i would love to post a picture, however i am a bit of an amature with the old technology!!! i will see if my other half has time to do it for me tomorrow!! it is lovely. minus 11 at the moment brrrrrrr

well up here in the lovely scottish highlands we have at least 20cms of snow.....and still falling. looking out down to the woods near us look like a scene from narnia. absolutely beautiful.

not too nice for my mums liitle yorkshire terrier who ran into the garden and disappeared under the snow. poor thing ended up frozen with icicles hanging from her coat.

the kids are loving it but at minus 8 it is a bit too cold for my liking!!!

keep warm everyone!!

9 years ago i bought a tiny tiny little tank (well if you could call it that) some gravel a wee bridge and plastic plant and a fish all on the same day for my son who was a baby. i kept "whish" who was renamed nemo in there for few months.....he grew, i bought bigger tank, same make. again he grew and again i bought another. until he was in a 20 ltr tank, no filter no bubbles.

i feel awful now knowing what i know.

anyway my dad had 2 goldfish and he decided to buy 30l biorb. he was drawn in by the designer look. so his poor wee fishies died. my nemo was still living at this time aged 5. my dad could not be bothered getting any more fish, as i said it was the orb not the fish he wanted, so he gave me the tank. i wasnt in a very good financial place at that time and i was over the moon. nemo was moving to a bigger home. nemo died when he was nearly 9 and looking back on his life i am riddled with guilt. i knew nothing of the nitrogen cycle (which has been preached to fish owning friends) i did full water changes, fortnightly. i never treatd water. he could still be here if i knew all this.

so aftter he died i cleaned and refilled the tank and bought couple goldfish who died...more tears. until now i have arnold and woody who seem happy.

then i am wanting a big tank with tropicals. so husband gives the go ahead. i am not wanting to do anything till i research and know everything. so my research began.....i landed here. only to find out that my fish are in a totally unappropriate tank. i feel terrible. however my dad will be not at all happy if i get rid of my orb. even if i showed him this forum. he would see it as "it ok cos you can buy them in any reputable pet store". i have been looking on ebay but living in the scottish highlands limits me due to postage etc.....you'd think we were on the moon!!!

i am still going ahead with my tropical tank.....which i now wish was bigger. and will be looking out for a suitable one for arnold and woody. violet suggested moving them over to 120 tank but i am definately asking santa for 200l one for them.

someone on here, sorry terrible with names, suggested a planted tank for the orb. sounds like a nice idea. dad would be none the wiser as to whether or not there were any fish in there.

i feel very guilty now but have felt that everyone here has been more than friendly and helpful with the advice i've been given. it is a shame that these containers can be sold as tanks. and people like me go out and buy them. i'm suprised nemo lived for so long. at least i know now!!!

thanks

i went on a bit there eh!!!!!

thanks violet.

i told him the test are pretty simple to use but i think he was worried he'd mess things up! however i talked him through the ammonia test earlier. it read 2ppm so he will repeat test tomorrow and ad some ammonia if needed. one i will be asking him to check nitrites and nitrates too.

he is glad there are no fish in the tank!!! he is more than comfortable looking after the coldwater fish but doesnt seem to realise that tropical are pretty much the same just warmer.

anyway enough waffling on. most of my time these past few days has been spent reading articles on here. hours and hours a day!!

thanks again violet

hi everyone.

i have been cycling 120l tropical tank now for about 3 weeks. the ammonia was showing 4 but as yet no nitrite or nitrate levels.

the thing is ealier this week i had to go into hospital for some iodine radiation therapy and due to having 2 young boys i have had to move into my mums till 11th dec. i am unable to go to my home and therefore am away from my kids and my fish and my empty cycling tank!!!

my husband loves my fish and is capable of doing water changes but as soon as i start talking about water test he gets into a flap. he is not wanting to interfere with my cycling tank and i was wondering if i am going to have to start all over again when i go home or will the process just continue??

apparently sinve i left there has been a massive growth in algae so i told him to keep the light off. is the algae going to bring any cause for concern??

Thanks

denise

wish my mum had a fish tank.......i miss them, we did chat on web cam last night tho. yes....me and the boys and then my fishies

hi hannah

i have always fed my fish frozen peas, shed the skin and defroasted and then chopped them up a little.

denise

i might just do that violet. do you think just them on their own or could i add some more to it too.

poor wee stevie, as you know he was my second one. i feel so bad. my sons are quite upset.

my oldest s 9 and is showing a keen interest in the water conditions. quite the budding scientist!!

i sit and watch arnold - black moor and woody - goldfish for hours and since my 120 tank has been cycling i've been watching an empty tank for hours a day! my friends are all bored of my fish conversations. i love this forum, so full of information and people are so helpful.

thanks noodle,

it was intended to be coldwater but i put a heater in there when "steve" the frog arrived. i will continue with the cycle and think about some shrimps. thank you so much for your help earlier. its my sons birthday and i feel terrible as i spent the whole evening on here and running around doing water changes/tests etc instead of playing with his new toys!!

oh dear i will make it up to him.

do you have any advice or sugestions for inhabitants of my 120ltre trpoical. the cycle has only just began. ammonia at 4ppm no trace of nitrate or nitrite, gh 179, kh 107, ph 7.4 - 7.6. no rush to reply, i'm not expecting to put anything in there till the new year. thanks again

no he's gone!!!!! i cant believe it.

i havent emptied or cleaned out his tank. i had started the cycle process before my friend bought me my little frog. i was planning a wee goldfish for my son in there and my friend thought the empty tank looked boring and that i was too busy to go out and buy a fish so thats why she bought him for me. should i clean out the tank and start again un preparation for a fish or shuold i leave it as it is and carry on with this cycle?

thanks to everyone for the advice

yes noodle you were right

retested water

ammonia = 0.50ppm
nitrIte = 5ppm
nitrAte = 160ppm

i think i've confused myself in panic.