10-12 gallon tank new can u help??

[ebster]

I am just starting please help

I am getting a fresh water tank 10 to 12 gallon tank what should I have in it if you have any advice please help this is fresh water tank. What things should I buy like lights plants ect.... I am thinking of getting some guppies and are their fresh water sponges, and crabes. If you have anything you want to say email me at ebster27@yahoo.com I would like some shrimp in this tank.... maybe tetra's, and shrimp what do you think ??????

 

[AlonelyCody]

Welcome to AA !!

Do you mean like filter, heater and lighting? or as for what type of fish, plants ect.. ?

 

[Menagerie]

[center:f40120933f] Welcome to AA, ebster! [/center:f40120933f]

10 to 12 gallon tank what should I have in it if you

What kind of fish interest you? This is a small tank and will fill up on bioload quickly. If you like guppies, then go with guppies.

For a tropical tank, you will need a 50 watt heater and a filter with a turn over rating of at least 60 gph. You can buy a top to fit the tank and ask the store which ones come with a light.

What things should I buy like lights plants ect.

Do you want real plants, or fake plants? I have been keeping fish for a couple of years now, but only recently started using live plants. It's up to the individual.

fresh water sponges, and crabes.

No sponges and I would not add crabs to this tank. Crabs are better suited to a species only tank. They will eat fish when the fish are resting. If you want something fun and different, dwarf frogs or glass shrimp are the way to go.

 

[goldylox]

African dwarf frogs are fun and easy to care for. I had two in my first tank. They can be little nippy IMO though so I wouldn't put them with small fish.

I like fake plants myself and in terms of fish I like tetras because they look neat when the school.

Good luck!

 

[ebster]

i mean what type of tank should i get like heater, filter, lighting etc

 

[Chilly Willy]

I think we the "Experienced" advice givers give adive they should use laymens terms. When I first posted here I didn't have a clue what anyone was saying in my topics.

Almost scared me away talking about bioloads and turn of rating and all the initials!

No offense Menagerie I find you to be extremly knowledgable this wasn't directed at you personally

I just find it difficult as an aquarium newbie to understand right away what experienced hobbiest are talking about. I've learned alot but still get lost quite often with all the lingo.

I'm sure other unexperienced and unaware fish lovers get nervous when they post about buying a tank and throwing fish in there right away and get replies that look like Spanglish.

This is in no way intended to throw slaps at anyone just giving "maybe" the side of us newbies.

 

[Menagerie]

i mean what type of tank should i get like heater, filter, lighting etc

First you need to decide on the size of tank. Standard sizes are 10, 15 high 20 and 20 high. From your post, that's the size range you are looking at. You can buy tank kits with the filter and heater included. This is the easiest way to go, but can be more expensive. The last tank kit I bought was at Petsmart and I was impressed. The filter and heater were good names. For a tank of this size, a HOB filter is the way to go. If you go with a 10 gal aquarium you will need a 50 watt heater, a 15 gal needs 75 W, and a 20 gal needs 100 W. I recommend Ebo Jager or Visatherm heaters.
As far as filtration goes, their are three HOB filters most members like: AquaClear, Whisper, Bio-Wheel. Read this thread for reviews: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=40887&start=0
I cannot of the top of my head tell you which filter has the gallon per hour turn over you need. The manufactor's websites will have that information (just google it ).
You will also need a dechlorinator, often called water conditioners. Just read the bottles to make sure they take care of chloride and chloramine.
Those are the basics.

Now for the fun part
Read about the Nitrogen cycle and how to cycle your fish the fishless way.

Then ASK LOTS of questions. If something doesn't make sense, you need to speak up (you too Chilly).

Through all this, you also need to decide what fish you want to keep. Browse through members galleries, the LFS, complile a list and post it. We can tell you if the fish you like are compatable and able to live well in the tank size you choose.

 

[Menagerie]

I am moving and merging this to avoid duplicate posts.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

For Lighting I would go with Flourescent, the appearance I find is nicer and more even.

Heater, a 75 will do quite well (bigger is not necessarily better, but smaller is not good)

Filter, a PowerFilter, such as TetraWhisper 20, or Penguin mini (rated at 100GPH)

For Shrimp, glass shrimp are good, they are feeders so they are cheap and look pretty neat in a tank aswell.

Petsmart is a good place to start when looking, they also have kits but most come with incandescent lighting (regular lightbulbs)

Also a thermometer should be picked up.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Tetra's and Guppies are great for beginners. They are hardy fish and can be kept in larger numbers since they stay relatively small. The larger the tank that you have, the easier it is to maintain. I've found that our 55 gal is easier than our 10. You should try Ghost Shrimp if you are wanting shrimp. They are cheap and pretty entertaining. For plants, it's your call. If you want to grow your own, it will take a little bit more work. We use fake because we tend to move ours around every couple weeks. Plastic works just as good.