First Post, Full of typical newbie questions

[Narco.sys]

Hello all. I've just joined the forums to see if I can up my knowledge levels before I commit to this hobby. Been wanting a tank for about a year now, started reading up on it and realised the kind of investment of time and patience is required, and money as well. A year down the road I'm still confused about some things, but think I'm ready to dive in so to speak. I want to set-up a beginner FW tropical tank. So here is briefly a set-up I'm looking to get followed by some questions.
I'm looking at a kit from my LFS,
36 gal bowfront glass tank with stand,hood and light
Emperor 280 bio-wheel
standard gravel/thermometer etc in the kit
I already have a ph and ammonia liquid test kits. tap water reads at 7.0 ph after standing for a day.

Do I need a different filter or will the kitted one suffice? Do I need an undergravel filter?
How do I start up a tank for fishless cycling without borrowing things from a mature aquarium that I don't have access to?
Should I use real plants or plastic ones? what would be the learning curve on learning how to deal with real plants? And If I go with real (which is definitely preferable) which species would be best? Do I add them before the tank is cycled or after?
And finally what should I stock the aquarium with? Originally I wanted to go with Oscars but then I realised that they grow up to 9 in. I really like Pearl Gouramis, Tiger barbs but not sure if they're compatible with each other

TIA for your guys help, and I'll keep you updated on my progress with pictures and the like

 

[Blazeherd2306]

Welcome to AA!

Do I need a different filter or will the kitted one suffice? Do I need an undergravel filter?

The one with the kit is fine and you should not add an undergravel filter.

How do I start up a tank for fishless cycling without borrowing things from a mature aquarium that I don't have access to?

Read this. It works for freshwater, too http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

Should I use real plants or plastic ones? what would be the learning curve on learning how to deal with real plants? And If I go with real (which is definitely preferable) which species would be best? Do I add them before the tank is cycled or after?

Since you're new to fishkeeping, I suggest you go without plants for now. But if you are interested in keeping plants, there is a plant forum on this site you can post in.

And finally what should I stock the aquarium with? Originally I wanted to go with Oscars but then I realised that they grow up to 9 in. I really like Pearl Gouramis, Tiger barbs but not sure if they're compatible with each other

The oscars will get too big, but if you want to go with a community, then there are many choices. Just ask which fish you want to keep and we can help you with making good selections.

HTH,
Justin

 

[Jchillin]

Welcome to AA.

You got some good advice from blazeherd to start with. Along with the ph and ammonia tests, you will also need nitrite and nitrate. I recommend getting the FW master kit from AP. You can find it here for a very decent price...considerably less than if you purchased all three separately at LFS.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

If you are truely intrested in live plants, I would first of recomend that you do some research on lighting. Most "kit" aquarium set ups come with normal output flourecent bulbs. In most cases of tanks over 10 gallons this amount of lighting will not provide the necessary requirements for nearly any plants. Even in a 10 gal. with NO lighting, you will be very limited.

 

[DeathWarp]

I agree with Blazeherd. The filter will do fine and undergravel is not needed. For an Oscer, I would suggest 55gal and no less. You're LFS should be able to tell you about fish compatibility and most kinds of Gouramis are semi-aggresive (along with tiger barbs). Stick to something simple to begin with, possibly community fish.

 

[u2_Crazy]

I too am also a newbie to the aquarium world and have spent the last 6 weeks constantly looking for info on this site and many other sites. I have found elmersaquarium.com to be an excellent source of fish info.

As for the live plants, I have a 29ga kit with 20watt lights and I am growing some low light plants (horn wort, java fern, moneywort) with no problems at all. I think I have a beautiful tank and so far, the maintanance is minimal. If you just want a nice planted tank with some small fish, the kits are perfect. It is possible to spend a tonne of money on special lights and co2 systems but it isn't necessary unless you want a large variety of high light plants.

Have fun and do a lot of reading, it pays off.

 

[Narco.sys]

Thanks for your replies. As I said before, I'm mostly interested in keeping pearl gouramis in a community tank. Basically I'm wondering what other species would be good with the pearls. I understand that ultimately the decision is up to me but wanted to rely on the wealth of experience present on this board to help me make the right choices. I figured 4 Gouramis, 1 male 3 female (if the LFS has them), 2 bushynose plecs, or something similar, but beyond that there are just too many choices, maybe ya'll can help me narrow them down

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Your Emperor 280 is a fine filter. I have one on my 26G. Just follow the instructions, such as if the wheel spins slowly, it's fine. Some people get the impression that if it starts spinning slower or goes in a stop and go situation, something is wrong. It isn't. It's perfectly ok.

Oh, and keep tabs on the spraybar, the jets sometimes gets clogged. It's an easy fix.