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Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself' started by Anonymous, Jan 22, 2009.

  1. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    I'm Arvind and am a newbie when it comes to fishes and aquariums. I am looking to start off with a 20 gallon freshwater tank tomorrow (I selected freshwater over saltwater as my research told me fgreshwater is easier to maintain and is best for beginners). Hence I thought the company of you all experienced ppl would really help. I stumbled upon this forum as I was doing my research abt fishes and aquariums.

    Yeah I understand that I shouldn't get fishes the same day as I get my aquarium. I'm gonna give 2 days to the tank set up and then get fishes.

    Do give me suggestions as to what fishes I could start off with. I am thinking 4 guppies. I don't like fishes that eat other fishes :D. Also, if I first get guppies, will I have compatibility problems when I'm ready to get other fishes?

    Cheers,
    Arvind
     
    Anonymous, Jan 22, 2009
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  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Welcome:) Have you read up on the cycling process?
     
    Anonymous, Jan 22, 2009
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  3. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Welcome to The Exotic Fish.

    Guppies would be fine in a 20 gallon tank. I'd also put plants in the tank so any fry can have hiding places.

    Here's the thread on Fishless Cycling and the Nitrogen Cycle.

    Fishless Cycle Your Tank / Nitrogen Cycle
     
    Anthony, Jan 22, 2009
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  4. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

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    Welcome
     
    LemonDiscus, Jan 22, 2009
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  5. Guidoman888

    Guidoman888 New Member

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    Welcome,, The tank is best if it waits 1 week (that at least counted for me) But i think 2 days should be fin,, Looking forward to see some pics :)
     
    Guidoman888, Jan 22, 2009
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  6. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Thank you both!

    Yes I did look into the cycling process briefly, but the post by Anthony was very informative! Thank you for that. Now, I'm really thinking if I should do the cycling with 4 small fishes in a 20 gallon tank or a fishless cycling. Something tells me 4 fishes in a 20 gallon tank with some real plants and regular water change wouldn't be a problem. But at the same time I don't want to pose any sort of risk for the 4 fishes I bring in. So...I really am thinking. S

    So from the post of fish-less cycling by Anthony, I learned that you add ammonia into it and then wait for it to disappear to make sure the cycling has taken place successfully and that this process could be done in 4 days or something like that (Am i right on the number of days?). So, how do I check all the ammonia, nitrite and the nitrate levels? I understand stores check it but it wouldn't be possible to go to the store everyday for this purpose. So, is there something I could buy to check all that?

    Also, here are the stuff I intend to buy today and tomorrow to start my new hobby :D.. Please do advice and provide any suggestions that you feel may be helpful. Thanks.

    1. Tank (at petsmart, I saw a 20 gal tank for $55 and a slightly longer tank for $71. I think the second one is a 25 gal. Also, at Wal-mart I saw an 'aquarium kit' that consists of a 20 gal tank along with some stuff I can't recall... So, which one of the two do you think is a good deal? Also, I did look into craigslist and did spot someone who was selling a 25 gal with stand for $60. I was in contact with him and said I'll get it over the weekend, but the guy sold them anyways. So I gave up on craigslist. Moreover, I heard there is a lotta cleaning involved with used tanks and I'd rather start fresh and then move onto used tanks for my second tank someday :)

    2. Filter (I saw tetra filters in walmart that said 'for 20-4- gal', is that good enough? or are there better ones that are normally used?)

    3. Heater ( Any suggestions, I saw heaters on sale at walmart for $15. are those the right ones?)

    4. Thermometer ( the ones that stick in and cost $3-$4 or the digital ones that cost about $15 )?

    5. Net, cups for transfer and a small fish bowl for just in case sakes

    6. Flourescent lights (How much do they cost? and wouldn't that increase the temperature and make the place where the light is a bit hot?) Also, does the light come with the hood that usually comes with the tank?

    7. Gravel

    8. Live plants (any suggestions?)

    9. Other statues that aren't sharp for fish hiding

    10. Water pump - what is this used for and please do give suggestions as to what brand/make and price.

    11. oh yeah...fish food! (please do give suggestions for these as well)

    12. What abt the ph checking kit or the instrument that does that...what do i use for that?

    IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT I'M MISSING?

    I am trying to research on all these things online before buying. Buying at petsmart is okay as I can get atleast some sort of advice there, but wal-mart is so not good at any service. Actually, there is no such thing as service there and its all my call lol.

    Looking forward to hearing from you all. Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Arvind
     
    Anonymous, Jan 22, 2009
    #6
  7. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Thanks petluvr, Anthony, LemonDiscus and Guidoman888.
    I'll surely post some pics once I've set up!
     
    Anonymous, Jan 22, 2009
    #7
  8. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    1. I would purchase the tank, not a kit. That way you can get the filter, heater, etc that you want/need.

    2. I'm not a fan of the Tetra filters. Personally I would buy an Aquaclear 70. On my 20 gallon I use a Aquaclear 110 but that's overkill.

    3. Get a fully submersible heater. Depending on the temp in your home year around I'd get a 100 watt heater.

    4. If you get a good quality heater I wouldn't worry about a thermometer. If you want one that's fine. I wouldn't get the stick on kind though, get a floating or digital one.

    5. A net and a fish bowl or small 1 gallon tank would be handy.

    6. Lighting depends on what you put in the tank. If you're putting live plants in the tank you'll want a good lighting setup that will allow the plants to grow. A good light setup for a 20 gallon tank may run you $80.00 (not sure of the Canadian equivalent)

    7. Gravel is totally up to you. I like crushed coral. You can use colored stones, crushed coral, sand, river rocks, pebbles from the hardware store etc. Just rinse them off really well before adding them to the tank.

    8. Plants are great, assuming you have the lights to support them.

    9. Aquarium ornaments are again up to you.

    10. Water pumps are normally used for larger tanks to filter water in a similar way Hang On Back filters work.

    11. Fish food will depend on what type of fish you get.

    12. You'll want to get a test kit that lets you test for pH, nitrites, and nitrates. There are other things to test for such as gH and kH but it's not always necessary. pH is the hardness or softness of the water.[/quote]
     
    Anthony, Jan 22, 2009
    #8
  9. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Thank you so much for all the info. Its gonna help me a lot. You the Man Anthony! lol
     
    Anonymous, Jan 22, 2009
    #9
  10. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    I would go ahead and get an ac110, they are only a few dollars more and the size difference alone is worth five to ten dollars. The ac110 also fits on all tanks unlike the ac70 that only fits on tanks that have extremely skinny rims.
     
    Anonymous, Jan 22, 2009
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  11. YellowCichlid

    YellowCichlid New Member

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    Welcome welcome
     
    YellowCichlid, Jan 22, 2009
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  12. davidb173

    davidb173 New Member

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    Welcome to the group and the joy of fish keeping.
     
    davidb173, Jan 22, 2009
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  13. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    Welcome, I agree with Anthony...the kits usually toss in some low quality accessories that aren't worth a darn.

    IF I were starting new I would go with a 55 (easier to maintain water quality for a newbie)..but 20's are defin. nice imo.

    Are you looking to start up with high quality accessories or are you aiming for as cheap as utterly possible?

    Also, are you looking to keep as much equipment as possible OUT of the tank or do you really not care how much shows/takes up space inside your tank?

    IF your looking to keep as much as possible outside of the tank and want good quality I would recommend the following in no particular order of course (although there is lots of options available to you):
    1)Filtration-Canister such as Rena FilStar Xp1 or Xp2 (Ebay usually has them cheaper than pet stores) and Filter Media
    2)Heater-100 Watt Rena Smart Heater OR Inline Hydor Heater
    3)Thermometer-2 digital sticker-like thermometers (place one in the top left corner and one in the bottom right corner) And/Or a digital thermometer with a probe that goes in the water such as the Coralife brand.
    4)Water Conditioner- such as Seachem Prime which you'll add initially and every time you do a partial water change
    5)Substrate-Optional, but pretty much anything you choose will have to be rinsed thoroughly (unless you go with a plant substrate such as Eco-Complete Planted)...Pea Gravel/Aquarium Gravel (but imo both trap too much waste), Silica free sand such as pool filter sand or Aquarium Sand, Eco-Complete, etc. IF your planning on doing a good bit of plants and your not adding laterite or using Eco-Complete planted substrate then be sure to add proper fertilizer. ALSO, you'll need various chemicals to promote growth in the plants depending on what your planting. Seachem is a very good line :)
    6)Lighting-Depends on whether or not your tank is going to be fish only OR planted with fish. Also dependant on the plants you choose (IE. Low light, moderate light, or high light). Also note that if your doing moderate/high light plants your more than likely going to need CO2...and for a beginner I would definitely avoid this. Coralife Freshwater Aqualight would be a nice light, would allow you to grow a nice variety of plants, and is very bright depending on what bulbs you put in it. For a planted tank 6700K bulbs are optimal, but if you want a saltwater look you can add some actinics (although useless for plants, it does give the tank that nice saltwatery feel).
    7)Hood/Canopy-Optional BUT Highly Recommended. If you purchase a light fixture that is a full hood your good to go, IF NOT your probably going to want to buy or make a cover for the tank so your fish don't jump out! You can either buy a glass cover made especially for tanks, or you can make one from egg crate and zip ties. IF your worried about the lights getting wet lay a strip of plexi-glass beneath where they will sit.
    8)Water Changes-Python No Spill Clean and Fill or a Siphon in addition to a 5 gallon bucket
    9)Odds N EndsFish Food (ie. Canned, Frozen, etc), Net, Optional Decorations (Natural or Store Bought), Optional Background (Store Bought or DIY such as aluminum foil, paint, etc), Stand to properly support the tank filled (roughly 200lbs with water & substrate), And I probably left something out somewhere But just can't think of anything else that comes to mind.

    As far as what to put in it with the guppies here's a link to some stocking suggestions that should be compatible with guppies:
    http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106community1.htm
    Good Luck with the new setup, I'm sure just about anyone on the forum would be more than happy to help you along the way ;)
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jan 23, 2009
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  14. ira

    ira Member

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    Welcome to the hobby.Hope you enjoy it as long as i have.
     
    ira, Jan 24, 2009
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  15. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Welcome, if you want to keep to a budget I would go with the kit, however I would upgrade as soon as possible, not many people have the luck I have with kits. My 20 gallon kit I got 2-3 years ago still has all the cheap stuff they put in with it, and ever thing still works fine. but like the other said about the light, it all matters on the plants you plan on keeping. however if you plan on live plants I would say go with a 40 watt light set up. that well give you a 2 WPG(Watts per gallon) which is about a moderate light set up, this well let you have a greater range of plant opions then low light, and should help grow low light plants better. doing this amount of light should also help because you don't need CO2 just yet.
     
    Anonymous, Feb 21, 2009
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  16. GOT MTS?

    GOT MTS? Member

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    I bet there are some great deals on used aquariums in your area. 30minutes cleaning to save 50, 100 , 150 bucks! My first aquarium was used and I got the best deal ever on it. Also Walmart is the devil, find a good local pet store where you can get good advice. I try to avoid the big box pet stores at all cost.

    Oh and good luck welcome to the forum.
     
    GOT MTS?, Feb 22, 2009
    #16