[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by ottocycle

Please teach me like a newbie in this field. Thanks a lot.

Really wish you had asked this before buying stuff

Really don't understand why people don't treat fishes the way they would a dog or a cat.

Anyway,

Regarding fishes in bowls and small round containers:
https://www.petmd.com/fish/care/evr_...live-in-a-bowl

There is a reason why the rectangular shape is the most preferred shape for a fish tank. It just is the best.

Unless you go really big and make a pond then shape really does not matter all that much.

A fish shop will tell you goldfish can be kept in bowls, or a betta just requires a little jar to survive.

And when they inevitably die, he will just say "what to do, these things happen" and repeat the process. It's just business for him.

A 2x1x1ft tank would be nice to start with for guppies.

Or since she likes plants, try a paludarium setup. Best of both worlds.

Please feel free to ask for any clarifications

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by ottocycle

Questions are

1. Is a water filter a must for this setup? If yes what type of filter?
2. Do we need any lighting too especially for fishes? The ceiling downlight is close by and plants have been doing fine in similar lighting conditions for a couple of years now.
3. Any suggestions on where I can find cylindrical or spherical shape bigger aquarium in Hyderabad as my wife is strict no no for rectangular shaped ones.
4. She is feeding them atleast twice a day which I think is a lot. The residue can be seen settling at the bottom. Is it dangerous for fishes? I am recycling 1.25 liters of water every other day with tap water that is kept open in a glass jar for one or two days.

I am really looking forward to your suggestions. Please teach me like a newbie in this field. Thanks a lot.

A 6 litre jar in my opinion is only good for cherry shrimps and not any fish. You had overstocked your tank which led to quick buildup of ammonia and eventually the fish deaths. First, let me try answering your questions post which I can share some recommendations.

1. Adding filter to this setup would be tricky. You can add more aquatic plants instead. Filters are required to complete the nitrogen cycle and harbor the beneficial bacteria. So adding them to any setup is definitely very helpful.
2. Fishes in general do not require too much light. Anything just so that you clearly see them should be fine.
3. Fish bowls of 12 inch should be the bare minimum to consider for any tanks. We easily get them at fish stores in Delhi. 14 inch is preferable though.
4. With your limited setup I would recommend to feed them on alternate days and that too powdered form. Less feed, less poop, less ammonia. You can also increase the volume of water change to 3 liters every alternate day. This is very critical so do not skip this step until you decide to make some other changes.

Now coming to some facts. If you really want to be invested in this hobby for long then this jar is not the right start. Its too small for fish, distorts the view for you and the fishes and is not maintenance friendly. Trust me, a 30cm cube would look way better there and you will enjoy your fishes more(attaching some pictures of my 2 tanks of same size for reference).

If you still want to stick with this jar then only a couple of guppies is what you should go for and that too with daily or alternate days water changes which should not be skipped. Some aquatic plants like Java moss, anubias and small rocks and gravel would be helpful to harbor the beneficial bacteria and also increase the aesthetic appeal.

[ottocycle]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Really wish you had asked this before buying stuff

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

A 6 litre jar in my opinion is only good for cherry shrimps and not any fish.

Thanks to both of you for your responses. We did go to buy the rectangular aquarium at first but they looked unappealing to my wife as perhaps the finishing on the edges were really bad with gum spreading over inch or more. Plus the weight kind of became offputting to her. Will explore more aquarium shops if they have better finished aquariums.

I have tried to convince her again by showing her the posts here. And perhaps she is now more open rectangular tank. If I go ahead with rectangular type, I have two choices of space that is available to me and I am looking for suggestion as which one should be better for managing and beginner friendly.

1. One space is on the TV unit. With space for 24 x 9 inch surface (right where the current jar is placed).
2. Other space is a mostly coffee table beside a wall with 40 x 24 inch surface top (planned to be replaced as a chest drawer of perhaps 48 x 15 in a couple of month).

With above, one option perhaps would be to go for a 24 x 9 x 12 (lwh) or other option of something like 36 x 15 x 12 (lwh). I am unsure which one is easier from maintenance/cost etc perspective. Also, what capacity of filter would be required for each of these.

Maverick Avi, your 12x12 is looking really nice. Do they not have any fish in them? Also, what is the filter brand recommended. Do we buy on amazon or local shops?

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by ottocycle

Thanks to both of you for your responses. We did go to buy the rectangular aquarium at first but they looked unappealing to my wife as perhaps the finishing on the edges were really bad with gum spreading over inch or more. Plus the weight kind of became offputting to her. Will explore more aquarium shops if they have better finished aquariums.

I have tried to convince her again by showing her the posts here. And perhaps she is now more open rectangular tank. If I go ahead with rectangular type, I have two choices of space that is available to me and I am looking for suggestion as which one should be better for managing and beginner friendly.

1. One space is on the TV unit. With space for 24 x 9 inch surface (right where the current jar is placed).
2. Other space is a mostly coffee table beside a wall with 40 x 24 inch surface top (planned to be replaced as a chest drawer of perhaps 48 x 15 in a couple of month).

With above, one option perhaps would be to go for a 24 x 9 x 12 (lwh) or other option of something like 36 x 15 x 12 (lwh). I am unsure which one is easier from maintenance/cost etc perspective. Also, what capacity of filter would be required for each of these.

Maverick Avi, your 12x12 is looking really nice. Do they not have any fish in them? Also, what is the filter brand recommended. Do we buy on amazon or local shops?

Badly assembled tanks will look bad. Look for imported tanks without glue marks and a slightly curved front. They usually come with their own light and filtration system.

Option 1: TV Unit: Is the space on top of the TV? I really would be paranoid about having water containers above expensive electronics. Besides, maintenance would be a hassle.

Option 2: This looks like a better place. 36x15x12 is a nice basic tank. Look at basic 3ft tank setups on the internet so that you get an idea. Good gravel/sand, a few natural looking decor or rocks and driftwood, artificial plants to start with.

You could get tetras, danios/swordtails and the likes for a tank that size.

You could check out indianaquarium.com, easypets, aquanature for some good deals.

[ottocycle]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Badly assembled tanks will look bad. Look for imported tanks without glue marks and a slightly curved front. They usually come with their own light and filtration system.

I have seen those where the front is slightly curved. But they look a little high in height. So I was looking regular 4 side glass ones. Will check few more shops to get an idea of the quality of such aquariums.

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Option 1: TV Unit: Is the space on top of the TV? I really would be paranoid about having water containers above expensive electronics. Besides, maintenance would be a hassle.

Actually the TV will be atleast around one feet or more above or rather above and right of the aquarium if it's placed on TV unit. The TV is mounted on wooden wall part of the tv unit. The aquarium could sit on top of the bottom drawer of the TV unit.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will look into those websites once and will come back with more questions.

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by ottocycle

With above, one option perhaps would be to go for a 24 x 9 x 12 (lwh) or other option of something like 36 x 15 x 12 (lwh). I am unsure which one is easier from maintenance/cost etc perspective. Also, what capacity of filter would be required for each of these.

Maverick Avi, your 12x12 is looking really nice. Do they not have any fish in them? Also, what is the filter brand recommended. Do we buy on amazon or local shops?

Thanks Ottocycle!! Both tanks have fishes and shrimps but not too many. Mostly guppies and those too have bred inside them so are not fully grown. If I had zoomed in then maybe you could have spotted some cherry shrimps as well.

A 36x15x12 is a good size and would hold 100 liters of water. So be mindful of placing it on something that will be strong enough to hold this weight for years to come. With this tank size you should be good having a 700 to 1000l/hr hang on back or canister filter. Hang on back are low maintenance and easy to setup. Aquaclear 70 HOB is a great option I usually recommend. If some cheaper alternative is required then Sunsun Grech CBG800 would work well. Both are easily available online and you might not find them easily at local fish stores since SOBO is mostly popular with them. My 1 feet cubes have smaller SOBO HOBs which have been running continuously for 2 years without problems so not saying that SOBOs are bad but they do just give up on you anyday so you gotta be lucky with them.

Feel free to ask here or search online before committing to anything the local fish store guy tells you. More than happy to help you make the right choices!!

[greenhorn]

I have a doubt about high end LED lights for aquariums. I am seeing very expensive 10k + imported lights. What's so great about them compared to a regular rgb led light of the same wattage

Eg.
https://indianaquarium.com/products/ltwinstar

What does the 450 ea model offer that two of these bulbs cannot
https://amzn.in/d/7UYKBtb

Both of them offer RGB light. The twinstar has high cri, but the Amazon basics bulb is tunable.

Also r, g, b LEDs use the same wavelengths whether it's a 10 rupee toy or some high wattage item. These are not blue + yellow phosphor LED, so both should be full spectrum light.

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I have a doubt about high end LED lights for aquariums. I am seeing very expensive 10k + imported lights. What's so great about them compared to a regular rgb led light of the same wattage

Well, high end aquarium LEDs are definitely better products specifically designed for aquariums with attachments to aid in installation. These days they come with app connectivity where you can add on/ off timers and also ramp up or ramp down light intensity to mimic sunset and sunrise which can be beneficial for plant growth. Unlike a smart bulb which would eventually give off a certain color aquarium lights would more often have a fixed set of leds only producing white light to aid plant growth and rest few to change hue. This can create some very dramatic looking tanks with spectacular colors coming out of fishes such as neon tetras, german rams, bosemani rainbows etc.

This hobby can be categorised as pre and post Takashi Amano who made famous the aquascaping method where focus is more on plants rather than fish. As a result this huge market of aquasoils, fertilisers, LEDs, filters, CO2 systems etc has exploded with a few brands raking in moolah and being able to sell their products at a premium. They do make good products but if you go into the logic of why they are so expensive you might not get very good answers.

[TheCatalyst]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

What's so great about them compared to a regular rgb led light

There are multiple things at play here
- Wattage may not be correct indicator of luminosity when it comes to LEDs. These high end lights produce very high lumens which aid in photosynthesis. This is needed for carpeted plants and deeper reds especially if your water depth is more than 10-12 inches.
- The wavelengths, although similar for colors will vary in intensity for RGB. These lights can focus on those needed for plant growth or fish / shrimp coloration. They really do make a difference in the appearance.
- Heat management and durability. When you are keeping the lights on for 12 hours a day, everyday, these things matter. High end lights can last upto 50000 hours at full intensity.
- Wifi and bluetooth apps with firmware updates. Some have apps to control various features and simulate real day night as well as luminosity and color temperature control. Spares and accessories are available for reputed brands also.

Usually I have seen, the products of reputed brands, although expensive, are worth it in the long term in this hobby. I recently invested in a Chihiros WRGB light after using sunsun and RS lights for years, and I can already see a major difference in plant growth including pearling in a week. However note that lighting is just one of the factor in the entire setup. You may as well end up with lot of algae if you are not careful.

[greenhorn]

I am trying to dark start an aquarium, and it after 2 weeks of running, the PH test shows in the high 7.x range. I am still waiting for my nitrite/ammonia/nitrite test kit.
I tested water straight from the tap and it was showing 8+

from what i read, it seems attempting to mess with the ph is not for newbies, so I guess the only option left for me is to leave things as they are for now

Most plants/fish seem to prefer a ph of 7 or ideally less.
I had my heart set on some small schooling fish like tetras/rasboras.

Should i switch to something high ph friendly like platties/guppies? or can tetras deal with this PH? another school of thought says that its not the high/low ph, but rather fluctuations that make life hard for fish.
Any advice?

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I am trying to dark start an aquarium, and it after 2 weeks of running, the PH test shows in the high 7.x range. I am still waiting for my nitrite/ammonia/nitrite test kit.
I tested water straight from the tap and it was showing 8+

The fishes should be fine with the pH range. What size tank and what filtration setup do you have running?

Get Seachem prime as well if you are adding tap water for the tank.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

The fishes should be fine with the pH range. What size tank and what filtration setup do you have running?

Get Seachem prime as well if you are adding tap water for the tank.

I have a 2 cu ft. (55 gal) Tank with an RS 930 hang on back canister type filter where I've replaced the last two layers with activated charcoal and the ceramic rings respectively. Top layer is the stock mesh. Substrate is ada Amazonia v1

I'm using tap water but i don't trust my apartment folks. I think they sometimes pump borewell water into the panchayat supply tank when it runs empty. I'll check the TDS once i fish out the meter, but the residue it's leaving after evaporation does not look like what trivandrum tap water should leave. My parents house is in a proper trivandrum corporation area with ultra low TDS, but I'm currently in panchayat area (karakulam) which is serviced by the same water source as the city(aruvikkara)
Other option is ro water they supply in those 20l containers for drinking.
I'm currently using some generic dechlorinator. Will confirm which one.

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I am trying to dark start an aquarium, and it after 2 weeks of running, the PH test shows in the high 7.x range. I am still waiting for my nitrite/ammonia/nitrite test kit.
I tested water straight from the tap and it was showing 8+

If you are using aquasoil like ADA, Tropica, Neo etc then they are active buffering in nature and would bring down the PH of water. That's the reason you are seeing that difference in PH between the tank water and tap water.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I have a 2 cu ft. (55 gal) Tank with an RS 930 hang on back canister type filter where I've replaced the last two layers with activated charcoal and the ceramic rings respectively. Top layer is the stock mesh. Substrate is ada Amazonia v1


Other option is ro water they supply in those 20l containers for drinking.
I'm currently using some generic dechlorinator. Will confirm which one.

RS 930 is grossly undersized for your tank. I use a similar one from Sunsun on my 120L tank and had to add another one as it was just not enough to handle the bioload even after 7 months. You should seriously consider adding something with a minimum 1000l/hr flowrate.

Secondly, chasing water parameters can get taxing in this hobby as you have to keep in mind your plants as well as the livestock. I would prefer to find plants and livestock that would suit the water parameter available at your place. Livebearers like guppies, platies and mollies thrive in high PH water conditions and are a great starter fish which will give you less heart aches early on. I have not had good luck with neon tetras in general.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

RS 930 is grossly undersized for your tank. I use a similar one from Sunsun on my 120L tank and had to add another one as it was just not enough to handle the bioload even after 7 months. You should seriously consider adding something with a minimum 1000l/hr flowrate.

I got the conversion wrong - I put the wrong units after conversion
2 cu ft = 15 gal = 55 litres. mine would be about half your tank,