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Original poster

Fish Aquarium

16 replies

whowantstobeamillionare · 29/12/2004 20:01

have today bought dd a small aquarium for her birthday mid January. Got the gravel and now we have to put in the filter thing and then add the water. Thing is it won't stick to the side of the aquarium and wondered if anyone had one and knew what to do...

OP posts:
Original poster
whowantstobeamillionare · 29/12/2004 20:22

we are putting zebra donia fish and the water is freezing....dh says it will warm up...do you think we might need to get a heater...sorry but absolutely no experience of fish and we had goldfish in glass bowls...and do you need lights for these aswell.

OP posts:
WigWamBam · 29/12/2004 20:31

Some basic information about zebra danios here . They are tropical fish, so I would think it likely you will need to heat the tank.

Cinderellascarrieg · 29/12/2004 20:34

Sorry - you're going to have to heat the water! We've got leopard danios, very pretty & quite hardy, but I doubt they'd survive cold water. Have you bought them yet? If not, could you get goldfish again instead? Much less hassle if you really don't want to buy a heater...

mishiclaus · 29/12/2004 20:36

hi they are tropical fish so u do need a heater and lights for them...if u go to a good aquariam they will tell u exactly what to do..not sure of price for zebra donia but u may be better just practising with neon tetras as they are failry cheap but also will cohabit with 99% of tropical fish

Original poster
whowantstobeamillionare · 29/12/2004 20:50

ha the young man in the shop said they'd be alright as long as the temperature didn't fluctuate too much..they're not fussy he said...he didn't mention heaters, what about saltwater....who do we make the water salty as they are salt water fish (dd doesn't want goldfish damn!)....tank is now set up

OP posts:
MrsBigDrumsADrumming · 29/12/2004 20:59

whowants ...
saltwater aquariums (or is it aquaria?)are quite a bit of work as you have to make sure that quite a few criteria are met, i.e. right level of salinity, ph value, nitrates etc. You can eithe rmake your own water (we do) but for that you'd need a reverse osmoses thingy to make super filtered water and then you add special salt. Alternatively a lot of fish shops sell the water.

Also tropical doesn't mean they need salt water We went for marine (salties) as dd absolutely adores Nemo (that movie's got a lot to answer too!)

there's a good chat board re marines at UltimateReef and everybody is very helpful if you tell them you're a newbie

mishiclaus · 29/12/2004 21:01

wwtbm
salt water tanks are a lot more difficult and expensive to run than tropical

misdee · 29/12/2004 22:28

danio zebras are very easy heard wearing fish. u do need a heater, i have a spare one here i think. I am surprised the bloke in the shop told u u didnt need a heater tbh.

danios are very cheap, look out for the spotted ones as well.

i have a tropical tank, and my danios lasted the longest (till my evil red finned shark started eating every fish).

How large is the tank you are getting? i had neon tetras and danios to start with, danios tend to swim nearer the top.

Did the shop sell you the fish at the same time as the tank? the water needs at least a week to regulate temp, get the filters working well and to rid itself of gases (by now u may notice bubbles on the tank walls).

misdee · 29/12/2004 22:32

what name of tank did u get? and sizes?

Cinderellascarrieg · 29/12/2004 22:38

...& you definitely don't need salty water...my fish book says this (slightly paraphrased!):

The slender body of the Zebra Danio is covered in alternating horizontal stripes of dark blue & silver or gold... Being easy to breed, it is often recommended as the ideal beginner's breeding fish...A group of these active fishes will add movement & excitement to your aquarium.

Size: 45mm
Origin: Eastern India
Food: All foods
Water: soft- medium hard
Temp: 24 C

If you've been sold the fish along with the tank (so no time for tank to acclimatise) go back & give them hell!

misdee · 29/12/2004 22:41

nope no salty water in my tank. the shop may offer a free water test about 1 week after set up of tank (i know ours does). if not then but a all in one test (pH, general hardness, hardness, nitrates etc) plus an amonia test kit to check levels are right. It can be an expensive business setting up a tank, but its well worth it.

i have a siamese fighter fish, and its gorgeous!!

we also have a cat fish, which is huge and ugly but everyone loves him lol.

misdee · 30/12/2004 22:53

did u get a heater? and the filter attached?

Original poster
whowantstobeamillionare · 30/12/2004 22:58

not today as dh was ill but will do in next week (and skint myself)

it's a 30l RENA one

and will get fish in a couple of weeks )tank on and working since yesterday....dd absolutely loves it, keeps going in to room to see it)>

OP posts:
misdee · 30/12/2004 22:59

are you getting a light for it?

makes watching the fish so much more interesting.

I may have a book here you could have, i think i have a double somewhere.

Original poster
whowantstobeamillionare · 30/12/2004 23:02

yes sorry Misdee forgot to say so and a heater too!(will amuse the moggy I think)

OP posts:
misdee · 30/12/2004 23:04

hehe, watch the cat try and get the fish. mieows cats try and grab the fish from the side of the tank, but cant haha. its funny apparently.

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