Harry Potter Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Since moving in to our new home in November have purchased a new 64 litre tropical, freshwater fish tank. At the moment have a catfish, 2 swordtails , and a clown loach, anyone else enjoy this hobby of keeping fish and what is the best solution for keeping Nitrates down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Boy Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Harry Potter said: Since moving in to our new home in November have purchased a new 64 litre tropical, freshwater fish tank. At the moment have a catfish, 2 swordtails , and a clown loach, anyone else enjoy this hobby of keeping fish and what is the best solution for keeping Nitrates down. Hey Bud. I have an 55 gallon tank. Best way of keeping the nitrates down is just regular water changes and making sure you’ve cycled the water correctly before putting livestock in. Removing any uneaten food and surplus waste that you see too. Once your filter has matured, you will find the water parameters take care of themselves with regular water changes (1/4-1/3 every fortnight is a good rule of thumb). 👍 Edited March 22, 2020 by Special Officer Doofy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ri Alban Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 You'll probably find out how the fish feel, when lock down happens. Hopefully someone can throw some feed through your window as you walk round in circles for months on end. Mon the Fish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronJambo Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 You can download a fish theme with Sky Q. The fish on my telly are better and take no looking after. Tanks bigger as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
¼½¾ Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 5 minutes ago, IronJambo said: You can download a fish theme with Sky Q. The fish on my telly are better and take no looking after. Tanks bigger as well. How do you that? Sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronJambo Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 1 minute ago, Lemongrab said: How do you that? Sounds good. It's hiding with the on demand stuff I think. Half a dozen or so different themes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
¼½¾ Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 4 minutes ago, IronJambo said: It's hiding with the on demand stuff I think. Half a dozen or so different themes Cool, I'll have a look. Thanks. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Boy Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 56 minutes ago, Harry Potter said: Since moving in to our new home in November have purchased a new 64 litre tropical, freshwater fish tank. At the moment have a catfish, 2 swordtails , and a clown loach, anyone else enjoy this hobby of keeping fish and what is the best solution for keeping Nitrates down. Forgot to add, it’s possible (although quite tricky) to breed Guppies and Mollies. The resulting hybrid is called a “Muppy”, I thought you might appreciate that particular one, mate. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve123 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 we tried this rather unsuccessfully, bought thank set up water all correct etc and put 3 kelpies in to start 2 of them have died in the last 2 weeks. We are at a loss to what we are doing wrong but are going to have to find out before we get more !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Potter Posted March 22, 2020 Author Share Posted March 22, 2020 49 minutes ago, Special Officer Doofy said: Hey Bud. I have an 55 gallon tank. Best way of keeping the nitrates down is just regular water changes and making sure you’ve cycled the water correctly before putting livestock in. Removing any uneaten food and surplus waste that you see too. Once your filter has matured, you will find the water parameters take care of themselves with regular water changes (1/4-1/3 every fortnight is a good rule of thumb). 👍 Cheers bud , 55 gallon tank(250 Litres) thats mega, is it true the bigger the tank , more easy to keep clean to a certain degree. 46 minutes ago, ri Alban said: You'll probably find out how the fish feel, when lock down happens. Hopefully someone can throw some feed through your window as you walk round in circles for months on end. Mon the Fish! . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ri Alban Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Just now, Harry Potter said: Cheers bud , 55 gallon tank(250 Litres) thats mega, is it true the bigger the tank , more easy to keep clean to a certain degree. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Boy Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 20 minutes ago, Harry Potter said: Cheers bud , 55 gallon tank(250 Litres) thats mega, is it true the bigger the tank , more easy to keep clean to a certain degree. . Yeah, I’ve got a big canister filter and I don’t have to change the water as regularly to keep it safe. It’s fairly under stocked at present too. Another good hint is to have shrimp in there. They eat waste material and their own waste is negligible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Boy Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 33 minutes ago, steve123 said: we tried this rather unsuccessfully, bought thank set up water all correct etc and put 3 kelpies in to start 2 of them have died in the last 2 weeks. We are at a loss to what we are doing wrong but are going to have to find out before we get more !! Buy a small water quality testing kit. Dead easy to do. You then just pipette out a few mLs in to the vials and add some drops and you can tell what the parts per million of each of Chlorine, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are. Check the pH with a similar kit too. If the parameters are out, then continue to cycle the water by adding a few flakes of food for a few weeks, and change 1/4 of the water fortnightly until they have returned to safe levels after an initial spike as it goes through nitrogen cycle. Then add fish in small numbers at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve123 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 1 minute ago, Special Officer Doofy said: Buy a small water quality testing kit. Dead easy to do. You then just pipette out a few mLs in to the vials and add some drops and you can tell what the parts per million of each of Chlorine, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are. Check the pH with a similar kit too. If the parameters are out, then continue to cycle the water by adding a few flakes of food for a few weeks, and change 1/4 of the water fortnightly until they have returned to safe levels after an initial spike as it goes through nitrogen cycle. Then add fish in small numbers at a time. yea we had the stripes with nitrate on it and also ammonia test left it for the week then put fish in, the only thing on testing a week later that was slightly high was nitrate so think that nust be it !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Boy Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 2 minutes ago, steve123 said: yea we had the stripes with nitrate on it and also ammonia test left it for the week then put fish in, the only thing on testing a week later that was slightly high was nitrate so think that nust be it !! That’s how it works, yeah. As the good bacteria start to establish in your filter and substrate, they feed on the ammonia and turn it in to nitrites, then bacteria feed on the nitrites and turn it in to nitrates. It’s more complicated than that, but that’s the basics. Once the nitrates return to safe levels, you can add one or two fish at a time to allow the bacteria to find a level that keeps the water safe. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indianajones Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Used to keep a marine tank. What a nightmare it was keeping it right in comparison to a tropical set up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve123 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Special Officer Doofy said: That’s how it works, yeah. As the good bacteria start to establish in your filter and substrate, they feed on the ammonia and turn it in to nitrites, then bacteria feed on the nitrites and turn it in to nitrates. It’s more complicated than that, but that’s the basics. Once the nitrates return to safe levels, you can add one or two fish at a time to allow the bacteria to find a level that keeps the water safe. 👍 perfect cheers appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutley Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Buy a higher rated filter than required. The number on the filter box won’t be accurate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Potter Posted March 22, 2020 Author Share Posted March 22, 2020 2 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said: That’s how it works, yeah. As the good bacteria start to establish in your filter and substrate, they feed on the ammonia and turn it in to nitrites, then bacteria feed on the nitrites and turn it in to nitrates. It’s more complicated than that, but that’s the basics. Once the nitrates return to safe levels, you can add one or two fish at a time to allow the bacteria to find a level that keeps the water safe. 👍 I get the 6 in 1 Tetra testing strips, Test for Nitrate, Nitrite, General hardness,Carbonate hardness, PH and Chlorine. 25 strips for 8.49, only problem was nitrate at 40mg/l. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
been here before Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 4 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said: Forgot to add, it’s possible (although quite tricky) to breed Guppies and Mollies. The resulting hybrid is called a “Muppy”, I thought you might appreciate that particular one, mate. 👍 I suppose the PC polis would be all over Gollies right enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Boy Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 2 hours ago, been here before said: I suppose the PC polis would be all over Gollies right enough. Gollies are male Guppy x female Molly. Muppies are male Molly x female Guppy. I chose Muppies because I knew the name would appeal to Harry. 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotter Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, Harry Potter said: Since moving in to our new home in November have purchased a new 64 litre tropical, freshwater fish tank. At the moment have a catfish, 2 swordtails , and a clown loach, anyone else enjoy this hobby of keeping fish and what is the best solution for keeping Nitrates down. Set up a four foot tank last year. Beat thing for nitrates is weekly water changes, don't overfed, remove any uneaten food or dead fish as soon as possible. Clown loach will grow way too big for your tank, swordtails too. What type of catfish? Also, remember these fish all like to be kept in groups of there own type Edited March 22, 2020 by cotter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Potter Posted March 23, 2020 Author Share Posted March 23, 2020 10 hours ago, cotter said: Set up a four foot tank last year. Beat thing for nitrates is weekly water changes, don't overfed, remove any uneaten food or dead fish as soon as possible. Clown loach will grow way too big for your tank, swordtails too. What type of catfish? Also, remember these fish all like to be kept in groups of there own type I actually only give enough feed that they will finish, so no waste, its a cory catfish, the 3rd ive had over the years and all lived to a good age. thanks for the help bud, much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Do The Dance Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 I used to have a 200l tank. Is a good hobby if you keep on top of maintenance (which i sucked at). As mentioned by cotter, your tank has fish that will grow too big. Clown loaches should also be in groups of 5+, as should your cory. Worth having a google to see the types and amount of fish you can have in your tank. Might have to completely rethink your stock, I’m afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Potter Posted March 23, 2020 Author Share Posted March 23, 2020 19 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said: Gollies are male Guppy x female Molly. Muppies are male Molly x female Guppy. I chose Muppies because I knew the name would appeal to Harry. 😉 Ha Ha , spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greedy Jambo Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 (edited) Not trying to put anyone off but my leccy bill halved after getting rid of the fish tank. Edited March 23, 2020 by Space Pirate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutley Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Is pets at home open just now? Their website is not loading. I only have a weeks worth of frozen food for my puffers left, they won’t touch any flake or pellets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovecraft Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 On 23/03/2020 at 17:34, Space Pirate said: Not trying to put anyone off but my leccy bill halved after getting rid of the fish tank. Funny you should say that, as mine exactly doubled when I got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greedy Jambo Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 2 minutes ago, Lovecraft said: Funny you should say that, as mine exactly doubled when I got it. 😂😂 I think we might be on to something here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjambo Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 10 minutes ago, Lovecraft said: Funny you should say that, as mine exactly doubled when I got it. Also get a cage of hamsters and connect their wheel(s) up to a generator for the fish tank. Job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovecraft Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Just now, redjambo said: Also get a cage of hamsters and connect their wheel(s) up to a generator for the fish tank. Job done. Yeah, but how much a month to feed the hamsters? Unless you can feed them fish water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjambo Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 22 minutes ago, Lovecraft said: Yeah, but how much a month to feed the hamsters? Unless you can feed them fish water? Drat. There goes my cunning plan (and my planned hamster-selling business). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greedy Jambo Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 (edited) Hamsters keep you up all night rattling away on their wheel and unless you can be arsed clearing out their cage every few days, they reek of pish. Edited March 30, 2020 by Space Pirate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greedy Jambo Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Some might say that hamsters are actually hibs fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamhammer Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Always feel a bit sorry for fish in tanks. Bit like caged birds. They say fish have crap memories so don’t know they’re in a tank. Dunno how they know that like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greedy Jambo Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 14 minutes ago, Jamhammer said: Always feel a bit sorry for fish in tanks. Bit like caged birds. They say fish have crap memories so don’t know they’re in a tank. Dunno how they know that like The fish 2 second memory span is a myth in my opinion. My fish used to dance like cheap tarts every time i came home from work. Dinner time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Boy Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Jamhammer said: Always feel a bit sorry for fish in tanks. Bit like caged birds. They say fish have crap memories so don’t know they’re in a tank. Dunno how they know that like Depends on the species. If you go for fish that either live in small pools, or have small territories that they never leave in the wild, then they’ll be perfectly happy. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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