Beginner - Please Help!

[pitty24]

Hello everyone..happy to have joined a forum where i can get all the knowledge i will need to start and maintain a beautiful and healthy aquarium.As stated i am a noob...lol.Looking for any and all advice to start up a tank preferably a 55gL and nothing smaller than a 29gL so lets start from there.Cycling,water changes,filters,lighting,fish,plants etc.Wanna know anything and everything.Ive been doing research but wanna get info from experienced aquarist like yourselves.Will continue researching aswell.Have many questions with hope you can all help aid me in. Really interested more in a planted/aquascape type tank with tropical fish but open to any suggestions as money is an issue but will always look for deals.I appreciate everyone taking the time to read this and to help me out it means alot

 

[mrvincent]

The best is to read before you buy. I recommand you go with a 29g, or you'll fast want to upgrade the 15g. It's easier to deal with mistakes, dosing, etc.

A little low tech 10g is always good for QT before introducing fishs to the tank.

Cycling: Read on the subject. For a first tank, I recommand fishless cycling with ammonia source.

Filtration: Depends on the planned stocking and the total water volume.
Filtration type: depends if you plan plants or not. Unplanted tanks are best with HOB.

Lighting power: Depends if you plan planted tank or not.
Lighting time (photoperiod): Depends on the light power and type.

Fishs: You must choose fishs that won't fight together, there's a lot of builds you can do. Some prefer lot of schooling fishs, some prefer 1 or 2 bigger fishs. Nano fishs are fun as you can keep them with shrimps.

Temperature: Depends on the fishs type you choose

PH/KH: Try to choose fishs that fit the tap PH/KH.

Bring a sample of your tap to the lfs to see if it contains ammonia or nitrates and to know the KH value, so you can early prevent future problems.

Picking fishs: Choose fishs that look healty and that are not kept in tanks where some fishs are dead/sick.

 

[BettaMan01]

Btw, petco right now is doing $1 per gallon aquarium you get so that's a pretty good deal go check that out

 

[pitty24]

not 15g a 55g..was thinking bout what bettaman said about petcos $1 a gallon deal and not sure what size tank to get want atleast a 29g or should i get a 40 or 55g? heard that a bigger tank is easier to take care for what do u guys think?once i get the tank i can go from there help me decide what to get guys lol

 

[pip walters]

Always et the biggest you can afford as, yes, larger volumes are easier to care for because changes in water quality tend to be more gradual and can be dealt with before they get to dangerous levels. Good filtration is essential.

If you go for the fishless cycle, you would be better IMO to dose with no more than 1ppm ammonia, not the commonly suggested 4ppm. This will enable the cycle to get going more quickly.

 

[philipraposo198]

i just got into fish keeping as well. I was like you, knew nothing and was and still am very excited.

I was concidering 55g but ended up with a 75g because i found some great deals on good filtration and heater so the jump wasn't any more money. I bought alot of stuff used.

I spent 2-3 months researching before buying though, I suggest you do the same. Planning is key!! Decide whether you want planted or not, and what kind of fish. maybe you want a cichlid tank, or maybe a community.

decide on your budget and stick to it. stuff adds up very fast. rushing into this will only cost you more and end up with dead fish.

 

[mrvincent]

not 15g a 55g..was thinking bout what bettaman said about petcos $1 a gallon deal and not sure what size tank to get want atleast a 29g or should i get a 40 or 55g? heard that a bigger tank is easier to take care for what do u guys think?once i get the tank i can go from there help me decide what to get guys lol

Yo dawg, just take the 55g, you won't regret it !

 

[pitty24]

thanks every for the replies am most likely going with the 55g...need some setup ideas as well as fish ideas open to any reply lmk what u guys think a good set up would be im talking filter,lighting,fish,substrate the works give me some ideas to build on

 

[Sgtdap]

I am starting my first tank as well but I already have a 35g. I want to upgrade to a 75g down the road but we will see how this goes!

You will need a heater, filter, substrate, lighting, and chemicals/testers to get started.

I just purchased an Eheim Jager 125w heater on Amazon (you might want a slightly larger one 150-200w), an AquaClear 70 filter (this could work for you too, but you might want two filters as well) from Petsmart since they matched Petco's sale on it this week. Aqueon Water Changer, SeaChem Prime and an API Master Test Kit on Amazon, and ordered Pool Filter Sand from Ace Hardware. Add some decorations and you should be good to start.

Are you wanting to do fishless or fish-in cycling? I was advised to pick up some ammonia while at Ace to for a fishless cycle.

I already have a basic fluorescent light with the tank but I will get a new 24" light that is plant ready but I haven't started my research on this yet to see what I want. (24" so I can get two for my future upgrade of a 48"L 75g tank)

 

[mrvincent]

thanks every for the replies am most likely going with the 55g...need some setup ideas as well as fish ideas open to any reply lmk what u guys think a good set up would be im talking filter,lighting,fish,substrate the works give me some ideas to build on

Fluval C4... If you plan plants then go for a canister like an Eheim 2215 or 2217.

Heater 100 - 150w is enough for 55. Depends if you plan discus, I would say dual 100w heater in case one fails.

Light fixture, choose any if you don't plan plants, else you'll need to read on the subject...

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Well first of all, welcome to the forum!
As other members ave said, it is always advisable for a beginner to start with the largest volume they can afford
Plus, you have the option of going community or I african cichlids which in that case I would recommend a community to you
Welcome!

 

[pitty24]

just picked up the 55g from petco for the $1 a gallon with a $5 coupon lol but its not that wide maybe 12in is that the standard size? will need two 24in lights might not do planted to begin still not sure maybe a community tank with fish at all levels or cichlid tank also kinda like oscars any suggestions would be great i heard that from a couple ppl that i dont need a heater since i live in florida is that true? would any of those filters work for that kind of set up? any others to suggest? heard that u need double the tank filtration is that also true?

 

[BettaMan01]

I was at petco today, my fiancé had to hold my wallet so I wouldn't buy a bunch of on sale stuff like those tanks haha.
I'm pretty sure that's standard so it'll go well in most rooms without taking up a ton of room outwards

 

[Sgtdap]

Your filter should be able to filter all the water in the tank at least 3-4 times an hour, some people will say more. The Floral C4 and AquaClear 70 will both handle it but it is nice to have a second just in case your first has an issue. More won't hurt and can only agitate the surface more for more oxygen saturation which is nice.
Keep an eye on you water temp as it will be a few degrees cooler than your home. Some fish will need warmer water

Sent from my XT907 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Double filtration is good
I would start with a community so you can plant it if you wish

 

[philipraposo198]

I would look up some pics of planted tank vs pure cichlid tanks and see what you like better.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

I would look up some pics of planted tank vs pure cichlid tanks and see what you like better.

That's a good idea, or post a thread for people to show you planted and cichlid tanks

 

[Spencer1044]

It seems you have the basics by now. So first you need to decide live or fake plants. I personally like live more natural get bigger than fake and add O2 to the water. If you go with live then you are going to want to get substrate that act as a fertilizer to the plants. You do not need to buy the most expensive one. I recommend at least 1 pound of substrate per gallon. Another thing live plants need are good lighting. The brighter the lighting is generally the more healthy your plants will be. Plants also need Co2 wich you can buy a pressurized Co2 system or I can post something on how to make one. Although you don't need one it will still help your plants out greatly. Keep light on for 12 hours. Fake plants dont need any of this.

Next thing is what to put in the tank. Driftwood is a natural looking decoration and is good for hiding places and provides food to bottom feeders. Rocks add color and make the tank have a more natural appearance. Make sure to have plenty of hiding places. I like to take oddly shaped rocks and turn them into archways for the fish. Next you need a background you can go for a solid color or a natural looking one. The darker the color the more calm the fish will be.

Lastly is fish. I tend to like community tanks alot more. 1 in of fish per gallon. The smaller the fish you get the more fish you can have. Schooling fish should be kept in groups of 5-20 fish. Dont for get to have difference in color like dont get all black fish. And then have at-least have 1 type of algae eater wether it be snails or a pleco. The are all up to you and what you like.

Tips:
1. You can get rocks from out side (i like dried up river beds best rocks) boil them in hot water for at least 10 minutes
2: dont overload on fish
3: dont let the store employees persuade you. Go in with a plan on what you are getting.
4: CHANGE YOUR WATER!
5: Dont give up. Even if everything just isn't working dont give up. You will get there.

I hope this help. Have fun and good luck with fish keeping.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

For live plants:
I have a 55 that has the lights that can with the plant, don't add co2, add only root tabs, and the plants are ultra healthy it doesn't necessarily need to be a costly, sophisticated tank, if course if you have the money you can

 

[Spencer1044]

It doesn't cost that much and i was talking about harder to keep plants. Basicly the cooler looking ones