my first fish tank on my own

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burnttrees

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Nov 6, 2013
Messages
1
Location
Portland Or.
I am new to the taking care of a fish tank on my own. I had a couple over the years that my parents or others looked after but none myself.
I liked the idea of an aquatic garden and my friend gave me a couple of the plants she had in excess in her fish tank (not sure what type of plant)along with her old water pump (penguin 170) it needs to be rebuilt the one of the blue slide bearings for the bio wheel is missing but my tank cycled without the bio wheel in place or even the filter being replaced for over a year (my friend didn't do that as often as it should have been done)
the other day I purchased an API freshwater master test kit and when everything tested decided to go pick up a couple of snails since the algae on the side of the tank was getting to be a bit much for my taste. This was supposed to be a water garden not a fish tank but it would seem that it is best to do it right and both go hand in hand i have to admit i need more plants now as the ones i have look sparse in the tank:(. i decided to buy 4 rams horn snails from a pet shop not knowing what i was getting into the snails i now know where under nourished and lacking in calcium so i have added 1/3 of a cuttle bone to the water filter and the algae in the tank should keep them for a few more days at least before i have to add the food discs that i got with them. the owner of the store was really nice and gave me 6 of the snails and some duck weed and the disks for about $3 when i got home i placed the snails in the tank (letting the get acclimated first) and to my surprise one of the laid eggs that same hour. since then i have found about 8 more clusters of eggs in the tank and have been told depending on there condition i may be able to either give them away to people or to pet shops as people with puffer fish and other types of fish may be interested in them.
I was intending to pick up some amano shrimp because i was understanding they are good at controlling black beard algae but for the time being until the tank gets used to the changes made in the last 24 hours i am not going to add anything else.

I am planning on picking up test strips for the tank for a quick and easy test of ph and everything else and not using the master kit unless something is off to the point that i need a specific reading on something (sorry i am kind of lazy)

there are 4 submerged plants (i think java ferns) and some river moss thats been cleaned and in a container of its own for over a month without any kind of negative growth

please ask i a know i am missing something but i am not sure what atm
 
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