New to aquariums, just wanted to introduce myself.

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Marconis

Marconis

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Dec 25, 2006
Messages
2,082
Location
Queens, NY
Hello all, merry Christmas. I am 15 years old and after four years of begging I finally got a fish tank. I am very well prepared for the time needed to maintain an aquarium, and can't wait to really get into it. All I have done so far is put the tank on the stand, and that's pretty much it.

My parents bought me several things, and everything is ready to be returned if needed. I am going to the local pet store to buy certain things tomorrow, such as fake plants and gravel.

-46 Gallon glass tank (not sure of brand) with removable light.

-Marineland Penguin 200 BIO-Wheel Power Filter...I have read mixed reviews on this, what do you all think. Should I return it or is it suitable?

-I got a heater but I am returning it because its maximum gallon thing is only 40, unless it's still alright for a 46 gallon tank.

-Top Fin Water Conditioner

-API Stress Coat (Also a conditioner, which to me seem the same?)


I have fish food as well, and of course, a net.
 
First, Welcome to AA!!!
Second I would recommend that you read some of these articles, primarily the one on Nitrogen Cycle and on Fishless Cycle of your tank.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_cat.php?fldAuto=2/
What is the wattage on your heater, we will need to know that to tell if it is the right size or not?
How do you plan on setting your tank up, That will determine equipment needed.
 
The wattage on the heater is 150. I just asked what brand the tank was (should add its a bow tank, I think?) and the brand is a Marineland. I am unsure of how I am going to set up the tank. Since I'm new to this, could you be more specific? Do you mean like what kind of fish I'll have? If so, sadly, I have no idea.
 
What I meant was type of fish, live plants.
A 150 watt heater IMO would be border line for your tank, I would go with a 200 Watt
 
Merry Christmas and welcome to AA, Marconis! :multi: :multi: :onfire: :onfire: :multi: :multi: :onfire: :onfire:

Congrats on your new tank. I would suggest reading about the nitrogen cycle and fishless cycling here and elsewhere on the web before doing anything else. It will take a few weeks for your tank to grow the film of naturally occuring bacteria that will convert fish wastes into less toxic products.

You should get test kits so that you can monitor the presence of toxic fish waste byproducts. These include ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals freshwater master test kit which contains all the reagents, test tubes that you will need.

The Marineland Penguin filters are decent - I have them on my 15 and 10 gallon tanks. However, I've heard better things about the Aquaclear filters. Their filter media compartment is bigger and more versatile. For about the same money, you could exchange the Penguin for a similar sized Aquaclear.

Depending on what kind of fish you're interested in, you may want to get a filter with the next higher rating than the Penguin 200. I prefer to overfilter because it leaves more stocking options open. For example, cichlids are very popular, messy, larger bodied fish that benefit from extra filtration. If you plan to stick with smaller fish like guppies, mollies, tetras, or barbs, the 200 or eqivalent will be sufficient.

The rule of thumb for heaters is 5 W per gallon, so you should get a 200 or 250W heater. Personally, I love Marineland VisiTherm heaters. They're fully submersible, accurate, easy to set, and reasonably priced.

Water conditioners remove or detoxify chemical disinfectants in your drinking water. Your Top Fin conditioner removes chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals - that's pretty much what's important. The Stress Coat does the same exact thing, but it also contains aloe vera to protect fish from bumps and scratches. Everybody has their favorite water conditioner. Mine is whatever brand is on sale. :D

Another piece of equipment you didn't mention, but I heartily recommend is a Python. It's a hose with a special attachment that allows you to drain and fill your tank from any faucet. It makes water changes quick and completely mess-free. It's alot cheaper to buy online and some people here have made their own with a waterbed drain/fill device and a garden hose - check the do-it-yourself section.

Good luck! Be patient during the cycle and ask lots of questions!
What kinds of fish are you interested in keeping?
 
Hi everyone thanks for the replies. I'm staying up all night, reading tons of posts on here and as many articles I can find in order to set up a wonderful tank.

For the fish I want to keep, I guess I want small colorful ones, which Im assuming are guppies and mollies and all them. I am only buying fake plants because I am just not in the mood and will ever be (yet) to raise live plants. My main concern is the filter. Should it stay or go?
 
I guess I should also mention Im going for a sort of exotic look with my tank.
 
Maybe I should be more specific. I want bright colors, like colorful fish, which I am unsure how many "colorful" freshwater fish there are.
 
I wouldn't be so soured on plants so quickly...they really aren't that hard to maintain if you chose them right (and there's tons of folks here that will give you really great suggestions if you give them your variables like your wattage and such) and for a small amount of low light plants you don't have to worry too much about co2 or fertalizers.

keep in mind that they are also good for your tank's environment too.

And they look way better than any fake plant.

Be sure to take some picture during and after setup and post back here!

Welcome and Good luck!
 
Mollies come in the widest range of colors for fish that I've seen readily available. White, black, red, orange, yellow, and they come in different shapes too. Unfortunately, I haven't found a whole lot of blue for freshwater fish. I have a couple blue Gouramis, which have some lighter blue, but nothing really bright sticks out in my mind.
 
http://www.liveaquaria.com/
has a section of brackish fish, that can give you an idea of what is out there. I know nothing about brackish, so I will bow out and let the experts help. I also wanted to point out that site and to welcome to AA!!!
Please do not cycle your tank with live animals.....
 
My tank is up an running! It was fun to set up, and I am following some of the cycling tips and articles from here and many other sites.

Trust me. Id never use live fish while cycling, I think that it's cruel.

There are a lot of bubbles everywhere...on the plants, filter, heater, and glass. Is this normal and how long do they take to go away? I should add in that I used Top Fin conditioner thirty minutes after first running the filter.
 
if you want bright colourful fish, go with platies, they are hardier then mollies and guppies IME , and are more colourful, and stay smaller. They are fun to breed too, but i would suggest buying only females.
 
I would get some Mbuna (African Chiclids <spelling error I am sure>) You would likely need more filtration, and they need a lot of hiding spots, but they are extremely colorful. I will be setting up a 55 gal soon for them. You might consider a Rena XP3 for that tank. It is 104.00 on petsmarts website. Just print that page and take it in with you and they should price match. Its a great filter and would do well for that tank.

Welcome to AA :)
 
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