Help needed setting up Aquarium

[Mark Malcolm]

Hello,

I am about 6 weeks away from having my first large aquarium set up and as a lot of Fisho's also have aquariums I am just wondering if anyone can assist to get me started and to ensure I get my set-up correct first time :)

I have a 5ft tank (a bit less than 400litres) and I have just purchased a Fluval FX5 Filter. I am needing help with purchasing the correct Filter Media for my tank set up.

I am will be having an australian natives themed tank with the following fish:
Eastern Yellow Fin Bream (once tank is set up and other fish are around 25cm)
Australian Bass
Silver Perch
Possibly a Cray and maybe an Archer
Living Plants
I Will also have a rock background with lying down and standing mangrove logs.

I have had a look at the Media available for the FX5 and am quite confused on the correct Media for my set up.

I am also wanting to make sure I have sufficient heating for my tank. If anyone can help with the correct media choice and/or heater size (one large or two mid/large size and wattage?) it is greatly appreciate.

Cheers,

Mark

[BobbyJ123]

G'day mate, hope this is of some use to you.
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin.html

[bustaonenut]

The fluval should come with some media in it already, all you have to do if you want is buy some extra noodles to put in it. Fluval media is a good product but i find you cant beat matrix media made by seachem. It is expensive about $35 a litre but has the highest surface area for holding bacteria wich is what you want.

As for the heater a Jager made by ehiem is a good choice. You would only need a 200 watt heater for that tank if its a jager. I have a 1500 liter tank and i run two 300 watt jager and it does fine. They have a much better rating than the cheaper heaters for example a cheaper model needs 1 watt per litre (300watt for 300 litre) the 300 watt jager is rated for 600-1000 litres. What im trying to say is they are a little bit more expensive to buy but will save you alot of electricity in the long run.

Set up the tank and build it up slowly, start of with one fish and let it cycle adding a fish every week or so. Keep an eye on amonia spikes and keep up the water changes. Good luck

[Ozie_3]

Hey Mark,
Not sure where you are but if its in briss then you wouldn't go wrong contacting ANGFA
Astralian and New Guinea Fishes Association
Where : Bar Jai Hall, 178 Alexandra Rd Clayfield
Turn Off Sandgate Rd into Alexandra Rd, the hall is on the right hand side.
When : Second Friday of Every 2nd Month: February, April, June, August, October & December
What Time : 8pm
Contact Person : Doug Collom 07 - 3277 7171
http://www.angfa.org.au/



and joining is a good idea... in clubs like them information on everything to do with pisiculture is freely available..
there are other clubs around but you mention natives...
if you are interstate there should be a state branch near you...

hope this helps
cheers Chris

[Cammy]

Anything Eheim Fluval and Otto accesories are all good value and are reliable they are the best brands around, not suprisingly they alll come from Germany who are renowned for quality. Dont go out and buy this AquaOne, AquaMaster or AquaWorld crap there crappy imports.

I cant really add anything to the thread cause its all been covered other than your tanks gonna look awsome and nice selction of fish, grab some rendahl's catfish there awsome aswell! cant wait for pics mate.

Cam

[dogsbody]

Give Poodroo (Andrew) a pm. He's in that field.

Dave.

[Mark Malcolm]

Cheers guys for the replies, bustaonenut I will definetaly look into the media and will keep my eye out for jager heaters for my tank as it definetaly sounds like the way to go.

Cammy will the rendhals's catfish have any problem being in the tank with the below mentioned fish? I like the idea of a Catfish to add to the mix.

Once I have started setting up the tank I will post some photo's of the progress. I'm a bit stuck on a background but as I'm going with an australian natives theme I'm thinking about getting my mate to come up to somerset dam with me one day and take some panaramic shots to laminate and blow up as a background.

Thanks again guys,

Cheers,

Mark

[Poodroo]

Okay Mark first of all that is a great filter for that purpose because it has a very large canister which enables you to put lots of filter material in it. Mechanical filtration is great but it is also benificial to have biological fitration also. What I would personally do with that filter is to pack it with filter foams and dacron filter pads to mechanically filter the water and in the top section I would use a product called Siporax which is a highly porous tube which provides the best home for all your living bacteria which provides stability. Each tube has an equivalent surface area of 1 square metre. There are other brands of filter medium that also do a similar job but Siporax is the best. That is a non-biased opinion because I sell the other brands as well. Feel free to give me a PM or call into the store. PM has been sent.


Regards,

Poodroo

[Mark Malcolm]

G'day mate, hope this is of some use to you.
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin.html

Hey Bobby, I just checked out the above site and it's heaps of help. cheers for the link.

Mark

[Cammy]

Rendahls catfish only get 30cm or so and they look nice, Another good catfish to have are Hyrtls they get the same size and they have yellow fins. There is a smaller species that gets to only 20cm but i cant think of the name right now, but it might be a bit more suited cause it wont eat you smaller tankmates. Well some ideas on catfish there anyway. i'll post the name of the catty if i remember.

Cam

[Nicko]

Will they be good to eat - living their lives in an aquarium?

[Poodroo]

Will they be good to eat - living their lives in an aquarium?

Most people grow aquarium fish up from juvenile and most people become attached to them as a lot of fish develop their own personalities and it can be upsetting to some when their beloved fish finally passes on. I find it hard to believe that anyone would bring themselves to wanting to eat their pet once it gets to a decent size? I don't think it would be a good thing to do anyway because if you read all of the medication labels for treating fish diseases they state very clearly that any fish treated with the product is not fit for human consumption. Most fish at some stage in their lives in an aquarium will have been treated for something at some point.

Poodroo

[AnthonyL]

I am interested in setting up an aquarium too since picking up a large tank and stand.

I did a carpet at a property that was an eviction and the agent had to pay someone to dump the tank and stand so I offered to dump it for free at my house lol.

[Cammy]

I am interested in setting up an aquarium too since picking up a large tank and stand.

I did a carpet at a property that was an eviction and the agent had to pay someone to dump the tank and stand so I offered to dump it for free at my house lol.

Nice score ya got there mate, free tank cant complain;) lol if you need any help with anything aquarium related search for the Aquarium Thread "Show us your aqarium fish past and present" some good info in there and wouldnt hurt to start the thread up again.:)

Cam

[BobbyJ123]

Hey Bobby, I just checked out the above site and it's heaps of help. cheers for the link.

Mark
Makes it all worthwhile, mate. Thanks.

[Mark Malcolm]

Nice score ya got there mate, free tank cant complain;) lol if you need any help with anything aquarium related search for the Aquarium Thread "Show us your aqarium fish past and present" some good info in there and wouldnt hurt to start the thread up again.:)

Cam

Hi Cammy, I had a question on my little 22 litre beginner tank so just started it up :) I love that thread so many nice tanks and fish.

Cheers,

Mark

[Poodroo]

Well you have some good gear now Mark. You can add as much Siporax as you want to in that filter. You can never have too much. Was a pleasure meeting you. Good luck with your setting up.


Cheers,

Poodroo

[Mark Malcolm]

Hi Poodroo,

Was great to meet you on Sunday and it was amazing to see all of the nice tanks set-ups, healthy fish and wide range of gear at the store!!

I will definetaly pop in say hi when I need more gear/plants/fish etc. Thanks for answering all my questions, it was most helpful and will ensure I have healthy fish the first time round. It's also not hard to see how the experience and knowledge you have in Aquariums helps the shop.

Also that Jack is amazing!! How old is he and has the shop had him from a Youngen?

Thanks again your help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

[Poodroo]

Hi Poodroo,

Was great to meet you on Sunday and it was amazing to see all of the nice tanks set-ups, healthy fish and wide range of gear at the store!!

I will definetaly pop in say hi when I need more gear/plants/fish etc. Thanks for answering all my questions, it was most helpful and will ensure I have healthy fish the first time round. It's also not hard to see how the experience and knowledge you have in Aquariums helps the shop.

Also that Jack is amazing!! How old is he and has the shop had him from a Youngen?

Thanks again your help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

Thanks Mark. My pleasure. Only too pleased to help out. That Jack has been with the shop since it was just over an inch long and progressively moved from tank to tank as he outgrew them. The tank he is in now is going to have to do because there are none bigger in the store. ::) Look forward to your next visit.

Cheers,

Poodroo