newbie question pls help

[spoondc2]

i just both a 40 gallon tank ..now my question before i start putting fish in is wats da difference between fresh water n marine ???? can i put those too in da same water tank i have ??? i also have a water filter and a heater dat i dont even kno how to use !!! :confused:

[sumthin fishy]

Wow. You have some reaserch to do! It's good that you ask before just bying some fish. You are taking responsibilty for thier care, and should provide the best for them. Make sure to keep asking and find out all you need to know before you get your fish. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask (If you excuse the joke in my signature).

Welcome to the forrum and to the hobby. If you have the patience to stick with it it will be very rewarding. First of all, marine(saltwater) and freshwater are tottaly different and cannot be put in the same aquarium. Hence the different types of aquaria. You will need to decide one or the other. Generally freshwater is easier for a beginner(not that you couldn't start with salt). Look up the manufacturer for the filter for instructions on how to use it. The heater should be straight forward, plug it in and set to a specific temp. You will want to read the sticky at the top of the forrum labled "cycle". It is a bit long but worth the time reading, as it contains some good info. Read up and post any other questions you may have.

[randalizm]

well fresh water fish can only go in water with no salt in it. and marine fish can only go in water with salt in it. then there are brakish fish that live in water with a little bit of salt in in it. you cannot put freshwater and saltwater fish together.

[jessnherfish]

no u cant, freshwater fish in fresh water, and marine(saltwater) in salt water, I'm not an expert but how many watts is your heater, and what type of filter is it?

[Xielos]

Welcome to the forums!

Well, before buying the tank you should really have done more research. If this is your first tank, you came to the right place.

For us to help you we need some more information. Is this tank brand new or did you get it used? What state is it in at the moment? If its completely empty, don't do anything untill you know what you're doing.

Starting off with a 40 gallon tank is actualy a good move, larger tanks are a lot easier to take care of than smaller tanks.

Exactly what type of filter do you have? What type of heater?

As for freshwater vs. marine: you can UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES put a marine fish in freshwater of vice versa. I recomend you start with freshwater rather than marine. Saltwater tanks are exponentialy harder to take care of (seems to me like that anyways :laugh: ).

For starters decide what type of fish you want. Tropical set ups are nice, and there is a wide variety of species to choose from. Goldfish are popular, but they are coldwater, and so can't be mixed with species needing warmer temperatures. Look through the species database on this website for some ideas. But DO NOT buy ANY fish untill you have cycled the tank completely. By "cycle" I'm refering to the nitrogen cycle, if you don't know what it is, theres plenty of info here on the site, just look around :idea2:

Keep us updated! And if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

[gourami]

my advice would be to go out and get a good book, ask lots of questions, and most importantly reaserch reaserch reaserch. At first everything will seem realy complicated but it will become clearer as you go on.
BTW welcome to aquaria central!

[spoondc2]

ok my filter is marine brand takes filter C ..heater is taken care of ..noww i have red belly piranhas on my 40 gallon tank n 1 pond fish dat i caught from fishing .. now wat i want to kno is is this freshwater or marine fishes ?? my temp is on 79 ..da fishstore dude told me piranhas has to be 79 to 80 ..

[wataugachicken]

unless you caught it out of the ocean, the wild fish is freshwater. so are the piranhas. if they were marine they'd be dead already. you really shouldn't have gotten any fish yet, and now you're going to have some work ahead of you. first of all, wild fish, depending on where you live, are coldwater, and won't be very healthy in a tropical tank. also, wild fish often carry diseases that pet fish are not immune to, and pet fish have some diseases that wild fish can't deal with. too late now, most places have laws against rereleasing any fish that has been kept in the home. the diseases it catches can spread to other wild fish and cause a lot of problems in the ecosystem.

i don't know if you've read the thread on cycling, but you should have picked up some test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. you'll need to test your water parameters for those three things, and do daily water changes to keep the water safe for your fish. ammonia and nitrite should be below .25 every day.

[spoondc2]

so red belly piranhas are freshwater ?? freshwarmwater ?? i have silver goldfish looking fish but not gold ...dey look ok at da moment in da 40 gl tank wid heater on 79 ... now my question is can freshwarmwater fishes mix wid coldwater fishes ?? no right ??? if so wats da fishes cld dat are for warm water so i can start choosing warmwater fishes so i can buy em n start a jungle tank .....also wats up wid da fish desease ?? i thought da water filter cleans da tank ??? den y do i have to change da water in da tank if i have a filter already ???? lmk plsss thnks

[spoondc2]

also i use to have a small size tank n it came wid dis blue drink dat yur suppose to put in water wat is dat ??? and do i need to put dat in freshwater tank ??? or do u put anything in da water ??? like water clorine or medicine ??? sumthin dat would get rid of desease in water ?? :shark:

[misscrosson]

goldfish are coldwater... and they can't go in with warmwater fish....

[Luke Jaywalker]

This thread (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12297) and this thread (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59735) should be helpful.

You need to look into cycling and research the fish you have now. This site itself has a wealth of information on different species (including your red bellies) and how to care for fish.

[wataugachicken]

you need to put in a dechlorinator such as stresscoat, aquasafe, or prime. filters clean the water to an extent, but don't get rid of any diseases. it would be a lot easier to understand your posts and exactly what you're asking if you could please try to type without using slang. just makes it confusing to read and doesn't help us help you. . .

[spoondc2]

this will probably be my last question . wat is PH ??? is dat a chlorine ? is ph sumthing i have to add in the water ??

[wataugachicken]

Ph is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of the water. something like lemon juice, for example, has a very low PH and is very acidic, while bleach is an alkaloid and has a very high PH. anything in the range of 7-7.8 is neutral and safe for the fish, while some specific fish need it or at least can tolerate it in the high sixes or low 8's. most of the time your fish will adapt to whatever ph you have in your water supply, so you don't need to mess with it.

[cyberbeer65]

it would be a lot easier to understand your posts and exactly what you're asking if you could please try to type without using slang. just makes it confusing to read and doesn't help us help you. . .

I was just going to say the same thing!

[spoondc2]

ok guys plss help , i have 2 dead baby red belly piranhas on my tank my heater is on 79 ...is there sumthing i have to put in the tank like chlorine mixer ???

[Holly9937]

Yes you have to use dechlorinator, there are many brands out there. However, I would strongly suggest not getting anymore fish untill you cycle the tank, and understand the process. Check out the links that someone linked for you earlier in this thread. Plus you need the test kits or you will just end up with more dead fish and money down the drain :o

[spoondc2]

k guys i just bought PH up bottle how many drops do i put in a 40 gallon tank ...im trying to start a red belly piranhas in da tank asap lmk wat to do

[Xielos]

Ok you DON'T need that Ph stuff in the bottle. Your Ph is probably fine, so no need to mess with it.

DO NOT buy any more fish untill you know exactly what you are doing, or you're just going to kill more fish.

Go ahead and read the links posted on the previos page, they'll help you understand how to make the tank safe for fish.

A filter cleans the water to a degree, but you STILL need to change the water out at least once a month. Theres no getting around this. Filters don't clean out diseases, they only help take out chunks of stuff and chemicals in the water, like Ammonia, etc.

Unless you're on a well, your water has Chlorine in it, you know, the stuff that makes it tase bad. This is VERY bad for fish. To remove this chlorine, you have to buy a bottle of dechlorinator. Some brands are AquaSafe (comes in a yellow bottle), Prime (white round bottle with a red label), or Stress Coat (yellow label). Any of these are fine. Add however much it says to on the bottle to the water. Don't worry if you add a little extra.

From what I gather, you want to set up an Amazon themed Pirahhna tank. Do some research on Pirahnnas before getting any more.

If you have any more questions, go ahead and ask, but please make your posts readable :duh:

[spoondc2]

ok when i put water on my 40 gl tank i didnt put any chlorine remover ,i just got back from petstore n i wanna put chlorine remover (aqua plus) in da fishtank , how many drops do i have to put in a 40 gallon tank ??? pls help thnks ...


also i put 4 more red belly in da 40 gallon tank n put like 6 drops of Ph up in da tank ...i really dont know wat im doin plss help

[Clurin]

Read the bottle to figure out how much to put in. They all come with instructions written on them. Then again, they aren't written like a text message, so I don't know if you'll be able to understand it.

Maybe this will work...

Stop puttin da fishes in da tank. Read da msg call "cycling" on dis page. Else you fishes gonna keep die !!! thkss..

:pc:

[pitthull]

It's pretty obvious that you have no clue as to what you are doing -- and it's also pretty clear that you are not listening to what anyone is telling you. Finally, it seems pretty clear to me that you are going to kill 4 more helpless fish if you continue this madness!

It sounds like you killed the first ones with chlorine from your tap water (though it could have been MANY things that you still haven't researched). Tap water, unless it comes from a well, is not safe for fish. You have now bought water treatment -- "read da bottle" -- it will tell you how much to add (it usually says something like 'add one capful per 10 gallons' or something similar -- you have a 40 gal tank so do the math).

When you have done that, you have only treated your water for chlorine -- while it's a good start, you still have a LONG and difficult road ahead of you. You MUST CYCLE your tank -- read the stickies on cycling -- when you put your fish in your tank with the treated water, the tank WILL cycle -- the fish will produce waste which will turn to ammonia -- that ammonia will KILL these four new fish unless you read up on cycling and take the appropriate measures to protect your fish until the tank cycle is complete.

I have to tell you -- I am doing fishless cycling -- and I have done a great deal of research and have taken great care to setup my brand new tank. It doesn't have a single fish in it yet and may not have any for another week or so (I started about 2 weeks ago). It is very disheartening to me that you are blowing off everyone's advice and continue to harm the fish that you are buying. This hobby is NOT easy -- it takes some committment -- but it also isn't very hard when you have hundreds of experts on this forum who are willing to help. PLEASE listen to what people are telling you and take care of your fish!

[wannabefishguru]

whats the word im looking for, hmm maybe a troll thread.

[pitthull]

I sure hope so -- getting sick at the thought of those fish suffering...

[spoondc2]

k 4 red baby belly piranhas preety happy in der 40 gallon tank heater is on 80 to make them warm , just fed them blood worms for the second time .i hope nuthing happens to them this time

[wannabefishguru]

okay if you are that ignorant i guess i will break this down for you
1. read all instructions and manuals
2. assemble cabinant using instructions
3. rinse, wipe, and dry tank with soft cloth
4. put tank on top of stand, with corners lined up with cabinant
5. rinse off and put in undergravel filter if you have one using instructions or pictures
6. rinse gravel off
7. add gravel nicely and spread it out
8. rinse off any other decorations and add to tank
9. rinse off and assemble hang on filter, or canister filter and assemble according to instructions, leave unplugged
10. put in heater, read directions. leave unplugged
11. add water that is about 70degrees ferinhiet, use a aquarium thermometer to get temp from water faucet correct, set a heavy plate or bowl on gravel and pour water onto plate, once tank is filled remove plate.
12. put thermometer into tank.
13. if you are using underground filter read this, add air pump to underground filter, connect air flow control to underground filter tubes via air line, use air tubing to connect air flow control to air pump, add a check valve to that air line between air pump and air flow contol, follow directions on back of check valve packaging to install
14. after completley hooking up undergravel filter you can plug in air pump, read air pump instructions.
15. if using a hang on back filter or canister you can turn it on, make sure you read the instructions first
16. plug in heater and adjust accordingly to what temp you need, use thermometer to set heater, read instructions on heater.
17. once the filter and heater are running at you water conditioner, read instructions on bottle
18. assemble hood and lights, read instructions or look at pictures
19. add hood and lights to tank,plug in and turn on.
20. don't forget to put media into filter, underground filter doesn't have media but you can buy that.
21. make sure temp is where it needs to be.
22. let tank rotate water for 24-48 hours to make sure everything is working good.
23. do a fishless cycle, search on aquarium central for information.
24. check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate when doing a cycle, read instructions
25. while cyle is in progress find what kind of fish to add and find information on the internet and on aquarium central before buying.
26. once tank is cyled you can add your fish, but not to many, you don't want to ruin your cycle.

things you should not do
-do not mix peacefull, semi aggressive or aggressive fish together
-do not over feed, feed only what they can eat within 2 min, feed 2 times a day
-do not add tap water to tank unless you add water conditioner first to the water that you are going to add
-do not add any chemicals to tank unless you have tested first
-do not add fish that are to large, use the rule 1 inch of full grown fish to 1 gallon of water as a basic rule.

things you should do
-always siphon tank weekly or every two weeks
-always check ammonia, nitrite, nitrate weekly
-always gravel siphon every two week or monthly, its your choice but if ammonia is high gravel siphon
-always check temp, adjust in needed
-leave lights on 10-12 hours a day
-clean power filter or canister at least montly unless if need sooner, clean filters in conditioned water only
-make sure nothing is leaking
-top of tank with conditioned water only

[spoondc2]

ok woke up today and 4 baby red belly piranhas still alive !!! they look preety happy in my 40 gallon tank , my heater is on 80 ? howcome when i touch the water it doesnt feel warm ?? feels cold ?? is dat how its suppose to be ???

also can anybody just breakdown da steps of how to run a freshwater tank to me plss would be really great



and im still not getting this fish cycly stuff pls help :(

[gourami]

Do you have some sort of book to refer to? if not get one. also get some test kits ( to find out what is in the water).
also spoondc2 wannabefishguru very kindly just gave you a breakdown of just about everything you need to do.
if i were you i would take the fish back to the shop, find out more about the hobby, and if you ask advice from a forum don't just ignore it (aka buying more fish when advised not to!!)

[cyberbeer65]

ok woke up today and 4 baby red belly piranhas still alive !!! they look preety happy in my 40 gallon tank , my heater is on 80 ? howcome when i touch the water it doesnt feel warm ?? feels cold ?? is dat how its suppose to be ???

also can anybody just breakdown da steps of how to run a freshwater tank to me plss would be really great



and im still not getting this fish cycly stuff pls help :(

Someone please BAN this TROLL! :troll:

[tha cichlid man]

The next thing you need to do "BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE " read the articles that is on this site you can even go to your lfs (Local fish store) to ask question about what you need to know,they dont know everything, but they could help you with what you need to know please read up on these things be4 adding fish! :cool:

[tha cichlid man]

Man something is wrong with you your not listening to nothing anybody is saying :duh: :pc:

[nlmadison]

Man something is wrong with you your not listening to nothing anybody is saying :duh: :pc:


I don't believe this guy is for real. He just having a laff at our expense.

N.

[gourami]

I don't believe this guy is for real. He just having a laff at our expense.

N.

if he is he's kinda sad, taking the time to join a forum and post on it just to p**s everyone off. how SAD

[spoondc2]

if u dont wanna help u dont have too !!

[gourami]

It wouldn't matter if i helped or not anyway you wouldn't listen, in fact i wouldn't be suprised if you did the total opposite.

[Luke Jaywalker]

if u dont wanna help u dont have too !!

Don't ignore everybody's advice and come around here posting in your jibber-jabber language about how you can't bother to read the instructions for the things you buy.

[Harry Tolen]

Thread edited for content. Now, I am locking it. I don't know if this fellow is real or not, but we certainly aren't getting anywhere with this.

spoondc2: there is already plenty of advice for beginners here on this site, if you will take the trouble to look for it. Also, all of the equipment you buy for your tank will come with instructions. If you will just do a little research and reading, you will find the answers you are looking for. Making someone repeat it here is just a duplication of effort.