Advice Needed on Aquarium

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  • #10694
    Avatar photoLino
    Participant

    Hello everyone,

    I will be moving to Nijiaqiao soon and my new place has an aquarium (sweet!). I’ve been thinking of alternative uses (terranium, keeping plants, ice tank for keeping the beers cooled during summer, etc) but eventually nothing beats the charm of an actual aquarium.

    I’ve been doing some research and found out that its quite a complicated process (reef, fresh water or marine aquaria, nitrine cycles, filters, UV, PH value of water, light, supplements, etc.).

    I’d therefore appreciate it if someone could give me some advice:

    *good place to buy fishes, plants and supplies near Nijiaqiao?

    *What set up should I start with? I love reef aquaria but it seems hard to maintain.

    *What fishes should i start with? What fishes should i avoid?

    *How do I know the shop keeper isn’t selling me a sick fish?

    *Any further advice?

    PS: I’ve only seen the apartment once so far so i cant tell how many liters the aquarium holds for now

    #29329
    Avatar photoMerior
    Participant

    The pet market in Xinkai Street near the Minshan Hotel on Renmin Nan Lu is the place you need to go for both fish and supplies but there is only one shop where they speak reasonable English.

    If you are planning to become an aquarist then you should consider that ‘aqua’ refers to water, not to fish. You need to aim at creating an environment that will support plants. For that you will do best with a co2 diffuser coupled with fertiliser both in the gravel and the water. When you have established an aquarium full of healthy plants then you stand a much better chance of healthy fish (if you don’t overstock with fish) than if you have no plants or if your plants always die.

    PM me if you need ‘technical support’ and a guided tour of the shops or whatever.

    #29330
    Avatar photoMerior
    Participant

    This will help with calculating the potential water volume of you tank but remember that rocks, gravel, wood and other decorations, will reduce that volume.

    http://www.petfish.net/calculators/calculate.php

    #29331
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    How about reptiles? I kept bearded dragons for years and they make an awesome pet. The animal market behind Minshan hotel has a decent reptile store, and all the essentials (UVA/B lights/heat lamps/ vitamin supps etc.) are all available on taobao. Much lower maintenance than an aquarium, and a nice set-up can look really attractive. As a beginner i would avoid snakes. They can be deceptively tricky to maintain….

    #29440
    Avatar photoBrian
    Participant

    Brew beer in it.

    #29341
    Avatar photoBrian
    Participant

    Brew beer in it.

    #29444
    Avatar photoBrendan
    Moderator

    I can tell you from experience an aquarium can be a chore to maintain if you don’t want all your fish floating dead in the water. And the bigger the tank, the bigger the chore!

    I’d go with Ray’s suggestion. Another idea is to go for a Tarantula which is about as low maintenance as it gets, but for tossing the odd locust into the tank for him/her.

    #29345
    Avatar photoBrendan
    Moderator

    I can tell you from experience an aquarium can be a chore to maintain if you don’t want all your fish floating dead in the water. And the bigger the tank, the bigger the chore!

    I’d go with Ray’s suggestion. Another idea is to go for a Tarantula which is about as low maintenance as it gets, but for tossing the odd locust into the tank for him/her.

    #29447
    Avatar photoksanjay
    Member

    nice to share here

    #29348
    Avatar photoksanjay
    Member

    nice to share here

    #29448
    Avatar photoshinichi
    Participant

    Qingshiqiao, you can find some aquarium shop which can provide maintenance, buy all the things .

    go to the marketplace with you translator

    they can provide regular home maintenance

    #29349
    Avatar photoshinichi
    Participant

    Qingshiqiao, you can find some aquarium shop which can provide maintenance, buy all the things .

    go to the marketplace with you translator

    they can provide regular home maintenance

    #29450
    Avatar photoVincent
    Participant
    Quote:
    Another idea is to go for a Tarantula which is about as low maintenance as it gets, but for tossing the odd puppy into the tank for him/her.

    fixed your post

    #29351
    Avatar photoVincent
    Participant
    Quote:
    Another idea is to go for a Tarantula which is about as low maintenance as it gets, but for tossing the odd puppy into the tank for him/her.

    fixed your post

    #29452
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster
    Quote:
    I will be moving to Nijiaqiao soon

    Welcome to the neighborhood!

    Quote:
    The animal market behind Minshan hotel has a decent reptile store, and all the essentials (UVA/B lights/heat lamps/ vitamin supps etc.) are all available on taobao.

    This, the pet market, is where I would go. They have tons of fish and reptiles, basically anything you probably want. I would just browse and see what strikes you. A reptile or snake sounds like fun, and less maintenance than fish as mentioned above.

    #29353
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster
    Quote:
    I will be moving to Nijiaqiao soon

    Welcome to the neighborhood!

    Quote:
    The animal market behind Minshan hotel has a decent reptile store, and all the essentials (UVA/B lights/heat lamps/ vitamin supps etc.) are all available on taobao.

    This, the pet market, is where I would go. They have tons of fish and reptiles, basically anything you probably want. I would just browse and see what strikes you. A reptile or snake sounds like fun, and less maintenance than fish as mentioned above.

    #29468
    Avatar photoRick in China
    Participant

    Agree with the reptiles thing..

    My bro has lots of animals, his gf/wife ish is a vet and their house is literally like a breeding ground for a wide range of animals. One of the COOLEST reptiles they have/I’ve seen is a fat little blue tongue skink. It seemingly has a personality, very friendly to pick up and play with, etc.. and as mentioned above, WAY easier to take care of lizzies than fish, which requires significant time monitoring and adjusting water conditions and maintaining the tank.

    #29369
    Avatar photoRick in China
    Participant

    Agree with the reptiles thing..

    My bro has lots of animals, his gf/wife ish is a vet and their house is literally like a breeding ground for a wide range of animals. One of the COOLEST reptiles they have/I’ve seen is a fat little blue tongue skink. It seemingly has a personality, very friendly to pick up and play with, etc.. and as mentioned above, WAY easier to take care of lizzies than fish, which requires significant time monitoring and adjusting water conditions and maintaining the tank.

    #29471
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    The blue tongue is a very common Australian lizard. You often find them in the garden, even in the south of Australia. They are very hardy and make an ideal first lizard. One of the cool things is that they eat snails; they will crack open the shell and suck out the gooey bits. They also thrive in moderate temperatures. The problem with snakes is that a distressed animal will often refuse to eat, and since some snakes eat very irregularly, its often hard to know if the animal is fasting or genuinely upset. Hence they often die a slow death. Also feeding them “fuzzies” (frozen or live baby mice) can be gruesome and cruel…

    #29372
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    The blue tongue is a very common Australian lizard. You often find them in the garden, even in the south of Australia. They are very hardy and make an ideal first lizard. One of the cool things is that they eat snails; they will crack open the shell and suck out the gooey bits. They also thrive in moderate temperatures. The problem with snakes is that a distressed animal will often refuse to eat, and since some snakes eat very irregularly, its often hard to know if the animal is fasting or genuinely upset. Hence they often die a slow death. Also feeding them “fuzzies” (frozen or live baby mice) can be gruesome and cruel…

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