Hi. Welcome to FK

The bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep in terms of water stability and chemistry - bigger volumes of water take longer for water parameters to change, but definately, a 10gal/45ltr tank should be considered a minimum tanksize for any fish.

Ah yeah, I have kinda been reading about and come to the same conclusion. It sounds like I could just about get away with a single betta in a small tank but I don't think I would want to after reading about everything.

Maybe I will get some shrimp :)

Hey guys,

Just got a manual gravel hoover through the post and have no idea at all how to use it! It didn't come with instructions so could anyone give me a comprehensive guide on how to use it (for a gravel substrate)everytime i manage to pick anything up I either get all the substrate with it or all the poo and stuff just goes back into the water.

Cheers guys,

Jaybird

As with everything else, it just takes practice. There are times I still accidentally suck up some gravel with the syphon. If any gravel is taken, there's no harm in just putting it back in the tank (just watch you don't hit the fish).

Thanks Tetralinz

I kind of get it now after watching youtube videos of it. I have a differnt style syphon though because it has a little pump ball thingy on one side and where the actual syphon is it is much smaller with like a botttle shaped thing on the end but it is partialy closed with gaps to let the water through. I also have fine gravel does this make a difference?

Cheers guys,

Jaybird

hi, i have just set up a pond about 8 weeks ago, i set up filter etc and let it run for 2 weeks before adding fish, i added 12 goldfish from a friends pond. i test the water every week and all is fine, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite. the ph is a little high as my tap water is. however all the fish seem to be grouping at the bottom and not moving untill the late afternoon evening and some dont even move then. why is this.? please can u shed some light. also any advice on lowing ph a little a ph adjuster didnt seem to do much.

flow rate is a 3hr
pond size is 8ft/8ft 2ftdeep
400gallons

I can highly recommend any new fishkeepers in Glasgow to try out coral reef on paisley road as staff are both knowledgable and wont let you buy uneccesary equipments for your new hobbie.

Hi guys

My sister has recently bought two American flag fish, and an apple snail.
The 3 of them are in a 24l fish tank.
Every time the snail comes out of his shell the fish swim into him, knocking him of the glass, etc
Is this normal? (I'd guess not)

Florida Flag fish are aggressive creatures so not surprising from them in such a very tiny tank. They need an awful lot more room than that and pretty quickly as they will fight amongst themselves too. Care sheet here for them, so I suggest you refer your sister to it a.s.a.p. In the meantime she should move the snail elsewhere or return it, or the fish to the shop. It's probably better to return the fish if there's no prospect of a much bigger tank in the very near future.