hey I'm new need help!!

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That's the one thing I've never really gotten into so couldnt tell you how the cycle would effect them.
 
You can browse the forums and find all kinds of information
 
Its a big undertaking! Luckily I have.a second established 30g tank. My fish will just be a lil cramped till the larger one is ready. I belive in as sustainable as possible, fish living off the plants, a natural balance. I think the bigger the tank the less problems with quality when its established too. A 35g is going to be easier to raise a ecosystem than a 10g
 
Typow07 said:
Its a big undertaking! Luckily I have.a second established 30g tank. My fish will just be a lil cramped till the larger one is ready. I belive in as sustainable as possible, fish living off the plants, a natural balance. I think the bigger the tank the less problems with quality when its established too. A 35g is going to be easier to raise a ecosystem than a 10g

+1 on that.. the larger water volume gives you more room for error and creates a more stable environment. Also I don't have any planted tanks but I swear by refugiums so can tell you first hand the nutrient export you receive from plants is a back saver ;)
 
I always believed the plants are one of the main supporters of bb... it needs an area to grow like the soil and rocks too. I have a large lava rock thats my main foundation.
 
Im going to say start with plants... If you can grow plants you can raise fish! Theres an added.level of difficulty with the lighting aspect... But timers and nice bulbs can grow anything! The plants in return will absorb the amonia from the fish. Ohh tank placement! Try to avoid direct sunlight, im pretty sure its a major cause of algae growth.
 
Do as much reading as you possibly can. Research the two methods of cycling - fishless and fish-in and decide which is most likely to suit you best.
Buy yourself a reliable liquid test kit. I think most people on here would agree that the API master test kit is the most user friendly kit and its also accurate and reliable.
Before you commit to buying any fish, no matter how much you like the look of them, read up on them. Whether intentionally or not, there are many stores that will sell you fish without giving you all the information (or any info at all in some cases) that you should know about them. If you still can't find the info you need, ask on here. This site is a gold mine of info and knowledge gathered by people with many years of personal experience which they will gladly share with you (and me thankfully!) and it's easier to ask several questions and deal with a problem on paper than it is to deal with the same problem (or several) when its swimming in your tank.
 
I wanna put my betta in the tank but can other fish be with a betta ?
 
I'm not even going to attempt to answer that. My last (and only) attempt at keeping a betta in a community tank didn't go at all well. I'm sure it can be done but careful consideration would need to be given to suitable tank mates and I'll leave it to someone more knowledgable than me (and there's plenty of them on here) to advise you on compatability.
 
Meganns said:
I wanna put my betta in the tank but can other fish be with a betta ?

Yes other fish can go with a betta sometimes bettas are funny and won't allow any tank mates. But I wouldn't say that happens a lot. Do some research because not all fish can go with them though. :)
 
Bettas I believe attack fishs fins so they can no longer swim. Same with the African cichlids, there very pretty but very aggressive.
 
Here is my large lava rock, I let my tank set up 48 hours... I had one weekend to move lol

ForumRunner_20121001_211213.jpg
 
I want some very colorful fish .. Can small and large fish be put together
 
Meganns said:
I want some very colorful fish .. Can small and large fish be put together


Hiya Meganns :) I keep my Betta with cories, red cherry shrimp and apple snails. He doesn't bother them and they don't mess with him :D my Betta absolutely LOVES his planted jungle lol.

So have you got a chance to check out the cycling guides on the forum? There are 2 ways to cycle your tank and thats fishless, which i see you are thinking about doing, and fish in. If you have the time and dedication to devote to your tank on a daily basis there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing a fish in cycle :) I fish in cycled my 55g Mixed African tank. I kept a close eye on parameters and did water changes as needed (if not more than needed haha!) and my fish were (and are!) very happy, healthy and absolutely gorgeous :) Here are a couple good reads :)

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-jus...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

Good luck :D I'm sure it will turn out great!
 
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I've decided to keep my betta by him self .. Now I have to figure out want kind of fish I want
 
Look at Danios! hehe

They are colorful, Hardy, I cycled my 29 gallon with them and only lost 1, ok well he died Im pretty sure atm of old age(3 months after the tank was cycled)

There are lots of different Danios. Purple ones, ones that I swear look like a Trout. White ones, ghost ones.

You could try Tetras, I dont care for them but lots of people do.

In a 29 gallon, there are lot of options. Do you want a few big ones or a lot of little ones?

Do you want friendly ones, or mean ones?

Go to your LFS and look around, Sure you can look at fish for sale on the net at meany sites, but seeing them in person is a lot better, Make a list of about 20 fish and start reading, then narrow it down to 15, then 10 etc till you pick what you like.

What kind of Substrate are you using? Gravel? Sand?

I have aplanted 29 gallon and I tell you my fish are a lot happier since I went to sand and added a lot of plants. There are some really easy plants that you can use just a reg hood light, some need more, C02 is best for all plants(looks at his over grown jungle of a puffer tank and curses the C02 unit for being so good lol)

You can google, "plants Fish tank" to get some ideas, again find some pics of Aquatic plants, then read read and read some more.

if you want a simple plant options, try some crypts, Java Ferns/moss they seem to grow on anything.. even the bath tub!(dont ask =P)

Or you can try whats called a biotope. Its taking what the fish are use to in the wild and redo it in your tank, Say you want a betta tank, you can get plants from Asia, Google "Fish Tank Biotopes" That will give you a list of plants and even suggestions of what fish to look at, Might help you in that way too.


My best advice is read read read read.. and then.. Read some more. I have read easily over 100 hours on My Dwarf puffers alone.


Does you tank have a filter? Heater? Some kind of Hood?(lots of fish like to play Batman and jump)

There are lots of filters you can buy, Hang on Backs(HOB), Canister(I have one and its great)

a heater you can get a simple preset one of as many of us will suggest a Adjustable heater, to control ICK outbreaks, different fish.

a Test kit is a must! the API Liquid Test kit is about the best you can get, you can get it at your LFS, Petco, ONline,

You said you want to do a Fishless cycle, Great! Its faster Safer and will lead to a lot less headaches.

then youll want to pick your Substrate, I use Pool Filter sand and will NEVER! go back to store gravel. Some like the gravel tho.

For Water Treatment, I suggest Prime. It seems to work really well.

I know this is long winded and Im sorry, but I was in the same boat you are now, Lost, did not know what to do, I filled a tank, 2 days later I had fish. Growing up We never knew anything about a Cycle, so it was learning overboard when I found this site.

If you have any questions, Feel Free to PM me. Im always willing to share what info I do have =)

good luck! Just watch out for that pesky MTS... :eek::eek::eek::blink:
 
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