Newbie - Be Gentle !!

[Grant R]

Hiya !!

Well, after searching, it seems that I've found a good online community of aquarium enthusiasts. Hopefully this is the case !!

At the weekend, i purchased an ' 11.1 Gallon Tank ' which is now all set - up and running - all in order i hope.

It's got it's filter, heater (Tropical Setup by the way), neon light and gravel, plus a few artificial plants i purchased and an ornament !

I have loads of questions still, but which is the forum for Tropical Fish as i could only see freshwater and saltwater i think ??!

Anyway, speak to you all asap i hope.

Cheers,
Grant.

This topic was moved to it's current forum.

 

[reefrunner69]

Both forums S/W and F/W are considered "Tropical". I am assuming that you are looking for the F/W forum, as that is what most people talk about when they refer to "Tropical" fish. I am going t move this to the F/W beginners forum, if you actually meant S/W, let me know and I'll move it there

Well, after searching, it seems that I've found a good online community of aquarium enthusiasts. Hopefully this is the case !!

You will find the members here to be curteous and helpful. Alot of the things that go on on other boards are not allowed here, while differing opinions are welcome and even encouraged (it is through debate that we learn from each other), personal attacks and be littling posts are not allowed. I hope you will be happy here, it is a great community with some really great members.

 

[Ramrebel]

welcome

you're in the right place!

 

[sunsplash76]

Hey Grant~
Welcome to the site. I hope you are doing freshwater tank. We need all the freshy folks we can get. As you can see the s/w people run the numbers on this site, lol. I never jeard of an 11.1 gallon tank before, that sounds really cool. What kind of fish are you planning on keeping? What kind of questions did you want to know about? I have african cichlids. They are really alot of fun. How long are you letting your tank cycle? Are you using fish to cycle the tank? What tester fish you plan on getting? Do you have test kits to test water chemistry? Give us som 411 on your tank.
P.s. I've always wanted to visit England. We were stationed in Germany for 3 years, but I never made it to the UK, however we got alot of the tv stations. We watched sky all the time. Have you seen a program called "dream team" It's about a football club? Love that show. We got the BBC as well as a few weird stations that had british comedy. I went to like 10 diffeent countries whil ein europem bummer I never got to England.
Cheers,
~Melissa~

 

[Guest]

I never jeard of an 11.1 gallon tank before, that sounds really cool.

Grant lives in the UK - the imperial gallon and US gallon aren't quite the same.

 

[Grant R]

Cheers for all the comments & advice people !

StarGurl, I think the set-up i purchased is American, as i got a coupon ' 30 cence ', not pence, off of a fish product, that's when it kind of clicked that the gear wasn't English !

Also, on the box packaging for the aquarium, the volume said ' 11.1 US Gallon Tank, so it look's like I have an American set-up all round.

Yes, it's definitely FreshWater then, as i have no salty water or products !
It is just tap-water, with a heating element (set at 22 degrees) and filter inside. It has been running since Saturday evening now, the bloke in the aquarium shop said to leave it with everything running for a week, then take a water sample back to him this Saturday (26.10.02), to make sure that all is well for the fish.

On the day of setting it up, I did as instructed by the fella in the aquarium shop and added two different chemicals - one was live bacteria and the other , a chemical to neutralise the stuff the Water Board put in to make it potable, but is unsafe to fish, I think ??
If I remember rightly, these were StressZyme and StressCoat.
Not sure which is which off hand though !

See, I'm learning already !!

 

[Guest]

Welcome Grant!

I've been to your part of the world a few times, really like it over there.

OK, enough of that, advice. First thing you need is a good beginner's freshwater aquarium book. It sounds like your LFS (local fish store(shop?)) has some good folks if they are willing to test your water. Ask them for advice on a good basic beginner's book, published recently. I guess a UK book would be best.
You will want this around to refer to from time to time, and to understand the basic concepts. We will all be glad to help, but you sorta need a bit of your own reference material. Chemistry and fish compatibility are very important.

Questions:

What kind of filter do you have?
What kind of lights/hood do you have?

I'm in sniper territory here, so I gotta go back and dodge some bullets!

later,

CC

 

[Grant R]

Questions:

What kind of filter do you have?
What kind of lights/hood do you have?

I'm in sniper territory here, so I gotta go back and dodge some bullets!

later,

CC

LOL, that must be driving you insane over there - the shootings. :x
OK, the filter, I'm not too sure about, it is quite a small one and has a tubular sponge inside it. As for the light and hood, it is a single 15w light.
The lid just fit's nicely around the shape of the tank, but surprisingly, their are no entry holes for feeding etc !!

Hope this has helped a bit.
Grant

Where did you go to by the way, sunny London ?

 

[reefrunner69]

Grant, could you take a picture of your set up and filter? I don't recognize the filter from the description, unless it's a sponge filter run by an air pump...

 

[Grant R]

I'd love to get some pic's of the aquarium and various bits, but unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera.

Actually, I should be able to borrow one from work, which means i can get some pic's up this week.

I have a couple of books that came with the kit, they are quite handy and have some useful tips. I recorded every bit of equipment I had in a log book, so i know the names of the filter etc, just not off-hand.

I will post up some more info on my stuff asap. (Possibly tonight).

I just hope my water will be good enough for the fella on Saturday to say
" Yep, that's fine ! " :?

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

there is a lot of great info on the net to read up on, check out our links section--first thing, read water chemistry, you can do a search on google for aquarium water chemistry and get back more than you can read...the effectiveness of the starter bacteria packs is a hotly debated topic! personally i prefer the old-fashioned way,with fish and a test kit, or seed from an established tank ( a great bonus of having multiple tanks ) probably what is in your water would be chlorine or chloramines--and just for the record, i have never heard of a 11.1 gallon tank until now! we have 10, 15, 20, etc...must be an odd shape? anyways, definately read up on as much as you can get your eyes on, it will make fish keeping a much easier and enjoyable hobby!

 

[Grant R]

and just for the record, i have never heard of a 11.1 gallon tank until now! we have 10, 15, 20, etc...must be an odd shape?

It is quite an unusual shape, you're right.
It's hard to describe without a picture, but basically, it's angled off at the corner's if you see what I mean !?

Picture's will be following shortly.

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

can't wait to see a picture of this one, i just love odd tanks!

 

[Grant R]

OK, I should hopefully be borrowing work's digital camera at lunchtime 1.00 - 2.00pm , so you should be seeing some photo's today hopefully.
It'll probably look small in comparison to your tanks, but you gotta start somewhere !

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

nah, odd shape will still be nice--i got several 10 gallons around here that hold my oddballs...lol, like my convict fry, etc.--all tanks can be beautiful and they are all very ADDICTIVE