Hi Ray,

It can be tricky to find a really good shop, I feel your pain!

The first fella is right that pH stability is very important. A sudden change in pH can be lethal for a fish. A fish can survive just fine in water that is slightly too acidic or alkaline but I think it's better for fish to thrive rather than just survive. Ooh, that rhymes Anyway, a steady pH is important which leads me on to....

That stuff you can put in your water to change the pH should be avoided really, it can be a recipe for disaster. If you have your heart set on some soft water fish then I would go down the RO route- expensive but more reliable. Lowering pH is a tricky business.

Otherwise I would choose fish that suit your tap water. There are so many different species you are bound to find something that catches your fancy. Let us know if you need any inspiration!

Hi Rexo, welcome to FK

What you've got there is either a common goldfish or a sarasa comet (a type of goldfish), it's tricky to tell from the angle but comets have slightly longer tails than common goldfish.

Before you go out and get another fish you might want to read a couple of our articles. This one is about preparing a tank for fish. A lot of shops don't give accurate information on how to do it properly- http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... hless-cycling-article.htm

You might also want to read this one about goldfish life expectancy and adult size but I would recommend making yourself a strong cuppa first! http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... -size-life-expectancy.htm

The cloudiness is likely to be a bacterial bloom, this is common in new tanks and will pass on its own. Since your tank was not fully cycled before you added fish I would keep a very close eye on the water parameters. You'll need a test kit for this, the API Mini Master kit is a popular one and can be found fairly cheaply on Ebay.

I hope some of that info is helpful to you, please ask if you need to know anything else

Nice one Jon

My husband is so awesome- he says everyone bring cash for the restaurant because he has a 15% discount card. Bargains all round

12? Crikey I would say 6.

I would be tempted to leave your 150 litre as it is unless you are going to really keep on top of the breeding. 3 swordtails will become 30 before much time has passed

Aw Cathie, I hope you are up to it

We had a meet up in the Sea Life centre a few years ago and I don't remember it taking 4 hours to go through. I do remember that there is a pub quite nearby so I'm sure we'll have no problem killing time until dinner

Yes, that's the burger place. Scott said he would only come to Brum if we went there for dinner Should we book a table do you think?

Hi LoobyLou, welcome to FK

Right, I'm going to post a lot of info so if you need any of it going over in more detail, please just ask.

There are a couple of problems with your set up that would have caused the deaths. Firstly the tank is far too small for goldfish. Goldfish are very large, 'messy' fish so they need plenty of space. Although the ones you see in a pet shop are tiny it's just because they are babies and they can easily grow over 6 inches long (some breeds will get to nearly a foot). Please have a look at this article for more info- http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... -size-life-expectancy.htm

Secondly, all fish need a filter. Some fish can survive for a time without it but eventually it will become too much for them. Filters prevent poisonous ammonia and nitrIte from building up in the water. Please see this article for more info- http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... hless-cycling-article.htm

If you want to keep your remaining fish then I would suggest getting the largest tank you can for now (you can always get a bigger one later) and a nice big filter. Normally I would say to do a fishless cycle but in this case it would be better just to get the fish in a bigger tank ASAP. If you're on a budget (aren't we all!) then Freecycle and car boot sales will be your best bet.

There are lots of other beginner articles that you might find helpful here- http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/beginners_articles/

Hope that helps

Hi GuitarHero, welcome to FK

Sounds like you're putting a lot of thought into this, it'll save you loads of trouble in the long run

Right... glass covers! I would recommend these for 2 reasons- firstly because they will stop too much evaporation from your tank and secondly they will prevent fish from jumping out (there are usually small gaps so they are not fool-proof but they do help). I'm not sure how the Romas are set up but I'm sure there are people on here that own one and can tell you more.

Fish selection depends a lot on water quality. Most fish shops will tell you that pH is unimportant for fish to survive. They are right that fish can survive at a pH that is more or less than ideal but it is easier to pick fish that suit your water because they are easier to keep healthy and therefore more fun to look after pH7 is neutral so gives you lots of options. Water hardness is also important so you'll need to test that before you can choose fish.

The equipment you've got sounds OK for a basic community tank as long as you don't stock too heavily (we can help you with that, don't worry!). The only thing I would say would be to ditch the carbon pad, it is not necessary to use carbon in a normal healthy tank. The manufacturers want you to use it because you have to replace it every 4 weeks and they want your money Put it to one side and save it for an emergency.

Last question- sand is much better for corys than gravel. You can use normal play sand, it doesn't have to be expensive stuff. You can get a big bag in Tesco for a couple of quid.

HTH a bit!

I suppose it varies from store to store. I went into my local one a few weeks ago and the livestock wasn't terrible but it wasn't great either. The same could be said for a branch of Maidenhead I went in, which has a far better reputation. It's hard to tell from a short visit without grilling all the staff members etc so I would always recommend making yourself familiar with a shop before you buy any fish there.

I find sand much easier to keep clean because all the poop sits on the surface rather than falling into the cracks. The technique to cleaning it is different but once you get the hang of it it's easy enouhg.

One thing to bear in mind is that you need to stir it up a bit to prevent anaerobic patches. You can get some malaysian trumpet snails to do this for you