how do i start to look after tropical fish?

Question

i have a fish tank that i used for gold fish. i need to know what to buy to make it suitable for tropical fish. it is quite big and allready has a filter. and how do i introduce the fish into the water first thing. (i heard you need to leave the water a few days without fish) just please tell me all the steps.

Answer 1

Many people ask for a goldfish bowl as an easy option for their childs first pet. This could not be further from the truth! Buy a bowl fill it with tap water put in a goldfish and feed it several times a day as it says on most packs of fish food and the fish will not last very long.
If the fish lasts more than 24 hours the bowl will quickly become a cloudy smelly dish of stagnant water. Keeping fish is really keeping water for the fish to live in! It should be filtered to keep it clean and any tap water used should have the chlorine removed before the fish comes in contact with it. Fish are quite delicate animals and should be treated as if they were the most precious thing ever and not as a cheap pet.
First thing you should decide is where you are going to situate your new aquarium, this could be any tank or bowl you want. Find a place that is not in direct sunlight, away from all sources of heat and is big enough to house the size of aquarium that you want. Please do not put it in the kitchen as vapours from cooking may adversley affect it.
When setting up a tank for the first time choose the biggest you can afford and the biggest you can fit in the place you have chosen, often I hear customers saying they wish they had got a larger tank. Make sure that the surface it is going on to is solid enough to take the weight. Water weighs 10lbs per gallon, a 36" x 15" x12" tank holds 20 gallons so this tank weighs over 200lbs with water and glass. Perhaps a purpose built stand might be an advantage. Place it near to an electrical supply, long trailing cables are not the safest of things. Remember you will have to do water changes so think about how you are going to get the water to and away from the tank. Plan thing before you go out and buy!
When you get you aquarium home clean it well with clean water and no detergents.
Place it in the position you have chosen and make sure this is where you want it before you do anything else. Happy? Then take you gravel or substrate and wash it well with clean water, making sure that there is no dirt left in it before putting it in the tank.
If you are using an undergavel filter place this in the tank first then put the gravel on top of it, making sure all the uplift holes are not covered with gravel.Then place all the electrical equipment in to the tank,ie. heaters & filters. Next put in the decoration you have chosen, plants, rocks or bogwoods etc. Put in a dechrorinator, then place a dish or plate in the bottom of the tank. This is so that when you are filling the tank with water from a hose or bucket nothing gets moved by the flow of water. Aim the hose into the dish and everything will remain in place. When the tank is full make sure all the plugs are dry before plugging them into the electricity supply. When this is all done switch on the electricity and check that all is running corectly. If this is a tropical tank leave it to heat up and check the temperature the next day.
PLEASE DO NOT RUSH TO PUT ANY FISH IN YET!
Leave the tank with every thing running for at least a week putting a very small amount of food in the water every day.This is to start a natural proces of maturation. First you need to create ammonia in the tank then this is comsumed by natural bacteria and nitrates are produced, this is what your plants feed off. When the ammonia is first produced the water looks like a little milk has been added to it making it very cloudy but not dirty. This will gradually dissapear and the tank will become gin clear.Then find a frendly aquatics shop that will do basic tests on your water for you, many like us will not charge for this service. First test is the ph or acidity level, this should be as near to 7 or neutral as possible for fresh water community fish or gold fish. The second test is for ammonia, this need to be as near to zero as possible. The third test is for nitrate, again this needs to be as near to zero as possible. If you water passes all these tests then you will be able to take a few fish home with you. Don't rush to stock your tank to capacity a too many fish at the start will over load the nitrifying bacteria with too much ammonia and you will loose all your fish. Wait and see how these first few do for a week or two before adding a few more. Allways ask advice on what sort of fish are compatable or which fish need to be kept with only one specimen ie fighters. The same process can be applied to any size of aquarium and maintenance is usually the same. I recommend cleaning the glass weekly. the filters fotnightly and a 25% water change monthly. This is for an average tank with low stocking levels, if your stocking levels are higher then this will have to be done more frequently. Feeding should be with small amounts once a day in the morning so that the fish have all day to comsume it and it is not left in the tank to cause problems. Over feeding is a common problem and will lead to high ammonia and nitrates which are deadly to all fish.

Answer 2

First thing you do is take a clean sponge and clean the tank out (including filter and decor) thoroughly with very hot water. Try and let it air dry or use papertowels that don't leave too much fuzz behind. Take your aquarium gravel and put it in a pot and bring it too a light boil for about 5 minutes to clean it up (goldfish are dirty fish, thus the gravel is usually harboring bacteria that tropical fish wouldn't be accustomed to). Then rinse the gravel and put everything clean back into the tank. Fill it up with warm water and turn on the filtration system. I use NOVAQUA and AMQUEL to prep my water for fish... they work very well together. They make the water instantly ready for fish but let the tank sit for a day or so until all the air bubbles dislodge and the water is clear.
When you get the fish, let the bag they are in float in your tank for about an hour so they match temps. Then open the bad and put about 2-3 cups of your tanks water in with their water and let it float for another half hour or so. Once they aclimate, then you should be able to release them with no problem. I've never lost a fish this way! Be sure that some of the water the fish are in get into your tank. This will assure that beneficial bacteria starts growing in your tank.

Answer 3

Do your research and as one said small groups of community fish are the best. But do set up your tank let it settle with plants and filters etc running, then add a couple/few of fish at a time leave a few days to a week and add a couple more, this allows the filters to mature and cope with the increase in number of fish, allowing you to avoid the water getting polluted and killing all your fish. Do not over stock with fish, this is one of the major causes of failure. Again do your research, the more books you read web sites you go to and as someone said find a reputable shop and ask advice. A good shop will not sell you tank, fish etc all on same day. Do this and hopefully you will succeed in setting up a good tank which will give hours of pleasure not grief. Also check out local area for any clubs etc a good source of advice, social events and possibly cheap fish if the members have to many of their own. Good luck

Answer 4

Best to keep the old water, as it contains essential bacteria. Don't clean the filter for the same reason. You will need a heaterstat & an airpump, unless your filter is capable of creating surface agitation. Set your heaterstat at 76 fahrenheit. Introduce just a couple of hardy fish at first, & monitor the water conditions with a test kit. The addition of a bacteria supplement will help in maturing the tank.

Answer 5

You need a heater and leave the water for as long as possible, (1-2 weeks). Make sure the nitrate, nitrite, Ph and Kh are all correct. Do some research on the fish you would like to get because some may eat others, be territorial, shy or agressive. Don't buy a fish you haven't researched because it could grow too big for your tank.

Answer 6

Here's the steps (in order):
1. make sure if everything is still working (if you haven't taken it apart yet)
2. clean the tank (gravel, plants, inside/outside of tank, etc) extra good
for plants i scrub them in hot water with soap than make sure they're no spots left (algae) and if it's perfect I let it soak in a big container in hot water to make sure all the soap gets out
3. make sure you have enough plants, and you could go to the fish store to get more.
4. assemble the tank (decorating)
Once you put everything back in here comes the fun part. I like to put the plants on the bottom so that they cannot come out. You can decorate it any way you like(plants on bottom). And than I put the gravel in.
5. put water in (let sit till they're no bubbles in there) for ex:on the plants and glass) than ready to begin
6.make sure you have enough fish food/ test with a test strip to make sure it's safe
7. I bought all the fish at once, and they lived. It recommends 2 to 3 new fish at at time, but I don't recommend it. If you get peacegul fish you can put all the fish in a tank all in once, not every three days.
What i got for my tank:
I wanted a tank with lots of babies crowded. So, I got 2 platys, 2 lyre-tail mollies (get lyretail molly-they won't eat babies(regular mollies will) 2 swordtails, 2 blue danios( make sure you get more of this kind otherwise they'll get crazy (need more friends so they bother other fish) 2 cherry barbs, and 4 guppies, and 1 algae eater
These are all mated (male and female)

Answer 7

you should clean your tank all the way then save 30-50%of your old water so you dont have to wait a week to get it good for fish.

Answer 8

u should get the fish and they come in in a plastic bag put the plastic bag in the tank for atleast 30 mins so they get yoused 2 the water temperature and then release them all at once

Answer 9

Have a look at this guide which will help your with cycling with and without fish
http://www.aqualife2u.com/tips-guides.php