Getting back into it.

Whey Hey, I've set up an aquarium. I know I'm making a big deal out of it but I've just got back into fish keeping after 4 or 5 years out of it.
I just needed a bit of a push as the biffster said he has some stock on order.
I had some gravel from a tank we acquired, so i gave it a good wash and put it in the tank. I did something that most aquarist would frown upon, i took about 3 buckets of water out of my goldfish tank and put in the new tank, then i topped it up with cold water. The goldfish tank already had a fluval in with a mature sponge so i took it out and squeezed the sponge in the new tank water and put the fluval in. I found a heater and put it in.
All the tank needs now is some bog wood and plants and I'll be checking the water periodically. :bounce:

ok mandy
biffo says folk don't post so here's what I reckon for my baby tank in the front room
18" tank stock list
(90 litres)
2 albino corys
2 schwartzi corys
4 male guppies
6 female guppies
2 platties (optional)

temp 20 to 22 degrees
ph about 6/7 need to do a water test yet like

any thoughts appreciated i.e. different cats or is this an overstock?
tank runs a fluval2 and a water curtain with a dedicated single port pump by the way
?????? Ian

Your temp should be 24-25 degrees. My opinion is i don't think it's overstocked. I used to use 18" tanks for breeding purposes.

My tank now is ready for stock. I did a water test yesterday and the results as follows:
ammonia 0ppm
nitrate 0ppm
nitrite 0ppm
ph 7.8
I'm gonna have to purchase some bogwood as the ph may be a tad high for what i want to keep.

ok water test all sorted now here are the results
temp 23 degrees
ph 7.4
nitrate 0ppm
nitrite 0ppm
ammonia 0ppm

kinda ready for stocking now I reckon don't you?

i'd up the temp to around 25 then put a small amount of hardy fish in just to get going

I'd say the ph is bang on but it's a difficult one because I think guppies prefer hard, salty water and the corys the opposite. Guppies seem pretty delicate. Best bet is probs to keep it in the middle if stocking both. I might be wrong though lol.

i've never used salt with guppy but what works with one may not work for another it all depends on what stats the fish were raised/ bred in

depending on the fish you want to keep and where from
most fish around the shops are kept in tap water which can vary alot stockton area its ph 7 newcastle way its higher hence the malwais population up that way but fish can be kept at different ph like b/nose plecs from the south america they do well in malawi tanks with a ph 7.6-7.8 discus can be kept at 7ph it depends alot on what they have been brought up in

Well as you know I'm changing my Biorb tank to purely guppies and I know they do like the salt so I have added it. If they were mixed I wouldn't bother coz like you say they are fine without.

How are your fish settling? Bet it's great to have some back I there.

dunno yet ado stocking about the weekend I reckon

I've just set the temp to 23.8 about as high as I am more comfortable with that for this sort of mix ph at 7.4 always used to work fine for me again bearing in mind the mix never added salt before though however with the corys not being salt lovers i think I'll just give it a miss and see how it goes for now
not really hit 'n' hope just reluctant to add salt for the sake of the corys
I'll let you know how they get on though as I'm religious about water tests on newly commisioned tanks (bad experience years ago)

ian wait till the next auction the 22nd nov and get your fish from there

oh the corys may be ex stockton mick I forgot to say so ph about the same if I remember correctly just need to avoid stress on introduction in case there's a slight variation like

auction???? 22nd?

I agree mate I'd keep off the salt for the corys. I've no other fish in my guppy tank now so that's why I added it. I did have a mixture untill the weekend and always avoided it.
My other tank which is full of community fish including about 7 corys I've never added salt to.

Good luck with it mate! If you find any female guppies at a good price let me know coz I'm after some! lol

look on the auctions topic on front page

ah sunderland auction....
no chance of me making it unfortunately shame really as I've not seen norman and avril for about 12 years or so but hey ho can't be helped folks!!!!

normans showing his age now

shame always was a good fella avril makes a mean peach schnapps too!!

i was talking to him at the birtley auction hes keeping ok but dosnt like computers

i don't reckon he ever did though are they still in the same house?
back in the day we used to see quite a lot of each other as he was very pally with a friend of mine george reid from ferryhill who kept malawis and had several anacondas some more successfully than others
i bought his daughter's car off him when my last jag developed problems a ford capri 1.6 lazer would you believe!!!

nice avril gets on the computer cos i asked them to join here and he said he would tell her to look

Ian don't add salt to your tank. It's ready for stock.
I've got stock in mine now. I bought some bristle noses and platies to start off with.

female guppys £1.20 each from country store

Oh cheers Carl, that's pretty good from a store. Where bouts is the Country Store?