Help me get started shopping/planning?

[K.Lyfe]

I am seriously beyond overwhelmed by the amount of information out there for setting up a new tank. I'm VERY new to this, and I really want to do it right! Basically this is your chance to turn me into a good little fishkeeper.

I am still deciding between a 5.5 and a 10 gal (I don't have space for any more furniture in my room, so I'm limited to what is safe to stand on my dresser).

I know there's more to it than that!

I know I need a water conditioner for chlorine, etc. I was planning to use Prime by seachem?

That's about all I know!

I'd like to have a live-planted tank. I think this means I need sand as a substrate? What plants would be good for a beginner in a small tank?

Filters, heaters, cleaning equipment... please help! I'd like whatever equipment to be as quiet as feasible.

Also, for tanks - If I have to stick to the 5 gallon, would a small rectangular tank or a semicircle-shaped tank be better?

What would be my stocking options for a 5 gal? I'm thinking a betta and a snail or some shrimp... Do I have any other options?

Same for a 10 gal - what would live happily in that?

I've had horses for years, and they don't concern me half as much as the prospect of a bunch of tiny fish!

 

[Eggheadfish]

Hi K,
It can definitely be intimidating to start! But you'll get the hang of it.
In terms of tank size, most people will say the bigger the better for two reasons. One being that the water chemistry is typically easier to keep steady (ie: if you have to wait an additional day to clean a 55g versus a 10g, harmful things like nitrates won't climb as high as fast - but keep in mind this also depends on your stock), and the other is you have more choices for stocking. Some people may argue the tank size versus water chemistry bit but as a beginner, I believe it's a better bet.
If it were up to me, I would do the ten. Rectangular tanks are easier to clean IMO.
As for the rest, you'll get a lot of different opinions.
1) lighting - this is totally dependent on preferences. Do you know what type of plants you want to keep? The lighting requirements of the plants will help us to make suggestions. Low light beginner plants like anubias and java fern can usually do just fine with and incandescent or flourescent fixture like the ones you normally see set up on the bare tanks in the pet store. You can always upgrade later!
2) heater - a 50w submersible should be fine. There are heaters that stay at a constant temp (tetra 50w) or ones that you can adjust. Which kind should depend on the optimum temp range for your fish. Either way, I like submersibles better because you can set them horizontally which helps with temperature regulation.
3) filter - again, a preference thing. I've used a tetra whisper on a ten gallon, and it was definitely quiet but I just hated the filter. A smaller Aqua Clear could work, or you could consider a sponge filter (air driven). I prefer sponges for smaller tanks but they do take up valuable real estate. I posted a link in this forum for a good website to help make decisions about filters if you search for it.
3.5) substrate - depends on your plant choice and preferences. With beginner plants I would suggest some type of sand. It's easier to keep clean. The plants mentioned above can be set in sand but need the rhizome above the substrate to survive, or you can tie them to decorations.
4) lid - do you want a lid on your tank? If your fish will jump or you have a cat or whatever this is something else to think about.
5) chemicals etc - yes, you need a dechlorinater and prime is said to be the best. I've also use the kordon brand as well. You should also invest in a water test kit (API), especially since the tank is new
6) other - ok so, decorations, nets, medications, food, cleaning supplies (scrubbers and siphons), air pumps tubing and air stones, these are all optional (ok maybe not a net and food) but things to think about stocking up front. God forbid your fish comes home with a parasite or whatever and you have to run out frantically to get meds. Airstones are cool additions but not required, it helps with gas exchange but up to you. You could always add one later. Just stuff to think about. For cleaning supplies you should get something to scrub the glass and something to do water changes/substrate vacuuming with.

Get a power strip. Your lights, filter, and heater each need a plug at a minimum.

As for setting up the tank - there are tons of threads on here regarding cycling methods, pros and cons, etc. IMO, using seeded media is best but depends on your options.

It may help if you have some idea on what you want to put in the tank (plants and fish) then we can nail down the rest!
10g can be home to shrimp, a betta, Pygmy cories, celestial pearl danios, rasboras, some tetras or livebearers, snails, etc.
Smaller than that the recommendation is usually a betta or shrimp. Possibly a puffer but I'm not familiar with them.

 

[ppo8820]

Go with the 10. 5 gallon tanks are a Pain in the rear. They need frequent water changes, and can become unstable quickly. In a 10, you can have a betta, some snails or shrimp (if your betta permits it) or even get something like fancy guppies, or platties. Lots more options with a 10 gallon.

 

[Mebbid]

I agree, go with a 10g if at all possible. They are cheap and not too difficult to maintain.


Cycling
Here is a link for cycling your aquarium. This is the exact same article I used when I entered the hobby and it worked great for me

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

Plants
Planted tanks get super expensive really quick if you want to move beyond a low light planted tank. Generally, the higher the light, the more problematic algae becomes and the more time you have to spend on maintenance.

Low light tanks are easy and have some very nice plants that are available. Bolbitis, Java fern, Java moss, Anubias, and Cryptocorynes (Crypts) are all excellent beginner plants that are very hard to kill. None of them need any special substrate or fertilizers with the exception of the Crypts which will need root tabs.

Here is a more comprehensive low light plant list
Excellent List of Low Light Plants

 

[Tacit Blues]

I'll just add that 1) for a small tank it would probably be worth buying a bag of ecocomplete substrate if you're going planted (one bag is like 20 bucks and should be just fine for a 10 gallon tank and more than enough for a 5 and 2) I really really like both my crypts and my anubias for low light plants.