First tank slowly coming together

[tiktak559]

Hello everyone I new to this forum and new to the tank life all together. I've been working on my new planted aquarium the last few weeks so decided to share it. It's a 40 gallon breeder with diy co2 for now going to upgrade soon. Still haven't added fish yet hopefully will be getting the first few fish this weekend. I'm thinking of picking up about 8-10 cardinal tetras and probably a bushy nose pleco this weekend the tank has been cycling the last couple weeks. Would it be ok to add those at the same time and any tips on acclimating them to the tank?

 

[tiktak559]

I was also wondering when I do water changes does the new water need to the same temperature as the water already in the aquarium and can I just use straight tap water?

 

[wetfarticus]

Im glad you posted this thread. I have a 55 gal that i am setting up. Also new to the hobby. Im going planted as well. Im sure i have everything i need to fill and start cycling. I just can't pull the trigger and do it. Afraid im forgetting something. Like the setup you have done. Its a lot like what im thinking for mine. Black substrate and driftwood. Still deciding on plants. Going to use Co2 booster liquid until i can save up for an injection system. Looks good though.
Being a noob myself I couldn't give you an answer to your questions. I have heard that you should only add a few fish at a time to allow time for the tank to adjust to the addition of the waste they generate. Dont know for sure. Good luck!

 

[Cold Canadian]

You cannot use straight tap water. You must put declorenator in the water to remove cholrine and other chemicals, that the treatment plant puts in. Those chemicals will kill fish if not removed.
Many people would say that you need to put in water that is the exact same temperature, I just make sure that the water is within a few degrees of what I keep my tank at.
On part of adding fish. It is suggested that you add the hardyest fish first, and only a few at a time so the tank is not overwhelmed by the new bio-load.
It is best to have patience, ten fish is way to many to add to a new tank at once. Cardinal tetras have a reputation of being a not so hardy fish, I would add the Plec first and hold off getting 1/3 the Cardinals for at least two days. Then a few days later again get another third then get the rest a few more days after that.
I would suggest a drip aclimitation, a quick Google could tell you all the pros and cons of different types of aclimitation.

I will touch on this subject again, because I have failed in it so many times. Fish keeping is not fast. We can't accomplish anything over night. Fish keeping is about making small changes and carefully observing to reach a final goal. Just because you go to a store to buy fish does not mean you should walk out with fish every time. If something seems fishy (pun intended) like the condition of other fish in the tank, what the employee is telling you or anything, it is usually best to be safe than sorry. I have easily wasted $300+ by not being patient enough. I hope my failer can be your saving grace.

 

[tiktak559]

You cannot use straight tap water. You must put declorenator in the water to remove cholrine and other chemicals, that the treatment plant puts in. Those chemicals will kill fish if not removed.
Many people would say that you need to put in water that is the exact same temperature, I just make sure that the water is within a few degrees of what I keep my tank at.
On part of adding fish. It is suggested that you add the hardyest fish first, and only a few at a time so the tank is not overwhelmed by the new bio-load.
It is best to have patience, ten fish is way to many to add to a new tank at once. Cardinal tetras have a reputation of being a not so hardy fish, I would add the Plec first and hold off getting 1/3 the Cardinals for at least two days. Then a few days later again get another third then get the rest a few more days after that.
I would suggest a drip aclimitation, a quick Google could tell you all the pros and cons of different types of aclimitation.

I will touch on this subject again, because I have failed in it so many times. Fish keeping is not fast. We can't accomplish anything over night. Fish keeping is about making small changes and carefully observing to reach a final goal. Just because you go to a store to buy fish does not mean you should walk out with fish every time. If something seems fishy (pun intended) like the condition of other fish in the tank, what the employee is telling you or anything, it is usually best to be safe than sorry. I have easily wasted $300+ by not being patient enough. I hope my failer can be your saving grace.

Thanks for the reply! Good thing because I probably would've gotten to many fish at once. I've been reading into Otto catfish thinking they might be better for my plants than the pleco. Any experience with those?

 

[Cold Canadian]

Yes I have three currently in a 65g tank. Yes I would agree with them being better to plants. But they are even less hardy then Cardinal tetras. With the way Otto's are collected only from wild they do not do well in a tank that is not well established (3 ish months old) they need enough algea in the tank to sustain them because they do not often know that a weird pellet is food, because they have never seen a pellet in nature.

What is your plant list?