Hi everybody,
I've just bought the Fluval Roma 125 litre tank and Oak cabinet (new design) from Seapets. This is my first tropical tank and so I have quite a few questions.

Firstly, I went to Maidenhead Aquatics earlier today and saw the exact tank, and it had two T8 20W bulbs in the hood. I will get these with the tank, but the one in the shop had no cover glass. The bulbs hang lower than the lip on the tank anyway so I don't know how I could fit one. What I need to know is, is a cover glass really necessary, and if so where can I buy one and how should I fit it? I did see screw threads at the ends of the bulbs at a slightly wider diameter than the bulbs, so perhaps these are for a bulb sized splash cover?

Second, I plan on keeping a community tank, but I am still unsure of what fish to keep. The only fish I want for sure are two Angelfish, so could anybody suggest a suitable stocking scheme that includes these please? The only fish I have access to are the ones stocked by Pets at Home and Maidenhead Aquatics, so nothing too exotic, please :)
(I would like some Corydoras catfish, though). I haven't tested my water yet for hardness, but I am going to ASAP (can anybody recommend a good test kit, not just for hardness but everything?). All I know is that the pH is 6.98 (United Utilities) and my pH test showed about 7.

My next question is whether the equipment supplied is good enough for what I plan to keep. With the tank, I get:

Fluval GLO lighting unit,
One Power-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Tube 20W 60.96cm (24in) T8
One Aqua-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Tube 20W 60.96 cm (24in) T8
Filter Model Fluval U3 Internal Filter with Filter Media inside, see media product for replacement schedule:
1 x Fluval U3 Foam Pad
1 x Fluval U3 Poly Carbon Pad
Heater, Fluval Mirrored M Series Heater 150watt,

Will these be okay?

My last question, I promise!
If I do get Corydoras catfish, will "Dorset Natural Gravel" be okay? Seapets' website is playing up at the moment, so I can't post a picture, but it is large grained gravel in varying shades of brown.

Any help would be much appreciated, so thanks!

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!

Thanks very much; members here are so helpful!

Regarding the sand, is childrens play sand okay? If so, do I need to soak it first?

Thanks!

According to United Utilities, the Total Hardness of my water is, on average, "39mg Ca/l". Is this good for Angelfish? Also, I don't think this is counting anything but Calcium ions, so is there a way to get the hardness from UU before I buy my own test kit?

Thanks,GH84

Sounds like your water is very soft. That translates to about 2 degrees hardness. But the problem for you with Angels is really about the tank - the Roma 125 isn't really big enough. Have a look at our caresheet which recommends 140 litres minimum (that's after displacement for gravel etc so more like 150 litre tank). They do need height in the tank too - 18-20" or more

OP is Merseyside so his/her water will be extremely soft.

If you want to keep fish suited to higher PH and hardness, there is an easy way to treat your water to make it suitable.

Crushed coral sand!

Just add some to your filter in the end of a pop sock/tights and hey presto. It does take a bit of trial and error to get the right amount. I have been spending the last couple of days tweaking it!

Because my water is extremely soft, does this mean that even if I used a bigger tank I couldn't have angelfish without increasing the hardness of the water? The care-sheet says that they need a hardness of 5-13gdh; so is my water suitable?

Sorry about all the questions, I haven't really looked this closely at water chemistry with my previous fish (I've had many even though I'm 15).

Thanks, GH84

Something regards water hardness which I was not aware of until, I got rainbow fish, which are not suited to my water hardness.

Fish are influenced by the surrounding water. Osmosis or the movement of water molecules can make fresh water fish vulnerable to flooding water, while marine fish suffer from effluence of water.


Fish body has natural regulator against osmosis which is referred to as osmoregulation. The more the fish releases fluids for osmoregulation increases the osmotic effect. Thus, fish diseases are sometime triggered by water hardness when fish can no longer cope with the increased osmoregulation.


This is why Ph & hardness are v important, its nice to see you have taken this into consideration,

be aware also rocks & bog wood, can affect the Ph of your tank water & always let tap water stand for 24hrs to get a true reading of the ph..

I have seen sites & book Quote hardness range from 1-10 & 1-15 for Angel fish, but Ph never above 7.5.. and others 5-13..

As Critch says, opinion on the lower end of the hardness scale for Angels varies. Personally I'd have no problems putting Angels in your tap water as long as pH is low enough - I tend to go for 7 or under for Angels. With water that soft, low pH is very probable.

Thanks. The gravel that came with the tank seems far too full of rubbish, I've rinsed and washed it at least 100 times and it still turns water murky (though only when stirred). Even so, it didn't pass the vinegar test; it fizzed quite a bit. The water it soaked in overnight was very hard when I tested it, so I've decided not to use the gravel in my tank. I want to keep soft water fishes, so that's why. Anyway, should I use sand or gravel, and can you grow plants in sand or is it too compact? Any pros and cons that you can think of for both substrates would really help me decide!

PS, if I do get sand, will this do?:

http://direct.tesco.com/product/images/?R=901-8315