New at this!

[evalmore]

Hello everyone,

Alright! Let's get right down to business! I am a complete newbie when it comes to aquariums and owning fish and I'm hoping to start a 10 or 15 gallon freshwater tropical tank soon. I've never had a tropical tank and even though I've been doing research on it there are still a couple aspects I'm a bit confused about. First of all I hear people talking about water changes and I see that they only replace 1/3 or 1/4 of the water at a time. When I clean my coldwater tank I usually empty it completely. How does the 1/3 or 1/4 water change work? And should I be doing this with my coldwater tank as well? Also, when I start my freshwater tropical tank, how do I go about cycling it?

Another thing I had questions about is the types of fish I should include in my tropical freshwater tank. I need fish that are fairly hardy since I'm pretty much a first time tank owner. I also would like a really diverse community in my tank, but I don't want to overpopulate it. I'm interested in guppies, corydora catfish, ghost shrimp (or some other type of shrimp), and possibly platys and some other oddballs like a dwarf African clawed frog, but I am open to any suggestions on what type of fish I should get. (I'm new and don't really know what I'm talking about so I also need to know if the fish I choose will even coexist in the tank and not kill each other.) I understand that I won't be able to fit all of these into one tank, I was just wondering what this lovely community suggested.

Also, I understand that some fish have different dietary needs (?). How can I make sure that all of the different types of fish get enough food? Also, if I get shrimp and/or a frog for my tank do I need to buy them special food?

I can't think of any other questions I have at the moment and I've already asked so many questions! Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to read this and weigh in!

 

[cgthebeast]

We only replace 1/3 of the water to help BB stay in the tank. Do that for all tanks. As for fish go with male guppies and ghost shrimp. There colorful and very hardy. You can go fish less (recommended) or fish in cycle. Add a few guppies and the BB will build up

 

[evalmore]

Thank you. I do really like guppies' coloration and flashiness and I know that the ghost shrimp will help with keeping the tank clean.

 

[cgthebeast]

Thank you. I do really like guppies' coloration and flashiness and I know that the ghost shrimp will help with keeping the tank clean.

Guppies are beautiful, but only go with males or you will be over run with them

 

[evalmore]

Yeah, I've heard of this problem too. I'll most likely take your advice and just go with males, at least to start out with. Thank you!

 

[cgthebeast]

Yeah, I've heard of this problem too. I'll most likely take your advice and just go with males, at least to start out with. Thank you!

No prob B]

 

[librarygirl]

HI and welcome! This guide might help: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

As for water changes, everyone has their own methods. Once the tank is cycled (that article above explains that more) a good standard practice is 50% weekly. If the tank is cycling with fish though it will be more often for a while (again, that article above explains fishless and fish-in cycling).

A 10 gal tank is somewhat limiting in terms of fish; a 15 gal is better. I'd advise to get the largest tank you can. Also research the fish you'd like before you get them (ask here as well). Corys are very active and need a good amount of swim room; there are smaller corys that might work in a 15 gal (pygmy for example). Livebearers like guppies and platies produce a lot of waste (e.g. have a high bioload) so you can't fit too many in a small tank. Plus they breed rather easily if you have a mix of males and females. African Dwarf frogs are social, so at least 2-3 is preferred. They are also nearly blind, don't swim that well and should be target fed so ADFs with fish can be tricky.

An example for a 15 gal might be:
6 pygmy cory
8 ember tetra
4 guppies or 2 guppies and 2 platy
shrimp

There are more options, that's just one possible scenario.

 

[evalmore]

HI and welcome! This guide might help: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

As for water changes, everyone has their own methods. Once the tank is cycled (that article above explains that more) a good standard practice is 50% weekly. If the tank is cycling with fish though it will be more often for a while (again, that article above explains fishless and fish-in cycling).

A 10 gal tank is somewhat limiting in terms of fish; a 15 gal is better. I'd advise to get the largest tank you can. Also research the fish you'd like before you get them (ask here as well). Corys are very active and need a good amount of swim room; there are smaller corys that might work in a 15 gal (pygmy for example). Livebearers like guppies and platies produce a lot of waste (e.g. have a high bioload) so you can't fit too many in a small tank. Plus they breed rather easily if you have a mix of males and females. African Dwarf frogs are social, so at least 2-3 is preferred. They are also nearly blind, don't swim that well and should be target fed so ADFs with fish can be tricky.

An example for a 15 gal might be:
6 pygmy cory
8 ember tetra
4 guppies or 2 guppies and 2 platy
shrimp

There are more options, that's just one possible scenario.

Thank you for the awesome advice concerning the tank size and types of fish . I think I'm going to go with a 20gal tank just to be sure the fish I get have plenty of room to feel at home.

I'm definitely going with fishless cycling, but I'm a little worried about the difficulty of it. I've seen more than a few threads about people more experienced than me not being able to get their tanks balanced and I guess that worries me a bit.

Here's the community I'm thinking of adding:
6 or 7 Pygmy Cory
8 Ember Tetra
4 Fancy Male Guppies
And a couple shrimp and snails of some sort.

I've decided to leave the ADF out of this tank for a few reasons. The number of fish above wouldn't be too many for a 20gal tank would it?

Again, thanks for your advice !

 

[Cactuspixie]

Thank you for the awesome advice concerning the tank size and types of fish . I think I'm going to go with a 20gal tank just to be sure the fish I get have plenty of room to feel at home.

I'm definitely going with fishless cycling, but I'm a little worried about the difficulty of it. I've seen more than a few threads about people more experienced than me not being able to get their tanks balanced and I guess that worries me a bit.

Here's the community I'm thinking of adding:
6 or 7 Pygmy Cory
8 Ember Tetra
4 Fancy Male Guppies
And a couple shrimp and snails of some sort.

I've decided to leave the ADF out of this tank for a few reasons. The number of fish above wouldn't be too many for a 20gal tank would it?

Again, thanks for your advice !

No, that's not too many for a 20g. My concern would be the combination of ember tetras and guppies. Guppies are fast and greedy surface feeders, while embers are shy, mid level feeders, with tiny mouths. Making sure the embers get their share could be a bit of a pain.
I used to have Endler's livebearers (small guppies) with my embers, but I had to rehome them, because they were too greedy and bossy with the embers.
That's only my experience, and others may have had great success combining guppies and Endler's.
I'm going to try Mosquito Rasboras with my embers. They are tiny and very pretty (but also very rare here).
I have cherry shrimp, and they are just gorgeous! Their beautiful red colouring really pops against the green foliage.
If you're anything like me you will change your mind a hundred times, lol, but you've got plenty of time to research and choose some a stock list that you'll be happy to watch day in, day out
Just be sure when you do add your fish, you do it gradually over a period of weeks so your tank isn't thrown into a cycle again. That's the hardest part! Lol
What do you have in your cold water tank?
It's not uncommon for experienced goldfish keeps to change up to 100% of the water, but with tropicals, it is safer not to change more than 50% because its difficult to match the replacement water (temperature, ph, hardness etc) so it can (potentially) shock the fish. I guess the more knowledgeable and skilled the aquarist is, the more they can change out safely. That doesn't describe ME though!
Anyway, welcome, enjoy, and good luck!

 

[Cactuspixie]

Duh. Meant- others may have had success combining guppies and *embers*

 

[evalmore]

No, that's not too many for a 20g. My concern would be the combination of ember tetras and guppies. Guppies are fast and greedy surface feeders, while embers are shy, mid level feeders, with tiny mouths. Making sure the embers get their share could be a bit of a pain.
I used to have Endler's livebearers (small guppies) with my embers, but I had to rehome them, because they were too greedy and bossy with the embers.
That's only my experience, and others may have had great success combining guppies and Endler's.
I'm going to try Mosquito Rasboras with my embers. They are tiny and very pretty (but also very rare here).
I have cherry shrimp, and they are just gorgeous! Their beautiful red colouring really pops against the green foliage.
If you're anything like me you will change your mind a hundred times, lol, but you've got plenty of time to research and choose some a stock list that you'll be happy to watch day in, day out
Just be sure when you do add your fish, you do it gradually over a period of weeks so your tank isn't thrown into a cycle again. That's the hardest part! Lol
What do you have in your cold water tank?
It's not uncommon for experienced goldfish keeps to change up to 100% of the water, but with tropicals, it is safer not to change more than 50% because its difficult to match the replacement water (temperature, ph, hardness etc) so it can (potentially) shock the fish. I guess the more knowledgeable and skilled the aquarist is, the more they can change out safely. That doesn't describe ME though!
Anyway, welcome, enjoy, and good luck!

The more I hear about different types of tetras the more I think I might omit them from my tank! Lol! I'd love to have a small school of them, but I heard that Neon tetras are very susceptible to Neon Tetra Disease which can apparently wipe out a tank (?). Now I'm hearing that ember tetras might not get fed enough. Like I said, I'd love a school of tetras, but I want them to live a full healthy life so I don't want to get them if there might be problems.
As far as shrimp go, I've thought about getting ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp . You'd recommend the cherries? They ARE very beautiful and I think they'd give my tank a nice pop of color .
Knowing me, I will change my mind a thousand times when it comes to my tank population and other aspects! But like you said, I have plenty of time !
If you come across my thread about cycling, you'll see where I stand in that department. Lol. It's a bit heartbreaking really.
Thank you so much for your advice !

 

[evalmore]

No, that's not too many for a 20g. My concern would be the combination of ember tetras and guppies. Guppies are fast and greedy surface feeders, while embers are shy, mid level feeders, with tiny mouths. Making sure the embers get their share could be a bit of a pain.
I used to have Endler's livebearers (small guppies) with my embers, but I had to rehome them, because they were too greedy and bossy with the embers.
That's only my experience, and others may have had great success combining guppies and Endler's.
I'm going to try Mosquito Rasboras with my embers. They are tiny and very pretty (but also very rare here).
I have cherry shrimp, and they are just gorgeous! Their beautiful red colouring really pops against the green foliage.
If you're anything like me you will change your mind a hundred times, lol, but you've got plenty of time to research and choose some a stock list that you'll be happy to watch day in, day out
Just be sure when you do add your fish, you do it gradually over a period of weeks so your tank isn't thrown into a cycle again. That's the hardest part! Lol
What do you have in your cold water tank?
It's not uncommon for experienced goldfish keeps to change up to 100% of the water, but with tropicals, it is safer not to change more than 50% because its difficult to match the replacement water (temperature, ph, hardness etc) so it can (potentially) shock the fish. I guess the more knowledgeable and skilled the aquarist is, the more they can change out safely. That doesn't describe ME though!
Anyway, welcome, enjoy, and good luck!

I forgot to mention I'd like to add 6 or 7 Dwarf Cory cats as well!

 

[evalmore]

I forgot to mention I'd like to add 6 or 7 Dwarf Cory cats as well!

Never mind. I mentioned it. Lol I think I'm losing it...