Advise for my first aquarium

[DavidK]

I'm taking up the offer from BrianNY in another post to help newbies like be "plan a trouble free first aquarium". Here is my situation:

I have a 20 gallon tank with OTB filter (single cartridge) and gravel substrate. The current pH for my water is 6.8. I have been running the tank for 7 days with no fish (just plastic plants and rocks structures). I've spent a couple of weeks reading everything I can about setting up the acquarium to make sure I do it right. I just added three Cherry Tetras about 2 hours ago.

I've been trying to get advise to lay out a plan for all the fish I will eventually add but my local store, though very very helpful, really is not offering me much in that way.

I'm looking for a community style tank with more ornamental and quiet fish as opposed to aggressive ones. I would like to getat least a couple of ornamental type of fish like angel fish or other medium size fish with good color. If possible, my kids would like to have something unique like an eel (if they exist for freshwater). What would you suggest?


I do have one specific question as well. I have read that it is good to replace one sponge/cartridge in your filter at a time to avoid removing all the bacteria buildup. My OTB filter only has one cartridge so I really cannot follow that suggestion. How do I handle cleaning/replacing filters without eliminating all the bacteria?

Thanks for your help.

 

[rich311k]

What kind of filter is it? Just rinse the pad in old tank water and reuse it as long as you can. You could do an angel maybe 2. I think a pair of pearl gouramis would be better. I do not know much about eels. Others around here have them.

Since you are doing a cycle with fish you will need to change a lot of water. Please read the article here about the nitrogen cycle. Do you have a test kit? You will need one. Get the AP Master Test kit if you can.

Oh Welcome to AA!!!

 

[DavidK]

Thanks for the advise. I do have a test kit but also the aquarium store I use is about a mile from my house and will test the water for me before I add more fish. They checked me out today before I bought the Tetras.

When you say rinse my filter in old tank water, can I just rince it out in teh water I remove from the tank during a water change? I'm assuming I don't need to keep a bucket of old tank water around all the time.

thanks.

 

[rich311k]

That is what I meant yes.

You need to monitor ammonia and nitrite. If either goes over .5ml change your water. Test everyday do not count on your LFS. You need to cycle the tank before you add anymore fish. It will take 4-6 weeks. Do not trust what the LFS tells you. We want to keep your fish alive and help you have a well balanced tank.

 

[bosk1]

Correct about the tank water.

Your tank is not yet cycled, so you will need to constantly test your water parameters (as in every day), and possibly change water every day for the next several weeks until your tank cycles. You should read the article Rich suggested so that all this "cycling" business will make sense. But you will need a kit that tests ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and ph. And test strip kits can be very inaccurate and expensive. The kit Rich recommended is very good, and relatively inexpensive.

 

[DavidK]

Can someone point me to the cycling article mentioned by Rich? I see many posts that discuss cycling but I don't think they are what you are referring to.

 

[rich311k]

Here you go: http://aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21

 

[bosk1]

Sorry. I was reading quickly and didn't realize it hadn't been linked.

Oh, and congratulations on finding this place. You are likely to get lots of good help and good advice if you keep asking questions. People like Rich and others have been lifesavers for me.

 

[DavidK]

One final question on this topic. Will I be able to find the AP Master Test kit in my LFS for even local pet shop or is it something I will need to order through a specialty store? I'm sure I can find a test kit in these places but I'd rather follow your recommendation.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Depends. Do you live in the States? If so, then you'll be able to find it at most places. But you may want to just order it online from www.bigalsonline.com Try locally first though.

 

[donttaptheglass]

PetSmart carries it if you have one in your area and I think it ran me about $28, and just to clear it up since a lot of folks in here are used to abbreviations, the AP stand for Aquarium Pharmaceuticals which is the name of the manufacturer and you'll have to kinda look for that on the box. It's a green box with an Angel fish and a Gourami on the front.

 

[weldon]

Some advice on the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals freshwater master test kit...

This is $25-30 at the LFS and Petsmart, etc. If you have a Petsmart in Marietta, GA then you can print out the online pricing and ask them to match that price in the store. The online price is around $13-14.