New to fishkeeping

[SilveryMoon]

Right, we bought a tank yesterday and today are going to start getting it ready.
I have never kept fish before but dp has.
He has not mentioned prepping the tank with a fishless cycle and checking amonia levels etc etc.
I'm a bit nervous about this now, sounds alot harder than I thought it was going to be.

[EauRouge]

Hello,

It's not hard but there is a lot of stuff to learn at the start. Fishless cycling is still fairly new so that may be why your DH hasn't mentioned it. It's really easy to do and it gives you plenty of time to plan your stock and jiggle around the tank decor until you're happy with it. This tells you how to do it. If you can't get hold of household ammonia then sometimes people use a handful of fish food in an old pair of tights, you just hang it in the tank and it lets off ammonia as it breaks down.

Water testing is getting more popular as well, it used to be that no-one tested and just replaced fish if they died but if you do a fishless cycle and test your water regularly then you will be able to head off any problems. So, so many diseases and illnesses start with poor water quality so if you keep an eye on it your fish will be healthier and you shouldn't end up spending loads of time, money and effort trying to cure sick fish.

Just ask if there's anything you need to know :)

[WowOoo]

I've never checked ammonia levels. Oh dear. All my fish are fine.

It's not hard at all. Just have to feed them and change some water.

We've just got cold water so no need to check temp either. Easy!
But will limit your choice of fish.
We have danios and minnows.
They are lovely.

[EauRouge]

PS There are loads of 'instant cycle' products available, most of which are total bobbins so save your money and do it the old-fashioned way

[SilveryMoon]

Thank you.
We went to the local aquatic centre and I asked the assistant about it as they had a large range of testing kits.
She said in order to get the water ready for the fish, use tapsafe(??? I think)) and leave the tank running for a week.
She then said if we take a sample of water down to them next week, they will test it there and tell us if the tank is ready or not.
I did tell dp that I thought it was bet to maybe do it like that link says (read it all this morning and looked through that site) and that at least if we had the testing kits we will be able to test the water regularly to make sure it's ok.
He is happy to follow shop assistant's advice.

I think I'd feel better if it was done the new way, but this is his thing, but if his fish die, I will make him do the testing before getting more.

[EauRouge]

Yes, you will need to use a dechlorinator like Tapsafe to remove chloramine from the tap water. Chloramine is added to tap water to kill bacteria so it's safe to drink but it also kills the good bacteria that your filter needs to process fish waste. For this reason you should never use tap water to clean your filter, just use some water taken from the tank and give the sponges a rinse (then dump the water on your garden, it's great fertiliser!)

Your water won't be ready after a week, it takes around 4-6 weeks to do a proper fishless cycle. The ammonia level may drop after a week but the nitrIte level will still be high and nitrIte is dangerous to fish. If you get the shop to test your levels then ask for them to write it down because some shops will just tell you that the levels are fine without going into detail. Lots of things are said about 'safe' levels of ammonia and nitrIte but you really shouldn't put any fish in a tank with any level of ammonia and nitrIte, even low levels are damaging.

Some shops assistants are fantastic, I've had many a long geeky conversation in shops but one thing to remember is that there is no legal requirement for pet shop staff to be trained so even in a specialist aquatic store you may get someone who doesn't know the head end of a fish from the tail end. It's always best to do your own research.

[SilveryMoon]

Ok, thanks Eau So we should still add amonia and do the testing then.
Right, will run that by dp in the morning.
He's wanted a tank and fish for such a long time, I've never agreed to it because I'm not bothered about fish.
I've made it clear that it will need to be him who cleans the tank, filters etc and feeds the fish and any other care it will need.
I do not need another job on my housework list and I've got enough to do looking after him, our 2 toddlers and the cat.
I just hate to think of him putting fish in there when it's not ready and they suffer.