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I have just purchased a 4 foot tank, that has come with an Atman CF1200 External Filter. All accessories were in a couple of boxes that came with the tank, and there is no instruction manual on how to set up the filter and get it working. I have tried google, but no luck so far. Can anyone help me, or point me to a website that has an instruction manual (in English, because the only thing I could find on google, said the instructions are in Chinese). Many thanks for your help.

Thanks for that. Was hoping that would be the answer. One more question, I have also read on a UK forum, that they are very noisy and a nuisance if they are in the lounge. Can anyone confirm this please.

Hi everyone Thinking of getting an aqua one ar980, but am worrying about the filtration. I keep seeing things on this forum where people have a "whole aqua one unit" and seem to add an external filter. Is this necessary? I don't really want to spend so much on the tank, if I then need to spend even more on another filter? Any comments would be appreciated. Just wanting to set it up as a community tank. Neon's, platys, tetras etc. Thank you.

Hi there My friend has just come home to find her Kribs have finally had babies. The father seems to be staying with them and looking after them. Will the parents eat the babies and should she remove them, or is it okay to leave mum and dad in there with them?

Thank you. Yes I did start out with a little Angel fish (was told she would be fine in my tank), but it didn't take long for her to start harrassing the others, so I have rehomed her. After reading things on this forum I decided I didn't want to wake up one day to find she had eaten my neons. I really miss her though, as she was very pretty to watch.

Thanks for your replies. I am looking at getting a larger tank in the very near future. In the meantime, could someone please give me advice about which type of fish would go with the ones I already have. Nobody really answered that question. I see that most people like to stick to one type or size of fish, but I guess everyone is individual and I quite like to see varieties. I have lots of different animals at home, because I like them all. Dunedin group sounds great. Unfortunately I have visitors for the weekend, so won't be able to attend. Will keep my eyes open for any other info about it though.

Sorry, 3 x platys (not very big), 1 x bristlenose, 4 x danios, 10 x neon tetras and approx 10 guppies (all very little). Platys are the biggest fish in my tank at approx 3cm long.

Hi there My tank currently has neon tetras, guppies, long finned zebra danios, 3 platys and a bristlenose. I want to add a couple of other fish that are bigger than these to add some balance. Am considering kribensis, dwarf or honey gourami, or bolivian ram. Could you please let me know if these fish would be okay with what I already have and if so, should I get a pair? Many thanks for your help. My tank 60 x 30 x 30.

Hi there Just wondering will it be okay to have a honey gourami (or possibly 2 of them), in the same tank as a Siamese fighting fish? Can't decide between dwarf or honey - could I have one of each living together?

Thanks for that. I didn't think of putting them in a bucket while I did it. Sounds like a major task, so hope it will be worth it when I'm finished. Will thoroughly wash the gravel first.

Hi there My tank currently has very large stones/pebbles and I want to change it over for smaller gravel so it will be easier for my plants to grow (and also tonight I came home and found one of my platies stuck between them and the glass - I thought she was dead but when I went to pick her out she swam away), so that has totally convinced me to put smaller gravel in. Can I do this with the fish still in the tank? I will have to lift out all driftwood and plants, but hopefully putting the new gravel in will be okay? Have neons, guppies, platys, bristlenose and sterbai - 60 x 30 x 30 tank. Thanks

I think Sam was actually being sensible when he answered you. I am still trying to get my driftwood to sink. It is currently attached to weights to hold it down. Every couple of weeks or so I need to take it out, take the weights off and see if it will sink yet. Everytime my bristlenose is glued to it, but I just do as Sam says, lift it to the top of the water and nudge, nudge, nudge him until he finally lets go and swims into the water. I understand your bristlenose is obviously too far into the wood, but for those that are just stuck on and easily accessible, I do as Sam said. Still waiting on my driftwood to sink on its own........................... Julie

Hi there I found this interesting, as I have a Jebo 100w in my 54ltr tank (60x30x30) and I have problems keeping the temp down. I have mine set on 22 degrees, which keeps my tank around 25 to 26 degrees overnight and when we are at work, but at night when we are home with the heating going, my tank is sitting around 28 to 29 degrees. I put this down to the room heating up, and there isn't much my heater can do about that. The heater isn't turning on when the house heating is going. My fish all seem very happy and I can't notice it affecting them, but I do worry about the huge difference. But if I turn it down as far as it will go (20) then I am worried that it might drop that low one day, and then my fish will die from the cold.

Can you show us an after pic Wagonman?

Hi there There is a guy in Mosigel (Neville) who is starting to set up his own fish shop from home. He advertises fish on Trademe at the moment. His prices are really reasonable, and at the moment he only has fish for sale, but does have some packets of dried bloodworms for sale. I can't find these in any of the pet shops in Dunedin, but he definitely has them and my fish love them. I am trying to support him, because it will be fantastic to have a place in Dunedin area that specialises only in fish. He has big plans.

Thank you all for your replies. Yes my tank is 60 x 30 x 30. I will try some of the tetra neons next. Hopefully my angel will leave them alone. I don't think I will get another angel now that you tell me they might pick on the other fish. So far everyone seems very happy. Put a couple of live plants in last night. Can anyone tell me what sort of light (tube) is the best for a glass tank with glass lid. I currently have an ordinary tube above it, but my husband would like to change it so that it lights up the tank a lot better. On reading some of the forums there seems to be all sorts of lights and colours. Shame about the shark. Really had my heart set on one of those. Does anybody know which are the least aggressive (eg, red tail, rainbow etc)? Many thanks once again. I don't post much on here (don't have anywhere near the gorgeous set ups alot of you have), but really enjoy reading the posts and looking at peoples pics! Julie

Hi there I have just decided to change from goldfish to tropical. My tank is only 54l. I currently have a bristlenose catfish and have just recently added 4 x serpae tetras and 1 x little angel fish. Think I might go back and get another one, because he looks lonely on his own. I would like lots of colour and would like to add about 5 x neon tetras. Would these be okay with the other tetras? I would also like a red tailed shark and a male siamese fighter fish. Any comments on whether this would work, or other types I could try would be much appreciated. I'v never had tropicals before, so am very new to this. Trying to talk hubby into letting me get a lovely big tank, but so far not much luck. Thanks Julie

Thanks for your replies Caryl and Navarre. I really appreciate your help. Think I will definitely give it a go now. Another question - What are some breeds of tropical fish that are very colourful, and can live with others. I would like some really coloured fish, but don't know much about which varieties there are and who can live with who. Thanks again. Julie

Hi there Currently I have a 54 litre gold fish tank, with large stones and ornaments. To clean this out I use a vacumn siphon thingy which works really well. I am considering getting another larger tank and trying tropical and would really like it to have plants growing in it. I wondering though, how do you clean the tank? Currently I can vacumn mine and just tidy the gravel up again when finished, but I would think you couldn't do that with plants growing in it? Many thanks for your help. Julie

Hello, A couple of nights ago, we have noticed that one of my goldfish (a comet) has lost one of it's eyes. It is completely gone. I'm not sure when this happened, as I look at them all every night when feeding them, and hadn't noticed anything funny until then. He is still swimming away happily with his friends, fin up, and eating just the same. Will he be in pain? Do eyes grow back? Would anyone know how he could have lost it? Thanks Julie

One fish has been there for nearly a year and the one who died, about 8 months and the others about 6 months. I have had my tank for more than a year and usually have no problems, and then out of the blue one just dies for no reason. I did wonder if it had something to do with us lighting the fire now. - perhaps dust is getting in as they have survived quite happily through the summer. Julie

Woops, meant to say that yes, I do have filtration - stingray 15 (I think) and oxygen bubbles.

thanks for your replies. I think the tank is 54 litres and yes I do regular water changes, although, it might have been getting close to 4 weeks for this one. I took out both the fantail and blackmore and put them into a separate bowl. Unfortunatley the fantail died (I should have acted earlier), but after a day and a half, the blackmore turned over and started swimming around like normal again. I did a water change in the tank and have added him back. Was away for the weekend, and he was sitting back on the bottom when we got home last night. He did come up for food though, but now I notice his tail is looking shredded, so not sure if the comet started to attack him, if he wasn't well. Will do another water change tonight. Thanks for your help. Julie

Hi there I have a tank which has 5 fish. My most beautiful fantail has been looking unwell for the last couple of days. Swimming on its own, fin down and today sitting around the bottom of the tank. Still eating each night though. Now I have just found it nearly dead, lying on the bottom, then floating to the top on it side. At the same time my big blackmore nymph is swimming on his side at the top of the tank. Has anyone any ideas what could be happening? So far the other 3 fish (2 fantails and one comet) all look normal and healthy. The two unwell ones don't have white spot and both of their bodies look normal and healthy. Thanks Julie

I have found a nice piece of driftwood washed up on a lake. I want to put it into my goldfish aquarium, but wonder if I have to do anything to it first (incase of bugs etc). I will give it a thorough wash, but do I need to leave it in boiling water or anything? Thanks Julie