand on top...totally safe, looks good and the plants love it. Rocks, bogwood, plants, sunken shipwrecks and bubbly divers are all available, although the latter two are banned from even being talked about in my house !!!!! I much prefer the natural look.....plants and bogwood for me.

So once you've decided on which way you want to go and the budget you have, you can then think about what you want to keep. I won't go there for the moment, get your set up sorted and do lots of reading and research. Oh...and ask loads of questions however silly they seem....the only silly question is the one you don;t ask !!!

Where abouts are you El pres ? you're always welcome over to Lewes to talk it through and get some inspiration.

This is a pic of my present 5 foot tank

daveybgtt · Jan 17, 2014

I wouldn't get another tank, never looks like you want it to, and ends up looking shit. Sold my fluval osaka for peanuts compared to what I bought it for new. Definately go second hand.

Easy 10 · Jan 17, 2014

Some good advice on here. But gotta love...

algie said:
Buy your tank second hand. You will save a small fortune. Or choose a display model like i did.

perseus said:
Don't buy secondhand equipment especially old glass tanks. They have a limited life span.

NSC at its finest. And as for this...

perseus said:
Marine aquaria cannot just be left. They require time consuming maintenance about the same as owning a small dog.

How can the amount of time spent maintaining a fish tank be directly equated with the amount of time "owning a small dog" ?

Glorious :lolol:

MattBackHome · Jan 17, 2014

El Presidente said:
I've been thinking about buying an aquarium, and know that amongst NSC there are experts on practically all subjects under the sun.

Realistically how much would it cost to set up a decent sized tank (say at least 100cm), with all the trimmings, and would you suggest avoiding setting up a marine tank if you're a beginner such as myself, as from doing some background reading it seems that there are more things to go wrong, (although they look a lot more spectacular).

Ta in advance xx

Fish tanks are louder than you expect them to be. We had one for a short while and the noise of the filter really disrupted my enjoyment of TV - and I bloody love TV. Don't do it. Get a small dog instead.

amexee · Jan 17, 2014

I have a question [MENTION=2019]jevs[/MENTION] How do you keep your plants green and lush. Mine always either rot, or get covered in algae?

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