1st DAY

[surajnangia]

Hi

Today i bought my first ever aquarium.. So plz if u could help me out in few things.Sorry but there might be some really stupid questions

1) What is a freshwater or saltwater aqauarrium
2) My aquarium capacity is abt 70-80 litres.
3) How often do i need to change the water and how much.
4) I can't identify few fisshes names, is there any place where i could identify it from.
5) How much food do i need to give. Rite now i have abt 5-6 very small fishes including gold fish(thats the only one i can recognize)
6) What are the important things which i need to take care of while maintaining my aquarium.I have no idea.
7) Is my filter supposed to be on the whole day?
8) Is my heater supposed t be on the whole day?. I live in India so its generally hot but in winters like nowadays the temp is abt 12 Degrees Celcius.
9) Some important things necessary to put in an aquarium.
10) Procedure for cleaning an aquarrium. What is cycling.
11) any medicine i need to keep , i have been given an anti itch liquid and told to put 4 drops every week .I have attatched my aquarrium photo

Thanks

Suraj

[liv2padl]

What is a freshwater or saltwater aqauarrium a salt water aquarium is a marine tank with a salinity targeted to the specific fish species you have. a freshwater tank is one that varies with regard to mineral content ... anywhere from relatively mineral free ('soft water') to hard water containing alot of minerals. there are specific species that do best in the various types of water chemistry.


How often do i need to change the water and how much 50 % weekly is a good average.


I can't identify few fisshes names, is there any place where i could identify it from not really. there are very few sources where you can look at pictures of all the various species and identify them. moreover, it's never a good idea to purchase fish you don't know the identity of ... how do you know what its needs are with regard to water chemistry, how large will it get (is your tank large enough), diet and compatibility with other species.


How much food do i need to give. Rite now i have abt 5-6 very small fishes including gold fish(thats the only one i can recognize) to begin with, goldfish are coldwater fishes that cannot be kept in the same tank with tropical fish (your others. feeding twice daily, about all they can consume in a couple of minutes.


What are the important things which i need to take care of while maintaining my aquarium.I have no idea. since this is a new tank, keeping track of the ammonia and nitrite levels will be of primary concern. learn about the "cycle" so you know what to look for.

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/start_up/start_up4.html

http://fish.orbust.net/cycling.html


Is my filter supposed to be on the whole day? absolutely. 24/7


Is my heater supposed t be on the whole day?. I live in India so its generally hot but in winters like nowadays the temp is abt 12 Degrees Celcius. 53° (12 degrees C) is MUCH too cold for tropical fish. these species should be maintained at about 78-80 ° or about 26°C. the heater should therefor be on 24/7.


any medicine i need to keep , i have been given an anti itch liquid and told to put 4 drops every week if your fish do not have Ich, do NOT put any medication in the tank.

[kellymarie1081]

4) I can't identify few fisshes names, is there any place where i could identify it from.
check out www.liveaquaria.com for fish identification


Rite now i have abt 5-6 very small fishes including gold fish(thats the only one i can recognize)
if you are going to have tropical fish (which is the most common and most popular) you won't be able to have the goldfish in the same aquarium. goldfish are coldwater fish and tropical fish require a temp for 78-80 degrees (average).


Is my heater supposed t be on the whole day?. I live in India so its generally hot but in winters like nowadays the temp is abt 12 Degrees Celcius.
most heaters have an automatice switch that will turn on and off according to the temp that you set it at, in order to keep the temp consistant.


How much food do i need to give.
how much you feed depends on how much you want to clean your aquarium. i was always told that three small flakes (tetra flake, what you feed depends on what fish you have) per fish once a day is enough.


Procedure for cleaning an aquarrium.
get yourself a syphon (or a python). a syphon will be inexpensive and is really easy to use. if you get one from a fish store and ask, i'm sure they will show you how to use it. just make sure that when you do your water changes you syphon from the substrate to get all the debris out of there. any extra food (if there is a lot, you're over feeding, but don't feel bad if there is a little) and waste will settle in and you want to get that all out. syphon it into a 5 gal bucket. this will allow you to monitor how much you're taking out. make sure when you clean any filter media you rinse it in the old tank water before you dump it out. don't use tap water.

just a few other things to add. make sure you use the links that liv2padl gave you in reference to cycling. a bad cycle or a too-ambitious beginner can be disastrous for fish (learn from my mistakes!). make sure you add dechlorinator when you start your cycle and when you replace your water after a cleaning or regular water change (which should be occuring together). also, you may want to think about having your tap water tested if you start having problems cycling.

i think that covers everything that i can contribute. hope this helps.

[cichlidkeeper91]

1: Fresh water is the kind of water that you have. Saltwater is the kind that's in the ocean. Get it now?
2: 18.5 to a 21.5 gallon fish tank.
3: You should change it just about every week, especially with gold fish because they are messy fish. You should do about 25% water change.
4: I could probably tell you if you can post some pics of the fish.
5: Just put as much as they will consume in ten minutes.
6: Your water conditions, maybe how many fish you keep, water clarity. Things like that.
7: Yes definitely keep you filter on all day.
8: Yes you can probably leave your heater on. If you have a thermometer see how the temp it is, if its about 72-80 leave it on. To make the heater make the water warmer turn it clock wise just a bit.
9: Doesn't really matter what you put in there just know that some fish get really big and some get small. You can probably get some tetras.
10: You can get a fish tank vacuum at your lfs.
11: You don't really need to put those drops in. Your just waisting it. If you keep your tank looking good your fish wont get ick.

Welcome the forum!!! :) :)

[surajnangia]

Hi thanks a lot for ur replies
needed to ask few more...

1)What exactly is a syphon.
2)Is there any kit which helps to monitor the water quality.
3) How much shld gap shld be there between the water and the top of the aquarium.
4)How often do i need to change the filter.
5) When changing water do i keep the fishes itself in the water and then take out the ild water and replace it with hte new water, What xactly is the procedure.

[kellymarie1081]

Hi thanks a lot for ur replies
needed to ask few more...

1)What exactly is a syphon.
it is a flexible tube system that uses suction and gravity to pull water from your tank into a bucket


2)Is there any kit which helps to monitor the water quality.
you can get a water quality test kit at your local fish store.


3) How much shld gap shld be there between the water and the top of the aquarium.
you can fill you tank pretty much to the top. i always use my filter as a guide. i fill it up until the water coming out of the filter isn't making the loud waterfall sound and is just at a light trickle.


4)How often do i need to change the filter.
you shouldn't be changing the whole filter, just the filter media. that all depends on what kind of filter you have.


5) When changing water do i keep the fishes itself in the water and then take out the ild water and replace it with hte new water, What xactly is the procedure.
you can leave the fish in the water and use the syphon to remove the old water. you should probably remove about 20-25% every week. then, depending on how you have everything set up, you can either syphon water back in or gently pour water in. make sure that you use dechlorinator anytime you add new water.

[DrussRob]

Pictures speak louder than words sometimes...

You dont necessarily want to suck out the gravel itself, but you do want it to go up the tube a bit to loosen the detritus material (waste and such) within the gravel. The gravel should then fall back down into the tank and the loose stuff should come out the other end of the hose into your bucket.

[kellymarie1081]

Pictures speak louder than words sometimes...
thank you for that, i didn't have any pictures to show the process. :rolleyes:

[dorkfish]

4) Very rarily will you have to change any part of the filter. You will have to clean the media however. During your water change, before you dump the water, take your filter media, put it in the bucket and shake it around a bit to get the detrius off the filter media. DO NOT rinse your filter media in un-treated tap water, for this will kill all the benificial bacteria's living on the media. If you have a biowhell filtration setup, you do not need to clean the biowheel (detrius will be stopped at the mechanical media).

[Sammie7]

Just to note, goldfish can get over a foot long and probably aren't going to last too long before you need to get a bigger tank. If you don't want a bigger tank than you should probably take them back now, while they are still small. They also won't do well in the temperature needed for tropical fish.

[surajnangia]

thanks a lot for the pics , thats was real nice