complete newbie

[fishy friend]

hi all, i am a complete beginner when it comes to keeping tropical fish, I was given a 60 ltr tank a few days ago which has been used continuously for some time so is well circulated, i have a heater to keep the temp to 24 degrees and also running with a filter.

in the tank i have 5 blue neons, 4 penguin tetras, 3 albino black widows, 3 black widows and a guppy, i feed them once a day is this right?

with regards to lighting is there a limit to the amount of time i should have the light on for or is it a matter of personal choice?

how often should i change the water in the tank? should it be a full change or say 50% each time?

would it be benafecial to the fish to put a live plant in the tank or would that be to much too soon seeing as im a begginer?

would it be to many fish if i was to increase my tank too 20 fish? if not what other species do you reccomend that will integrate well with the species i have already?

i could pose many more questions but i think these are the main ones i need answering first.. bu please if you have anymore tips or information please share as im eager to learn. i look forward to all your responses

 

[Andrew McFadden]

hi all, i am a complete beginner when it comes to keeping tropical fish, I was given a 60 ltr tank a few days ago which has been used continuously for some time so is well circulated, i have a heater to keep the temp to 24 degrees and also running with a filter.

in the tank i have 5 blue neons, 4 penguin tetras, 3 albino black widows, 3 black widows and a guppy, i feed them once a day is this right?

with regards to lighting is there a limit to the amount of time i should have the light on for or is it a matter of personal choice?

how often should i change the water in the tank? should it be a full change or say 50% each time?

would it be benafecial to the fish to put a live plant in the tank or would that be to much too soon seeing as im a begginer?

would it be to many fish if i was to increase my tank too 20 fish? if not what other species do you reccomend that will integrate well with the species i have already?

i could pose many more questions but i think these are the main ones i need answering first.. bu please if you have anymore tips or information please share as im eager to learn. i look forward to all your responses

in the tank i have 5 blue neons, 4 penguin tetras, 3 albino black widows, 3 black widows and a guppy, i feed them once a day is this right?

-Just a little bit each day but it won't kill them to miss a day.


with regards to lighting is there a limit to the amount of time i should have the light on for or is it a matter of personal choice?

- personal choice to an extent. My lights are on for 10 hours, I try and mimic the sun light.


how often should i change the water in the tank? should it be a full change or say 50% each time?

Imo it depends on how your water tests and everyone here has different beliefs. Two 25% water changes a week is what everyone swears by. But if your way under stocked and/or have lots of plants 1 30% change a week would probably be plenty.



would it be benafecial to the fish to put a live plant in the tank or would that be to much too soon seeing as im a begginer?

- it will help with everything


would it be to many fish if i was to increase my tank too 20 fish? if not what other species do you reccomend that will integrate well with the species i have already?

Sounds like a lot just saying but I cant help on this question.

 

[fishy friend]

Thankyou for answering all my questions

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Thankyou for answering all my questions

No problem

 

[librarygirl]

hi all, i am a complete beginner when it comes to keeping tropical fish, I was given a 60 ltr tank a few days ago which has been used continuously for some time so is well circulated, i have a heater to keep the temp to 24 degrees and also running with a filter.

in the tank i have 5 blue neons, 4 penguin tetras, 3 albino black widows, 3 black widows and a guppy, i feed them once a day is this right?

with regards to lighting is there a limit to the amount of time i should have the light on for or is it a matter of personal choice?

how often should i change the water in the tank? should it be a full change or say 50% each time?

would it be benafecial to the fish to put a live plant in the tank or would that be to much too soon seeing as im a begginer?

would it be to many fish if i was to increase my tank too 20 fish? if not what other species do you reccomend that will integrate well with the species i have already?

i could pose many more questions but i think these are the main ones i need answering first.. bu please if you have anymore tips or information please share as im eager to learn. i look forward to all your responses

Hi and welcome

If your tank has only been running a few days it hasn't cycled yet, and with all of those fish you're going to see high levels of ammonia which you'll need to keep on top of with frequent water changes. You really have too many fish for a new tank.

You need to get a good liquid test kit, API master is best--- don't get strips as they aren't accurate. Until you get a test kit, I'd do a 50% water change daily with a good dechlorinator, whatever you have on hand now is fine, but if you can get seachem prime at some point it's one of the better ones out there.

I suggest you read the following link, it explains cycling: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/ and it should answer most of you're other questions too.

You're also fully stocked in my opinion. Watch the penguin tetras, they can get aggressive toward other fish sometimes.

 

[fishy friend]

Hi and welcome

If your tank has only been running a few days it hasn't cycled yet, and with all of those fish you're going to see high levels of ammonia which you'll need to keep on top of with frequent water changes. You really have too many fish for a new tank.

You need to get a good liquid test kit, API master is best--- don't get strips as they aren't accurate. Until you get a test kit, I'd do a 50% water change daily with a good dechlorinator, whatever you have on hand now is fine, but if you can get seachem prime at some point it's one of the better ones out there.

I suggest you read the following link, it explains cycling: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/ and it should answer most of you're other questions too.

You're also fully stocked in my opinion. Watch the penguin tetras, they can get aggressive toward other fish sometimes.

Hi there firstly thankyou for welcoming me....

As for the tank it has been cycled as it was from somebody that has kept tropical fish for a number of years.. They assured me it was ready to top with water and place my fish, there was already 6 in there when I got it.. Thankyou for the suggestions of kits to buy, ive steered well clear of dip tests ive read so many post from people saying not too use them.

Cheers for the heads up on the penguin tetra, so far my fish are all swimming in there groups but they do swim freely from time to time and so far not experianced any issues but will now keep my eye out