Newbie question on filtration and other stuff

[Bosco72]

Anyone bought fish online? What is your thoughts on this? Cheers.

 

[jlk]

If you do search on here about buying fish online, theres quite a few threads (i even posted one!). Its a bit daunting buying fish online- just make sure you are buying from a reputable dealer (or from a AA member!!). I have no complaints about buying fish online as what I am seeking I can not find in my local lfs.

 

[Bosco72]

Sounds like good advice, I will do a search and more research. My main reason for asking was that the fish are cheaper and that I'm not sure of the ethics of posting live animals?

 

[jlk]

You mean mailing live animals, correct? Most places ship overnight or 2-day mail- its actually kinder than the mass shipments of fish crammed in tiny boxes that your local lfs receives. The breeders that I have purchased fish from package & ship their fish very carefully & with the greatest care for their well-being & I have yet to have any problems (knock on wood!).

 

[noobaquarists]

ive just read through your entire forum and i have a cpl replies
1. i personally wouldnt recommend using ugf's for the same reasons that others have posted
2. you were asking about the background for your tank my suggestion is make a moss wall as you seem to like plants, and they also help hide filtres, air hoses etc.
3. if you do plan on getting oscars do not put them in a planted tank as most oscars will destroy your plants
4.great post good to see you asking alot of questions and best of luck on your newest addiction

 

[librarygirl]

All of the fish in my tank have come through the mail and I haven't had any problems. Just check who you're buying from and if it's a site with reviews (like aquabid) check the member feedback to see what others have said. 90% of my fish (and all of my snails) have come from Severum Mama and HN1 on this site and my experiences with them have been great; the other school of fish I bought from a breeder as I wanted a specific type that are hard to find but he was recommended by a member on here.

 

[Bosco72]

ive just read through your entire forum and i have a cpl replies
1. i personally wouldnt recommend using ugf's for the same reasons that others have posted
2. you were asking about the background for your tank my suggestion is make a moss wall as you seem to like plants, and they also help hide filtres, air hoses etc.
3. if you do plan on getting oscars do not put them in a planted tank as most oscars will destroy your plants
4.great post good to see you asking alot of questions and best of luck on your newest addiction

Thanks for taking the time to read through,

The ugf's have gone
I have gone with plain black background it looks good, I'll post a pic
Oscars are not a reality in the setup I have at the moment, I'm going with tetras
Yes it is a growing addiction, I'm already shopping around for a much bigger setup

I know I have more questions lol

 

[Bosco72]

All of the fish in my tank have come through the mail and I haven't had any problems. Just check who you're buying from and if it's a site with reviews (like aquabid) check the member feedback to see what others have said. 90% of my fish (and all of my snails) have come from Severum Mama and HN1 on this site and my experiences with them have been great; the other school of fish I bought from a breeder as I wanted a specific type that are hard to find but he was recommended by a member on here.

I will do some checking around before ordering, all of the local fish shops either seem really run down or they are the big corporate pet stores with people that have no idea. I'm new to this but I probably know more! I thought online may be an alternative and wanted to get a feel for it. Thank you for your advice.

 

[Bosco72]

You mean mailing live animals, correct? Most places ship overnight or 2-day mail- its actually kinder than the mass shipments of fish crammed in tiny boxes that your local lfs receives. The breeders that I have purchased fish from package & ship their fish very carefully & with the greatest care for their well-being & I have yet to have any problems (knock on wood!).

Im curious, how exactly would they be packaged? Or is there many different methods? Heat packs etc?

 

[jlk]

The breeders I have purchased fish from pack their fish in multiple large fish bags with sufficient oxygen & water. The bags are 10x the size of the bags you get in the lfs when you purchase a fish. The bags are then packed in a heavy styrofoam cooler with foam peanuts to prevent any movement of the bag. The styrofoam cooler is then packed in yet another box with foam peanuts with multiple labels & warnings 'live fish' 'fragile' 'keep box upright' etc etc. Some places use heat packs or cooler packs as needed depending on the weather & the type of fish being shipped. Im sure different places have different methods for shipping & packing as well but this is what I have encountered so far!

 

[Bosco72]

The breeders I have purchased fish from pack their fish in multiple large fish bags with sufficient oxygen & water. The bags are 10x the size of the bags you get in the lfs when you purchase a fish. The bags are then packed in a heavy styrofoam cooler with foam peanuts to prevent any movement of the bag. The styrofoam cooler is then packed in yet another box with foam peanuts with multiple labels & warnings 'live fish' 'fragile' 'keep box upright' etc etc. Some places use heat packs or cooler packs as needed depending on the weather & the type of fish being shipped. Im sure different places have different methods for shipping & packing as well but this is what I have encountered so far!

I'm going to give it a go, I will report back on my findings and experience, cheers for the great advice once again.

 

[Bosco72]

I have internal filters that have sponges in them, (I also add filter wool at the top to add that extra filtration) when cleaning I generally swish them about in some tank water and replace. In the past have also gone for the more deep cleaning, which was to give them a good squeeze and generally be more stringent with the way I clean them (always in tank water)and the amount of waste that comes out is a massive difference.

My question is this, which is better? Is being more thorough with the cleaning of your sponges more detrimental to the bb's or is it ok to get stuck in?

Cheers in advance for any thoughts on this.

 

[jlk]

I swish them in general. Occasionally, I will squeeze the sponges but never all at one time. I usually pour tank water over them then swish them around in the bucket. Everyone has a bit of a different method for cleaning & you will need to figure out what works best for you.

 

[librarygirl]

When I clean mine I usually squeeze them all to get all the gunk out. I've never had an issue with doing them all at once but if the tank is newly cycled you may want to be more cautious for a while. I don't do this every week though, once or twice a month usually.

 

[Bosco72]

When I clean mine I usually squeeze them all to get all the gunk out. I've never had an issue with doing them all at once but if the tank is newly cycled you may want to be more cautious for a while. I don't do this every week though, once or twice a month usually.

I normally only give the filters a clean around once month also, but do pwc around twice a week sometimes more if I have the time.