Help setting up a heated freshwater 25L tank

[vortex666]

Hi guys,so i bought myself a 25 litres fish tank and the idea was to just get some goldfish and job done,but then i found them goldfish a bit boring to me,so i went online and the fishes i like are only suitable for heated tanks,(black skirt tetra,betta,kuhli loach,black molly,platies etc..)
Could anyone help me setting this up,what do i need?can i have the mentioned fishes together?
The tank is kept in the kitchen where temp is about ~18 degrees centigrade.
I have an internal filter.
Thanks in advance


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[biondoa]

You don't really want to keep goldfish and tropical fish together. goldfish prefer cooler water than tropicals. You could find new homes for the goldfish, or just get another tank for the tropical fish.

 

[vortex666]

Sorry,forgot to mention that I didn't bought any fish yet as im using tap water and im waiting for the water to be treated so my options still open and not thinking about getting goldfish.


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[Mebbid]

It's a pretty small tank, there's not a whole lot of options open to you when it comes to a tank this size, much less since it's unheated.

What are the dimensions of this tank?

Have you heard about fishless cycling?
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

 

[vortex666]

Can't remember the size of it,i know it is 25Litres.
Never heard of fishless cycling but the guy at the fishstore gave me a bottle of some liquid to treat up the water,so i believe im doing some kind of fishless cycling.
I know it is a small tank,but i just wanted to have something else that is not goldfish...
I don't have a heater,but buying one is not a problem.
Already have the internal filter working since thursday,as long with the ornaments and gravel.
Should i get a heater then?will that give me a bigger variety of fish?
Thanks in advance


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[TMRC Exotics]

Fishless cycling involves using a source of ammonia to establish bacteria colonies in your tank that will remove waste from the water naturally. Its imperative that a tank have these bacteria colonies. The bottle of stuff you added is not the same process.

At this size tank you really don't have a lot of options. Gold fish are no no in this size tank as they are huge waste producers and get very large, over a foot. So great thing you are not going with them.

Some things I believe could work,

Fancy guppies (3)
Celestial pearl danios (6)
Betta (1)
Amber barbs (6)
Amano, ghost, or cherry shrimp (10)

Pick any one of those options and if u like them add a snail and call it a day. Knowing the dimensions would help us say for sure what will work, I'm also in america so liters mean nothing to me. Just looked and its only 6 gallons.. a betta would be the way to go IMO.

 

[vortex666]

Fishless cycling involves using a source of ammonia to establish bacteria colonies in your tank that will remove waste from the water naturally. Its imperative that a tank have these bacteria colonies. The bottle of stuff you added is not the same process.

At this size tank you really don't have a lot of options. Gold fish are no no in this size tank as they are huge waste producers and get very large, over a foot. So great thing you are not going with them.

Some things I believe could work,

Fancy guppies (3)
Celestial pearl danios (6)
Betta (1)
Amber barbs (6)
Amano, ghost, or cherry shrimp (10)

Pick any one of those options and if u like them add a snail and call it a day. Knowing the dimensions would help us say for sure what will work, I'm also in america so liters mean nothing to me. Just looked and its only 6 gallons.. a betta would be the way to go IMO.

Thank you TMRC Exotics
Ok,so i went out and bought myself a 25W heater and the "stuff" for the fishless cycling.

The bottle i was given when i bought the tank is to treat tap water wich i already added! (right bottle in the picture)

The measures for the fish tank are 12x12x12 (inches)
Here is the link of the tank:
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/p...t-25-litre-coldwater-glass-aquarium?orderBy=1

By the way,the water has turned green "ish" like if it was dirty,is this normal?don't know if can be seen on the picture..


What are me next steps?add up the bacteria stuff to the filter?
Thanks in advance


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[TMRC Exotics]

Did you wash the gravel thoroughly? It looks like a little dust from it. It will clear up.

The stuff in the bottle alone won't cycle your tank. There is a method for fishless cycling that involves dosing ammonia but its kinda tough for beginners. The alternative is to add fish to begin the cycle. This process can be hard on the fish but if you commit to doing water changes every other day for the first 18-30 days it will be OK.

Have you decided on a stocking? Some fancy guppies would work nicely. 3 would look nice.

 

[vortex666]

Yes,gravel was well washed before i put it in the tank.

The stuff in the bottle was only to remove chorine and neutralize heavy metals.

So do you recommend adding two of them "jelly" balls once a week to the filter and change the water every other day for 18-30 days?

Should i change about 80 to 90% of the water?

As for the fish,was thinking about 3 fancy guppies,a cherry shrimp and a snail..how's that?could i add anything else?


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[vortex666]

This is the stuff i was given today for the fishless cycling.
Thanks


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[ImACoolguy]

I've never heard of those jelly balls but get yourself a liquid test kit so you can monitor how the cycling is coming along.


Caleb

 

[vortex666]

I've never heard of those jelly balls but get yourself a liquid test kit so you can monitor how the cycling is coming along.


Caleb

Will try to get hold of some test kits!
Thanks Caleb


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[TMRC Exotics]

Those are products to help the aquarium function (supposedly lol) what we need here is a source of ammonia which will start the cycle. The waste produced by the fish will cause this process to start. Fish release ammonia into the water when they make waste, invisible bacteria cultures mainly in the filter will be born to consume the ammonia. They turn it into a less harmful byproduct called nitrites. At the creation of nitrites bacteria will show up to turn the nitrites to nitrates, the least lethal of these compounds. You remove the nitrates via water changes and live plants can help to consume them. The process for all these bacteria's to build to safe levels takes around a month usually.

During the cycle perform 50-75% water changes to keep the ammonia at safe levels. After around a month you can drop back to 1x weekly 30-50% changes depending on what it takes to keep the levels down.

This is where you need that test kit Caleb mentioned to monitor levels during the cycle and occasionally after. I try to test once a month just to keep an eye on things but testing before every other water change or weekly will be a good idea in the first few months.

So I would add your guppies and get that test kit, invertebrates are more sensitive to swings in water chemistry so I would wait until its cycled to add the shrimp. And why stop at one, I'd get 3 or 4 shrimp. I wouldn't add anymore fish though.

 

[vortex666]

Those are products to help the aquarium function (supposedly lol) what we need here is a source of ammonia which will start the cycle. The waste produced by the fish will cause this process to start. Fish release ammonia into the water when they make waste, invisible bacteria cultures mainly in the filter will be born to consume the ammonia. They turn it into a less harmful byproduct called nitrites. At the creation of nitrites bacteria will show up to turn the nitrites to nitrates, the least lethal of these compounds. You remove the nitrates via water changes and live plants can help to consume them. The process for all these bacteria's to build to safe levels takes around a month usually.

During the cycle perform 50-75% water changes to keep the ammonia at safe levels. After around a month you can drop back to 1x weekly 30-50% changes depending on what it takes to keep the levels down.

This is where you need that test kit Caleb mentioned to monitor levels during the cycle and occasionally after. I try to test once a month just to keep an eye on things but testing before every other water change or weekly will be a good idea in the first few months.

So I would add your guppies and get that test kit, invertebrates are more sensitive to swings in water chemistry so I would wait until its cycled to add the shrimp. And why stop at one, I'd get 3 or 4 shrimp. I wouldn't add anymore fish though.

Right guys,so I've been at the pet shop and bought the test kit,am i ready to add the fish to get ammonia and start the process?

Also,as i mentioned above,the water is currently green "ish" or sort of dirty,was told that it is because it's next to the window and i get a bit of sunlight in the morning,should i change the water before adding any fish?


Thanks guys


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[ImACoolguy]

Right guys,so I've been at the pet shop and bought the test kit,am i ready to add the fish to get ammonia and start the process?

Also,as i mentioned above,the water is currently green "ish" or sort of dirty,was told that it is because it's next to the window and i get a bit of sunlight in the morning,should i change the water before adding any fish?
View attachment 273822

Thanks guys


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Sunlight is a contributing factor to algae in a tank. If you can get it out of sunlight that would be best but it's not life or death if you can't.

You have your test kit and ready to begin the cycle!

What are you using as the ammonia source?


Caleb

 

[vortex666]

Sunlight is a contributing factor to algae in a tank. If you can get it out of sunlight that would be best but it's not life or death if you can't.

You have your test kit and ready to begin the cycle!

What are you using as the ammonia source?


Caleb

Yes,i can move it away from the window,at least away from UV rays..

As TMRC Exotics said,I'll add fish,maybe 3 guppies or something similar as they release ammonia from their waste right?
Or should i buy something else to add??

So is it safe to change the water and add the fish?should i make any test before adding them?

Thanks Caleb


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[ImACoolguy]

Yes,i can move it away from the window,at least away from UV rays..

As TMRC Exotics said,I'll add fish,maybe 3 guppies or something similar as they release ammonia from their waste right?
Or should i buy something else to add??

So is it safe to change the water and add the fish?should i make any test before adding them?

Thanks Caleb


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If there's nothing in the tank there's no reason to test ammonia(NH3), nitrite(NO2), nitrate(NO3). I would test your tap water though, to make sure as some people even on here have ammonia in their tap water.

As for the tank you could test GH/KH (general hardness and carbonate hardness) to get a general feel and make sure it's not some outrageous level.

I would say you are ready to add your fish.

Once you add them I would test daily or every 2 days. You want to keep your fish safe and I wouldn't let the ammonia rise above 1ppm at most. If you notice redness around the gills of your fish or gasping at the top of the tank it's time for another water change.


Caleb

 

[vortex666]

Hi guys,
So,yesterday i went back to the petshop and got myself a fish..was gonna get guppies but couldn't resist the betta,so i got myself a labyrinth..
Also bought two snails,a moss ball,and another live plant.

Don't know if this is normal but he's kind of quiet..spends a lot of time on the gravel and not moving,or on the top of the filter,also inside of the ornament..wondering if he doesn't like the water movement from the filter and stresses him out..

Right,in regards to water,this is the results i had today after 24h with the fish:
KH @10DH
GH @15DH
Ammonia @0,0mg/l
pH @7,5
Nitrite @0,5mg/l
Nitrate @10mg/l

Are theese ok?KH and GH seem a bit high right?
Thanks guys



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[ImACoolguy]

Water change. Nitrite is even more toxic than ammonia. It's likely bothering him.

Bettas don't like a lot of flow in their tank but they will tolerate some.


Caleb

 

[vortex666]

Water change. Nitrite is even more toxic than ammonia. It's likely bothering him.

Bettas don't like a lot of flow in their tank but they will tolerate some.


Caleb

How much water should i change caleb?
Will try to reduce water flow.
Thanks caleb


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