I want to get my girlfriend a fish tank for tropical fish for Christmas.
Is there anyone on here that can point me in the right direction please ?
I have seen some "self caring" ones - do these work ?
Would probably keep it in the lounge so can be fairly large I guess ?
Like everything it depends on budget, the Juwel brand fish tanks with the matching cabinets have been one of the top picks for decades, i remember back in the 90`s lusting after then then and they seem much the same now but they are not cheap, plus you have all the cost of the rest of the stuff.
As for fish, avoid ones that tend to fight alot or get very large.
Best bet is to get some books, there are some really fantastic books out there that get you up to speed in no time and explain it all.
honestly don't. I bought a biorb one thinking it was minimal maintenance, its not. Alage all over the place . giving up with it in fact if you're near North London I'd sell it to you at a fraction of the £400 it cost me with all the ornaments.
Biorbs are way way too small to work properly IMHO.
If you're going to do it you really need 100 litres as a min, with a second recommendation for Juwel. I've had fish for decades and i love my tank.
My 110 litre Juwel needs two buckets of water swapped out a week and a filter pad replaced. The rest of the filters need washed or swapped out every couple of months. And occasionally i take all the "furniture" out and give the gravel a good clean. It's not a lot of hard work.
Don't bother with a Fluval Edge, they look kinda cool but are a pain in the diddies to change water and keep clean.
Oh, and don't be fooled into thinking they'll look after themselves. Be prepared to learn about ammonia and salt levels and test the water every couple of weeks.
Last edited by Papa Hotel; 6th December 2021 at 18:07.
You don’t really keep fish, you keep water. If the water is good, fish will thrive.
Unless you want to spend the time and get things right, I’d give it a miss and get the lovely lady in your life something else.
Have a look at any of the juwel range
Last one I had was a lido 120 but in my experience bigger is better with a small tank things can go wrong quickly in regards to water parameters and definitely look for
Seachem prime water conditioner beats any dechlorinator hands down as it does this and plenty more with such small amounts.
Definitely give it a miss! Been down this rabbit hole with my daughter and its just an absolute nightmare to get right and its also really expensive... sold ours for £50 in the end
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If you REALLY must, go digital
http://youtube.com/watch?v=td9L_7Ww1iA
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
This ^^^Originally Posted by smalleyboy1
If you want to keep fish learning about the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate cycle is key to success. Add in weekly water changes of at least 20% of the tank volume and job's a gud'un.
I work in an aquatics store so if you tell me roughly what size and price range you're looking at I'll try and point you in the best direction. You can't really go wrong with anything made by Juwel, Fluval or Seabray. Some of the cheaper brands are utter shite and best avoided.
If you want "self-caring" best go down the digital tank route SJ has linked to! Otherwise, a couple of hours maintenance a week max is all that is needed for a standard tropical set-up.
Last edited by Lampoc; 6th December 2021 at 19:10.
Not a good idea as a present. For one thing it’s a big commitment to keep up on the maintenance each week and to have the best chance of success you will be staring at a tank without fish for the first couple of months as the nitrogen cycle gets started. I have 3 small tanks at the moment - a 60l heavily planted community tank, a 20l tank with a couple of pigmy puffer fish and lastly a 20l tank on my desk with a community of cherry red shrimp. It took at least 6 months for each tank to get established to the point where algae was under control and the plants and fish were thriving.
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Umm well I know literally nothing about fish but/so I bought this
Superfish Start 30 Aquarium Tropical 25L - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07N79J8...ing=UTF8&psc=1
It’s been really good. Easy to set up, maintain and the fish seem really happy. I’ve got 4 little platys and 5 neon tetras, some gravel, a couple of living plants and some things for them to hide around. I’d recommend it.
Last edited by Plake; 6th December 2021 at 19:30.
Having had a few different aquariums over the years, the one I would recommend is a 210L Eheim tank fitted with an external filter. Not cheap but top quality. Fish tanks are not something you want to skimp on as a poor quality tank can be a nightmare in terms of cleaning and water maintenance. Lighting is also very important as is the correct placement of the tank in your room - avoid subjecting the tank to too much light as this results in algae growth which can cause all sorts of problems and is unsightly.
Thank you - that would really help. I spoke with somone and they recommended the Fluval Shaker 168 although my wonder is would the larger one be better ?
I liked the look of this one https://www.completeaquatics.co.uk/a...-cabinet-black
Can you suggest the pros/cons please vs Fluval ?
They're both decent tanks with decent equipment and not much to pick between them. Fluval are renowned in the trade for their excellent customer service and aftersales support though. The only thing I don't like is the flimsy lids on both of them - if you have cats they do like to jump on tanks and I wouldn't trust those lids to bear the weight. My personal favourites are the Seabray Elites and Aqua Oaks but they don't come with any filters/heaters/lights.
Another vote for this one.
It is a lovely hobby, but it does require a bit of effort.
I kept tropical fish 20 plus years ago and for the most part it was enjoyable.
From memory the filter and gravel needed cleaning regularly which was a messy job.
Algae on the glass was also a big problem so I got one of those sucker catfish (is it called a Plec?), which used to attach itself to the side of the tank.
It got a bit too big for the tank in the end so I had to take it back to the aquatic centre!
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Thanks again - I have looked at the Fluvals and this one might work ?
https://www.completeaquatics.co.uk/a...-cabinet-black
I think it looks more modern than the Shaker (presumably is the same insides), is the brand for customer service and being 120 wide hopefully has a bit more of a "wow factor" ?
If you want to send me a PM be more than happy to order through your company given the helpful advice ?
my advice would be to look for and pick up a used tank , the prices between new and used are way different .
Nobody has asked but does your girlfriend actually want a tropical tank?
I used to have a 200l tank and it does take a lot of work and commitment to keep the water balance at a level to keep the fish healthy.
If going for a large tank then make sure you go for an external filter and spec the filter to be approx 4x the volume of the water in the tank.
I finally sold the tank around 4 years ago as I couldn’t commit the time and it seemed unfair to keep it for the sake of the health of the fish.
Bit of a fuzzy pic but it did look great in the corner of the room.
Sent you a message. The Shaker is much nicer than the Roma in my opinion.
When I moved house, I inherited a 4000 litre Koi pond with 6 large fish. Funnily enough, the owner completely forgot to mention them on any fixtures and fittings and it was a week to move in date when he eventually said, "oh, by the way, I could rehome the fish but it will take months...don't worry, it's less effort than keeping a cat." Over the last year, I've learnt that fish are way more effort than any other pet I've had. You literally provide their entire life support system including waste removal and have to constantly monitor and adjust the water. I suppose with an indoor tank you won't be dealing with outdoor electrics, filters and as many parasites/bugs but I reckon its still more work than a non-fish keeper imagines!
Fair play to you for keeping them going. I suspect some people might have solved that problem with a turn of the handle on a cistern.
I kept freshwater tropical fish for a while and frankly it was more effort than it was worth - I had these imaginings of sitting there in a darkened room watching shoals of fish swirl around the tank in perfect harmony. Instead they died, all the bloody time. Not giving the tank enough time to start up, not changing the water often enough, introducing some new fish that had some awful worm infection that decimated the entire tank. Various fish killing and eating or eating and eventually killing other fish. Mechanical breakdowns of pumps, heaters, oxygenators, and the leaks, of water and chemicals.
It's a nightmare unless you are 100% invested in it.
If your other half is begging you for one then fine, buy some books, starter equipment and chemicals, then buy some fish in January sometime once the tank has 'cycled'. If it's something that you think she might like - buy some earrings instead.
Edited to add: There used to be services where they'd come and set up and maintain the tank for you - not cheap but if you want the admittedly lovely aesthetics of a tank without the fuss, this might be worth looking at. Personally if I had the cash for this I'd go the whole hog and have a salt water tank - expensive, yes, but so much more colourful - although cichlids can approach the colours of salt water fish and may be a happy medium if that's what your after.
Last edited by julian2002; 7th December 2021 at 15:52.
So many fishkeeping horror stories! I kept tropical fish for the best part of 20 years and loved it. Started off with a little 60 litre tank and over the years this expanded into many larger tanks and at one point, a kitchen full of small breeding/growing on tanks. For me, cichlids (mainly Malawis and Tanganyikans) were the way to go due to their fascinating behaviour - there's much more to them then eat/sh*t/swim-in-a-circle. Spending far too much time away from home eventually slammed the brakes on my hobby but after leaving the RAF and 6 months sat on my arse in semi-retirement I got bored and found a little part-time job in a tropical fish store. Loving it again!
It's not just cats that like to get on top of tanks. About 9 years ago now, we walked into the living room to this sight. Wife took a quick snap while i crept up on him and gentle lifted him off. Fluval Roma stood up well to to this though
Do you have some idea of what type of fish or other creatures your girlfriend is likely to want to keep in the tank? That will determine the size of tank you need and other equipment you might want to add. I would also say that you can get some pretty cool nano tanks now that take up very little space and come with nearly everything you need. Here are some pics of mine:
https://flic.kr/p/2mPmDFd
https://flic.kr/p/2mPkncb
https://flic.kr/p/2mPmDFJ
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Hard work, but if you love a challenge…………can be rewarding.
I have a 45ltr freshwater tank in the kitchen and have 10 White Cloud Mountain Minnows , lovely little shoaling Fish ,easy to keep and happy mixing with others also have some Zebra Snails to keep the bottom and the sides of the tank cleaner ,
How did you get on with this OP?
Would like to see a pic if/when it’s up and running.
I used to have a freshwater tank with goldfish and some of those Mountain Minnows - the greedy goldfish ended up eating them :(
I love the look of a nice tank set up but it does seem like hard work maintaining it..
Lots of horror stories on here but ive had nothing but pleasure out of my tank which is 400 lts.
A few rules and you wont go far wrong
Dont go near salt water. That is hard work and for the committed
Dont over feed. Thats the cause of 90% of water / algae problems.
Buy the right fish for the size tank. Ask how big they will get when you buy !!
A sensible sized tank with isnt over stocked or over fed will almost look after itself . A small internal pump means simple filtration and will be enough for most beginner sized tanks.
Pop some easy to grow plants in and that will help balance thing out with the fish.
I sit every morning and drink my morning tea with my tank. God knows what they think of me but im happy with them.
Excellent haha
A quick update - the good news was she loved the idea of a fishtank and we ended up in the end, not with the black Fluval I chose, but a Ciano in sort of brushed gold/wood but same sort of size - 1m wide although aesthetically better.
The "aquarium guide" certainly made us realise the scale of work involved and after a few trips to fish shops we found one we are happy with who will help us set it up.
It is going to be a few weeks but once it is populated will post a picture - probably be the best it will ever look !
Exciting times! What sort of volume is that? Internal or external filter?
I’ve got dragged into this addiction horribly over the last month or two.
Ask questions before going to buy at your local fishy supplier so you dont end up with all sorts of fish that might not get on.
I've gone for small fish and lots of plants. Watching them hide and pop out is great for me and im sure they must enjoy it.
A little bit of planning no will help no end.
This 60 litre half moon tank is my first tank in about ten years, been running about three months now.
Nice cardinals.This 60 litre half moon tank is my first tank in about ten years, been running about three months now.
Do you have anything else in there?
Recently popped a couple of honey gourami in with my Tetras (neon) and everyone seems to be getting on well.
Recently added some Ruby barbs and corydoras catfishes.
And some rapidly multiplying surface plants, which need constant decimation...
Made some progress over the weekend with a lot of help from the local fish shop who are excellent. My girlfriend chose all the wood/plants gravel hence the great aesthetics - she is really excited about the tank now.
We removed the original filter/heater system (ugly black box spoiling a beautiful tank as well as a bit small & cheap) was repleced with an Oase Biomaster Thermo now in the cupboard - planted and filled with water - very pleased so far and hopefully in a couple of weeks we will have some fish in it too !
Looking good so far though...
That looks awesome! Have you got an idea of what you’d like to stock it with?
My top tip would be to avoid female guppies unless you want 500000 fry and a Google search history that includes “
What fish eat guppy fry but won’t eat guppies”
Guppies.
Haha yes true. I have two guppy females. One of Aunties is inclined to eat the other’s fry straight away but the other one is more benevolently orthodox in her role, hence a population explosion of primarily female fry. You can see where this is going to go.
As for the platies and the newer gourami I bought mainly to gobble them up. Zero interest.
I’m wondering about a female betta but fear for the lone male guppy if I bring one in.
I think I basically have to scoop them up when they are big enough and give them to the local fish shops, both of whom are happy to rehome.
I've had Marine aquariums for over 25yrs my last one being 520 litres , a tank maintained properly looks fantastic 100% of the time but when not properly maintained they look awful except when freshly cleaned.
Most people love the hobby when first setting up the aquarium & getting new fish & coral etc but a month down the line when maintenance becomes a burden on your weekends the love can turn to hate.
I got rid of my last aquarium around six months ago & as much as I love the hobby I now just feel relief when I look at where the aquarium used to stand.
Looks excellent mate! Also, check out this useful tool for stocking fish: https://aqadvisor.com/
Same here. Had marines for 12 years. Can look fantastic but oh - the work! Never again.
Bit of an update - we have some fish in it who seem happy enough. We had lots of issues with the water clouding and going green. So moved it to another place in the room so it gets less sunlight but still went green.
Installed an in-line UV light and did a water change last week and so far it has stayed beautifully clear.
Would love to see some photos when you have a minute.
I managed to find a female betta who is gentle and totally ignores adult fish but who is a lethal stalker of guppy fry. She and two honey gouramis are my prime fry population control squad.
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