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New to this exciting hobby!

Val1311

New Member
Joined
6 Nov 2023
Messages
11
Location
Galashiels
Hi my name is Val and I am about to start with this exciting new hobby for something to keep me busy in my upcoming retirement! My hubby has bought me everything to set me up. Aquarium, light, substrate, filter, rocks, heater, water conditioner and starter bacteria. The plants and fish can wait until I’ve got the tank ready! I want to start slowly and correctly rather than rushing in and then facing disaster! The info out there can be overwhelming but Darren from Fishkeeper Scotland in Edinburgh was a great help and I am looking forward to my new past-time. Val
 
Welcome to the UKaps! :thumbup:
Have a look at the Tutorial section for some late-night retirement reading!
 
Help, We’ve just set up the new tank ready to cycle for a few weeks. The substrate/sand/rocks and plants are all in situ but there is a fault with the Fluval 370 pump. It’s going back to the store tomorrow for a replacement. Will the plants survive in the water for this length of time with no filter or will that cause a problem. Val
 
OMG something else I’ve just read LOL! As above and now have 6 neon tetras swimming around lovely for over a week. Wanting to add more now. Do I really need a quarantine tank if purchasing fish from same place. No-one mentioned this at the outset ??
 
There’s no need for a quarantine tank generally if it’s the first fish in because the new tank serves this purpose and if subsequent fish are coming from the same batch/shop then there generally shouldn’t be a problem. Catching, Transporting and New Introductions are general stressors for fish that can make them vulnerable to opportunistic infections that may already be present in the water (typically fungal or bacterial infections) that can become florid if fish are picking on each other due to hierarchy/food pressure or housing with a larger more aggressive/unsuitable tank mates.

As long as you keep your tank healthy and make sure that the fish you are choosing appear to be free of disease then you maximise your chances of not having problems going forward. If the fish do become unwell then generally treating the whole tank does the job but if it’s just one or two fish that don’t respond well to treatment then having a hospital tank can help.

I’ve never kept a dedicated hospital tank running but if I need one for targeting fish meds I can’t use generally in the tank (meds that may harm shrimp/snails) then any decent sized container suitable for the size of the fish and running a filter (preferably with cycled media) and heater if needed will usually do the job on a short term basis.

🙂
 
There’s no need for a quarantine tank generally if it’s the first fish in because the new tank serves this purpose and if subsequent fish are coming from the same batch/shop then there generally shouldn’t be a problem. Catching, Transporting and New Introductions are general stressors for fish that can make them vulnerable to opportunistic infections that may already be present in the water (typically fungal or bacterial infections) that can become florid if fish are picking on each other due to hierarchy/food pressure or housing with a larger more aggressive/unsuitable tank mates.

As long as you keep your tank healthy and make sure that the fish you are choosing appear to be free of disease then you maximise your chances of not having problems going forward. If the fish do become unwell then generally treating the whole tank does the job but if it’s just one or two fish that don’t respond well to treatment then having a hospital tank can help.

I’ve never kept a dedicated hospital tank running but if I need one for targeting fish meds I can’t use generally in the tank (meds that may harm shrimp/snails) then any decent sized container suitable for the size of the fish and running a filter (preferably with cycled media) and heater if needed will usually do the job on a short term basis.

🙂
 
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