newbie questions--plants, cycling, sick fish

[aharcara]

I have a few newbie questions...I'm getting a tank soon, so I'm trying to learn everything I can before I start. It will be a 20 gallon tank, but I don't know what kind of equipment yet.

1) I had kinda been hoping to put some live plants in the tank, but I went over to the 'Planted' section of the forum and read some stuff, and it looks really complicated! I have to worry about having enough CO2 and fertilizers, and appearantly you need soil under the gravel, which seems that it would be messy, especially when doing gravel vacs. So, should I stick with plastic plants in the beginning? It seems that it would be a pain to add them later, though.

2) I'm having trouble finding pure ammonia to do a fishless cycle. I've read in the suggested articles about using raw shrimp (which some say is messy) or fish food. But, I haven't heard anyone on this forum talk about using fish food. Does it not really work?

3) I made the mistake of reading some posts over in the "Unhealthy Fish" section of the forum. Fungi, parasites, ich, etc. Does everyone end up with sick fish? Now I'm worried that this will be a lot of trouble and more worrisome than enjoyable.

Thanks in advance for everyone's advice!

 

[rich311k]

1. Most low light plants do not even need gravel. They get tied on to wood or rocks. Most plants will grow inb regular aquarium gravel quite well. Stay under two watts per gallon and CO2 is not needed. You will need at least one watt per gallon, which is pretty easy in a 20 gallon tank.

2. I always use fish food. i throw in whatever I have that is older or the fish do not like. It works just fine as an ammonia source. Also you can put the shrimp in a new stocking and the mess is contained for the most part.

3. Some things will happen. Maintain good aquarium practices and QT new fish and problems should be minimal.

 

[Sahabo]

You are already ahead of the game by doing your research before getting your tank!

Unlike those of us (like me) who got tank and fish before knowing enough, you will probably have less chance of sick fish and problems. Although you certainly can't control what will happen, arming yourself with knowledge and good habits from the beginning is the best preventative for problems and unhealthy fish.

I started this hobby not knowing if it would work out for me or if I'd like it...but I have to say that it's definitely worth it, even when things go wrong. Of course, if I had to do it again, I would NEVER have listened to anyone at a local fish shop, and I would have done it the way you are doing

Apparently there are a lot of plants that don't need CO2, fertilizer, soil and lots of light. Start out with easy plants java fern.

This is a great community and I think you'll find that people here are friendly and helpful, even with questions you think are silly...don't hesitate to ask!

Good luck!

 

[mrsmills]

I put a couple of egeria densa the common waterweed/giant elodea in the tank long before any fish, they've established very well and grown significantly in a tank in a north facing room out of direct sunlight with a low level of tank lighting. The fish seem to enjoy them too. Only thing is with the water not being relatively soft they are a little big 'leggy' in places.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

1)You do not have to have CO2, ferts, special soils, and the like to have a planted tank. Stick to low light plants and you will be fine. Make a post in the planted forum asking for opinions and they will guide oyu in the right direction.

2) Fish food and raw shrimp work, they just take longer and you can not control it as easy as pure ammonia. Do you have an Ace Hardware near you?

3) I think everyone at osme point has a sick fish. I havne't had one in a few years. I have had ich on a few occasions when starting out, Hexamitosis, and fish deaths due to old food. Nothing major, easy to diagnose and treat. Keep a healthy tank by doing water changes on a regular basis, feeding quality food, and QTing new arrivals and you shouldn't have major fish disease infect your main tank.

 

[aharcara]

Quarantining has been recommended often. I don't want to spend a bunch of money setting up QT tank, but it obviously needs to be a nice, clean, cycled environment. Do you keep a separate QT tank going all the time, or can you set something up as needed, using water from the main tank? I imagine the QT tank would not have a filter running, so do you care for it differently. Does it need more frequent PWCs?

Thanks so much!

 

[Purrbox]

You could even just use a 5 gallon bucket if the fish is small enough. Rubbermaid containers reserved for aquarium use are another common option. You'll want some plants or other decor to provide hiding spots to make the fish comfortable. A heater to stabilize the temp if necessary. You can run a filter on an established aquarium and then just shift it over to the QT aquarium as needed. Sponge filters work especially well for this. If you end up needing to dose meds, then your bio filter is probably going to be shot and water changes will become your best friend.

 

[rich311k]

I have a rubbermaid 30 gallon bucket. The kind people use to ice down beer kegs. I have an old cannister filter I use with media I take from the running tanks. I throw in a heater and QT is ready. It takes me twenty minutes to get it going tops.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I use an old 10 gal tank that we got for free during a lfs sale. I set it up without a substrate. Just a heater and the filter. I pull filter media from my 29 gal tank for an instant cycle. I don't use any of the water, just tap dechlorinated. If I know that I am going to be going to a lfs in a week or two I'll run the QT filter on one of our main tanks for at least a week prior.

 

[aharcara]

So, are you saying that you keep 2 filters running on your mail tank all the time, so that you always have one ready for a QT tank? I'm sorry if I'm misunderstanding this

Also, has anyone had success getting something from a pet store to seed your tank? I don't have any good bacteria source for a fishless cycle, and my kids will be really impatient if we have to wait 6 weeks to do it without some kinda of seed.

Thanks!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Aharcara- If I have the room, yes, I will run two at the same time. I also have a bag of media that fits the QT filter inside the 55 gal canister. It never hurts to be prepared.

I wouldn't trust taking any kind of media from a lfs, but that's just my opinion. Try to get ahold of Bio Spira. It's almost an instant cycle. You add fish the same time as the Bio Spira.