New Aquarium Questions

[MikeIsOrganic]

I'm moving at the end of the month and was going to set up my first aquarium. When I was younger my parents kept fish and I've read a couple books on it in anticipation, so I'm not completely in the dark, but did want to make sure I was doing it right.

What I'm aiming for is a community fish tank, but also like cichlids and gouramis, which seems to naturally work against itself. I wanted it moderately planted, and plenty of caves which I'm sure the cichlids would be happy about. I was planning on between a 40-55 gallon tank. I have already picked up a filter for it (emperor 400 by marineland). All I have figured so far to have in it is 2-3 Peacock Cichlids and 6-8 Green Tiger Barbs, although I really like kribs and gouramis as well. Now for the questions:

What else would be happy with these fish? Would there be any gouramis or cichlids that would work in this set up? Any other ideas for stocking schemes that would fit along with those ideas? I've seen pleco's in most tanks, are they as necessary as some people say? What about a blue lobster in it's place?

When looking into cycling the tank, what are some opinions on it? I've read various ways of doing so and they all seem to contradict each other a bit. What I was thinking from what I've learned is no fish or plants for a day or so, then a few plants and a few hardy fish and testing the levels daily until there's no ammonia or nitrites, and adding a few at a time testing regularly after additions and probably weekly at water changes otherwise. Does that seem reasonable? and if so, what are some hardy fish for cycling that may work in this tank?

I also wanted a few plants in the tank, fearing most cichlids would destroy them, what would be easiest to keep alive? About planting plants, is planting them potted a much better way of going about it? What about attaching them to rocks? In regards to rocks and decorations, are there any that I should avoid or especially look for?

As far as the water goes, I'm planning on doing weekly 1/3 water changes. Is it recommended to treat the water before it goes into the tank? I live in Houston Texas and know that there are both chlorine and chloramines in our water. Is there anything I should treat the water for other than those, and at what times and how often?

Anything else I should know? What are some mistakes that a lot of beginners make? Any advice would be welcomed and appreciated. Thanks!

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA! You've come to the right place to get your questions answered.

About your fish selection, cichlids for the most part need to be kept in a species only tank, which would rule out the gouramis like you mentioned. They just wouldn't survive the aggression that cichlids have. Plecos would probably be okay with them, although i have no experience with cichlids personally.

As for cycling your tank, please read this article on fishless cycling.
Tips and tricks for your fastest fishless cycle!
Especially with cichlids I think you'll want to go this route. It takes a little time, but once it's done the tank is completely safe for your fish and you can stock all at once with what you want to keep. If you cycle with "hardy" fish, it requires a lot of work for several months to keep things inhabitable and running, meaning daily water changes, etc, to get everything locked in right. A fishless cycle can take only a few weeks and once it's done, you're set and don't have to worry.

Always treat new water when adding it to your tank. Prime is the dechloronator of choice, and has many benefits and does a great job. If you can't pre-treat the water, then treat the whole tank while you add the fresh water, that works just as well and is much simpler to do.

 

[Purrbox]

You will need to treat your water with a good dechlorinator that handles both chlorine and chloramine. My personal preferance it to use Prime since it is very economical.

I would recommend either doing a fishless cycle and adding the fish and plants afterwards, or a silent cycle by planting heavily to start including fast growing stem plants and slowly adding fish. Your current plan could end up exposing the fish to high ammonia and nitrite levels (depending how you define a few fish) and would probably result in a Green Water bloom.

It is possible to keep cichlids in a planted aquarium. I'm not sure which varieties would work, but Travis Simonson has a beautifully planted cichlid aquarium. He's stated in the past that the key is being more stubborn than your fish.

Some plants like Anubias and Java Ferns are excellantly suited to being tied to rocks or driftwood. I'm personally not a fan of keeping plants in pots, but with your situation it may be helpful to protect the plants. Part of your plant options will depend on how much light you're going to have over the aquarium.

 

[rich311k]

It really depends on what kind of cichlids you want. Rams, apistos, key holes, festivums, angels etc. do fine in a planted tank and would be fine with a gourami.