Greetings! Could use some recommendations...

[GGIII]

So I took the plunge (no pun intended, seriously) and bough a 29 Gallon kit today from the local Petsmart. I had an aquarium when I was a small child and have always wanted another.

So, I'm to the point now that my AQ is (at least, from what I was told) ready to accept it's first fish.

FYI: I'm on well water and it's a Fresh Water AQ I'm shooting for.

So... I know that I need to add fish gradually (to help bring the Ammonium cycle into check) and I've done some reading (both here and other FAQs.)

I would love to add live-growth plants to the tank (as I gather that they make for happier/less stressed fish and a much more pleasing look) with my first fish. Is this acceptable? Should I stagger the plants in just as I would stagger in new fish? Do you have some plant recommendations/tips?

As far as my first fish go, what do you think I should try? I'd love to fill the tank out (eventually) with some more tropical fish (especially the Barbs/Cory/etc.) What about the, so-called, "algae eaters?" I know they don't eat strictly algae, but are they a good idea to have in the tank?



I know there are a lot of questions here and I appreciate all the help. Thanks!

 

[Elle2]

Welcome to AA! You will be very glad you found this forum- I am new too and the fabulous people here have walked me through every step with answers to every question imaginable.

Others will have much more information, but since I am in the west and up later than many (and you seem to be too) I may as well post the link to the fishless cycle article that will give you great advice on how to get your tank ready in a much more humane way than starting with fish.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

Not only will cycling your aquarium this way mean that no fish will be exposed to harmful ammonia and nitrites, but it will mean a lot less work for you as you will have to do partial water changes every 1-2 days if you start with fish, but likely not at all if you go the fishless route.

I cycled with dead shrimp as suggested in the article, but many here cycle by dosing ammonia directly. Take a look at the article (it says its for salt water but it applies to FW as well), and then fire away your questions and you are sure to get tons of help.

good luck!

Elle
p.s. I cycled with live plants and as far as I know there is no reason to stagger their introduction (they may effect some of your Nitrite or Nitrate readings- but someone else will be able to tell you more about this). And you probably won't want to start of with algae eating fish right away unles you are pretty sure you have a good algae source.

 

[noncentric]

So I took the plunge (no pun intended, seriously) and bough a 29 Gallon kit today from the local Petsmart. I had an aquarium when I was a small child and have always wanted another.

So, I'm to the point now that my AQ is (at least, from what I was told) ready to accept it's first fish.

May I ask who told you the tank is ready for fish? I'd be wary if it was a PetSmart employee. Elle has already provided a link for fishless cycling, and here are a couple other sites that provide more information:
http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_articles.php?cid=5
http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_articles.php?cid=31

An aquarium will be "cycled" when ammonia and nitrite are zero, and nitrates are 5+.

Since you have a PetSmart nearby, then you can get the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit from them. Print this page, bring it to the store, and have them do a price-match so you pay the online price ($13.49) rather than the in-store price (near $30): http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...1149497287272&itemNo=2&In=Fish&N=2030068&Ne=2

I would love to add live-growth plants to the tank (as I gather that they make for happier/less stressed fish and a much more pleasing look) with my first fish. Is this acceptable? Should I stagger the plants in just as I would stagger in new fish? Do you have some plant recommendations/tips?

Having live plants is great. They will help consume ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates - and they will make the fish much happier if you decide to do a fish-in cycle (rather than a fishless cycle). Many planted tanks will have milder ammonia/nitrite spikes, and some heavily planted tanks won't even show observable spikes.

However, since you purchased a kit from the store, then it's likely your tank's lighting is sufficient for only low-light plants. You may want to read up on planted tanks, especially the watts-per-gallon (wpg) requirement and the spectrum of the bulbs. You can check out the planted tank forum here and this website: http://www.rexgrigg.com/

As far as my first fish go, what do you think I should try? I'd love to fill the tank out (eventually) with some more tropical fish (especially the Barbs/Cory/etc.) What about the, so-called, "algae eaters?" I know they don't eat strictly algae, but are they a good idea to have in the tank?

As Elle suggested, you may want to wait until your tank has some algae before adding any algae eaters. If/when you do get some, then try to avoid "Chinese Algae Eaters" and plecostomus (although clown or bristlenose plecos would be okay. As adults, CAE's get aggressive and don't eat algae as much as when they're young. Most pleco species will get too big for your tank.

Some better choices for algae eaters are "Siamese Algae Eaters", Otocinclus catfish (otos), cherry shrimp, amano shrimp, flagfish (Jordanella floridae), and black mollies. These species have some preferences in what types of algae they eat, so research them first to make sure you're getting the best match for your conditions.

Also, be sure to research the types of fish you're interested in before buying them - to make sure they're a good fit with the rest of the tankmates. Barbs, except for cherry barbs, are semi-aggressive and need to be kept in groups of at least 5.

Well, let us know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

 

[GGIII]

So let me make sure I'm reading this right (I don't want to harm the fish): If I do a decently planted AQ, I should have no real issues with a fish-cycle?


Thanks for the speedy replies, guys. I'll be here regularly from now on, looks like. ^_^

 

[Elle2]

Well.... it might reduce the amount of ammonia and nitrites but I suspect you will still have to do almost daily water changes. Also, (like me) if you bought your tank as a package, as noncentric mentioned, you will be fairly limited as to what kind of plants you can get. www.plantgeek.com was recommended to me- it will tell you what plants are 'low-light'. I would still strongly recommend trying the fishless cycle. It may test your patience a little but at the same time it gives you lots of time to research and plan your tank.. and you can always buy plants instead of fish while you wait. Also, since you will only be able to have 2-3 small fish of a particular type (ie. danios, some hardy tetras) if you start with fish, it isn't that much of a test of patience to wait out a fishless cycle.

But the really big benefit will be no daily water changes (I didn't have to do a single water change during my cycle), and having an aquarium that is completely ready for the fish you actually want. My cycle was completely done in 3 weeks, so its really not so bad.

 

[Jchillin]

Hi GGGIII and welcome to AA!

You will get a lot of mileage regarding your plant questions if you post them in the "Planted tank" forum. There are quite a few plant experts there.

In answer to your question, you would need a "heavy" plant load to avoid a cycle. What that basically does is take your filter out of the equation as far as the biological part is concerned...it will still get "cycled" but will take much longer for the bacterial colonies to establish themselves. This is an advanced type of endeavour and a lot of additional equipment would be needed to achieve it.

I would go with the info previously given regarding the establishment of the tank. You can then add plants as you obtain more information.

HTH.

 

[GGIII]

Thanks, again, for all the rapid replies.

I'm going to slink over to the Petsmart today and see what they have regarding a planted setup. I read over the links you guys gave me and I'm gonna go from there.

I have an additional question: Since I have well water, can I directly place water in the tank without harm or do I still need to use water treatment chemicals?

Also, my kit came with three packages of Stress Coat and Stress Zyme (Supposed to help the cycling.) Should I use it?

 

[R&L]

While your at petsmart, pick up a bottle of Prime conditioner for your water.
It will remove the chlorine and or chlorimines from your water.
I too use well water and have had no problemswhat so ever.
Just take it slow and try not to build a full aquarium in a few days.
Get the tank cycled and then add things. If you rush it you will bite off alot more than you think. LOTS of extra work on yourself can be avoided if you take it slow.

BTW welcome to AA from another newb

EDIT: small bottle of prime is all you need

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Another thing to remember, it doesn't hurt to heavily plant from the start. If you do, you may need to dose ferts. But just to let you know, I heavily planted my tank right off the bat, and within a week, everything was growing out the top of the tank, lol. So if you do plant heavily, be prepared for pruning rather soon.

 

[GGIII]

I read the links above and I'm a bit concerned about WPG...

I'd love to heavily plant immediately... But what wattage would be appropriate for low-light species? Would a 40wattish bulb cover it?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

You could go around 40W, or get a 65W CF and run a 50/50 bulb in it. That will be just as effective, and if you ever wanted to go to higher lighting, you can just replace the bulb with the regular 65W bulbs. I have a 130W CF over my 29G myself, running a regular bulb and a 50/50 bulb. Will go the full 130W when I get my CO2 system. That's also another option if you are planning on upgrading later. That way you won't end up having to get another fixture. And the 130W also has 2 switches, so if you want, you can just run 1 bulb.

 

[GGIII]

So I'm looking at buying a new hood? That's cool. CO2 was my other concern... My understanding is that, as long as I don't go with high-light plants, I don't need a CO2 system?



---

I must say... This is, by far, the single best forum (of any kind) I have ever been on. The speed and thoroughness of the replies here amazes me. Now if I could just get my Mustang Forum buddies to respond to my questions this well, I'd be set! ^_^

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I don't have a hood. Just a glass top. And the fixture sits up on legs.

I do have a glass top for it, but I don't use it. The only time you really need it is if you have fish that you know will jump out. Mine won't.

 

[JustOneMore20]

My understanding is that, as long as I don't go with high-light plants, I don't need a CO2 system

Right. If you stick with around 2 watts per gallon, you don't need CO2. You can add it with that light, but its not necessary.

I have a 65w Coralife fixture above my 29g. It gives me about 2.2wpg. I grow alot of stem plants, some are reddish colored.

If possible, I would get atleast the 65w over the tank. Then you can pack the tank full of stem plants (wisteria, bacopa, rotala rotundifolia are good ones), and that will help the cycle along.

I moderately planted my 55g and added fish slowly (started with 8 and added a few every week to 2 weeks) and never registered ammonia or nitrites. Plants really help!

edit: I have a glass top over mine too...just to be safe. I got mine from Drs Foster and Smith...it was only about $14 (the glass top).

 

[GGIII]

Allrighty then! I think I have the info I need, guys, and I'm on my way to Petsmart! Wish me luck! I'll post when I get back.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

My understanding is that, as long as I don't go with high-light plants, I don't need a CO2 system

Right. If you stick with around 2 watts per gallon, you don't need CO2. You can add it with that light, but its not necessary.

I have a 65w Coralife fixture above my 29g. It gives me about 2.2wpg. I grow alot of stem plants, some are reddish colored.

If possible, I would get atleast the 65w over the tank. Then you can pack the tank full of stem plants (wisteria, bacopa, rotala rotundifolia are good ones), and that will help the cycle along.

I moderately planted my 55g and added fish slowly (started with 8 and added a few every week to 2 weeks) and never registered ammonia or nitrites. Plants really help!

edit: I have a glass top over mine too...just to be safe. I got mine from Drs Foster and Smith...it was only about $14 (the glass top).

CF's put out more light than the normal florescent. So just to let you know a 65W is considered about 3w/g. And with my fixture, I'm running closer to 4w/g, as my 2nd bulb is a 50/50, and I'm dosing Excel. Doing just fine. Had a bad case of diatoms, but that's expected for a new tank. But it's just about gone now. Once I get CO2, then I'll ramp it up to 130W.

Just so you know, you can dose Excel instead of injecting CO2, until you are ready for it.

 

[GGIII]

Well, I have the tank set up.

It is planted, following the advice here, with some fake decor as well. I think it looks nice enough, for a first try. I'll post up some pics below.

It has 2 Rainbow Shark, at the advice of a friend who said he had 2 successfully in a planted, community tank.

I replaced the kit bulb with the biggest 24" bulb the store had, a 30W, hoping it's enough to cover the tank at least temporarily. The filter that came in the kit was replaced with a new Aquaclear system (big improvement in the setup.)



Any thoughts? I plan to stagger in fish, adding a catfish and another small cleaner (perhaps a snail or shrimp) in 2 weeks, followed by the big fish later on this summer.

 

[joannde]

GGIII - Welcome !

Did you buy the AP Master Test Kit kit also ? You should test the water daily since you've added fish. You want to keep the ammonia and the nitrites (with an I) at .25ppm. If they go above that you'll need to do a partial water change (PWC).

Are these the fish you've gotten ? fishprofiles.com is a good place to find out about the fish you might want. http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/281.htm

Best of luck ! Having a tank is great ... I'd rather watch my fish than television any day !

 

[GGIII]

Appreciate the welcome, Joannde!

Yes, I picked up the master test kit and, yes, that is the fish I purchased.

I was told that, since I have planted the AQ, the fish should not be overly-agressive towards each-other as they would separate themselves.


Hope this holds true. I was assured by my friend and the LFS, but the reading I'm now doing on them is a bit spooky.

 

[SCFatz]

but the reading I'm now doing on them is a bit spooky.

I'm going to have to know what this means before going to bed
....and I'm tired so hurry up lol

but first ,Welcome to AA GGIII