Fish tank owners :)

[Arcana]

I just received a 63 gallon (240 litres) fish tank and I set it up last friday. Now it's cycling and this morning there was nitrate in the water. How cool is that, so fast! I'll wait untill the end of this month to get my first fishes. I'm wondering should I start with a catfish or two, becouse I'm a student I cannot afford to buy all the fishes at the same time.

I'd be happy to hear (read ) what kind of fish tanks you people have and any hint/tips for a starter like me could come handy. I seem to have some kind of white fungus inside the tank, attached to presoaked wood. So far I've read it's 'normal' and harmless and will go away in time. I'll try to take a photo later if anyone is interested to see how it's like and give opinions about it.

 

[shining]

I just received a 63 gallon (240 litres) fish tank and I set it up last friday. Now it's cycling and this morning there was nitrate in the water. How cool is that, so fast! I'll wait untill the end of this month to get my first fishes. I'm wondering should I start with a catfish or two, becouse I'm a student I cannot afford to buy all the fishes at the same time.

I'd be happy to hear (read ) what kind of fish tanks you people have and any hint/tips for a starter like me could come handy. I seem to have some kind of white fungus inside the tank, attached to presoaked wood. So far I've read it's 'normal' and harmless and will go away in time. I'll try to take a photo later if anyone is interested to see how it's like and give opinions about it.

I keep fishies. I will be your guide in this wondrous world of water. ;P

A 60 gallon is a great tank to start with and you have so many stocking options. It is best not to buy all of your fish at once, the sudden increase in waste that would be produced would stress a new and also established tanks beneficial bacteria and possibly make your little eco system crash and have to cycle it all over again and ultimately kill off some of your stock. So your budget works with you in that department.

What do you have for filtration?
If nothing yet, I'd suggest Aquaclear 100, remove the carbon portion and add another sponge to accommodate more breeding ground for the bb. That one Aquaclear would be enough filtration. Depending on what kinds of fish you want to keep you may need more filtration and that's where adding a canister filter would come in. Canister filters are best but more pricey. We can't forget about heaters, it's best to get one that is rated for a tank way bigger than what you have so it doesn't have to work so hard.

What kind of wood do you have in your tank? Is it mopani? Mopani driftwood developes a weird slime, some others will develop a white mold that will go away just like the slime of the mopani. I find Malaysian driftwood to be the best. It sinks right away and doesn't develop mold or slime, it also produces more tannins that some fish keepers seek out to soften their water or make their tank's water a nice dim tea color.

Have you added substrate yet?? If not, I'd go to your local hardware store for some play sand. You can get a 50lb bag for $5. Two of those bags will be enough for your tank after you rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse. Pet store sand and gravel can be quite expensive.

Choosing stocking, what is your water parameters? Ph? Hardness? That would be the big factor in choosing your stock.

 

[shining]

Here's a pic of one of my tanks.



60 gallon
Filters: Aquaclear 100, Aquaclear 70, Fluval 406 Canister filter(all with modified bb media)

1 convict cichlid
3 gold severums
1 albino longfin bristlenose pleco
1 clown pleco
7 guppies

My tank is overstocked but way over filtered and I do 30% water changes weekly. I have a 75 gallon I resealed sitting around for when I get off my lazy arse and make a stand for it.

 

[PanzoN88]

when I was a young 4yr old brat I remember my mother had a tank (100 gallons) that contained several oscars.

 

[Najakeeper]

I had a 30 gallon that I had for a baby turtle, now houses a champion betta and his two bottom cleaner buddies. Not to mention 100s of snails and full algae cover lol...

 

[Ceymann]

Sorry for the thread revival, but figured I should share my reef here.

My 75 gallon SPS reef aquarium, focusing on the genus Acropora

29gal DIY sump, with magdrive 1200 gph return pump

Lighting :hamilton tech 2x250w metal halides 2x 54w T5 (1x420nm 1x450nm)

Flow: 2x MP40w vortech wave pumps

Skimmer- super reef octopus xp1000, also dosing 2ml of vodka daily for carbon dosing to help nutrient levels.

Cal/alk/mg demand- Korallin calcium reactor w 10lb CO2/ electronic solenoid controlled via Reef computer+ Calcium hydroxide reactor
+ infrared/ digital auto topoff system to deal wiith evaporation

Temp, lights, CO2, reactor is controlled by a reef controller/ brain that I have hooked into a dedicated laptop to make changes to settings or to go manual override.

This system has been setup almost 2 years, now I believe it is the 14th aquarium I have owned so far.

 

[ratluvr76]

WOW.. @Ceymann that is amazing! LOVE it. and vodka?? in your tank? never heard of that before. very beautiful tank man.

 

[Ceymann]

WOW.. @Ceymann that is amazing! LOVE it. and vodka?? in your tank? never heard of that before. very beautiful tank man.

Thank you!, yes the vodka acts as a carbon source for bacteria, therefore it enables more NO3 and P04 to be removed from the system via this spur in bacterial growth and metabolism, ultimately removed by the protein skimmer, you can also use vinegar/ acetic acid as a carbon source but vodka is cheap enough and more pH neutral than vinegar.

 

[Toxoderidae]

@Ceymann every time you post your reef I can't help but marvel..

 

[myrmecophile]

Just recently had to let my 30+ tanks go, pretty bummed.

 

[Arcana]

Wow, I totally forgott about this thread! So my fish tank now has fishes inside. I was very lucky to receive 6 angelfishes and about 20 black tetras for free from my neighbour. In my country fishes are a little expensive and I'm a student right now, so...

Before fishes I had a problem with snails. There were hundreds of them and also algae started to develop. So I bought ummm.. cannibal snails? Those beast that eat other snails so that problem was solved quickly. As a waterpump I have Juwel bioflow 3.0 and I consider adding one more waterpump to the other end.

After some difficulties my fish tank looks like a paradise. I added a photo to prove it, hah I just love it! I will buy more plants soon, but this is pretty awesome and I'm proud of my fish tank <3

 

[Ceymann]

Wow, I totally forgott about this thread! So my fish tank now has fishes inside. I was very lucky to receive 6 angelfishes and about 20 black tetras for free from my neighbour. In my country fishes are a little expensive and I'm a student right now, so...

Before fishes I had a problem with snails. There were hundreds of them and also algae started to develop. So I bought ummm.. cannibal snails? Those beast that eat other snails so that problem was solved quickly. As a waterpump I have Juwel bioflow 3.0 and I consider adding one more waterpump to the other end.

After some difficulties my fish tank looks like a paradise. I added a photo to prove it, hah I just love it! I will buy more plants soon, but this is pretty awesome and I'm proud of my fish tank <3

Nice tank, love the clean aquascape!