few more simple questioins

CHINABOY1021

experienced newbie
May 2, 2003
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Toronto ON Canada
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hey guys, im just about ready to purchase my 65g. after gathering many suggestions, i just want to clear up a few more things before i jump in.

1) true SAE's - clear top fin, black strip through the tail, only good for algae when young. correct?

2) why doesnt my ac 300 prime. the "n" shaped tube wont fill up. half is air, half is water. is it because im missing the intake/strainer? ill go out and buy that if that's the problem.

3) is there any problem with this setup?:
65 g (36Lx18Wx24H)
fish list:
5 x 2inch clown loaches (i heard they grow slow)
20 x cardinal tetras
5 x true SAEs
5 x blue rams ( possible without agression?)
other inhabitants include ghost shrimp. or will my clown loaches have a good snack.
maybe a few guppies or platties.(for top level fish)
as you see, im in love with schoolers.

i MIGHT decide to cute down that list so i can have room for a school for altum angels. just found out, my LFS has them. i love big als, altum angels, true saes, healthy and cheapest.

my equipment:
200watt ebo jager (78degrees)
HOT magnum (filled with filter floss)

40% gravel planted. 2-3 mm gravel.
thanks
 
neon and cardinals need a mature tank so dont put them straight in wait a few months if you can, if you put cardinals in a tank with angels the angels may chase them around for a while but after a few days they leave them alone so dont panic like i did
 
You should stick with the ram idea But a pair M/F of blues and a pair of bolivions.
Skip the shrimp and angels IMHO
And add some normal or yellow congos for your larger fish
But see no probs with your list other than the mentioned waiting period for cardnals and the blue rams bolivions are much tougher.The congos are tuff also.
 
I disagree with the thing about neons and cards needing a mature tank. Once they survive the first night, they are some of the hardiest fish around. They arent realy fragile, they just dont travel well.
 
Your filter isn't priming up because you are probably trying to run it when its empty pour some water in it while its trying to start that should do it. The strainer has nothing to do with it. Thats just to keep small fish from getting sucked up.
 
ive almost read all the 15 articles on altums angels that came up on google.

i found out that:

- i must alter my water to get a ph of 6. (i am willing to do this)
- soften my water.
- they require high tanks, mine is a 24inch high 65 g.
- they are amazingly beautiful.

the problem is that i dont know what water parameter my tap water is, no test kit yet, no tank yet either, no worries.

ASAP, im going to go buy a AP master kit, see how my tank is. most likely im going to have to do a RO+tap mixture. which im also willing to do. i have to figure out the ration first as soon as i get some test kits. i plan on buying the setup on june 24s, which is a tuesday.

for those who know Big Als, i get double points on tuesday.

so my shopping list will be a good chance to grab some points:
all the prices are in Canadian dollars at my local big als.

65g tank (36x18Wx24H) - 130dollars
tank stand - 130 dollars
2 x bag of gravel 2-3mm natural - 40 dollars (20$ each bag)
ebo jager 250watter -40 dollars
AP master test kit -30 dollars

that's a good 380 + tax (450$) spent.
including some R/O water from grocery store
hopefully i can find some ammonia

i think i plan ahead to far.
thanks for reading guys.
btw, im going to make a journal along with my own dummy's guide on how to setup an aquarium on a budget.
 
i filled the AC with water, but still no prime. i decided not to use it now since i dont want too much water flow in my tank. the hot magnum will do. it's a little on the low end for a 65 g, but im counting on the plants plus my fish list dont have messy fish.

thanks
 
altums are pretty cheap at big als (LFS). but comparing to other fish, they're very expensive.

anyways, a 5 inch (top fin to bottom) is 30 bucks canadian.

5 altums alone will cost me another 150 bucks. that's probably one of the only reasons that's preventing me from getting them.

i would like smaller specimens, hoping my LFS would get some.
 
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