Getting a bit more serious

[evensteven]

About 2 months ago I purchased a Hagen 25G starter kit from my local [acronym:049d5d4df5="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:049d5d4df5]. It was basically something to have in the corner of the living room but I am becoming more and more fascinated with the hobby. Currently my tank has 4 Danio Zebras, 2 Red Eye Tetras and 3 White Skirt Tetras.

I am starting to get the upgrade syndrome for my tank and was wondering about suggestions. I recently purchased an air pump which seemed to be a good purchase since my fish seem much more lively now.

My real question though is what's the best way to start in this hobby, I am currently overwhelmed by the different products, filtration systems, type of fish and all so I need some help in moving up to good products that will be good for my tank and fish.

Any suggestions as to future fish? I like small lively fish, was thinking about getting 4-5 neon's...

[Allivymar]

2 months and already you are starting to suffer from [acronym:0c47cabae5="Malaysian Trumpet Snails or Multiple Tank Syndrome, depending on context"]MTS[/acronym:0c47cabae5] *grin* Welcome evensteven

You're right; theres a ton of stuff out there. Some is good, some is crap, and we all have our favorites. I'll givce you some brief impressions of mine as there is SO much.

My suggestion is doing some research on the types of fish you are considering as well as the ones already in the tank. There are a zillion diff small lively fish with diff needs. I'd suggest checking the links here (you can find em on the homepage) and the freshwater articles on www.wetwebmedia.com to start. They will give you an idea of whats out there and what may be compatible. I'd then do a google search and post here with questions on the specific fish you are thinking about to get some idea of what others have experienced with em, what sort of environment they need, what they are compatible with.

I'm guessing you will be adding to the 25g? You'll need to consider fish which will be compatible with the tetras and danios. The neons should be ok with them, but do know they are happier with a lower Ph, and are very difficult to get thru QT without die-offs (depends on the fish source; the ones we are getting here on the east coast seem to come from crappy stock). A dwarf gourami would look nice and probably work well with the danios and tetras too. You will do well to consider a bottom feeder; I think a small school of corys would be a great addition to your tank.

What sort of filtration system do you have now? I'm guessing you have the built-in filter setup with a bio-wheel (I have the Marineland 25g tank; I think they may be the same)? I happen to really like the bio-wheel systems; 3 of my tanks have them, one has a fluval 1+ which also works well.

[acronym:0c47cabae5="In My Honest Opinion"]IMHO[/acronym:0c47cabae5] a lot of the chemicals you see advertised for a tank are unneccessary. A good basic dechlorinator/dechloraminator that does nothing else is about all you truly need to treat most tap water.

One thing I REALLY want to mention is get a QT tank. You never know what fish coming from the [acronym:0c47cabae5="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:0c47cabae5]/shipper may be carrying, and you don't want to take a chance on infecting your entire tank. A 10g is about $10 over at Walmart; a cheap filter, and a heater and you're set. Myabe a plastic plant or a ceramic cave/[acronym:0c47cabae5="Plastic pipe"]PVC[/acronym:0c47cabae5] tube for some cover but thats it. My fish get at least 2 weeks in quaratine before they can enter the main tank; some people recommend 4-6 weeks, but I'm not THAT patient [acronym:0c47cabae5="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:0c47cabae5]

I also suggest checking out this site: http://faq.thekrib.com/ . Start off with the "first aquarium" section and the "good/bad fish" section. Awesome site chock full of info

Theres a ton more; as people pop in they will certainly add to the bare beginnings I gave you

[Terry]

Hello evensteven
Welcome to the best hobby in the world, i think that Allivymar has covered this topic really well (as usual).
All i will say to you is do loads of reading and ask loads of questions on here, the best way to learn this hobby is to ask questions even if you think the question is silly. All the members of this group are fish keepers and some of them have many years of experiance. So you won't go far wrong on here. There are hundreds and hundreds of products out there but before purchasing anything ask what it is like on here, there will be someone to answer your questions. Your [acronym:2ca7bae18d="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:2ca7bae18d] is there to help as well, but remember when you read a book or ask your [acronym:2ca7bae18d="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:2ca7bae18d] or ask a member of this group you are only getting an opinion. what one person likes another might not but they can help you in making a good choice instead of a bad choice but also a lot of fishkeepers learn from there mistakes and that will happen as well.

So have fun and injoy.

[evensteven]

Thank you for the reponses

Yes I have been thinking of getting a 10G QT tank since I definitely want to increase the population of my 25G. Currently at my [acronym:6a1281ac3f="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:6a1281ac3f] they are having a 50% sale on a Fluval 04 Multi-stage filtration systems from Hagen (http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/...01002050010101 ). So my general thought was to switch my 25G to a 204-304 system and reuse the Aquaclear 200 that came with my 25G starter kit for my 10G QT tank... They said that the bigger filter since its a trickle system will allow me to add more fish as well as have more overall control on the filtering process, as I would like somewhere around 20 - 25 and then see how tight the population is in my 25G.

What would be the best way to change filtration system then? Or is it just a lost cause?

[Allivymar]

A sale!!! God I cannot resist those words [acronym:58aeb64da7="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:58aeb64da7]

You are looking for a filter which processes 6-10x the tank amount per hour. The Fluval seems appears to process 180g an hour if I'm reading the ad correctly, so you are talking just over 7x the 25g in the tank. Thats actually closer to the lower end; you may not want to kick the bio-load up too high.

As for changing, run both filters on the 25g for a few weeks so the new one has a chance to be colonised by the bacteria. Then moving it over shouldn't be an issue and you'll have mature filters on both tanks. I would suggest not adding too many fish right after pulling the Aquaclear off, as you will be removing some of the bacterial colony and you'll need to give both filters a little time to get up to speed completely.

Also, even with small fish, 20-25 is a pretty high bioload. Keep in mind, one needs to consider how much space a fish needs (danios need a lot more room to swim then bettas), temperaments (corys get along with just about everyone, barbs are notorious for being nippy) as well as the waste loads on the tank.