First aquarium in my life, lots of question, please help^_^

[piggypinggy]

Hi guys, I am from San Francisco. I just bought my first tank in my life, 10 gallons one.
I have these things now:
1. 10 G fish tank
2. Heater
3. Freshwater master test kit
4. Filter
5. Prime - Freshwater & Saltwater remove Chlorine, Chloramine, Ammonia, Detoxifies Nitrite & Nitrate (Provides Slime Coat) < Q1 :Not sure what is this thing, isnt it already included in the test kit????????????
6. Stability, New Tank Stabilization System <Q2: Is it for making the cycling faster???

Q3: I want to get Neon Tetra x 6 for my 10g tank, is it too many???
Q4: I want to do a fishless cycle, but I also want to get plants, can you guys suggest some plants for me which is good for my tank? And what substrate should I get for this plant? I have Petsmart and Petco nearby me.
Q6: Do I also need to buy snails and cleaning fish?

Thanks, I know maybe there are some silly questions, but I already did many researches. I am pretty confuse, hope you guys can help me.
Have a great day

 

[Fishdude3233]

Ok hood for doing a fish less cycle and prime and API rest kit proud of you. 2 6 neon tetras will be fine and a couple of easy plants are Anubis and java moss

 

[Fishdude3233]

Oh get pea gravel comes in like 15 pound bags

 

[piggypinggy]

Ok hood for doing a fish less cycle and prime and API rest kit proud of you. 2 6 neon tetras will be fine and a couple of easy plants are Anubis and java moss

Where can I get a hood? Is a hood usually comes with light? Do I need to buy light to grow plants??
Thanks~!

 

[Fishdude3233]

Yes you do you can get I ok light a petsmart for like 15 -20 dollars

 

[piggypinggy]

Thank you so much fishdudeee!^_^
I will get java moss and a hood tomorrow. Do I need a specific light and substrate for java moss???

 

[Fishdude3233]

Substrate no light make sure it is fluorescent. Also get some liquid fertilizer also could you send me some pics of your tank

 

[piggypinggy]

Substrate no light make sure it is fluorescent. Also get some liquid fertilizer also could you send me some pics of your tank

Ya sure, but I haven't started yet, I will start tomorrow.
Do you mean Java Moss doesn't need light, only need fluorescent?

 

[Fishdude3233]

Fluorescent light is a type of light it is the most common

 

[piggypinggy]

Hi, I went to pet smart today, I saw two kind of 20' hood. One is only cover half of the top, another one is cover whole top. Q1: Which one should I buy?? Q2: If it covers the whole top, how can I install filter?? Q3: I didn't see pea gravel, can I just get some random Gravel which I like? Q4: Where can I buy Java Moss? I can't see any of them=.=
Thanks>3<

 

[jwh0818]

Hi, I went to pet smart today, I saw two kind of 20' hood. One is only cover half of the top, another one is cover whole top. Q1: Which one should I buy?? Q2: If it covers the whole top, how can I install filter?? Q3: I didn't see pea gravel, can I just get some random Gravel which I like? Q4: Where can I buy Java Moss? I can't see any of them=.=
Thanks>3<

You should buy a glass top, a tube light and get sand as substrate. It will be better for the plants

 

[piggypinggy]

You should buy a glass top, a tube light and get sand as substrate. It will be better for the plants

So I should place the Java Moss in the sand?

 

[jwh0818]

So I should place the Java Moss in the sand?

No. Java moss needs to be tied to either driftwood or a course rock

 

[piggypinggy]

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRELElDUzyIZy4ai-ShKeP0fgCs9DKAOjJJbzeaFHM1tkgmoxyvQ
like this??

 

[piggypinggy]

thanks jwh0818~!
Do I need any special light for Java Moss??
Is Fluorescent light ok??

 

[jwh0818]

thanks jwh0818~!
Do I need any special light for Java Moss??
Is Fluorescent light ok??

What type of light fixture to you have? Whst size bulb?

 

[piggypinggy]

I dont have any light fixture,
that's all I have now
1. 10 G fish tank
2. Heater
3. Freshwater master test kit
4. Filter
5. Prime - Freshwater & Saltwater remove Chlorine, Chloramine, Ammonia, Detoxifies Nitrite & Nitrate (Provides Slime Coat)
6. Stability, New Tank Stabilization System

I am confuse when I buy light and hood. There are so many different types, I have totally no idea how to choose...... Can I just use Fluorescent light which comes with the hood? Why is glass top better?? thanks^_^
I am sorry, it's my first time to set up a tank, totally confused>_<

 

[jwh0818]

I dont have any light fixture,
that's all I have now
1. 10 G fish tank
2. Heater
3. Freshwater master test kit
4. Filter
5. Prime - Freshwater & Saltwater remove Chlorine, Chloramine, Ammonia, Detoxifies Nitrite & Nitrate (Provides Slime Coat)
6. Stability, New Tank Stabilization System

I am confuse when I buy light and hood. There are so many different types, I have totally no idea how to choose...... Can I just use Fluorescent light which comes with the hood? Why is glass top better?? thanks^_^
I am sorry, it's my first time to set up a tank, totally confused>_<

You can use the hood with a built in light! When you get bulbs, goto lowes or home depot and buy 6500k CFL bulbs

 

[piggypinggy]

How does Anubis work?? I saw some videos on youtube, people just throw it into their tank, it doesnt need anything?? Thanks><

 

[Mebbid]

Wow, there are a lot of things to cover in this thread.

First
A hood is not necessary at all. I have a 55g planted, 20g reef and a 10g planted all hoodless. The only hooded tank I have is for my cichlids because they tend to bounce off of it during feeding time and I'd rather not have to pick them up off the carpet on a regular basis

Second
You want to keep plants correct? Before spending money on a light I would choose which plants you like the most.

You can get a good look at different plants along with their required light levels on AquariumPlants.com

You can spend the time to research lights properly while starting your fishless cycle. They aren't necessary to grow bacteria and in fact it's suggested to leave them off to prevent algae growth during a fishless cycle.

It's better to wait to buy the lights until later rather than buying right now and realizing that it's not sufficient to keep what you want forcing you to spend more money.

Third
Substrate - Either gravel or sand. Their use is a continuing debate but more and more people are switching over to a sand substrate. They tend to be easier to care for and easier to keep the tank clean.

To save money a lot of people buy one of 3 different types of sand. The only downside to these is that it's labor intensive to clean.
Black - Black diamond blasting sand from tractor supply co.
White - White silica sand from lowes (I wouldn't recommend white for a planted tank)
Brown - Pool filter or play sand available at many places. Pool filter sand is easier to clean but much more expensive.

Fourth
Questions

1 - Prime is primarily a dechlorinator. Currently it is the most popular in the aquarium hobby. Slime coat is a protective coating that covers a fish to help ward off disease.
2 - Yes, although bottled bacteria such as that product are hit and miss. They don't always work.
3 - Six neon tetras should be okay in a 10g tank
4 - Depending on the light level you plan on keeping I would suggest anacharis, water sprite, almost any anubias, java fern, java moss, and bolbitis. Either gravel or sand would work fine. Specialty substrates for plants would work better but these cost around $20 for a bag of it although 1 would be enough for a small tank.
6 - No but people do because they like them Nerite snails would be helpful in algae control. Shrimp would help keep uneaten food from rotting in the substrate.

Anubias
They are a very slow growing plant that doesn't really need any special care. They are great for beginners as well.