Heater replacement

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Kyleking88
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Hi guys so I'm new to the forum and new to fish keeping
I'll start with what I have I've always wanted a aquarium and acquired a 54 ltr aquarium with a large fluval filter and a 50 watt heater the tank had a Micky mouse platy which sadly died a angel fish which was too large and a sheen rehomed and 2 neon tetra which at the moment won't really eat flake. That's my set up unknown of age as it was left my by neighbor when he moved out I have rehomed it. 3 questions really
1 I have purchased a 100 watt heater to replace the 50 watt how do I go about changing them over with fish in the tank
2 how can I find out which fluval filter I have and last but not least what can I feed the tetra on as the don't seem to eat flake the tank is clean and at 79/80 temp. Any help would be amazing thanks
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Gingerlove05
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Hello and welcome :)
Swapping the heater is as easy as unplugging the old one, let it cool off for a few minutes if its been on, then take it out. Put the new one in leave it again for a few minutes before plugging it in. Make sure the water level is at the correct level for the heater, some have a minimum or maximum water mark.
With regards to the filter can you post a pic? We should be able to identify it. Is it an internal or external filter?
Have you cleaned the filter since you got the tank? And do you have any way of testing the water? If not you will want to get hold of a liquid test kit (they’re more accurate and last longer). The api master kit is a commonly used one :)
Neons also prefer cooler temps longterm, around 22/23C. You can try various granule foods as long as they’re small enough for the neons to eat (or you can grind them) or frozen blister packs. I use new life spectrum pellets and various frozen gamma brand blisters for my fish. You dont need to use a whole block, i just use a knife and carefully cut off a bit defrost it in a shot glass with a bit of tank water for 10-15mins before feeding.
You can also get freeze dried foods which also needs to be soaked before feeding or it can cause digestive issues.
Hope that helps :)
Kyleking88
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Hi wow thanks for all the info I wasn't expecting it as quick. I've not cleaned the filter since taking the tank as I wanted them to settle first it's been a week now since I got it. I'll try and get a picture it's a internal filter loft up top with 3 blue filters init they do look rather dirty. The tank will need toppling up due to some water loss when rehoming the angel fish. I'm going to get some dechlorinator and a new clean bucket solely for water changing before I top it up. Is there any requirements regarding water changing or toppling up or am I good to go and top up once the water as been treated I assume I would just add small amounts of water at a time so it can get to temp rather than pouring cold water all in at once. I'll get some pics of the filter now. Cheers
Kyleking88
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Gingerlove05
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Its a fluval, i think a u2. If the tank was running up until you got it and you haven’t cleaned the filter, hopefully theres still bacteria residing in it which will keep your fish alive by processing any toxins.
For water changes I usually do a 20-30% change each week/week and half. If you have a combi boiler you can use the hot and cold water to get the water to temperature and then dechlorinate it before adding it to the tank. Its not advised doing this with a storage tank as its been discovered you can get metal ion contamination that causes issues with fish/livestock.
For a dechlorinator/water conditioner i use seachem prime, again its cost effective as its concentrated but it also detoxifies any ammonia or nitrite that are toxic to fish.
You shouldn’t get too much water loss unless the tank temp is warm or you leave water changes or maintenance too long.
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Martinspuddle
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Greetings. :]
WARNING - DO NOT BREED, FEED OR PET THE PUDDLE! :dodgy2:
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plankton
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Welcome to the forum. :)
Iain (Gingerlove) has given loads of great info, follow that and you should be ok.
Oh, don't rinse the sponges in tapwater, that will likely kill all the friendly munchers, do it in old tankwater when you do the water change.
Kyleking88
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Hi and thank you I'm going shopping this weekend. So will look out for a good testing kit and some other bits and pieces I'm assuming by sponge you mean the ones in the filter I'm unsure what to do about cleaning them really as they do looking minging tbh. But don't want to loose all the goodness. I'm hoping to increase the number of tetra at the weekend so I plan on adding 4 more and monitoring the water for a fortnight then doing a 20% water change when nitrate levels change before adding more fish please correct me if I'm going the wrong way about it. This is all so new to me
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fr499y
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weekly water changes of say 20-25% is perfect. Drain some water, put the filter sponges in the drained water and swish them around a bit to remove the loose dirt. you can take them out of the blue catridges and gently squeeze them out.
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Thedave
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Happy shopping Over the weekend! Make sure to post a pic of the updated tank, I’ve only been on this forum just over a week and there’s a wealth of knowledge on here, all helpful and friendly. 👍
:]
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