# Newbie Questions About Equipment



## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

1. What filter do I need for a 33g? (Be specific) Also make sure it is a quiet one.

2. What do I need to for those bubble things? Like you stick a tube under the gravel and bubbles occur :S

3.What equipment do I need for an aquarium? I know you need a filter, thermometer, that pH thing, heater, gravel, what else?

4. Is that tube light neccesary? Im just wondering. I am going to get it even if :S

5. Piranhas are freshwater fish right?

6. How much do I feed 3 piranhas a day and how many times? 3 times a day right? But how much food?

7. Do piranhas can eat tropical flakes?

That all my newb questions for now lol please answer them thanks . Im probably gonna add more after thanks


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## Tinkerbelle (Oct 14, 2004)

1. What filter do I need for a 33g? (Be specific) Also make sure it is a quiet one. 
*sorry i'm not great with filters, can't help you out here.

2. What do I need to for those bubble things? Like you stick a tube under the gravel and bubbles occur :S
*bubble wand i'm guessing you mean? you buy a bubble wand and some tubing, and an air pump. connect it all and a wall of bubbles will appear at the back of your aquarium once properly installed.

3.What equipment do I need for an aquarium? I know you need a filter, thermometer, that pH thing, heater, gravel, what else?
*filter, thermometer, pH/nitrite/nitrate/ammonia testing kit(s), heater, gravel (not neccissary but recommended), powerhead is suggested for most piranha.

4. Is that tube light neccesary? Im just wondering. I am going to get it even if :S
*no lighting is not neccissary, but for viewing your fish it might be a good idea.

5. Piranhas are freshwater fish right?
*YES!

6. How much do I feed 3 piranhas a day and how many times? 3 times a day right? But how much food?
*When I had a solo 6" pygocentrus I fed him as much as he could finish, about 1/4-1/2" cubed piece of white meat fish or shrimp every or every other day. If I noticed him not 'cleaning up' after himself, I lowered the amount.

7. Do piranhas can eat tropical flakes?
*they can but this is not a balanced diet.

A side note: 3 pygocentrus species piranha will quickly outgrow a 33gal. tank. Minimum for 3 p's I'd say is probably 75g or so.


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## welsher7 (Jul 29, 2005)

1. AC 70 or something comparable will do fine
2. you need an air pump, tubing, and a bubble wond or air stone
3. for piranhas i would add a power head
4. the light is not neccesary
5. piranhas are freshwater
6. small piranha 1-3" feed at least twice a day. feed as much as they eat in about 5-10min. for 4"+ feed once daily 8"+ feed every other day
7. baby piranha will, but you should add some shrimp and white fish fillets to the diet

any other questions ask away.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

what is a power head? how much does an air pump cost? so should I buy like a bag of shrimps and use if for feeding?


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## welsher7 (Jul 29, 2005)

a powerhead is http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...p;N=2004+113040
air pump prices 
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavR...m?N=2004+113800
and for the shrimp. buy raw shell on shrimp.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

is the airpump inside or out of the tank? powerhead increases water flow right? powerhead is for use with the filters right?

I have a 33g so I can get a 20-40 g filter right? What if the filter i get it like 60-80g? would it matter?


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## odyssey (May 30, 2006)

i think u might need to start with some basic tropical fish before you try some piranhas. not to rain on ure parade but it might be in your best interests and that of ure fish to learn a bit about maintenance ect before u try something a little more difficult.


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## welsher7 (Jul 29, 2005)

power head increases water flow, and provides your piranhas a current to swim in. you could use one with a ugf, but ugf are really bad for big messy fish like piranhas. or you could buy a prefilter for power head to help filter. i think most air pumps remain outside the aquarium.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

ok thanks ^_^ whats a ugf tho? im going to go to big als to get my filter. should i ask them reccommend a powerhead and a filter for me?


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## welsher7 (Jul 29, 2005)

under gravel filter (UGF). you could ask them to recommend one to you. the better companies tend to be Aqua Clear and Emporer for filters. they are usually everyones first choice. don't get one that is just recommended for your tank size, larger is always better. you can never have to much filtration, but its easy to under filter


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

purchased stuff today-

Penguin 200 BIO-Wheel POWER FILTER 200gph For up to 50g $45

POWERSWEEP AUTOMATIC SELF-ROTATING POWERHEAD WAVEMAKER For up to 30g $55

Rena Air 200 Air Pump For up to 50g $34

HIGH RANGE pH TEST KIT $15

200 Watt Aquarium Heater For up to 50g $30

3 bags of those colourful pebbles for decorations $40

Is this all I will need for now? Also how long do I have to let the Penguin 200 BIO-Wheel POWER FILTER run until I can put 3 baby piranhas in there? I was hoping for like 4 days or less so I can get the piranhas to put in there for like Sunday

The filter makes lots of noises lol will it stop later? Im guessing it won't but I dont know.

I emptied the 3 bags of the decoration pebble things into the aquarium and I put the filter on. Should I start heating the aquarium now? Or heat it on like Saturday or something?


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## mike123 (Jul 17, 2006)

you should cycle your tank before you put anything in there. http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=88804 this link tells you how


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

lol. Try 6 weeks bud. Seriously you need to learn the basics of fish keeping before you tackle P's. 
Otherwise I egearly away your "My fish bit me" thread.
I can tell you're going to be running into alot of problems.
And you're already off to a bad start. 
Take back the High Range PH test. you will never use it.
Take back the air pump unless you want a bubble wand just for looks.
And take back that stupid powersweep powerhead. they are junk. Get a AC powerhead. 
I'd say take back the clown puke gravel you got but since you've already dumped it it's too late.

If you want to speed yup how quickly you can put fish in there I'd suggest getting a packet of some Bio-spira. otherwise you will need to wait at least a month before you put ish in that tank aside from some goldfish jsut to start your cycle.
Get some goldfish to start your cycle.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

take back the pH test thing and get ammonia test thing?i want the blubble thing though  whats the difference between powersweep and AC? does it matter? how much bio-spira cost? if i use it how long will it be until cycle done?


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## mike123 (Jul 17, 2006)

i guess its ok if you want the bubble thing but its a waste of money, you get all the oxygen you need from the agitation at the surface from the filter. AC is just a better brand, i have a AC powerhead but i dont really use it.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

So it wouldnt matter if I use powersweep right? Do I need the ammonia test kit? Is cycleing just keeping the filter on? I use the pH test kit and it read 7.4. Also does the filter dechlorinate the water or do I have to add something -.-'


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## Badrad1532 (Apr 15, 2006)

seriously, start with fish that arent too expensive for a couple months to get your routine down. Something like platys or mollys or convicts. Not trying to rain on your parade either but I dont think your ready for P's. By the way with 3 P's you might and probably will lose 1 to aggression. 3 is not good. 1, 4 and up is best. And you may want to get a bigger tank before you invest alot of money into a temporary tank and equipment made for that tank,


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

You said you have a high PH test kit. I've never used the high PH tests in my master kit. infact since the tank cycled I've never used the ammonia nor the nitrite tests. I'd say you'd be better off getting some 5/1 test strips for usage to find out where in you're cycle you are.
once you're thru it all you will really need is nitrAte tests. unless something major changes in your setup.

As to the powersweep. I've heard lots of bad things about their build quality and the longevity of their mechanics. the sweeping effect you really don't need in your tank so getting a higher quality AC powerhead that will be overall a better item (probably a little cheaper too) will be a much better item for you.

If you want bubble wand thats fine. But you don't really need that big of an air pump to drive just one wand. Unless you have a very tall tank the smallest of air pumps will provide enough air flow to make bubbles in your tank thru an air wand. So you could have saved yourself 15 bucks right there.

Biospira generally costs about 15 bucks a packet. and each small packet will treat a 40gallon tank. Take that and dump it on your bio wheels and in the filter. that will get it where it needs to be. 
I still reccomend waiting at least a week or until you get a solid 0/0/20+ reading on ammonia/NitrItes/NitrAtes. At that point you will know your tank is cycled. Durring this time between when you dump your bio spira in and when you get your piranha you should have gold fish or something disposable in the tank to create a bio load that the bacteira you put in can feed off of. (bio-Spira is essentally the benifical bacteira you need to cycle your tank)

the filter does NOT dechlor anything. you need to get water conditioner to do that. do not pour untreated water directly into your filter or you will destroy your bacteira bed.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

I poured water into the filter =[ So I have to get a gold fish so that they can crap in the water? :S? It was chlorinated water =[


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

At THIS point thats ok because you don't have any bacteira in there to kill. But moving forward try not to make a habbit of doing that. The chlroine/chloramine that may be in your tap water will kill the bacteira you want in your filter.


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

please start with something other than piranhas, get some tetras or something first. We all start somewhere, so im not trying to rag on you, but learn the right way, chances are your going to lose a few fish, so buy cheap fish first, not piranhas


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

So should I turn off the filter until I get the Bio Spira?


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

no, this is what you do, keep everything running, go get some water de chlorinator, poor in the amount the bottle says, then go buy bio spira, enough for your tank size, then get ammonia tester, nitrite tester, and nitrate tester, and test all 3 every day untill they read

ammonia- 0

nitrite- 0

nitrate- >20

then your good to put fish in. From that point , never put water that isnt decholrianted into your tank, or you will have to start it all over again, also never change your bio wheel, or yo uwill have to start over again. Make sure your PH is between 6.5-7.5 and your temp at about 80 degress, and then you can put fish in, this whole process takes a few weeks, so be patient


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

Can I feed the goldfish tropical flakes? lol I dont want to have to go and spend too much money. How much will all 3 of those testers cost in total? The goldfish is to get the nitrate level up right? are filters always so loud?


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## mike123 (Jul 17, 2006)

your filter shouldnt be loud


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

its kinda loud like a fan and it looks like it is slow at filtering

nvm it working good now ^_^


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

did you fill it up with water before you pluged it in? or did you run it dry? if you ran it dry you could have damaged your impeller, they are like 10 bucks for a replacement, never run a filter dry. Also you can get all 3 testers for like 25 bucks. And if your not into spending money, i wouldnt suggest keeping fish, as the hobby tends to get quite expensive


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

$25? thats ok The filter is working now ^_^ but it is loud. The noise the pouring of water makes is loud i mean. Also, I have to get a goldfish right?


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

if you dont like the sound of the water splashing, ditch the penguins, go with an aquaclear filter, or a canister, they are queit


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

Ill just higher the water level a it more so it doesnt make an as loud noise 

Now about the goldfish?


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

you dont need goldfish


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

someone said I needed goldfish to get ammonia to 20 lol


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Sorry. Let me clarify the goldfish statement. 
You need a source of Ammonia.
For a tank to cycle it must first have a bio load to cycle.
Goldfish are cheap and produce alot of waste so there for they are a great way to easily put a bio load in your tank with fish that you don't care if die.

You could also accomplish this with pure ammonia and do the cycle fishless.

if adding bio spira you still need a ammonia/bio load to feed those bacteira.
Again golds are best to use at that since again they are cheap and disposeable.


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## zippa (Apr 29, 2005)

It's good you are here asking questions and learning......However many of your questions could have been adverted by simply reading through the countless pages of free info on this site....Anyway start with some neons or something.....in a couple weeks add some barbs....in 6 months consider piranhas.....I will also add a 33 gallon tank will not house pygos for any length of time...Think about a solitary serra unless you plan to upgrade the tank size...Good Luck!!


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

BlackSunshine said:


> Sorry. Let me clarify the goldfish statement.
> You need a source of Ammonia.
> For a tank to cycle it must first have a bio load to cycle.
> Goldfish are cheap and produce alot of waste so there for they are a great way to easily put a bio load in your tank with fish that you don't care if die.
> ...


So the bacteria in the filter feed on ammonia and goldfish are good to use for this because they create lots of ammonia from their crap right :S I can do this or go and buy pure ammonia to feed the bacteria. The bacteria is in the bia-wheel right?


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## welsher7 (Jul 29, 2005)

right now bacteria is non existent. but once you have a source that produces ammonia they will colonzie on every and any avialable surface in the tank. so yes bacteria will colonize on the bio-wheel eventually.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

and the bacteria is supposed to be good right?


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## zippa (Apr 29, 2005)

fidelasg said:


> and the bacteria is supposed to be good right?


 Yes.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

I got a question about the goldfish. How long do I need them for? Until Nitrite = 0 Nitrate = 20 Ammonia = 0? After that I dont need the goldfish? Also, if I am going to get the dechlorine thing, how long do I have to wait until I can put the goldfish in? I getting the goldfish the same time I get the dechlorine. Can I put the dechlorine in then put the goldfish in like 1/2 hour after the dechlorine has been in the water?


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

Ok I didnt get a goldfish. I just god like 10 feeders lol. They'll work just as well I think ^_^


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

yeah they will work just fine. You can leave the feeders in the tank untill you put your main fish in. If you do wind up going with P's after you're broken in the P's can just eat them. 
If you're not adding a packet of bio spira then you will need to leave the fish in there for about 4-6 weeks untill you get a solid test readings. 
If you do add the biospira then a week and you should be ready to go. but make sure to rely on water testing to be sure. 
If you are adding pure ammonia I belive the # is about 70 drops every other day. But I'm not totally sure on that because I've never used pure ammonia for cycling.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

I bought a testing kit. Its tests pH, High pH, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Ammonia. The Nitrite test doesn't test up to 20 so how will I know when it is ready because it has to be nitrite 0, nitrate 20, ammonia 0 right. Also the feeder fish eat a lot. All they do is look for food. How much do I feed them? I feed them a lot lol I try not to overfeed :S


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

If you have the kit I think you do. the API kit. you are fine. 
The NitrATE should test up to 120ppm
And the nitrITE ... I forget. But the key part is niTRITES should be at 0 as should ammonia. 
Its the niTRATE that will need to read 20+. and that will be found on the card with the yellow - red color chart.

the NitrITE test should start as a light blue and work its way to a pinkish color. IIRC.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

BlackSunshine said:


> If you have the kit I think you do. the API kit. you are fine.
> The NitrATE should test up to 120ppm
> And the nitrITE ... I forget. But the key part is niTRITES should be at 0 as should ammonia.
> Its the niTRATE that will need to read 20+. and that will be found on the card with the yellow - red color chart.
> ...


The kit I have is call FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT

NITRITE 0ppm - 5.0ppm

NITRATE 0ppm - 160ppm

AMMONIA 0ppm - 8.0ppm

I tested thost 3 like 1 hour after I put the feeders in the aquarium and it read 0ppm for all. This is normal right?

So Nitrite was in the light blue, ammonia was in yellow, and nitrate was in yellow also.

How do I get the Nitrate level up?

By the way, I returned that POWERSWEEP powerhead that everyone says sucks







. I will get the AquaClear powerhead but I don't know where to get it. Big Al's on Kennedy road doesn't have AquaClear powerheads. Does anybody know if Superpet has it? Or PJ's Pets in the Bramelea City Ceter? I am also planning to get my fish from there not Big Al's because I read on a post that someone said that the piranhas from Big Al's on Kennedy Road have parasite (ICH). I checked it out and I think he was right because I say tiny little shiny dots on the baby piranhas is this normal or is this ICH?

Also, the feeders I have in the aquarium will produce waste so algea will also be in the aquarium right? I was planning on getting an algea eaters. Big Al's employees said that the piranhas shouldn't eat it. PJ's pets employees also said so.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

Reply =[


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

your levels will slowly start to go off, first your ammonia will show up, it should go real high, then start to come down, then your nitrite will go way up and start to come down, and then your nitrates will go up, do a 50 percent water change to lower them down, and you done, you could put the p's in, and the fish dont have much to do with algea, that has to do with the lighting and O2 in the tank


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

BlackSunshine said:


> your levels will slowly start to go off, first your ammonia will show up, it should go real high, then start to come down, then your nitrite will go way up and start to come down, and then your nitrates will go up, do a 50 percent water change to lower them down, and you done, you could put the p's in, and the fish dont have much to do with algea, that has to do with the lighting and O2 in the tank


ok thank u very much.  Can I still get an algea eater when I get the p's? Or will they die from there not being any algea? Also I am planning on getting that Bio-Spira. Do I put it on the bio wheel or in the water? Its like 18 bucks for one right?


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Sorry I haven't had tome to come back to this. 
Basically in a few weeks your levels should normalize. 
At this point right after adding the feeders you should still have had a 0/0/0 reading because you haven't established a bio load as of yet. Give it time. 
Patience is one of the most important things to have when setting up a new tank.

With P's you will not likley be able to keep a alage eater for long. Since the P's are still young you will get some time out of it. but eventually it wil get eaten.

At that small size the P's will not really mess with the feeders. so you might take the feeders out of the tank when the P's go in.

Put the Bio spira on the bio wheel and in the filters. 
As to the powerhead you can most likley get it on big al's online page. or www.drfostersmith.com


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

what happens if I leave the feeders in there when I put the piranhas? would anything happen to the piranhas?


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

They may continue to produce exessive amounts of waste and that could cause problems for your baby P's. OR the P's might nip at them.


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## fidelasg (Oct 23, 2006)

I might as well just get rid of them once I get the p's because I dont got no where else to put them lol. If the p's do eat a whole one somehow, I should just leave the feeders in there to get eaten?

What about if I get those snail that eat algea? They do eat algea right? If so what are they called and will the p's eat them?

oh and around what will they cost?


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## Inflade (Mar 24, 2006)

reply 2 my pm or pm me ur phone number. i live in guelph, about 45 min from ur place and i will call you right now and explain everything 2 you.

Eric


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

fidelasg said:


> I might as well just get rid of them once I get the p's because I dont got no where else to put them lol. If the p's do eat a whole one somehow, I should just leave the feeders in there to get eaten?
> 
> What about if I get those snail that eat algea? They do eat algea right? If so what are they called and will the p's eat them?
> 
> oh and around what will they cost?


You would want some maliasian Trumpet snails or pond snails. or even ramhorn snails. any of these will help take care of algae. If you're LFS has them they can run anywhere from 10 cents ea to a buck each if your LFS are douches.
I have about a hundred of in one of my tanks. Probably more cause I'm not trying to count them.
Yeah you're P's may eat them. but they breed quick. and the MTS's burrow under the gravel so that saves them from gettin eaten.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

well i have a 30 gal with a aqua clear 300(i think 300) no substrate and a average thermometer
this tank is only temperary untill the p's in it can be moved to a 125 with others
i suggest dont buy tonss because thell outgrow it anyways just get what you need nothing more then if you want get all good stuff when you have them a big tank for the rest of ther life


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