hey new to aquarium

U

underearth

AC Members
Mar 10, 2008
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hey everyone this is my first post on this site so hello to all i just started my first freshwater tank i have a 30 gallon tank i think thats pretty big for me :headbang2: well i was wondering i put the needed chemicals to rid of chlorine in the water i have a heater a pump all the basics i have gravel at the bottom i got i also have 2 fish to start my tank i got them from walmart so who knows how long they will make it i have 1 tiny goldfish and a heart shaped parrot i have decors in their i was just wondering any tips on how to get it started i am looking to make a great aquarium thanks .Andrew
:help:
 
:welcome: to AC!

Do you have a test kit? You'll need one. I recommend API liquid test kit. You have to test your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Read one of the sticky threads found in this section. The sticky thread should be the one authored by rbishop. It contains everything you need to know. You must ensure that if your ammonia and nitrites are above 0.25, do a water change immediately until both are back to zero. Soaring levels can kill your fish. Nitrates should not exceed 40 ppm in the end. If it does, do a water change to reduce the level.

As far as fish is concerned, what strain is the goldfish? Fancy or common? Goldfish are coldwater species and therefore will not do well if the temperature is above 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Similarly, your blood parrot is a tropical species and will become more vulnerable to diseases when kept in a temperature lower than 76. So you should be careful with what fish you buy. My advice is to research before buying a fish. Consider their temperature, diet, temperament, size, tankmates and tank space requirements.

What is the temperature right now? As I pointed out earlier, if you meet one of the fish's temperature requirements, either one of them suffers so what you must do is replace them with suitable ones. Blood parrots will eventually outgrow the 30g anyway growing to 8-10 inches. They will severely limit your options for fish. If you choose to keep a community tank, then return both of those fish to your store and do a fishless cycling method which is again written in details in a sticky thread I pointed to you out earlier.

Another thing, listen to your store employees' advice carefully and jot them down on your notebook so you will later on research those to verify whether the advice is appropriate or not. Do not follow everything that have been said. Before doing what they advise you, ask more opinions from people with experience in the hobby. You should realize by now that you are not the only one given improper advice. To put this bluntly, those new to the hobby are often eager to follow whatever advice was given to them without asking for more opinions. This alone is very disastrous and they cannot blame whoever advise them for such results.

A lot of times, the advice given are part of the marketing ploy. There is the tendency one employee would tell you you need a pH adjusting chemical so your pH is just right for the fish you get. This, in my opinion, is not at all necessary and unless you determine your hardness levels, pH swings are fatal to the fish can lead to their demise due to their inability to cope with the extreme changes.

As far as chemicals are concerned, all you need is a dechlorinator to bind the chlorine and chloramine to harmless forms. As far as medicines and diseases are concerned, you need to consult other experienced hobbyists before you try them. Most of the time, some meds can kill certain species of fish. Most of the time, some can also destroy the biological filtration and even invertebrates such as shrimps so you need to check out the active ingredients and ask before you do anything to your fish.

A quarantine tank will be advisable as well if you have plans to buy more fish in the future. You have an option to start with either a 5 or 10g for quarantine purposes. It is advisable that you must quarantine every new fish for a minimum of four weeks to ensure your current stocks are well-protected from disease carriers. Even healthy fish are disease carriers themselves. It is advisable as well to check every new fish in the store tanks before buying them. Do they eat well? Are they parading around in a seemingly happy manner? Are they pale or dark? Are their excreta whitish, red, brown, etc? Do you see any dead fish in the tank? Are their fins clamped or erect? You need to familiarize yourself on several common diseases that can occur. White spot/ich, fungus, columnaris, velvet, dropsy and finrot are common occurrences.

Lastly, I think you need to be aware that we as hobbyists will not agree to the promotion of fish with mutiliated body parts. Dyeing and tattooing especially are very cruel processes and do not promote the welfare of the fish at all but merely taking their life for granted. It is in best interests that the store either be informed that they stop the shipping of such fish or boycott their sales. Not many people realize of course why it is entirely wrong though of course, I cannot blame you for getting the heart-shaped parrots. I understand that they do tend to fascinate you as well as plenty others but the processes done behind them however cannot be tolerated.

Good luck. If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.:)
 
Great post Lupin. Its sad how many people get mislead by LFS's sales associates. People should be able to trust their word and not have to go research the information they are given, but that is indeed the truth.

I try to give my opinion to a friend of mine, and all I get is a blank look when I tell him to do something differently then the LFS person told him.

UnderEarth, I give you credit for checking out this site, and I hope we all make your fish-keeping hobby much more enjoyable!
 
hey thanks for replying back to my post the temp is at 76 your right i should have done more research before i bought my fish they seem to be happy they are eating fine the parrot and gold fish are orange and it is a common goldfish i don't think i well be able to keep both since your saying that the temp is very different.
 
underearth said:
well could i keep them as starter fish ?
Click to expand...

using starter fish isn't really a humane thing to do. the buildup of ammonia and nitrites from their waste burns their gills (just as ammonia burns our lungs) and makes them susceptible to other diseases and early death. using them as starter fish and then bringing them back to the store would be the same as buying something, breaking it, and then returning it so some other unsuspecting person buys it. i wouldn't want to unknowingly spend my money on fish that have been damaged by someone else. using them as starter fish and just letting them die (instead of returning them) would be very cruel. whether it's a 12-cent goldfish or a $120 catfish, they should all be treated with respect as living things.
 
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