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The Official NSC thread for all things Aquarium.



Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
Aquarium owners of NSC unite!
But only after you've helped out a newbie.

I have 'inherited' a 2.5 ft x 1.5ft tank that's been allowed to fester, and today has been the day to bring it back to life.

I've scrubbed it clean, using nothing but water and elbow grease.
The same goes for the filter (I assume I should replace the spongy things), heater and lid.

What next?


Anyone looking to help needs to accept 1 potential dealbreaker:-

I reserve the right to ask really feckin stooopid questions!
 




Simgull

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2013
1,637
Hove
Loads of advice available on line of course but first question might be what are you keeping in it? Cold water/tropical/salt water?

Most important thing is take it slowly and let the environment stabilise over a couple of weeks at least to ensure water quality is good before adding fish.

Worth a visit to Paraquatics on Portland Road - they will advise you.
 


Ron Manager

Oooh, wasn't it?
Sep 14, 2015
417
Lentil Alley
Get a goal.

DR8Qoud.gif
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
Tropical - I have a Fluval 3 plus filter and Fluval 150w heater :shrug:

From memory the tank was mainly home to neon & stripy fishes (clown something) and red finned shark, that I do remember.


If that's pretty basic that'll do me, I should have mentioned I really want this to be as cheap as possible.
I just didn't want to start off on the wrong foot, turning the tank into a fishy graveyard.
 




Frutos

.
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
May 3, 2006
35,493
Northumberland
I remember when the Sea Life Centre was called the Brighton Aquarium & Dolphinarium, if that helps at all.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
I remember when the Sea Life Centre was called the Brighton Aquarium & Dolphinarium, if that helps at all.

and your still bringing more knowledge to the thread than I am.
 






Worthingite

Sexy Pete... :D
Sep 16, 2011
4,959
Worthing
So, [MENTION=435]Stat Brother[/MENTION], you could say that today is the dawning of the age of aquarium?!

I'll get my coat....
 


dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Mar 27, 2013
52,006
Burgess Hill
Go to one of the shops locally and have a chat with them, they're typically very good and will make decent recommendations based on what you have and what you're looking for. Maidenhead Aquatics at Hickstead are a decent bunch.
 






Simgull

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2013
1,637
Hove
Ok tropical/ so look on line for advice - Fluval's web site will almost certainly give you start up instructions - you'll need to replace the filters and buy some tap safe.
Paraquatics stock Fluval so may be worth just taking the tank in (before you fill it with water!)
Also check everything is working pump, lights, heater before you go too far,
Do you need some gravel?

Think about where you are going to put the aquarium - out of direct sun light, accessible to electric sockets, acccessible for weekly water/filter changes and remember once in place they are bloody heavy and difficult to move!

As i said the most important thing to bear in mind when starting up is that your aquarium is a very small biosphere - you need to get it stable, if you destabilise the environment (eg add too many fish at once) you upset the water quality, stress the fish and then disease/death is inevitable. You need to be patient. Read up on the nitrogen cycle to understand more.

Go for small, hardy, similar sized community fish essentially if a fish is small enough to fit in another fish's mouth then it will get eaten. Build the population slowly. Tetras are a good starting point - avoid anything with floppy fins e.g. Guppies . Silver and red finned sharks can be tricky too, Again the fish shop will advise and test your water for you - they don't want you killing fish.
 


Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,631
Eastbourne
Ideally, you need to get a good cycle in the water where ammonia is converted to nitrite and then nitrate. Otherwise your fish will most probably last a few weeks and then start to die, particularly if you've introduced too many, too soon. It's imperative that your filter is working well in order for this process to work. If you have a friend with an established tank, then you could borrow a little of his filter material and seed your filter by introducing it. Ammonia is produced by the waste that the fish produce. People often introduce a couple of goldfish as they are tolerant of poor quality water conditions, these would also help start your tank off.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
Ok tropical/ so look on line for advice - Fluval's web site will almost certainly give you start up instructions - you'll need to replace the filters and buy some tap safe.
Paraquatics stock Fluval so may be worth just taking the tank in (before you fill it with water!)
Also check everything is working pump, lights, heater before you go too far,
Do you need some gravel?

I will need gravel, I figured a load of 'basic' stones, with a layer of colour on top.

First idiot question:-
Can I just run the hose from the garden and fill it direct from there.
(Now you can understand why I don't want to look this stupid, in public:lol: )

Think about where you are going to put the aquarium - out of direct sun light, accessible to electric sockets, acccessible for weekly water/filter changes and remember once in place they are bloody heavy and difficult to move!

Thanks I seem to at least have done something right.
I have that covered.

As i said the most important thing to bear in mind when starting up is that your aquarium is a very small biosphere - you need to get it stable, if you destabilise the environment (eg add too many fish at once) you upset the water quality, stress the fish and then disease/death is inevitable. You need to be patient. Read up on the nitrogen cycle to understand more.

Go for small, hardy, similar sized community fish essentially if a fish is small enough to fit in another fish's mouth then it will get eaten. Build the population slowly. Tetras are a good starting point - avoid anything with floppy fins e.g. Guppies . Silver and red finned sharks can be tricky too, Again the fish shop will advise and test your water for you - they don't want you killing fish.

Great stuff, cheers.
 




Eeyore

Lord Donkey of Queen's Park
NSC Patreon
Apr 5, 2014
23,379
I inherited an aquarium last year. It has two fish in it. They seem to like water. So I've left it as it is. I put fresh water in it from time to time. They're not keen on swilling their own shit.
 


Superphil

Dismember
Jul 7, 2003
25,398
In a pile of football shirts
When I started 6 odd years ago I bought this book and followed it closely, I've had great success, and even upgraded to a 250l tank. Well worth the read.

64c6cebdd03a2490ee55fc3d777fd22e.jpg
 


Bry Nylon

Test your smoke alarm
Helpful Moderator
Jul 21, 2003
19,779
Playing snooker
I bought a goldfish at a pet shop last week.

"Would you like an aquarium?" asked the assistant.
"To be honest," I replied, "I'm not really bothered what star sign it is."
 


Simgull

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2013
1,637
Hove
No reason you can't initially fill the tank usinfg a garden hose as long as it's reasonably clean, I'd purge it first. I assume it's connected to the mains and not a rain water tank. Youll need to treat the water with tap safe. When you do top ups though don't use the hose as you'll need to treat the water before adding it to the tank. Use a clean bucket reserved for the fish tank. Incidentally never use water from a hot water tank.

I'll just reiterate, visit your local supplier - they are always really friendly and helpful. They'll take you through set up and make sure you have everything you need.
 




Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
No reason you can't initially fill the tank usinfg a garden hose as long as it's reasonably clean, I'd purge it first. I assume it's connected to the mains and not a rain water tank. Youll need to treat the water with tap safe. When you do top ups though don't use the hose as you'll need to treat the water before adding it to the tank. Use a clean bucket reserved for the fish tank. Incidentally never use water from a hot water tank.

I'll just reiterate, visit your local supplier - they are always really friendly and helpful. They'll take you through set up and make sure you have everything you need.

Once again thanks, I will do a visit, I promise.
But if I go in completely blind I'll get lost in the advise and will end up wasting everybody's time.
 





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