cannz Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Hi, I am a Canadian who is living here in NZ. Married my lovely wife that I met on the internet back in 97. She wanted to experience a "white Xmas" (only seen it on T.V.) so I brought her, my step daughter and our little baby girl (6 months) to Canada (montreal) for Xmas with my parents in Dec 98. Ended up staying there for 2 years. Then we returned to NZ in early 2001. I think NZ is a beautiful country and even better when I don't have to shovel snow to go to work. I am 41 yrs old and have a stepdaughter 16 , a stepson 14, and a daughter who is 5 yrs old. (She started surfing the net when she was 3...she is a brain(god help me). Wanna know more just ask Well getting on with why I registered here just a few moments ago, I was given a 2 ft aquarium a month ago, and now I have ordered a 4 ft one, I'm addicted. I have been touring all the pet shops getting advice about what I need (moderately priced of course for now) and most of the shops say different things...Wish I truely knew what I really need to start off, undergravel, internal, ...external (which is too expensive for me at this present time)...heating...what kind of gravel should I use, planted aquarium substrate...silversand, fertilizers and so one...is there any place on the net that I can research my options and have faith in what was being said. I don't want to kill any of my future fish or waste my money on misguided help. I have searched some places on the net and there too it is not always the same info for the same question. I am hoping I can get better guidance from knowledgeable people here. I am also interested in breeding fish in the future, but that will be in time, when I my confidence increases. Looking forward to hearing from the members of The Fishroom Johnathon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman98 Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 hi cannz,welcome to the fish forum,if you have any questions at all ask away and we'll be more than happy to give our advice.if you want to breed fish i suggest starting with either some type of livebearer or some white cloud mountain minnows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Welcome to the fishroom . If you're having problems with filtration, try reading the filtration series of articles on the main FNZAS site. Go to http://www.fnzas.org.nz/technical.0.html to get to them. There's no right way to do it, no perfect yet cheap filter. It all depends on your budget and what you want to achieve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Hi cannz and welcome, you have come to the right place! I would suggest you join a club but there isn't one in Kaiapoi You could join my club, Marlborough. We have about half our members living elsewhere in the country and one in Texas. By joining a club affiliated to the FNZAS (this is their site) you will get the Aquarium World magazine free plus a Year Book listing all the affiliated members throught NZ and a list of retailers offering discount to FNZAS members - plus lots more. Before you decide on filtration and substrate it helps if you have some idea what sort of fish you want to keep as some filtration and substrates are more suitable than others for some species. Always follow the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid. You do not have to spends lots of dollars to have a nice looking tank. Any idea what sort of fish you would like to keep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannz Posted March 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 I was thinking of going with undergravel filtration, but I want a planted aquarium so that is out of the question, the next level up would be an internal filter system... was shown a rio sytem at "Pet World" hovering around $80 the salesperson suggested that I get 2 of them for my 4 ft tank (Rio #600 and Rio #800 or was it 60 and 80...by the time I left there my brain was fried with all that info she gave me) one at each end. Do you know this brand and is it overkill having 2 filters running? should I go with a Shark , Fluval or eheim system, does it really matter or are the all basically the same in performance? I am really eager to get this aquarium set up but I know I have to do it slowly to acheive the best tank and environment for the fish as well as it's appearance to the eye. thanks for your welcoming notes. Johnathon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannz Posted March 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 right now I have in my 2 ft tank...2 dwarf gouami, 1 honey gouami, 4 neon tetra, 3 red eye tetras, 1 raindow shark, 1 red tail shark , 1 silver dollarand 4 angelfish which are going like wildfire (hence getting a 4ft tank. does that give you an idea of what type of fish I am leaning towards. Also have been looking at other types but undedecided right now. They are all living happily together even the sharks don't both each other they have their hiding spots at each end of the tank. I don't at this present time want to specialize in one type of fish as I am exploring all species and seeing which type does what and how they react to others..I would like to stick with a community tank and maybe build some smaller tanks for breeding. When I was younger I never thought that fish tanks were this interesting the more I read about it the more excited I get and want to get into this hobby more and more. I am sure witht the support that this site and forum have to offer I am going in the right direction thanks Johnathon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Two things Canzz, nay three. First welcome to OUR site, hope you'll join in and enjoy yourself. We have a chat-time most evenings about 9.00pm Now, who says that you can't have a planted tank with u/g filters, just about all my tanks are filtered this way and I have some reasonably good tanks. The third is that you will not have a successfully planted tank with silver-dollars in it. This fish is God's design of a masport aquatic mower. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannz Posted March 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 most sites that I have visited and a few pet shops told me that u/g filters are not good for plants because of the air flow on the roots... it's even mentioned here in the technical section. On the other hand, if it works for you why shouldn't it work for me. Can you tell me what kind of substrate you are using for the plants to grab hold of, once again read that the coarse gravel doesn't provide much grip for the roots. Could I mix a finer substrate (not too fine ... will get sucked through the u/g filter) with the coarse and does it have to be pet shop bought gravel? As for the silver dollar...LOL only have one and he/she swims like it's on speed...if it only had legs I could get it to mow my lawns, Lord knows my 14 doesn't I used to like the silver dollars when I was about 12 yrs old, (associated with money) but this one was given to me along with the tank and I have no plans of getting others. thanks and hope to hear from you and others in the chat room at 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman98 Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 the one thing to watch out for with silver dollars is they get really skitish if they arn't in a school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 A belated welcome. I enjoyed reading about your experiences I also have u/g filtration and planted tanks. It took me a few years to be able to grow plants without killing them...............the main reason was that my water temp was too high and the plants basically wilted away. As i love the discus and keep three the water temp needed to be high and like you, I read all about it before beginning. Now with a little experience I have lowered, slowly the water temp and have discus in a planted tank. As you love the silver dollar, I would advise you go with your love. Make up a silver dollar tank and landscape it to suit them. It could be an awesome tank. I suggest that you have a look at technical thread here and how to build rocks out of polystyrene etc. For varity maybe check out which sort of fish go well with the silver dollars. What fun I look forward to seeing a complete silver dollar enviroment.........if you decide to go that way. I have tetras in with my discus because they are together in natural state. I also have bristlenose catfish - because they are such hard workers and clean away the algae. How did the new tank cycle for you??? No problems I trust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriber Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Howdy cannz, welcome to the forum Maybe one day Kaiapoi will get its own club! does it have to be pet shop bought gravel? If you want the fairly standard 6mm brown gravel head up the road to North Canterbury Sand and Shingle. If you wear a nice smile you might get some gravel for free, otherwise its about $20 a trailerload! Garden centres might have a decent range of gravels, the one on Marshlands Road even has a fish section (not much 'tropical' when I was there though). Pet shops are prob the dearest place to buy gravel, I think you can buy rocks from the Waimak river bed at some . I've picked up what I think is some reasonable native wood from the river bed - It might pay (well, not cost ) to have a look down there some time. Kriber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 The secret to plants and an ugf is to make sure the gravel is deep enough - at least 5cm. I have never had trouble keeping lush plants using ugfs. I agree with Alan, that silver dollar is going to think your plants have been put there especially for it to raze. I was told most of the dark gravel sold in pet shops comes from the Canterbury area so I should think you ought to be able to find it 'in the wild'. Watch the ize if you are using an ugf. Too fine and it will fall through the slots in the filter. Too big and it won't anchor the plants properly. Fish prefer darker substrates by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish_Tank Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 welcom to the fishroom for some cheaper filters i would check out http://www.trademe.co.nz lifestyle>pets>fish>pumps and filters I aim for around 7x the tank an hour filteration and my 4' is currently filtering 10x an hour. hope this helps a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catfish_dude Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 welcome I personally had a really bad time with my undergravel filter.....but i won't put you off getting one And yeah silver dollars are like aquarium lawnmowers cya round Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northland chic Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Some of my first fish keeping has been with under gravel filters and I love them. I prefer them for my goldfish tanks but do have grates round the house for all my tanks. I use the ultra clear ones because the filter cartridges are a good price and quite common so its not something you have to search different shops for. Since undergravel I have discovered external and internal power filters so now prefert those. As for your silver dollar I have 3, had them for about 2-3 months. Now all my hygrophilia, cabomba and amazon swords are just storks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morz Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 hey there.. i would suggest you get a filter by "Aqua Clear" i've had experience using undergravel and this one and i prefer aqua clear.. they're just like miniature external filters :lol: i love them!! oh and i dont think they're too dear for the quality and easy maintenance... the one i got is the 200 series which pumps 200 gallons per hour (in my 2ft tank so thats like 20x per hour! ) i got a big filter in case i want to upgrade to a 4ft hehe.. there are of course different sizes.. but the 200 series will probably be big enough for you 4ft tank.. the price for the 200 series ranges from $65-$75 from store to store.. but its damn good! comes with foam and carbon.. and u can also add ammonia absorber too.. (the next size up is probably costs around $10 more i think..............) highly recommended by me anyway.. just wanted to share.. your decision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 I have an AquaClear too but I run a 500 on my 4ft tank, plus an external canister. A 200 wouldn't have a hope of keeping up with my Mbunas' output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morz Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 4ft is that big? mmm might need a couple of those 200's when the time comes....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 1.2m x 600 x 600 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannz Posted March 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 Just wanted to thank you all for your input on u/g filters. I think I will go for them and if I am not happy with the results I will change it. As for my lawnmower...I have been wondering why my cabomba has been floating on top of the tank and I just thought I didn't have it planted properly. Thanks for the info on the gravel, can't get any cheaper then that. Ehen I got this small tank I didn't know anything about setting up a tank.. I washed the tank, the gravel that came with the tank and the orniments as well.filled it with the fish that was also given to me. turned on the heater and introduced the fish to their clean home. Never knew about the cycle. Even went out the second day and got 14 other fish. put them in and believe it or not, they are still all alive and doing well. Now that I know about cycling the tank I won't do that again, but just wanted to let you know that I didn't cycle the tank and none of the fish died. Luck I guess. When I get my 4 ft I am not going to rush getting the fish inside it. Going to wait at least 2 wks before introducing any fish into it. Once again thanks for your input. Now can someone tell me how do I just a club like your Caryl? and does it cost anything and if so how much. Went to the club page but didn't see anything except where they are located and their phone number or do I just email requesting membership? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Christchurch actually has a club but very few members. They meet in the Sydenham Community Centre 3rd Wed of the month. Their fees are Family $25.00 Single $20.00 Junior $10.00 They do not have a newsletter. My club is the Marlborough Aquarium Club. We meet on Wednesdays (which won't interest you ). Our fees are Family $20.00 Individual $15.00 Junior $10.00 We have a full colour 8 page, A5, newsletter which is emailed to most members as a pdf (you need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it) or we will post it if required. Joining a club also gives you 4 issues of the FNZAS Aquarium World magazine and a Year Book - FREE. The Aquarium World is a full colour, 40 page, A5, publication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 what Caryl forgot to say (and prob due to humility) is that the aquatic world is a fantastic publication with a heap of info in it that is relevant to us kiwis. well worth paying $15 for (if you join Caryl's club) Caryl you do a fantastic job of that magazine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Why thank you Matthew :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCee Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 What Caryl also forgot to say was that the Marlborough Club has a fair few out of district members (Ashburton to Auckland if memory serves me well) and some of us even managed to make the annual tank crawl last month. Well worth the effort :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannz Posted March 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Ok Caryl, Tell me how do I sign up with Marlborough Club. Eventhough you are a few hours away, it will also give me a reason to go up there on occassion when time permits. Bought the U/G filter today...shopped around of course first. Prices ranged in the high $40.00 mark, then phoned another place and they quoted me only $25.90...hung up and was there in a second. Also got a discount (20%) on several other stuff I knew I needed (double flourescent light with reflector $130, large air pump for eventual additional tanks $26 , and one more 200w heater $34 going to be using 2 x 200w heaters in the tank) Somebody tell me I did good pleeeeease My tank will be ready next week and I can't wait, then I can start building my stand for it. Sorry bout the typo's in my last post, it was 6 a.m. and I woke up with a sty in my eye, and it was 3/4 closed could hardly see out of it. Eventually I'll come up with a signature at the end of my posts... Johnathon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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