new member

[rav]

hi all- new to the forum.
in the process of setting up a new aquarium. waiting for all the parts to come in town. look forward to all the advice and seeing your set ups.

we have a 10 gallon tank we keep a few goldfish in and enjoy it so much we decided to get a larger tank. going to stay with freshwater. we got the goldfish tank to keep some small ones in until they got large enough to transfer to our garden pond.

 

[HN1]

Welcome to AA!

 

[Convict2161]

Welcome to the family

 

[redsea]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice!

 

[Fishie]

Welcome great place!!

 

[rav]

Thanks for the welcomes!
waiting on the "stuff" is killing me
I cleaned the gravel today , reinforced the floor (basement below) and hope to have the stand this week (ordered from a local fish store), we bought the tank Saturday at Petco's 1.00 gallon sale. heater and filter should be here next week.
so far getting a lot of good info on the site- anyone have a link on setting up the tank, heater placement, equipment to have along with the filter and heater, etc...

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi and welcome!
Here you go!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html
It includes info on set up, maintenance and cycling.
Can I ask how many goldfish you have? 10g isn't big enough for even one unfortunately.

 

[rav]

thanks for the link-
we have 6 in the tank and the are about an 1 1/2 avg. long.
they have been in there for 8 months.

just did a quick read on the link- great info! thanks

 

[Mumma.of.two]

thanks for the link-
we have 6 in the tank and the are about an 1 1/2 avg. long.
they have been in there for 8 months.

Ok, I just want to let you know about their proper care.
Goldfish are messy creatures. They produce a lot of waste (poop) and high amounts of ammonia (fish poison to put it simply). Fancy goldfish (like moors, orandas, etc) require 20g for the first fish and 10g for each fish after that. So if you have 6 fancy goldfish they require a 70g tank to be able to swim freely and grow to their proper size avoiding stunting (can cause deformities and premature death). Common, comet (including feeder goldfish) and koi fish are pond fish. They can grow up to 2 feet in length when kept in the proper conditions.
Filtration is important with goldies. With common tropicals you can get away with a filter turning over the tanks water twice an hour. With goldfish they require a filter that can filter 10x the tanks volume an hour. So a 70g tanks needs a filter that filters 700g an hour.
Hope this helps!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

just did a quick read on the link- great info! thanks

your welcome. Any questions?

 

[rav]

thanks Elise- I'm sure I will have many more questions.
the gold fish are the feeder type. we have a filter with the bio media and charcoal, the tank is very clean. we clean with a siphon once a month and replace 25% of the water. I know the new tank will require a lot more attention- looking forward to it.
not sure what type of fish we will put in the new tank yet. I know we will have live plants. no hurry to stock it - just want to get it set up.....

 

[Mumma.of.two]

thanks Elise- I'm sure I will have many more questions.
the gold fish are the feeder type. we have a filter with the bio media and charcoal, the tank is very clean. we clean with a siphon once a month and replace 25% of the water. I know the new tank will require a lot more attention- looking forward to it.
not sure what type of fish we will put in the new tank yet. I know we will have live plants. no hurry to stock it - just want to get it set up.....

I'm sure we can help out with what fish and plants.
Can I make a suggestion? It would be a good idea to change a minimum of 50% of your 10g water once (twice would be better ) week because of the high number of fish you have in there. Can I get you to google OTS (old tank syndrome)?

 

[rav]

"googled"- I will start changing 50% the water out a minimum of once a week. thanks for the info

 

[Mumma.of.two]

"googled"- I will start changing 50% the water out a minimum of once a week. thanks for the info

Your welcome.

 

[rav]

the stand, glass tops and light will be in Wednesday 1-11. hopefully the filter and heater will be here at that time. until then I will look at the empty tank (might put the dog in it ). will do a 50% water change on the small tank over the weekend.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

the stand, glass tops and light will be in Wednesday 1-11. hopefully the filter and heater will be here at that time. until then I will look at the empty tank (might put the dog in it ). will do a 50% water change on the small tank over the weekend.

Lol!!
It's always so exciting getting a new tank.

 

[rav]

the stand finally came in!! picked it up and have started setting up the tank and have a few questions.
Emperor 400 filter- how far above the gravel should the strainer/intake be- going to use the mid level intake so I will need to cut the extension tube.
heater- what is the preferred location?
its a 48" long 55 gallon tank

 

[Mumma.of.two]

the stand finally came in!! picked it up and have started setting up the tank and have a few questions.
Emperor 400 filter- how far above the gravel should the strainer/intake be- going to use the mid level intake so I will need to cut the extension tube.
heater- what is the preferred location?
its a 48" long 55 gallon tank

Yay! How exciting for you. I can't comment on the filter but I like to place the heater near the intake or outtake of the filter so the flow distributes the heat evenly.

 

[rav]

thanks- I will get the heater in. where is the best location for the air pump? here is the tank so far-

 

[Mumma.of.two]

thanks- I will get the heater in. where is the best location for the air pump? here is the tank so far-

The air stone or the pump itself? For the pump - If you have a check valve you can place it under the tank in the stand. If you don't I'd put it on top of the tank to stop water flowing down the air tube into the pump. For the air stone - Any where you like. They aren't usually needed for aeration because the filter creates enough surface agitation for oxygen exchange. They are more for looks and for in emergencies (like filter dies).

Tanks looking good!