I recently got a good deal on a used aquarium and am in the process of cleaning it up with vinegar. I still have some supplies to buy before I can set it up, but was wondering if any experienced aquarium-keepers might offer some advice to a newbie as I go along. I haven't had an aquarium since I was a kid and this'll be my first in a tropical climate. The tank is about 46 U.S. gallons (174 liters), it'll be freshwater, and I don't intend to keep live plants. I aim to give it a snazzy artificial look with bright colors which is pretty common back home but seems unusual here. Also, I prefer having a little village of small fish as opposed to a few bigger ones like arawan.
General fish-keeping stuff I can google, but some more Cambodia-specific advice would be great. Especially answers to these sorts of questions:
- Where are the shops with the widest variety of quality (not gonna leak toxic chemicals...) fishtank accessories?
- Where are the shops with the healthiest fish? How does variety compare with what you'd see in the West?
- Can you give me some examples of good, hardy fish varieties that do well here? Any ones that newbies should avoid?
- Is stopping to buy fish in any old shop by the road a reliable option or should I stick to certain places? (Learned the hard way with several sets of guinea pigs...)
- Are fish sold in little plastic bags like back home? Can I transport them on a moto or would this do a Darla on them?
- Do goldfish do okay here? (I read that they prefer cooler water)
- Is tank overheating a common problem? I'll be sure to keep it out of direct sunlight, but my flat doesn't have aircon and wondering if investing in a fishtank chiller might be necessary.
- Still thinking about warm water: Is keeping up with algae growth a challenge here? Any equipment you'd recommend investing in?
- Any particular advice for (or against) using PP tap water to fill the tank?
As well as any other ideas or tips.
Thanks a lot!
tips for keeping an aquarium here?
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Just tried to write a reply in Tapatalk but lost it all..
Currently have 4 freshwater tanks (planted and not) in operation .
Happy to meet up.. PM me your number and we can meet next week where I can show you some of the better places to buy.
Currently have 4 freshwater tanks (planted and not) in operation .
Happy to meet up.. PM me your number and we can meet next week where I can show you some of the better places to buy.
^ much appreciated, CW! PM sent.
Still open to other thoughts!
Still open to other thoughts!
I set up a small aquarium about 4 years ago and got all my stuff from Penh Chet Fish Shop 81AEo St .138. The lady was really helpful, had a good stock of equipment and fish at good prices. Don't know if the place is still going as I moved out of town shortly after.
- spitthedog
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Guppies will breed like mad to the point where you will have hundreds of them IF you get loads of that floating weed like plants at the top of your tank for the young to shelter in AND have only a few larger fish in with them.
To start i would go with a group of guppies and neon fish and some bottom dweller sucker loach fish (that need some sort of cover on the bottom).
To start i would go with a group of guppies and neon fish and some bottom dweller sucker loach fish (that need some sort of cover on the bottom).
"I don't care what the people are thinking, i ain't drunk i'm just drinking"
Hi all,
Thanks for the thoughts and recommendations. I had a look around a higher end (?) fish store on Mao Tse Tung and noticed that all of their tanks seem to run the same primitive filtration system and that seems to be the only kind of system for which they sell parts.
So I went back and cleaned up the parts the tank came with and set them up and it looks like this:
Overlooking my unsustainable reliance on duct tape and inability to get the suction cups to stick, I have serious doubts that that one little jet-thing packs enough power to filter a 175-liter tank holding a couple dozen small fish. :/ That or I'm going to have to be changing the water every week or so, which I have neither the time nor patience for.
The filter style I'm familiar with from back home is a vacuum filter that hangs onto the lip of the tank and looks like this:
With a power filter that is the correct size for the tank, it could go 6 months without needing to be cleaned (back home, anyway). I'd really like to get one of these, if possible - any leads? The next problem is that hood that comes with the tank would need to be retrofitted to accommodate a power filter, but I have the number of a metal worker who could probably do this for me.
Thoughts? Ideas? Concerns?
Thanks.
Thanks for the thoughts and recommendations. I had a look around a higher end (?) fish store on Mao Tse Tung and noticed that all of their tanks seem to run the same primitive filtration system and that seems to be the only kind of system for which they sell parts.
So I went back and cleaned up the parts the tank came with and set them up and it looks like this:
Overlooking my unsustainable reliance on duct tape and inability to get the suction cups to stick, I have serious doubts that that one little jet-thing packs enough power to filter a 175-liter tank holding a couple dozen small fish. :/ That or I'm going to have to be changing the water every week or so, which I have neither the time nor patience for.
The filter style I'm familiar with from back home is a vacuum filter that hangs onto the lip of the tank and looks like this:
With a power filter that is the correct size for the tank, it could go 6 months without needing to be cleaned (back home, anyway). I'd really like to get one of these, if possible - any leads? The next problem is that hood that comes with the tank would need to be retrofitted to accommodate a power filter, but I have the number of a metal worker who could probably do this for me.
Thoughts? Ideas? Concerns?
Thanks.
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With such a small tank,those pump sure do let off a lot of heat.Air pumps are better. Have you thought of having a green living filter above the tank? Something like this,saves a lot of money on filtering fabric .
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Algae eaters would keep growth down.Chuck Wow wrote:Leave your tank running any amount of werks let alone months unattended here and you will come back to 75lts of Algae.. it's just too hot even with a fan running 24x7
Those over the top filters you are showing are fine, but check their water flow rates.. it might not be eno u gh
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Some fish like mature tanks ,go for these types less maintenance especially if you have a living filter.seidier wrote:
Thoughts? Ideas? Concerns?
Thanks.
Also if your tank is overstocked and the power goes off for long enough less robust fish will die as oxygen level decrease . Just keep hardy fish until you get to know what you are doing.
- vladimir
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Why not just connect a pipe to the mains and thence to the tank with a filter to remove chemicals before they enter the tank? Have a small drainage pipe out the other side, bit like an aircon drip pipe?
If you fitted it in the right place, wouldn't that reduce aeration requirements via normal means?
If you fitted it in the right place, wouldn't that reduce aeration requirements via normal means?
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
I tried keeping fish in Phnom Penh once.
they all died.
the end.
they all died.
the end.
Rated R for Ricecakes
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I actually like the idea... but the thought of the outflow pipe clogging and the resulting flooding would put me off...vladimir wrote:Why not just connect a pipe to the mains and thence to the tank with a filter to remove chemicals before they enter the tank? Have a small drainage pipe out the other side, bit like an aircon drip pipe?
If you fitted it in the right place, wouldn't that reduce aeration requirements via normal means?
I have seen something similar in lots of fish shops where they have a hole cut into the bottom of the tank which flows into a filtration system with pump under the tank to bring the water back round... but the same thing would worry me...
If the inflow is faster than the outflow.... disaster...
I have been doing tanks for years.. nothing will beat a simple pump and over tank filter...
If you are worried about power cuts maybe use a uPs
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