Nix Posted June 25, 2002 Report Share Posted June 25, 2002 hi . im a beginner at keeping fish and am in need of some advice. last week my partner and i decided to buy a fish tank (24X12). it was filled with tap water, lined with gravel, i have a driftwood, some white marble stones and a few plants. i treated the water a couple of days ago using an aquarium set up kit (aquarium pharmaceuticals) and the water has been cloudy since then. the kit suggests that this is due to the hardness of the water and that i buy another of its products! im not too sure what to do next and would like some advice on how to clear the water. i intend to buy guppies at the end of the week. nicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted June 25, 2002 Report Share Posted June 25, 2002 Nicky said... > hi . im a beginner at keeping fish Welcome to the hobby > ... and am in need of some advice The two best bits of advice that Ic an give any newbie is to a) Nip down to the library and borrow a couple of general aquarium books. They'll do you the world of good, I'm sure. b) Find out about your local club and attend a meeting or two. It's unlikely that anyone there will demand you join up immediately but I'm sure they'd appreciate your membership once you've now or once you'velearnt some more. > ...my partner and i decided to buy a fish tank (24X12). That's a good size to start with. I wouldn't recommend anything smaller to someone fresh to the hobby. > it was filled with tap water, lined with gravel, i have a driftwood, > some white marble stones and a few plants. Since youmention later that you're planning on keeping guppys I assume you have a heater? What about filtration? > i treated the water a couple of days ago using an aquarium > set up kit (aquarium pharmaceuticals) and the water has been > cloudy since then. the kit suggests that this is due to the hardness > of the water and that i buy another of its products! I'm not a big fan of dropping stuff into your tank to 'fix' things especially at this early stage. > im not too sure what to do next and would like some advice > on how to clear the water. It's definitely worth trying to work out what's causing the cloudyness before we go any further. I'm keen to hear about your filtration... > ... i intend to buy guppies at the end of the week. I'd be inclined to wait until the water had cleared. At best only buy a pair or two of guppies to start with. Patience now will pay of in the long run I assure you. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 25, 2002 Report Share Posted June 25, 2002 Hi Nix, Glad to have you with us. Good advice from AJ and the secret to setting up in the beginning is patience. Besides the books AJ suggested you'll probably find a number of post here that relate to your problem. A couple of things you mentioned... "The white marble stones, and the driftwood" Are you positive that the stones are suitable for an aquarium and not lime based chips of some sort, which would cloud the water no end. Also the driftwood you have. Unless it was soaked for a considerable time before you put it in the tank it could be expelling tiny amounts of air until it gets completely water logged. Newly setup tanks always tend to appear to have a fogginess about them, but this usually passes in a day or so unless something else is causing the cloudiness. Additives in a new tank are not really a good way to start your new hobby, despite what all the advertising says, and the less chemicals you can put in the tank the happier your fish will be once you have the conditions right to include them. As from the previous advice, "learn all you can before you actually purchase your fish" Hope you enjoy your time with us. Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted June 25, 2002 Report Share Posted June 25, 2002 Hi Nicky Welcome to the forums I agree with Andrew, I dont like using chemicals in tanks, for a start a good filtration system will make them ineffective within hours. The cloudiness could be from the stones, did you wash them first? Stones will have very fine particles of dust with them which need to be removed before putting them into your tank. Patient is the main thing when it comes to aquariums Where are you from Nicky?, as Andrew suggested attend a local club and there will be someone there that can assist you in the hobby. Regards /Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nix Posted June 26, 2002 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 thanks for your feedback... the stones are definately going. i was wondering if i should just start afresh since i have no fish, and i can wait a while to get them, id rather get the water conditioning sorted first. are there any tips on conditioning my tap water without chemicals? im from auckland and would love to join a local club as well as get a name of a good pet store. about my filteration- i have a shark 3 internal power filter and a scuba heating system. i also have a testing kit to measure PH, ammonia and nitrate levels. nicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 26, 2002 Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 Hi Nix I sent an article to Cees (webmaster) on setting up a tropical aquarium. A very simple basic guide. He promises to add it to the articles section as soon as possible (another reminder here Cees! ). Get dark gravel. The fish feel more secure and their colours show up more. Light gravel washes the colour out of them. White gravel is for marines. You should not have to condition your water with anything. If chlorine is added to the water in your area, letting it stand overnight is enough as the chlorine will dissipate and be gone by morning. Check out the clubs list (click on the fnzas.org is here logo at the top of the page) for the nearest club to you. If you join a club first, they will help you set up your aquarium right the first time (and probably help you with a few fish or plants too). Most clubs also have their own libraries so you can read up on aquarium requirements. Good luck. Remember, don't rush the process, or things will go wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cees Posted June 26, 2002 Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 http://www.fnzas.org.nz/beginnersguide.0.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted June 26, 2002 Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 Nicky said... > ... the stones are definately going. Probably a good idea. > i was wondering if i should just start afresh since i have no fish, > and i can wait a while to get them, id rather get the water > conditioning sorted first. Personally, once I'd removed the stones, I'd be inclined to change maybe 50% of the water (fresh tap water should be fine) and leaving everything else as it is. > are there any tips on conditioning my tap water without chemicals? My suggestion would be to get a 20L plastic bucket to use only for fish stuff. Every Friday night (or at some point convenient to you) I'd fill it with tap water and then leave it overnight. Every saturday I'd remove 20 - 25% of the tank water and replace with the aged water from the bucket. At that rate I wouldn't worry about removing the chlorine or warming the water up to the same as the tank. It should be close enough. Used tank water makes good water for your pot plants, assuming no other chemicals (even salt) have been added. > im from auckland and would love to join a local club There are several. Have a look at: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/clubs.0.html > as well as get a name of a good pet store. The ones I visit when I'm in AKL are Jansens and Hollywoods. Both are quite close to each other and tend to have similar stock. I'd go to whichever one had the most helpful staff at the time. If you're at Jansens on a Sunday, ask for Lawrence > about my filteration- i have a shark 3 internal power filter and > a scuba heating system. I've never used either so can't really comment. Just be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions and all should be well. > i also have a testing kit to measure PH, ammonia and nitrate > levels. I wouldn't worry about these too much until you'd introduced your first fish. This is when the biological cycling will start. Once the water has settled down to your satisfaction, it's time for your first fish. I'd be inclined to buy a pair of guppies and leave them in the tank for a week (at the very least) after that increase the stock slowly at about the rate of a couple of fish per week until you reached the level you were happy with. Your tank should support 15 to 20 guppy sized (as adults) fish in my experience but it's better to be on the low side, especially when you're starting out. Oh, and be warned, the guppies *will* breed and the adults *will* eat the babies if they're left in there. This is the way many a 2nd tank is acquired... ;-) Keep us posted how you go and keep asking questions here. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 26, 2002 Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 "This is the way many a 2nd tank is acquired... " and the 3rd, and the 4th, and... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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