Considering fishkeeping

[fr499y]

Footfall shouldn’t be an issue, I have mine in the hall way ( and low down ) and the dog is forever bombing past like a headless chicken on crack, and she doesn’t scare them. If anything, they get used to you and think it’s feeding time

[Andys temperate tank]

The problem I found with second hand is most of the bigger ones were being sold for a reason. For 6'+ tanks it was mainly because they were too much work but 4' tanks were all a bit tatty or very dated. I found a nice second hand 50l tank fairly easily but gave up on the bigger ones.
I also found starter kits were keenly priced compared to aquarium & stand only. Probably a combination of economy of scale and wanting people to get into the brand and buy all that replacement filter media that isn't needed.
I agree on the CO2, there are some great looking heavily planted tanks on here without it.

I bought my 5x2x1.5 foot tank, cabinet, hood, fluval aquasky and an fx6 for £300. Its been up and running over a year now so they are there if your patient.

I've just seen a 400l Aqua Oak with sump on ebay, on £160 but reserve not met.
You are a troublemaker.

That is a bargain mate. Hit that buy it now button.

[Gingerlove05]

Footfall shouldn’t be an issue, I have mine in the hall way ( and low down ) and the dog is forever bombing past like a headless chicken on crack, and she doesn’t scare them. If anything, they get used to you and think it’s feeding time

Our fry think Bailey will feed them they all come up to the front to see him or Ari
Tbf the tank is on a spare bit of kitchen worktop on the floor

[LookoutTrout]

The Oakstyle range should come with light & filter but that shop may have split the package, if it's the right price then it could be good. I don't recommend any of the extras that come with it apart from as emergency spares.
The unit itself is a fairly nice bit of furniture and sturdy, I like mine and don't regret the choice but there's nothing that makes it stand out from other brands. An FX4 will just fit in the 230 and make a low hum, other brand big filters will fit fairly easily. I like Fluval because of the hose design but others will swear by Eheim.

[Stephen]

Hi Dave

Aquarium:
As this is your first venture in to fish keeping I'd suggest a 4 foot (120cm) aquarium in the said alcove.
Maybe a Fluval Roma 240 (240L) with LED lighting and an external filter.
The Fluval Roma 240 comes with an internal heater and a 307 external filter; I would ask the retailer if you could upgrade the filter to the 407 at a small additional cost.
The Fluval 407 external filter is a better filter and more appropriate to the tank size (saves upgrading at a later date).
I would get a 300W internal heater which actually has a guard, this will prevent fish from accidental burns, the heater that comes with the Fluval Roma 240 does not have a guard.
https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fluval-roma-240-led-aquarium-set
There are other fish tanks available including AquaOak 230, AquaEl Opti Set 240, Juwel aquariums, Evolution Aqua eaFreshwater 1200, Ciano EN Pro 120, and more.
Filter:
Some aquariums come with an internal filter, some with an external filter.
An external filter usually holds more media including more biological media (where the beneficial bacteria reside).
An external filter is usually easier to maintain as it is separate to the main aquarium (connected by tubing). There is no need to put your hand/arm in to the aquarium when maintaining an external filter but you do to maintain (clean) an internal filter.
Substrate:
If setting up a planted aquarium then maybe some Tropica Plant substrate (fertiliser/soil for plants) topped with a suitable sand such as Unipac Samoa fine sand (only fine by name as they also make a slightly larger grain coarse version).
2 x 2.5L bags of Tropica plant substrate is more than enough for a 1cm bottom layer on a 4 foot (120cm) aquarium.
I would only have a plant substrate in the rear 2/3rds of the aquarium (where plants are intended).
The plant substrate will provide an anchor point and nutrients to the roots of the plants.
Sand, then 20kg (2 x 10kg) of sand is plenty. Sand needs to be pre-rinsed with water to remove any dust otherwise you'll get a dusty water with bits floating.
I noticed that the Unipac Samoa fine sand (which I use) did not need rinsing which was a bonus.
Place 1-2cm of sand at the front of the aquarium and have it sloping so that it is deeper at the rear of the aquarium, maybe 4-6cm at the rear. This will be more aesthetically pleasing.
Plants:
Some plants are considered 'Easy' or 'Beginner plants' which are usually the best to go for in a low-tech aquarium system.
Always buy plants from a reputable source such as Aquarium Gardens, Aqua Essentials, Pro Shrimp. (Links provided)
Their plants are top quality, chemical free and 99% snail free.
Sadly other suppliers may add chemicals and often come with snails or snail eggs. I personally never buy plants from the local store or ebay.
Water:
Tap water needs to be dechlorinated before adding to the aquarium. On set up the dechlorinator can be added after adding water but subsequent water changes needs to be pre-dechlorinated before adding to the aquarium.
Chlorine or Chloramine which is added to tap water by the water company as a form of disinfectant will kill any beneficial bacteria that is present in the filter or aquarium.
A popular brand of dechorinator is Seachem Prime.
Seachem Prime is a concentrated dechlorinator and therefore a little treats alot of water; 5ml will treat 200L of tap water. In comparison Fluval Aquaplus 5ml treats only 37.5L of tap water.
Choosing fish:
As you have lovely soft water then only choose fish species that are suitable to your soft water as some fish species need hard water (guppy, molly, platy etc), avoid these.
Also consider what water temperature is best for the selected fish species. Some fish species prefer cooler water (below 24C) and some prefer warmer water (above 24C). So make sure they (fish) are are all aquarium water temperature compatible.
The fish you see in the LFS (local fish store) are usually quite small (young fish) but they will grow. Choose fish that are appropriate to your aquarium size when they are adult.
Example: Clown loach look lovely but they actually grow to over 12 inches (over 30cm).
The good members will help with your fish selection.

All the best

[Wishafish]

It seems I've been looking at tanks all wrong. I was favouring types which included lights, heater, filter. From what everyone has said, this is the wrong way to go.

It depends. Some all in one deals are great, provided you are actually getting what you want, or you can use them as a starting point to negotiate with a shop and still get some good discounts. The main thing is do your research first, and don’t be swayed by “included” stuff that you don’t actually need or want.

[Daveymancs]

Hi Everyone,

After having gone to a few stores to view tanks again, I had a shortlist of three possible tanks with their accompanying stands. Eheim vivaline 240, Aqua one oakstyle 230 & Fluval shaker 252.
I'm starting to go off the Eheim as the tank is 50cm tall compared to the other two, which are 60cm tall. When you see them together, it makes quite a difference to the viewing space, but otherwise looked a very lovely tank.

The Fluval has pipes which go through the base of the tank for the filter (drilled tank?). Are these types of connections better, or is it more likely to be a source of leaks in future?

Cheers,
Dave.

[fr499y]

Hi!

We had the Fluval Roma 240 and the pipe connectors never caused an issue in the many years we owned it.

If I was buying a new tank now, the aqua oak would be the one for me! Can’t beat the solid oak stand.

[LookoutTrout]

I'm not keen on drilled tanks as it limits your hose size options. Something that really annoyed me about the filter that comes with the Aqua One 230 is the hoses are too thin for the flow so need cleaning every 2 weeks, so I bought an FX4 that I'm very happy with but when researching them I found several people stumped as they had drilled holes with connectors that were too small for the 1" pipes on the FX. The Fluval will come with a better filter but it's a 307 so you'll probably want to upgrade and maybe by running two filters. Squeezing the FX hoses into the 230 was interesting but it did all just fit.
Taller tanks have their disadvantages but looking at it I'm glad I went for 60cm.

If I was starting again then I'd probably spend a bit more and get the Aqua Oak as well, different brand to Aqua One even though they sound similar.

[Andys temperate tank]

I'm not keen on the drilled tanks because of the extra places that can leak and the limitations. Aqua oaks are gorgeous and the ones I've seen will accept any filter hoses.