Getting Started, FW sys. ... Teach your children/parents well...   4/2/07
Hi,
<Hello.>
You must be tired been asked the same question over and over again, this will be different I feel. I have been badgered from my 3 children to get a fish tank, the thing is they want coral rocks and fish similar to those in the finding Nemo movie. The questions that immediately spring to mind are.
<Glen, please don't buy an aquarium because your children are badgering you to. Fish aren't ornaments and they aren't disposable. Children want things one day, and forget about them the next. Keeping animals is a responsibility. Talk it over with your children first: Will they clean the tank once a week? Will they medicate the fish if they get sick? Will they buy the food and other things needed to keep the tank healthy? If the answers to any of these are No, then buy them some pet rocks or something.>
* What size tank would be best?
<The bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain. Personally, I'd recommend anyone starting with fish to buy a *freshwater* tank around 20-40 gallons in size.>
* What are the best and easiest fish to care for?
<Certainly not corals and anemonefish (which is what Nemo was). Goldfish aren't that easy, either. Reliable first fish include zebra danios, peppered or bronze catfish, x-ray tetras, and thick-lipped gouramis. While other fish are often sold to beginners, many of these have flaws. Blue gouramis can be territorial, dwarf gouramis are sickly, angelfish are big and sometimes aggressive, Neons tend to be disease-prone these days, guppies are flimsy, mollies do best in brackish water, etc.>
* Do you have a starters guide
<There are lots. Please visit the web site -- http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ -- and just browse through, particularly the Starting and Set Up guides.>
*  Is it best to run the tank without any fish for a period to clean the coral etc
<You're muddling up lots of concepts here. Yes, cycling a tank without fish is a good idea, but to mature the filter rather than clean anything. Please read over the site and when you're done, go buy a book, sit down, read, and then explain to the kids.>
Any info would be of great help, as you will have gathered I am in at the deep end, and they will not back down.
Please help
<Not for me to teach parenting skills, but surely if the kids want something, it's up to the parent to teach the responsibility that goes with having a pet. If a child breaks a toy, that's one thing, but if a child allows a fish to die through neglect, that's something else entirely. Fishkeeping is a great family hobby, and a wonderful way to teach some basic biology as well as responsibility. But it sounds to me like this is something the kids want, not you. How about playing turnaround here. Figure out what your skills and budget are, and then figure out which sorts of fish (if any) match that. Marines are difficult to keep, corals even more so, and marine aquaria are very expensive and time consuming to keep. Maybe visit your local marine aquarium shop (on a quiet day) and chat with the proprietor. Get an idea of what's involved. Yes, it's worth the investment -- a marine aquarium is amazing. But it isn't the ideal aquarium for everyone. For absolute beginners, keeping a freshwater community tank can be a cheaper and much more reliable option. Tiger barbs and clown loaches both have Nemo-like colours, and the barbs at least aren't difficult to keep (though fin nippers, so choose tank mates with care).>
Glen
<Cheers, Neale>

Just Starting Out 1/17/07
Hello,
<Hi>
Your website is amazing, and very helpful. I think (I'm sure you've heard this a lot) that almost everything the pet store told me has been wrong. <Sadly experienced this myself.>
My kids wanted to get tropical fish, so they each have a ten gallon aquarium set up in their rooms now. <Nice, great learning experience for them.> We set up the aquariums, (tap water that was conditioned with the stuff that's supposed to neutralize chemicals and aquarium salt in the water) and then waited 24 hours at the advice of the pet store, and then got starter fish for the aquariums. <Better than same day purchases I see so often.>
My son's aquarium:
My son wanted Molly fish, and the pet store said they were hardy enough so we got a male and a female molly. Also we got a Chinese algae eater, <May be problematic, several fish fall under this name, some being quite problematic.> also at the advice of the pet store. I am now reading that we probably should have gotten two female mollies, the male is already bugging the female a lot. She is starting to hold her fins tightly to her body, I'm guessing this is stress? <Most likely.> So what is better; getting a couple more females for an un-cycled tank? Or letting her stress for a few weeks? The fish seem to be doing really well other than that, and we are keeping a close eye on the water. <Good, I would not add more fish until the cycle is complete.  Make sure there are lots of hiding spots and plants/decorations to break up sight lines, may help her situation.>
Also, the next day the pet store advised us to put algae wafers in one at a time for the Chinese algae eater. They told me originally that the fish would eat the flakes until the algae grew in the tank, but then they said he wouldn't. So we are now putting a wafer in, one at a time, so the little guy has some food. <Probably not needed if he is eating other foods.  If not maybe every 2-3 days add one, but watch the water quality as this large amount of food can cause fouling quickly.>  Unfortunately, the male Molly (his name is Bob) <Appropriate name> keeps eating the algae wafers and chasing the other fish away. Is there any alternative to make sure he gets his food? Or should I not worry? He (Chinese algae eater) seems to have a ton of energy. <Would not worry yet.>
My son eventually wants to get some Mickey Mouse platies too, and I am now thinking, with a recommended 4 to 1 female to male ratio of Mollies, will there be any more room in a ten gallon tank? Is the same ratio advised for Platies? <If you did a 3 to 1 ratio for each may work, but reading about Bob's behavior makes me think he may not accept any other male live bearers in the tank.  Some male livebearers can be real little @#$$%s.  Maybe just female platies.>
My daughter's aquarium:
She wanted Platies, and again we were advised by the pet store that a male and a female would be a good idea. We brought home a Chinese algae eater, same as my sons tank, and a male and female platy. They all seemed to be doing really well all day. Then in the morning, the male platy was "not right." He was swimming weird, drifting with currents, and laying about. He was dead by lunch time. Poor thing! <Unfortunate.> But the other fish in the aquarium were doing just fine. I took him to the pet store, and they gave me a new male. I had my daughter pick one out of a different tank, because the fish in the tank that the first one had come from had fuzzy white spots on them. <Good though, although in reality both tanks probably infected due to shared filtration system.> Could that be ick? <Maybe, check out the pics and descriptions on WetWeb to diagnose.> Did I just bring that home to my aquarium? I hope the female doesn't start showing this. So now I am back to two platies and one Chinese algae eater. The platies seem to eat the algae wafers, the Chinese algae eater doesn't seem interested in it. Again, should I be worried? Is there an alternative food for the algae eater? This one also has tons of energy. <Best to leave for now, observe and act if a problem arises.>
The platies ate their food well in the morning, and really went after the very few bloodworms we gave them in the afternoon, but hardly touched their dinner. <Probably just not hungry, would feed once a day for the first few weeks.> The water now seems a bit cloudy on the white side, and so I did a 20% water change this evening. <When in doubt do a water change.> Is that a sign of bacteria from the food being left untouched? <Most likely.> Or is that just the food? The fish are very quiet this evening, and they seem to be hanging out by the heater. Is that stress or just normal? <May be due to the water quality. Test for ammonia and nitrite and do a water change.  Fish shop should be able to do these for you, but can be done easily yourself and a good chance to teach the kids a bit.>
My daughter would like to add neon and cardinal tetras to her tank after it cycles, will they get along OK with the platies? <Not really, Neons are quite difficult and both require very different water parameters than the platies.>  Also, do you recommend more females to males as you do with mollies? Same thing, minimum 4 to 1 females to males? <4 to 1 would be great, but 3 to 1 fine too.>
And how long do you recommend that a tank cycles before adding more fish? <Takes a couple of weeks normally, best to learn how to use the test kits and do it yourself.  Don't rush and all will work out.>
The pet store said a couple of days, I'm sure that's not right.
<Unfortunately you are correct.>
Thank you so much!
Mary
<Not sure if you have seen this yet  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm but give it a read.  Don't let the charts and graphs scare you, its pretty straight forward once you get the concepts.  Good luck with the new tanks and welcome to a wonderful hobby.>
<Chris>

Just Starting Out Part II 1/17/07
One more thing to ask. <Sure>  Is it possible to have tetras and platies in the same tank? What type of tetras would you recommend adding to the platies? <Can't think of any that share similar water requirement.  Generally the species come from fairly opposite types of water.> And is there anything else that would be advisable to keep everyone calm and happy?  <Good water quality, good food, and everything should be ok, just be ready to deal with livebearer fry, they can and do put rabbits to shame.>
And thank you for the link to the "cycling" area of your site. I will go and buy some real plants for the aquarium as well as some algae starting products. I'll write it all down before I go as to avoid more bad advice!
<Good plan.>
Thanks so much!
Best,
Mary
<Chris>

Fourth try... Brand new used tank setup questions!   1/6/07
Hello all!
<<Hello, Audrey. Tom with you…finally, it appears.>>
Well, this is the fourth time I try to ask questions... first time was a couple days before Christmas... either my messages have gotten lost in the mail, or Christmas has made it impossible for volunteers to keep up with this incredible work. Just in case your server has problems with Gmail, I'm writing through Hotmail... never know what mysterious illness might ail your server!
<<Isn’t that the truth!>>
So... here it is again! Hi to whomever of the wonderful WWM crew might end up answering this one! I'm hailing from the French-speaking part of (supposedly cold, but it's been Spring since before Christmas) Canada (more precisely Montreal, Quebec), so I apologize in advance if my English is not quite as natural as it could be.
<<Well, Audrey, Detroit hasn’t exactly been a Winter Wonderland this season, either. We had temperatures in the range of 54 F. yesterday. You might well be getting these temp’s. today. Also, I'll guarantee your English is far better than my French. :)>>
My boyfriend and I are setting up our first FW aquarium. Of course, we've made a lot of progress since I first wrote, because we had all Christmas break to fiddle with it. We now have cleaned and set up the used 10gal we received from a friend who was going to throw it out. We put fine gravel in the bottom, a branch, some rocks, two Anubias nana, a couple of sprigs of Bacopa (guy at the store had two different batches of what looked like the same thing, a new (smaller plants) and an old one (bigger plants) and he didn't know if they were all the "dwarf" variety), and some bunches of Pigmy Chain Sword (those are growing very nicely already). We bought a neon that fit in the old hood and got rid of the Incandescents. We didn't treat the water since it's not really necessary for the plants, but we'll be treating with Nutrafin AquaPlus next time. This is the one product I was able to find locally that treats both Chlorine and Chloramines and doesn't look like it has 200 things added in. Should I mail-order something better or will this be sufficient? We did put some plant fertilizer in the water though. They told us that, since we don't have red plants, we didn't need a special iron
fertilizer. Is that true?
<<The AquaPlus product will do fine and I’m glad you selected a conditioner that treats both chlorine and chloramines. I agree that iron supplementation shouldn’t be necessary with the plants you have.>>
We put some hairy filter media in the filter to sift through the particles for the first few days (AquaClear Mini, rated for a 20 gal so I hope it's enough).
<<The Mini should do well for this size tank, Audrey. I’m using an AquaClear 50 on a 20-gallon tank and an AquaClear 70 as a second filter on a larger aquarium. I’m completely satisfied with both.>>
Water is a little yellow (I'm guessing from the branch) but we know this will clear up with time.
<<Yes.>>
We now have the proper sponge and carbon, and I managed to find a Bio-Max filter bag (the little ceramic things that are supposed to help with the bio-filtration - do they really work or should I still think of getting something with a bio-wheel somewhere down the road?)
<<The ceramic media works. When I clean the filter, I only rinse the sponge or the ceramic media, not both. I feel this ensures that plenty of beneficial bacteria remain in the filter chamber to do the job. The bio-wheel style filters are also excellent units. Can be a little noisy, though, if water levels aren't kept high enough. Otherwise, these are fine products that do the job very well.>>
We had to get a new heater because the one we were given would hold the water nicely at 73F but would quickly get it up to 80 as soon as I tried to set it a little higher - like it just wouldn't click off unless we fiddled with it.
<<Of the equipment we generally find in FW aquaria, heaters are the most problematic. Eheim has taken over production of the Ebo-Jaeger line of heaters and I love them. I mentioned recently in another post that the temperature dial can be “calibrated” to the exact water temperature in the tank and subsequent changes in the settings from there are right on the money.>>
It will be sufficient to prepare changing water though. The new one has been holding a nice steady 75 for two days now, and I'm going to be testing it a little higher this weekend.
<<Sounds good.>>
We got a great deal on the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Master Kit. pH is around 7.8 right out of the tap but more around 7.4-7.6 in the tank (colour is hard to read on the pH test). Of course, nitrites and nitrates are 0, both from tap and in the aquarium, and also 0 ammonia from the tap. The tank has been set up for about a week with only plants and I'm already detecting about .75 ammonia! I didn't think I'd be reading this high with only plants!
<<A couple of notes on this, Audrey. First, an aquarium will cycle, ultimately, with nothing in it so your reading isn’t too big of a surprise. Second, and possibly more important, this kit – as will most – measures ‘total’ ammonia. That is, it measures both toxic ammonia (NH3) and less toxic ammonium (NH4). You can find charts on the Internet that allow you to calculate the quantities of both based on pH and temperature along, of course, with your ammonia reading. In this case, pH plays the larger role as ammonia converts to ammonium at lower pH levels. At this stage, since there are no fish involved, it really isn’t much of an issue but, I mention it just for clarity. There are more sophisticated test kits that measure for these compounds individually but I certainly wouldn’t be concerned about this now.>>
Do we need hardness/alkalinity tests? The employee we happened to talk to at the store (not their regular crew since we went during Christmas break) gave me a pH reading when I asked for alkalinity and didn't seem to get it when I told him it wasn't the same thing. I can't  blame him, I'm not sure I fully understand this yet.
<<As a general rule, I would not suggest these tests for the average FW aquarist. Not that I recommend against them by any means. They just aren’t as useful to us as they would be to our saltwater counterparts. There are exceptions, naturally. Those people running African Cichlid tanks, for example, where higher pH levels are important would likely be interested in these tests. As you mentioned, though, the relationship between pH, alkalinity and hardness can soon start to resemble a display of “semantic gymnastics” if a clear understanding of each just doesn’t want to “sink in”.>>
He did tell me though that their water has hardness around 9 (does that make sense??), he told me it was average. We live 3 blocks from them so I think we can safely assume our water is at least very similar.
<<8-12 degrees dH is average (German degrees hardness scale) and this is the scale commonly used in the hobby so, yes, it makes sense.>>
The water is not quite as clear as it was a few days ago, but nothing's really happening in there either - yet. We're thinking of adding a raw shrimp to get the ammonia to spike, since we'd rather wait for the plants to be well established before we add fish anyway.
<<Excellent. The shrimp will help speed things along, by the way, as will common fish food for that matter.>>
At the rate the ammonia is climbing presently, we'll have to wait months before we can add anything! No, we can't get Bio-Spira locally, it's not exported to Canada because of some funky regulation about live bacteria.
<<Some countries are “touchy” about such things. :)>>
The only thing we can get is Hagen Cycle (unrefrigerated)  which, from what I've heard, is mostly useless and a waste of money - unless it has improved dramatically since those opinions were posted on WWM?
<<Think of it this way, Audrey. If Canada won’t allow BIO-Spira because of live bacteria but will allow Cycle, I think you can put two and two together. ;) >>
We haven't changed the water yet, of course, but when we do, I'm wondering how we have to proceed. We have fine gravel (1-2mm size) so I'm afraid that if we use the vacuum, we'll end up taking the gravel into the bucket. Also, we can't really disturb the plants. Is holding the siphon end right above the gravel sufficient cleaning?
<<For now, yes. I have a similar substrate in one of my tanks and it’s a pain in the backside (if you’ll pardon the expression) to vacuum but, with practice, it doesn’t completely pull in as much of the gravel as you might think. A few pieces here and there but a necessary consequence if you want to avoid dangerous build-ups of mulm/detritus.>>
We originally wanted to start with goldfish, but after reading your site I decided it might not be the best idea :-)
<<Good decision. A ten-gallon tank is too small for even the smallest varieties and more than one would be way too many fish.>>
What I really want, of course, are dwarf puffers and a yellow tang, but that will wait until we feel like we know what we're doing - especially for the saltwater  fish (that looks like a whole complex universe in itself). So now, we're looking into Mollies and a Betta. I've heard they can go together (same temperature, for one thing).
<<Mollies are a brackish species that “might” acclimate to salt levels that a Betta would appreciate, about one tablespoon per five gallons. My concern for you here is if the Mollies get ‘fin-nippy’ with the Betta. Shouldn’t, but one never knows.>>
Now, this is only a 10 gal and I don't want them to get too crammed, I was wondering if 4 Mollies and a Betta would be too many for a 10 gal?
<<There are Molly breeds that tend to stay small, say around two inches or so. There are others that can reach five inches. Obviously, the larger varieties would need to be avoided with your stocking scheme. Common sense and judicious selection will be the order of the day.>>
The reason I'm thinking 4 is that I'd like to have 3 females and 1 male. I've read that having 2 females sometimes doesn't work too well for Mollies, because the male tires them too much. I'd really like them to have babies, even though I'm also looking forward to the Betta being natural population control, but if that's really too many fish I'll consider getting 3 females only.
<<Your thinking on the Molly ratio is quite correct. Another consideration is that a female, after giving birth, really needs to be isolated until she recovers from the ‘blessed event’. Hardly an insurmountable problem but something that I thought I’d mention.>>
I know Mollies are usually considered brackish and can even be kept in full salt water. I've also read strong opinions to the contrary. I've also heard people recommending that we add 1 tbsp of salt per 5 or 10 gallons of water for Bettas. Is that something that could be beneficial to both fish? If so, do we need to get a hydrometer? Is there one that would read that low?
<<Salt is absolutely beneficial to both species. No question about this whatsoever. The trick, if you will, is finding a common ground and I believe that one tablespoon per five gallons will work.>>
Temperature-wise, I think we can keep it 78-80F. Is 80F too hot for Mollies?
<<Should be just about right, Audrey.>>
Also, I'd like to have a few shrimp. I know Ghost shrimp will eat leftover fish food, and either Amano or Cherry will eat algae also. Can we mix shrimp species? Will they provide enough algae control? When we siphon water, how do we do it as to not siphon the shrimp? Those things are *tiny* at first...
<<The shrimp you mention can be mixed with one another. As for algae control, this will largely depend on how you maintain the tank. Lighting and excess nutrients will determine, in large part, how much algae growth you’ll have. By the same token, your plants may out-compete the algae leaving you with little or none growing. Some variables involved on this one. As for siphoning, you might try attaching a piece of coarse mesh over the end of the vacuum tube. Something that will allow ample room for the removal of the funky stuff without giving your shrimp an unwanted ride.>>
The local store has absolutely gorgeous golden apple snails. I know they're separately sexed, and I've read that if I quarantine him for about 2 months I'll be certain not to have hundreds of incrementally increasing offspring. (I'll be really happy to exponentially breed snails IF and WHEN I finally decide to keep puffers, but until then, I'd rather go low-maintenance... :-) I've read some people say they eat plants, others they don't seem to bother them... what's your experience with this?
<<Personally, I confess to no experience with Apple Snails, Audrey. What I can share with you is that snails, generally speaking, go after the dead or dying foliage on plants leading to the perception that it’s they who are responsible for plant damage. In this case, they’re getting a bum rap.>>
In any case, I was thinking of adding the Mollies first, than the shrimp and/or snail, and then the Betta. I was thinking that, since he seems to be the most aggressive of the lot, he should go in last, so he doesn't already "own" the tank when we try to introduce tankmates - does that make sense or am I totally off base? Should I keep him separated at first so he can get used to his tankmates before releasing him or does that make no difference at all?
<<I don’t know that with the Mollies, potentially, outnumbering the Betta 4:1 that the order of introduction is particularly important. I do, however, believe your rationale to be quite sound.>>
Well, I think that's about it. We're brand new at this and will yet have many questions... In the meantime, please let me know if you have any suggestions to improve this setup. Nothing's started yet so this is the perfect time to change plans if we need to :-) I'm now going to go ahead and read some more on your site... You have info there for WEEKS of reading :-)
<<It sounds to me like both of you have an excellent feel for what’s needed as well as what’s going on. Please do continue to read/research on the site and welcome to our wonderful hobby!>>
Thank you so much,
Audrey
<<You’re most welcome. Bonne chance (which used up most of my French, I’m afraid :) ) Tom>>

Re (Tom) : Fourth try... Brand new used tank setup questions!  1/10/07
Hi again!
<<Hi, Audrey. Tom again.>>
Tom answered my last question.
<<Did I get it right? :)>>
Wow, guys, you DO have weird mail server problems... I saw the answer posted on the FAQ but never received it in my mailbox (and I did check my junk mail too). And I answered the answer, but it seems you never got it... so... I'm trying again (and again, and again, and again... ;-P
<<There’s a guy in Ontario that “vacuums” space for all e-mails going to Quebec, Audrey. The OPP is working on it. (Now I’ve got two dozen people wondering if this is true and what, in the world, “OPP” stands for. “Ontario Provincial Police” and, I’m kidding about the guy…maybe. :)>>
In any case, thank you so much for the answer. It's very reassuring to know that we're on the right track with this! I'd rather not have to fix too many avoidable problems after the fact...
<<Or any, for that matter.>>
(Quote)<< Eheim has taken over production of the Ebo-Jaeger line of heaters and I love them. I mentioned recently in another post that the temperature dial can be "calibrated" to the exact water temperature in the tank and subsequent changes in the settings from there are right on the money.>>(/Quote)
We bought an Italian brand that our LFS assured us was as good as the Eheim, only not as well-known. Apparently, he's been using them for years and is extremely happy with them. It's shorter than the Eheim.
<<Drop us a line with the name of the heater and/or company. We’re certainly open to making recommendations to folks.>>
About the calibration trick, I tried searching the WWM site but couldn't find it. And I didn't find it in the dailies either. Do you have any idea where it's been archived?
<<Not really a trick, Audrey. There’s a locking pin on the dial that can be released to allow the knurled knob to “freewheel”. The knob can then be repositioned to the exact temperature of the tank and the pin is then locked back into position. Subsequent changes in the dial setting are then guaranteed to be within 0.5 degrees +/-.>>
(Quote)<< Second, and possibly more important, this kit - as will most - measures 'total' ammonia. That is, it measures both toxic ammonia (NH3) and less toxic ammonium (NH4). You can find charts on the Internet that allow you to calculate the quantities of both based on pH and temperature along, of course, with your ammonia reading. In this case, pH plays the larger role as ammonia converts to ammonium at lower pH levels. >>(/Quote)
Good to know! I might look up the charts, just for the "learning experience", even if it's really overkill at this point :-)
<<Handy to know if problems should arise. Sadly, in some cases, illnesses that might have been treated successfully aren’t, frequently due to valuable time being lost trying to remedy a problem that doesn’t, for all practical purposes, even exist. A good example, though out of this specific context, is when Columnaris – a serious bacterial infection – is treated as a fungal infection. The fish is incorrectly treated, doesn’t respond (for obvious reasons) and, ultimately, succumbs to a condition that was curable.>>
(Quote)<<Think of it this way, Audrey. If Canada won't allow BIO-Spira because of live bacteria but will allow Cycle, I think you can put two and two together. ;) >>(/Quote)
Hmm... good point!
(Quote)<< Personally, I confess to no experience with Apple Snails, Audrey.>>(/Quote)
I did a little more reading. Apparently, there are several very similar
varieties of Apple snails, some of which will eat plants and some who won't (much). But the main problem here is that they grow very big and would have to count towards the total bio-load... I can add many many shrimp before even coming close to what the snail  would represent... soo... shrimp it will be!
<<I like your thinking here.>>
(Quote)<< Please do continue to read/research on the site and welcome to our wonderful hobby! >>(/Quote)
Will do! And "merci beaucoup"!
Audrey
<<I love it when you speak French! Best regards. Tom>>

Re (Tom) : Fourth try... Brand new used tank setup questions!   1/11/07
Bonjour Tom!
<<Bonjour, Audrey.>>
It's me again! I've been totally obsessing over this aquarium thing. Three weeks ago, I didn't know *anything* about aquariums. I must have spent a few hundred hours reading (mostly on WWM, but I have a few books on the subject as well).
<<No lack of information out there/here, that’s for sure!>>
I really envy Bob right now (I read he's in Hawaii).
<<It’s occasionally hard to keep track of Bob but I believe you’re right.>>
What really got me interested in fishkeeping is a trip to Hawaii two years ago (Big Island). Literally hundreds of yellow tangs grazing right below our hotel. And this really neat beach just south of Kona, we'd do our half hour of snorkeling every morning, just floating through the fish. Ahh... any of you ever been to Goldfish Market in Hong Kong? It's *amazing*. It's like putting 50 nice fish stores all together on one street (well, nice-looking in any case... Dunno about the quality but the variety was certainly there... my parents were not really interested so I had to do my little tour rather quickly). And some NICE specimens too. I'd never seen cowfish so BIG!
<<I’m afraid it would be like turning a kid loose in a toy store for me! Must have been a wonderful, if short, tour that you had.>>
Well... I digress. Sorry. Back to our subject.
<<Okay…>>
I just found out that one of my local stores has Nutrafin Chlor X Change. That one is definitely labeled as treating only chlorine/chloramine/heavy metals. I've been using AquaPlus because that's the "best thing" I found, but it has additives. Would it be a good idea to switch once the bottle of AquaPlus is finished?
<<The AquaPlus neutralizes heavy metals, too, Audrey, as well as handling the chlorine and chloramine. Conditioners are, generally, pretty decent across the board so it’s pretty much of a coin toss.>>
You asked about my heater. It's a Hydor Theo.
<<Kind of exactly like the one I have for my 10-gallon quarantine tank? (Sometimes all of my cylinders aren’t firing properly, Audrey.)>>
My LFS recommended it, said it was comparable to the Eheim in quality and accuracy.
<<No complaints with mine, certainly.>>
So far it's been holding the temperature very nicely, varying *maybe* half a degree throughout the day. Well, for the past week at least :-) The only problem I have with it is that, at the lowest setting (which is supposed to be below 70), it holds the water at a nice constant 75.
<<Other factors perhaps?>>
The calibration's off but the heater is performing well. I'll see if I can adjust the dial by releasing the locking pin, like you suggested. Maybe that's the problem.
<<It’s the Ebo-Jaeger (Eheim) model that has the calibration pin, Audrey. The Hydor has what appears to be a pin in the center of the dial, as well, but I’ve found it doesn’t seem to do anything. Mine doesn’t anyway.>>
Well, enough for now. I'll send you a donation, you've saved me a lot of money and aggravation.
<<For Bob and the rest of the WWM crew, I thank you. It’s most kind and generous of you.>>
Merci encore!
Audrey
<<De rien, Audrey. Tom>>

Freshwater Beginnings, book recommendations  1/2/07
Hi,
<Hello and Happy New Year!>
I've got a 30 gallon tank that I've previously used for saltwater (until I got a bigger tank and better equipment) that I'd like to set up for a freshwater system.  I know most people start with fresh and work over to salt, but that's not the case with me- I'm a beginner for fresh (and not yet an expert with the salt).  I've looked over your FAQ's but would also like to purchase a book that I can lay in bed and read (hard to do with the computer). Do you have any recommendations?  I love Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" book and would like to find something similar for freshwater... but I couldn't find anything by him or Paletta, another of the saltwater sources that I really liked,  that dealt with this topic.
<Welcome to the wonderful world of freshwater aquariums.  For the first time freshwater aquarium, I like to recommend David E. Boruchowitz's Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums - everything is very easy to read and understand, but I do think he tends to "push the envelope" a bit with his suggested stocking schemes (e.g., a bit overcrowded).  Other than that, it's a great book.  For an index of many sorts of freshwater species, I recently acquired Glen S. Axelrod & Brian M. Scott's Encyclopedia of Exotic Tropical Fishes.  As far as diseases go, I highly recommend Mary Bailey and Peter Burgess' Tropical Fishlopaedia.  Don't know if any of these rival Bob's SW book, but they are my personal favorites.  Good luck, and enjoy your new tank!
Jorie>
Thanks!
Stephanie D.

Starting my tank   12/19/06
Hello,
<<Hello, Tara. Tom here.>>
We have just bought the jewel tank containing 190 litres and are setting it up to contain red belly piranhas. We originally wanted 3 but after reading your site discovered that its only really big enough for 2 at a push.
<<Given an adult size of approximately 12 inches (30.5 cm), two of these fish would, indeed, be pushing the limit of a 190-liter (50-gallon) tank, Tara. Adequate cover and low lighting should be provided to keep “skittishness” to a minimum.>>
We also would like to know if it is essential to test the water pH before putting in the fish.
<<Do yourselves this favor, Tara. Visit the pet shop and find out what the pH is of the water that your future pets are currently being kept in. Piranhas come from waters that are soft and acidic in their natural habitat with the pH below neutral (7.0). This really isn’t as critical as trying to avoid introducing them to a tank that’s far off from what they’ve been acclimated to, however. Stability is the key factor here.>>
The tank has been set up for nearly 2 weeks now at the right temp and I don't want to be ignorant by hurting the fish by just putting them in without it being perfect.
<<pH is not going to be your only concern here. In fact, ammonia and nitrite levels are going to be far more of a concern right now than pH will be. Unless you’ve taken some extraordinary measures to speed up the “cycling” of the tank, I doubt that your tank is more than one-third to one-half through the cycling process after only two weeks. Test for ammonia and nitrite (both should be zero) and check your nitrate levels as well. Nitrates, by way of explanation, are the “end product” of the nitrifying process. If ammonia and nitrites are zero but nitrates are also zero, your tank isn’t ready for live fish. Your pet shop can test a sample for you if you don’t have a test kit already. Personally, I highly recommend that you get one so that you can do your own testing. Shops have a tendency to tell folks that levels are “safe” without being specific about what this really means. Better in the long run for you to know “exactly” what your readings are. More convenient, too.>>
Also, what would be your best recommendation to start feeding them as they are only about the size of a 2p when we get them.
<<Thawed mussels, prawns, shrimp and fish will be appreciated but there are processed foods, in the form of pellets, for carnivorous fish like Piranhas that they may also take to in order to vary their diet. You might find that early on they’ll also accept flake food. (By the way, ‘2p’, for the benefit of our American readers who don’t have one readily available, is about the size of a Susan B. Anthony dollar, which is nearly exactly the size of an American quarter. That one might have worked better if George Washington and Ms. Anthony hadn’t look so much alike. :) )>>
(Although, my husband really wants to feed them live food on occasion. I suppose it’s a bloke thing).
<<Advise your husband to keep this to a minimum, Tara. Feeder fish have little nutritional value and can be a source of disease. You and I know he’s going to do it anyway but, it’s not without risk to your pets.>>
Thanks for your help
Tara
<<Consider giving your tank another fortnight (I don’t get a chance to use that term very often) to cycle completely and really consider the test kit I mentioned. Uneaten food, if there is any with Piranhas, will need to be removed to prevent your water conditions from becoming toxic. Good idea to stay on top of this as best you can. Good luck with your new additions, Tara. Cheers. Tom>>

First fish, for a small FW system, young girl   9/26/06
I have read a bit  on your site and realized we have done very little  right.
<Each journey....>
I bought a 5 gallon tank for my dd's 8th birthday, hoping that a fish  would be an easy first pet for her.
<Can be...>
  I was planning to buy a couple  very small feeder fish for her to start with so when they died I'd only be out  20 cents.  
But she liked the big fantails and her daddy couldn't resist her  pleadings.  
So now 3 days later one is dead and buried in the backyard and  the other doesn't look so good.
So for our next try what kind of fish should we try for her.
<?>
She is motivated to care for the tank, but we need something simple.  We have a 5  gallon plastic tank with and under-gravel filter, an air pump and a couple of  plastic decorations--and a  little girl who is very sad that her dear fish  died already.
Thank you for your help,
Becky
<Do you have a heater? Do look into Paradisefish (Macropodus opercularis), or some small Danios (Like Zebras, Brachydanio rerio)... At this stage, very important (to me, you, your daughter) to find, secure a professional relationship with a LFS (livestock fish store) that you trust, feel confident with... to grant you this information, aid you in picking out initially healthy livestock for such a small system. Do please feel free to continue to seek our input as well. Bob Fenner>

Used tank , filters, stand  etc questions   9/17/06
First off let me thank you for your *fantastic* and informative site. I have spent only a couple hours browsing it and have already learned a lot. I've searched and read through the "used tanks" information as much as I could find, and found some info that's similar to our situation, but still have questions (and lots of insecurity!) We're fairly new to fishkeeping; have a 20 gallon tank with 6 goldfish (I know, I know, too small but read on!) and a tetra whisper3 power filter that's still cycling (we figured out too late that cycling is something tanks have to do... Poor fish.
<Do be careful re feeding...>
But we're trying. Lots of water changes. Think we see some nitrate showing on the test strip today... barely)
<Ahh, good>
We were given what I think is a 55 gallon glass tank (48" X 13" X 21" more or less) (using the formula I found here, was able to determine that it's 56.73 gallons, so I assume that's a 55 gallon tank),
<Yes... often called a "55 Show" in this configuration>
made in 1990 by "Patti" according to the tag on the frame <grin>, and all the stuff that goes along with it. The tank was used for both fresh and marine. We have cleaned it thoroughly with water, nothing else, scrubbed with a new "scrubby" to get as much of the water deposits off as we could.
<Vinegar (with air circulation) is safe here as well>
We filled it outside and let it sit for a week, now, so we're pretty sure it doesn't leak. (It was kept in a basement, suffered a flood and probably was "bombed" for bugs a couple times over the past ten years that it's sat empty)
Further "Stuff":
A Marineland Magnum 330 canister filter which appears to have only the water polishing filter, nothing for carbon filter etc. There are *two* of the bottom part, so I'm assuming he either had one as a back up or that one doesn't work.
<Or had another for switching out, cleaning... Quite common>
Is there a way to test this before trying to set up the tank, using a bucket of water or something?
<Yes... and/or can use the tank you're testing...>
It appears to be missing a piece that I think is the diffuser (where the water goes back into the tank), and I imagine it would be wise to replace all the tubing?
<Yes, can, and likely should... the vinyl tubing sold at Home Depot is useful here, as well as the same diameter likely available from a fish store... these units are still made, pretty much the same... By Marineland>
A Penn Plax XP 990 air pump and an under gravel filter set-up. At least, I think that's what it is--has a unit that plugs into a wall outlet, the air pump I guess, two plastic plates that fit across the tank's bottom and that have slits in them and V-shaped "bumps", each piece has two covered holes (covers can be taken off) and two holes that are open but have a "thingie" sticking out of them. I assume these are where air passes through as bubbles and are where we're supposed to plug in the   four clear hard plastic tubes that have an air diffuser inside attached to a tube, a "hood" at the top of each (Aims the upflowing bubbles downward into the tank?),
<Yes, good descriptions>
with the tubing coming out of them and passing through a "holder" that hangs on the back and that also has valves (4);
<Yep, an air gang valve>
from there a single tube going into the pump. These tubes would also, I assume, be better off replaced.
<Yes... airline tubing, 3/16" ID>
full-length light (have to look up what kind it is--has two fluorescent bulbs)
A particle-board cabinet (Matches the light's and the tank's "oak" (plastic laminate) frames)
<Do make sure this is still sturdy... the whole shebang will weigh more than 500 pounds...>
2 heaters (is there a safe way to test them?
<Yes... put in the tank (submerse all the way if they're sealed, hang on the side if there are means for such... leave be for about 15 minutes (to allow the thermostats to adjust) and plug in... turn the dials on top (clockwise to higher)... till the "lights come on"... indicating the heater is energized... and use your hand to sense whether the heating elements (toward the distal end) are indeed heating... Make sure and unplug, allow to cool down for at least 15 minutes before removing from the water (to prevent breakage)>
just stick em into a bucket, plug in, and see what they do?) One is for sure submersible, not sure about the other.
Plastic cover (in two pieces)
One "Topless Beach -->> " sign. <grin>
A whole lot of stones (large gravel) of a nice tan/white/sand color--will  give this a really good cleaning, unless it's not safe to reuse in a fresh water tank once it's been used in a marine tank?
<Just rinse, soak all>
Large chunk of lava rock Coral (Am leaving this out-- too sharp edged for our black moor's eyes)
<Yes... and likely the lava rock as well>
Some other kind of rock--tan and white, rough feeling, big "hidey hole" for fish...gorgeous for people to look at...--how can I find out what it is? Sandstone maybe?
<Likely so, and very likely safe chemically>
We feel as though we were given a treasure chest, here!!
<Bette