Newbie Tank and Lots of Questions

[Bent Needle]

So this is my first ever fish tank. I posted how/why I decided to get into fishkeeping over in the introduction section so I'll spare you all that here, but I have a lot of questions. I've read and read and read on tanks, fish, and aquarium plants but feel like I'm mostly on information overload and can't figure out what will work best with what I have right now.

My tank is a 20 gallon long. Using Petco black gravel mixed with CaribSea Floramax (probably should have added more of the Floramax, in retrospect). Plants are java fern (which I know should be on driftwood...trying an experiment to see if it will wrap around the gravel when there are only a few pebbles holding it down) and water wisteria.

I don't think I have enough light for the plants. I have one T8 24" 17 watt bulb. The fish seemed a little scared by it the first day they were in the tank, which was the day after I added the plants (probably should have waited till the plants were established, I guess?). So it hasn't been on as much as it maybe should have been.

Do I need to add an airstone of some kind? I have my filter running in such a way that it splashes a little. You can see the bubbles in the picture. Is that enough?

I have two baby red wag platys, supposed to be female. Trying to avoid dealing with any baby fish right now. They seem happy enough, but they will explore the tank for awhile and then they go hide behind the castle next to the heater. After awhile they come out again. Is that normal? I have been keeping the water at about 78 degrees, is that good enough for them? I am terrified of hurting the poor little guys.

This is a link to a video of the tank today, right after about a 30% water change. This was the most active I had seen them - granted I have been at work during the day for the other two days I have had them and my husband said they had been out playing quite a bit in the afternoon. Does everything look normal?

Hopefully the pictures are formatted correctly, I haven't used a forum with this method of adding pictures before.

 

[librarygirl]

Hi and welcome! My replies below in blue....

So this is my first ever fish tank. I posted how/why I decided to get into fishkeeping over in the introduction section so I'll spare you all that here, but I have a lot of questions. I've read and read and read on tanks, fish, and aquarium plants but feel like I'm mostly on information overload and can't figure out what will work best with what I have right now.

My tank is a 20 gallon long. Using Petco black gravel mixed with CaribSea Floramax (probably should have added more of the Floramax, in retrospect). Plants are java fern (which I know should be on driftwood...trying an experiment to see if it will wrap around the gravel when there are only a few pebbles holding it down).
Java fern is ok in the gravel but yours is buried too deep; you want the rhizome on top of the substrate or else the plant will die. What other plants are in there? DId you get them from PetSmart or PetCo? They are notorious for selling semi-aquatic plants which will eventually rot. It looks like it might be Water Sprite, which is ok but it's hard to tell from the photo.

I don't think I have enough light for the plants. I have one T8 24" 17 watt bulb. The fish seemed a little scared by it the first day they were in the tank, which was the day after I added the plants (probably should have waited till the plants were established, I guess?). So it hasn't been on as much as it maybe should have been.
No, you can add plants anytime. Your light should be ok for low-light plants, the java fern should be ok and it'll depend on what the other plant is. Anubias is another low-light plant which prefers to be anchored to something but it can be buried in the substrate just don't bury the rhizome in the substrate or it will rot. The fish need time to get used to their surroundings. ALso your tank is pretty open so the fish might feel more secure with more hiding places (plants, caves, etc).

Also do you know about cycling? Letting the tank run doesn't cycle it, regardless what the people at the store told you. Two platys in a 20 long is a good start but don't add any more fish as you're doing a fish-in cycle now. A liquid test kit is a must. Read this guide, it'll explain cycling and what you must do to keep your fish safe: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

Do I need to add an airstone of some kind? I have my filter running in such a way that it splashes a little. You can see the bubbles in the picture. Is that enough? No, the water fall from the filter is more than sufficient. If it seems to bother the platys you can increase the water level some to decrease some of the splashing. As long as there is some surface rippling it's fine. You can add an air stone if you like them but they aren't really needed as long as the filter is providing some surface ripple.

I have two baby red wag platys, supposed to be female. Trying to avoid dealing with any baby fish right now. They seem happy enough, but they will explore the tank for awhile and then they go hide behind the castle next to the heater. After awhile they come out again. Is that normal? I have been keeping the water at about 78 degrees, is that good enough for them? I am terrified of hurting the poor little guys. Yes, they're new to the tank so they're getting used to things. Your temp is fine too. But read the link above on cycling; ammonia levels are going to rise which can also cause the fish to act oddly.

This is a link to a video of the tank today, right after about a 30% water change. This was the most active I had seen them - granted I have been at work during the day for the other two days I have had them and my husband said they had been out playing quite a bit in the afternoon. Does everything look normal? Yes, but again you need to test the water for ammonia. If they are more active after a water change it could be that there was some ammonia in the tank causing the fish to be uncomfortable and the new water lessened the ammonia level which made them feel better.

Hopefully the pictures are formatted correctly, I haven't used a forum with this method of adding pictures before.

 

[Bent Needle]

Thank you so, so much for answering! I really do want to get this off to a good start.

Java fern is ok in the gravel but yours is buried too deep; you want the rhizome on top of the substrate or else the plant will die. What other plants are in there? DId you get them from PetSmart or PetCo? They are notorious for selling semi-aquatic plants which will eventually rot. It looks like it might be Water Sprite, which is ok but it's hard to tell from the photo.

Ok, I moved it so that I can see the rhizome, there are just a few pebbles holding it down. The other one is Water Wisteria, and yes I did get them both at Petsmart.

ALso your tank is pretty open so the fish might feel more secure with more hiding places (plants, caves, etc).

I want to get some driftwood and some more rocks eventually, because I want to add a bristlenose catfish (so ugly they're adorable, at least in pictures) at some point. Maybe I should try making a rock cave for the platys.

Also do you know about cycling?

Yes and no. I am totally new to this so don't know what to look for as far as fish behavior, but I have been using an API Freshwater Master kit morning and evening since I added the fish, and added SeaChem Prime to the water when I filled the tank. My original water parameters were:

pH: 8.2
ammonia: 0 ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
nitrate: 0 ppm

Been checking the water morning and evening since adding the fish, and while the ammonia level has risen a bit (it was between .25 and .5, and I did a 40% water change when I got that reading) nothing else has changed. I did another water change this morning, about 30-40%, because the ammonia was back to .25-.5 on the color chart. The fish don't seem to act any differently at that level, should I let it rise higher?

I think I will do fishless cycling if I ever do another tank, I am way too stressed out worrying about my fish right now. I am perfectly willing to wait until everything is perfect before adding any more!

I think I am still getting used to normal fish behavior, too. Maybe they were just scared before, now they are out most of the time, swimming around and exploring the tank, even with the light on.

 

[librarygirl]

You're doing well! .5 is the highest I'd let ammonia go. Once it starts reading .5, do a 50% water change. Unfortunately cycling takes time and after the ammonia phase is the nitrite phase, so you'll be doing testing and water changes for a while. Just be diligent and your fish should make it through fine.

 

[Bent Needle]

Well, I think my tank is cycled! I'm having a bit of brown algae and the fish seem to be acting a bit weird though, so I have a couple more questions. Still just have the 2 platys.

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrites: 0 ppm
Nitrates: ~10 ppm

- Is it normal for fish to...um...take a long time to poop? As in, they trail it around for an hour or more. Gross. And it disturbs me because it makes me think they're constipated. Feeding too much? Too little?

- In the past few days, one of them has started throwing up food after eating it. It will nibble, swim for a couple seconds (literally), and then projectile food comes out its mouth, sometimes whole, sometimes "chewed."

- How can you tell if you're feeding too much or not enough? They don't really seem to have grown much since I got them (6 weeks ago), just changed their shape a bit. See video (with algae). Red Wag Platy Tank - 6 weeks - YouTube

- The algae is really bugging me. Can I get a bristlenose now?

 

[Wolfsblood]

Yep you are cycled. I don't know what it is about platies but they always seem to be pooping. I really dislike that about them. I would take a day per week to fast them. The best way to get rid of algae is water changes and scrubbing.

 

[Bent Needle]

I don't know what it is about platies but they always seem to be pooping. I really dislike that about them.

Well, that's sad. Oh well, they're really cute most of the time. Wish they'd get a little bigger though!

 

[Hholly]

I had a fish with parasites that did that. I would make sure they're healthy before you add a bristlenose.

 

[Bent Needle]

I had a fish with parasites that did that. I would make sure they're healthy before you add a bristlenose.

You mean the throwing up? How do I figure out if it's parasites? Can you treat for them?

 

[Hholly]

You mean the throwing up? How do I figure out if it's parasites? Can you treat for them?

No, dragging the poop around for long periods. Just watch for other symptoms. There are treatments. It's best if you know what they have before you treat. But if symptoms keep getting worse, go ahead. You might want to research the meds in advance in case you need them.

 

[Bent Needle]

Oh dear. Out come the reference books. They seem very happy aside from that, and they're always hungry. I have to resist feeding them every time I walk up to the glass, because they get all fluttery and come to stare at me.

 

[Hholly]

I actually saw the parasite in one of my fish.

 

[Fishperson]

Your tank seems to be cycled, and I don't know about the parasites or constipation. However, you should have added all of your decorations before you start cycling, the beneficial bacteria that live in your tank don't really swim around in the water, they cling on to gravel and decorations. If you add everything before you cycle, the bacteria will get all over everything.

 

[Bent Needle]

:-/ I wasn't going to add any more decorations, just some more plants once I decide what to do about my lighting (all the numbers and stuff are still confusing me). Some driftwood if I do get a bristlenose. Do I need more decor if my fish seem happy? I'm going to add more plants before I get more fish, for more hiding places.

 

[Fishperson]

Yes, you absolutely need more decor of some kind. Even though you will add more plants, a fish cannot hide in a plant. You could do something with rocks, maybe laying a flat one over two others to make a "bridge", or something like that. But your tank is very open.

 

[Bent Needle]

Hm. I guess I really didn't see that as an issue, since a lot of breeders leave their breeder tanks free of any decor. Granted, they aren't permanent homes for their fish, but still.

I would also think that once the plants are bigger (obviously, the "seedling" stage that mine are in right now doesn't offer much coverage) they would make perfect hiding places. Thick java ferns, hairgrass, etc. I would like to have some pretty rocks and drfitwood like I see in some of the amazing planted tanks on here, but I don't trust my aquascaping skills yet.

Hholly, what did you treat your fish's parasites with?

 

[Hholly]

Hholly, what did you treat your fish's parasites with?

Levamisol for camellanus.

 

[librarygirl]

I wouldn't treat unless you know for sure it's something bad; throwing meds into the tank an be detrimental to the biofilter that you just cultured and if the wrong med is used it can be useless. Is the poop white or stringy? Or is it the color of the fish food? If it's firm and the color of food I wouldn't worry about it too much yet. Overfeeding can be easy to do though so just make sure they're eating everything you give them within a few minutes. A day or two of fasting through the week can be a good idea too.

 

[ownedbycats]

My tank is finally reaching the reasonably thick plants stage, and the plants DO provide decent hiding places. How well is your water sprite doing? Has it grown much? It's a stem plant, so when it gets taller than you want it to be, trim it to the height you want it, and stick the trimmed off tops into your substrate. The trimmed plants will keep growing, and the tops you cut off and stuck in the soil will grow roots and become a new plant.

 

[Bent Needle]

I wouldn't treat unless you know for sure it's something bad; throwing meds into the tank an be detrimental to the biofilter that you just cultured and if the wrong med is used it can be useless. Is the poop white or stringy? Or is it the color of the fish food? If it's firm and the color of food I wouldn't worry about it too much yet. Overfeeding can be easy to do though so just make sure they're eating everything you give them within a few minutes. A day or two of fasting through the week can be a good idea too.

It was a little white one day, but usually it's kind of greenish (I feed spirulina enriched flakes). I did feed a tiny bit of brine shrimp before that, though. I don't think it qualifies as stringy, they just drag it around for a long time. Usually their food is gone in 1-2 minutes, and I feed twice a day. Is that good?

Also what about lighting for more plants? I'm using one 17 watt full spectrum from Aqueon right now. I'm going to stick with low to medium light plants but want to add about 6 more. Thinking of ordering the freshwater starter pack from LiveAquaria.

Feeling the itch for another tank already. Mentioned it to my other half this morning and nearly fell over when he said "Well, if you get another one you might as well make it a bigger one." Apparently he likes watching them, who knew? Lol.