Newbie :)

[Lycie]

I thought I should stop being lurker and say hi ^_^
I had a rough start to keeping fw tropical fish thanks to my then LFS who sold me a 25 litre tank and about 8 fish. They didn't even mention cycling. So after a lot of confusion and heartache I gave up the hobby pretty fast.
I recently started working at a pet shop, learnt loads more about fish keeping and decided to give it another shot. With the help of knowledgable friends and hours of researching I learnt to setup, cycle and stock my old tank properly. I've had my little tank up and running for a while now and am in the process of (fishless) cycling my new 180 litre tank I'm really excited and eager to do it right this time!
I have already read some wonderful pieces of advice and feel more confident in how I want this new tank set up.
Very happy to have found this forum just in time!

P.s. I speak in litres

 

[SeverumGuy]

Glad that you decided to give it another go. It's a great hobby and takes a lot of creativity to make something beautiful. It's a shame that the LFS screwed you over like that. People who don't know what they're doing should not sell anything to anyone. Post some pics of your current setup. I'm sure we'd all like to see what you're working with.

 

[Lycie]

Never uploaded a photo before so hope it works. I have recently decided to use sand instead of gravel as well, so no substrate in there yet. Only added the fish food a few days ago, so think I can add the sand before the cycling really gets going.
Yes it's a real shame that new fish keepers often have to find these things out the hard way. If that experience taught me anything, it was to research, research, research!

 

[SeverumGuy]

I can't begin to tell you the hours I've spent on researching this hobby. BTW, what kind of fish are you planning on stocking?

 

[Lycie]

Low aggression community type fish. I just love schooling fish and lots of colour. In my little tank I have guppies and mollies. One of my mollies was pregnant when I got her and so now I have 7 mollie babies, who are the main reason I decided to get a bigger tank. Don't have any plecos in there yet for fear of over stocking. But I can't wait to get started so excited

 

[SeverumGuy]

So are you moving all the mollies and guppies over to the new tank? Also are you adding any other type?

 

[Lycie]

Well, still doing lots of research on fish compatibility. But yes I will transfer my guppies and mollies over. I want some algae eaters for sure, maybe bristle nose catfish to start. And tetras, glass catfish. I heard that a rainbow shark on its own might be ok. I won't be adding fish without really looking into it first though. I want a snail too ^_^ any recommendations?

 

[SeverumGuy]

Guppies breed like crazy. I had some give birth in a bag on the way home haha. Mollies, though they can live in freshwater, do best in a brackish tank. It'll help keep them from getting diseases, heal them faster if they get injured and increase their lifespan. They can actually live in a saltwater tank as well, but they do best in brackish. I'm not a big fan of guppies, but I do like mollies though I won't own any. I used to have multiple species of tetras when I had my 55g tank. Very interesting to watch multiple schools swim around and interact with each other. Bristlenose catfish are a good choice. I'm wanting to get one if I can ever find one.

 

[Lycie]

Oh, I didn't know mollies preferred brackish. I have 8 now including babies, and a balloon mollie as well. Yes, I'm so keen to get a few schools going.

 

[Lycie]

I guess I will build it up slowly to be sure they all get along. If worst comes to worst I'll always have my little tank up and running to put any not so compatible fish