Support you local Supplier

Matilda is away in Sweden at the moment and having some problems getting on the internet. So I thought I might write something. I have read a number of articles saying you should support your local suppler, they all make a lot of sense.

Cycling a fish tank

The waste from the fish will turn into ammonia what will make a fish very sick and poorly. So friendly bacteria eats the ammonia and turns it to nitrite and more friendly bacteria it turns it into nitrate.

The bacteria lives in the filter but when the fish tank is new there isn’t any. It builds up naturally so that there is enough for the amount of fish you have in the tank.

Panda Cory

You get rid of the nitrates by changing the water.

You can also get algae in the water but you can get fish that will eat it. Suckermouths and Corydoras will eat algae and scavenge, helping to clean the tank.

First Fish – Leopard Danio

Zebra Danio

It is the best idea to have Zebra or Leopard Danio because there are very easy to keep and they are very hardy which means that they are tough and resilient.

They are both very beautiful and pretty but I like the Leopard Danios best. They like to be in shoals or they get lonely, so I am going to get six.

They come from East India and they grow to 6cm long and live for 5 years. They are egg laying fish, laying 300 to 500 eggs. The Latin name for them is brachydanio rerio.

Leopard Danio

This lady also had Danios as her first fish. And I have found somebody else keeping a diary of their fish tank.

Resources
How to breed Zebra Danios

Temperature Range 18°C – 24°C 21°C 22°C 23°C 24°C 25°C 26°C 27°C

pH Range 6.0 – 8.5 pH 5.0 pH 6.0 pH 7.0 pH 8.0 pH 9.0

Hardness 5° – 20° 0° 10° 20° 30° 40°

Family: Cyprinidae Origin: East India Size: 6cm Feeding: Flake, frozen, live foods Breeding: Egg scatterer; spawning occurs in early morning, eggs are dropped amongst dense vegetation. Recommended No: Minimum 4 Life Span: 5 years

Setting Up Your Fish Tank

Depth of gravel

After you get a fish tank then get the gravel and put it in the bottom of the tank. You then get the water and add chemicals to it to remove the fluoride. You can then fill the tank the quarters full and then add your plants. You can also decorate it for your fishes with supplies from the fish shop.

Next you fill the tank up the rest of the way and turn on the heater and pump. But you have to wait for a day before adding any fishes.

What Fish Tank?

I have been told the bigger the fish tank the better and easier it is for a beginner. This is because fish tanks can get polluted with things like ammonia and nitrates. More water in bigger tanks makes poisons and pollution more diluted. If you have a small tank it’s more work keeping the fish and the water quality perfect. If you have a big tank you still have to do lots of work, but little mistakes are less important. And you can have more fish in your fish tank like to live in shoals.

Juwel Rekord 120

The fish tank I am going to get is a Juwel Rekord 120, which we will get from Fishy Friends. This tank is 101cm x 31cm x 46cm and holds 120litres. It comes with pump, filter and a light. This is almost everything I need.