Questions about setup and stocking?

[Dwane]

Hello,

I am a newbie here and just bought my first aquarium yesterday. I did some research before my purchase and hope that I got something pretty good.
Fluval Vicenza 180 Bowfront Aquarium System. 180L/48 Gal tank. Fluval 205 external canister filter. 2 x 22" 24W GLO T5 HO bulbs.

Am I right in thinking that 180 litres is 48 Gallons? I am in Canada.

I printed out the The-almost-Complete-Guide-and-FAQ-to-Fishless-Cycling/Page1.html and read it twice through at work last night and will soon be setting up my tank and starting the fishless cycle.

Now I would first like to look to you more experienced members for some advice.
I would like to get some colorful fish and also like the look of fish that swim in shoals so please give me some suggestions on fish that wouldn't be too hard for a beginner to keep in this tank, I don't want anything aggressive.

What type of substrate do you think I should get? I was thinking something in a dark color like black or black and grey. I don't really know if sand or gravel is better. I was thinking of maybe planting a few live plants if that isn't too difficult or expensive so I guess that may make a difference.

I appreciate any input you can give me.

Thanks

 

[librarygirl]

Hi Dwane and welcome.

Congrats on your new tank. A 48 gal is a good size, you'll have a lot of options.

Great for doing the fishless cycle! I've done one and many members have as well; if you need advice along the way just ask.

Substrate probably doesn't matter much although it may depend on your plants. I just started planting mine with low-light live plants and I just have plain black aquarium sand (liked it better than the gravel). Depending on how high-tech you want to get with plants, you could post (or look around) in the planted section; there's some great info there with a lot of experienced members with planted tanks. In general though just get whatever substrate you like. I think sand looks more natural but if you like gravel better, that's fine too!

If you want to have a tropical aquarium (as opposed to coldwater) you should get a heater. Oh and a good liquid test kit like the API Master kit (preferred by most). Also a good water dechlorinator like Prime.

Again welcome and good luck with your cycle!

 

[Dwane]

Yes I do want to have a tropical aquarium and I have a 200 watt heater already. I am looking around online right now to buy the API Master kit, some seachem prime and also a Python No Spill which I have heard great things about. I think I will probably go with black sand as I have heard a lot of people are happy with it. I hear that you can just use pool filter sand, is that what you used? I think my biggest decision will be what fish and how many to stock my tank with, that's why I am trying to do some research now while I set up and cycle my tank.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Hey Dwane,

If you're looking for easy, well-to-do, hardy and commonly available fish I would suggest:
-guppies
-platies
-glow light tetras or black neon tetras
-zebra danios
-harlequin rasboras
-albino or bronze cories
-paradise fish or pearl gouramis

Not all of them of course!

 

[Danny-O]

BTW, the Python brand has apparently folded, but there are many similar products now--look for "aquarium water changer" rather than "Python."

Children's play sand (a Home Depot item) is not black, but it is washed and sterilized, making it easy to use and inexpensive. I'd wash it one last time before use.

When you are ready to buy substrate, here's a handy calculator to determine the weight of sand or gravel to buy.

I prefer non-fussy fish; I have harlequin rasbora, moonlight gourami, and khuli loach. I had zebra danios for years, and enjoyed them. Neon tetras are beautiful, but the poor things are so overbred that I had high mortality; I'd go for the less common (but still widely available) tetra breeds like the ones bruins mentioned, or cardinal tetras, or rummy nose.

 

[Dwane]

I am now in the nitrite phase of my fishless cycle and am thinking about my stocking. My tank is actually a 40 gallon and has a fluval 205 canister filter. I have a few plants in there and will be getting several more and a small piece of driftwood soon.

I have been told in other posts that the fluvial 205 filter I have is too small for my tank and I really can't buy a bigger filter right now and don't want a hob. I want to know if I could just keep less fish in it for now. Here is what I was thinking for stocking but I am totally open to changing it up. Please let me know what you think and if this is too much what should I get rid of?

Here is what I was thinking.

 

[Dwane]

Can anyone tell me if the fluval 205 canister filter is really too small for my 40 gallon tank and if so how low do I have to keep my stocking. My stocking idea is in the picture above.

 

[richardh]

Stock list looks ok and doable. My only concern is that neon and black neon tetras are tiny and will look lost in your tank- you will also spend a lot time looking at nothing! I do! They are also quite difficult to keep due to captive breeding. I would suggest some larger tetra and guppy, platy, Molly. These are colourful and easy to keep.