Evening all,

We are new to fish keeping and seem to have made a mistake already, potentially atleast ...

We've bought a 60 litre BioOrb tropical tank.

I've read a mixture of reviews both positive and negative but this isnt a debate I want to enter into more general advice from you fish loving people.

The tank has been set up now about 24hrs, temperature is around 21° so going in right direction (I believe need to go 26°).

Full instructions have been followed, live plants have been put in amongst a few false ones now so going to leave til Friday evening to add a few guppies ...

General advice, thoughts and recommendations welcome please

Another picture of set up

Thanks

That looks fine to me but, to get the filter prepared and sufficient beneficial bacteria built up in it to be able to process fish waste, you'll need to cycle it before adding any fish. Details are here: https://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... hless-cycling-article.htm

Once that's complete, you can then get your guppies - but it will be ~4-6 weeks at the earliest. Guppies require hard water, though, so do check that your water is appropriate for their requirements https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/ ... ulata/?sfw=pass1614878279, or else consider an alternative species if your water is soft. Your water supplier website should give details of your water hardness levels in CaCO3/ppm or German degrees hardness, which you can then cross-check against species' requirements for water hardness, tank size and other factors at https://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... esheets.php?cat=Coldwater or https://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... resheets.php?cat=Tropical or a more up-to-date and comprehensive version at https://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ For the shape of a Bi-Orb, a single male betta kept on its own would be ideal, if your water suits their requirements.

Thank you very much for the advice

We have hard water in our area so that was one of the reasons we've chosen guppies 👍

I got told that once the tank has settled and reached temperature
around 72/96 hours fish can go straight in??

Do we really need to wait 4+ weeks!?!?

Thanks

Yes, you need to do a fishless cycle as per the link in the reply by fcmf above. If that isn't done, the fish will be poisoned by toxins from their own waste. The article explains it in depth, as well as explaining how to do a fishless cycle.

JSL

The three things that every fish keeper needs to be aware are:
1. Have lots of patience.
2. Do your research.
3. Have lots of patience.

Thanks again for messages guys

Tank up to 26° now so happy with that 👍

Water seems to be ever so cloudy is that normal at this stage??

Yes, it's a bacterial bloom which is normal and will settle after a few days.

Please do not be tempted to rush into putting your guppies in before you have cycled your tank. Watching your new fish die of poisoning is not a good thing (I know from experience). Do a fishless cycle, if you are in a hurry then I am sure some of us will donate some mature media to kick start your cycle.
White cloudy water is normal, its just a bloom and will pass in a few days.