Have 65 gal tank up and running 2 day. tested water ok. have bio spara in fridge. how long do i let tank run empty of fish before addin bio spara? i want a community tank, what fish sugestions to start with? when do i add them after bio spara? how many? need some guiadiance. :idea2:
new tank up ready to go
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Im a newbie myself so i havent had any experience with biospira
but ive been getting great advice as far as fish selection!! what kind of tank interests you larger fish or smaller with more schools and groups?
im staying as simple as i can for my first "real" aquarium ( the goldfish setup we all had as a kid doesnt count
)
the first thing i did was go to several lfs and wrote down the types of fish they had that interested me then asked about them on the forum and researched in books. when i was at the stores i also checked out the quality of the fish and found one shop that just did circles around the others as far as care and narrowed my search by focusing on that shop.
i know that isnt exactly a scientific method of breed selection but it narrowed down my choices to ease and availability and by using this store i feel confident that my first fishies will be heathy!!
ok rant complete!
so let us all know what interests you, any fishies you have your eye on?
but ive been getting great advice as far as fish selection!! what kind of tank interests you larger fish or smaller with more schools and groups?
im staying as simple as i can for my first "real" aquarium ( the goldfish setup we all had as a kid doesnt count
)the first thing i did was go to several lfs and wrote down the types of fish they had that interested me then asked about them on the forum and researched in books. when i was at the stores i also checked out the quality of the fish and found one shop that just did circles around the others as far as care and narrowed my search by focusing on that shop.
i know that isnt exactly a scientific method of breed selection but it narrowed down my choices to ease and availability and by using this store i feel confident that my first fishies will be heathy!!
ok rant complete!
so let us all know what interests you, any fishies you have your eye on?
Feral made a great suggestion about checking out your LFS (local fish shop) to get ideas. I heard about the neatest fish on here a while back and no one in my area carrys them!! It is really best to do some research for a while and get the tank just how you want it the first time (something I wish I would have done!!!) You have alot of options with a tank that size.
Also, check out the member spec. section on here and see what other people have in tanks around your size. That will give you fish and decorating ideas :idea2: Let us know what you come up with, you'll get lots of feedback once you narrow down some specific fish
Also, check out the member spec. section on here and see what other people have in tanks around your size. That will give you fish and decorating ideas :idea2: Let us know what you come up with, you'll get lots of feedback once you narrow down some specific fish
Try and stay with 3 or 4 main species (totaly my opinion). Resist the urge to buy one or two of everything (I know it's tough). Look at your tank in sections (upper, mid-level, lower-level) My personal favorite for the upper level (simply because they actually stay there) are hatchet fish. One or two schools of tetras will be good midwater residents. Standard bottom dwellers are a school of cory cats. Throw in some otos for algea control (dwarf species of pleco would work too). Now you can choose your "center piece" fish. Something that gets a little larger and garners most of the attention. Your on your own with that one, but a south american cichlid with a more peaceful reputation would be my choice. Again, this is totaly the opinion of someone who themselves has already suffered through the "Frankenstien" tank phase. An alternative would be a tank full of Rift-Lake "African" cichlids. It would result in a bit more boisterous tank, but is worth looking into. Good Luck.
Bio-Spira should be added to the tank at the same time you add the full load of fishes. 2 days is more than enough time for chlorine to air out so you're ready to add fishes. If your city water has chloramine then make sure you treat it with water conditioner first.
Blue rams, bolivian rams, kribensis, keyhole cichlid, angelfishes, and discus are examples of peaceful cichlids. Apistogramma agassizii and cacatuoides are peaceful if given space.