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Hi, Im new, and could use some advise

Discussion in 'Freshwater General Discussion' started by WarthogWilly, Jul 16, 2009.

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  1. WarthogWilly

    WarthogWilly Thread Starter New Member

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    Im new here, and this site seems awsome, I bought a 30 gal tank on craigslist, with all the gadgets for 60 bucks, i dumped the water, ditched the rocks, and scrubbed the tank/structures/plants, really really well, so i filled it up with water, got the temp to 75, and went shopping like 5 days after setup, i started out with 4 black tailed fire....somethings, there pretty neat, they are similar looking to barbs, also I got a peppered quarry catfish, which is by far my favorite, he swims upsdie down, lays deadlike in my plants and uses the leaves as a hammock, does the weirdest stuff, and then i also got 2 black mollies, i figured that was pushing it enough for my first batch, im on my 2nd week now, and there all really happy it seems, I made a rookie mistake, i have a hang on filter, and the tube that sticks down in the water, had no "cage" on it, it was just a tube, and one of my mollies went for a ride, right into my fliter 6 hrs into my possession, it was sad since they were a mating pair, but i immediatly fixed the problem, i just figured they would have been smarter, anyways, im really enjoying my new hobby, but i do have a few questions
    1.) id like to get a few guppies maybe, is this smart or would they mate like rabbits and go on a population overload??
    2.) MY aunt has a plecosomous fish wating for me, he is about 7 inches long, however I am having her keep it for me til im ready for him, figured he needed my tank to get dirty before i get him or he would starve, how long should i wait???
    3.) I want some advise on what other fish to get, i want some more strange/cool fish, not just basic boring ones, maybe like a freshwater shark? A ghost shrimp, a guy at work mentioned something about a feather tailed catfish, and some kind of ram fish, any imput would be awsome
    4.)Clearly i have gone for the community setup, but i was wondering, i think it would be awsome, to have a fish be sorta dominate, like the boss of the tank, some kind of semi aggressive fish, is this possible? I dont want to torment my community fish, but a bigger boss fish would be an omminous presence, and i think would be a cool idea, or am i just an idiot, and ethier fish get along or they just go on a killing/harrassing spree? If one does exsit give me an idea or some info.

    Thanks for your time, i look forward to getting to know all of you

    WARTHOG [dancing]
     
    WarthogWilly, Jul 16, 2009
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  2. James0816

    James0816 New Member

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    Firstly...Welcome!!!

    All I can say is wow! All that stock in a fresh set up...no cycling...Danger Will Robinson...Danger!

    The first and best piece of advise is going to be to watch your tank parameters extremely closely. You are basically doing a fishy cycle without the means of established media. This could be very bad.

    Guppies will breed like crazy. But...depending on how you stock this tank...just refer to it as live food. ;)

    Depending on the type of pleco...he's just a baby. He's gonna grow a lot more. A 30 will be tight quarters for him.

    Sharks in a community tank are not very wise. There are two that you might (might) get away with...red tail...and silver tip. The red tail would be the better of the two. I have kept one in a community set up for a very long time with minimal impact. By that I mean he would chase others around but nothing serious.

    If you want to get a big non aggressive fish...look at the SAE (Siamese Algae Eater). But make sure he is the real deal and not a Flying Fox or CAE. Those guys are aggressive. He'll get big enough to appear to the boss...but won't harm anyone.

    Shrimp are kewl...but then again...regarding you stocking options....consider them lunch meat as well. Especially if you get anytype of semi-aggressive fishy.

    Again...welcome!
     
    James0816, Jul 16, 2009
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  3. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    Hope you used something fish safe and used a dechlorinator afterwards.

    ..go for more like 78F-80F


    Noooooooooo!
    You have to cycle it first.

    that would be "shock" or ammonia poisoning due to not being cycled.

    tropical and need warmer water as suggested above.

    Pre-filter sponge or pantyhose zip tied over the intake


    anyways, im really enjoying my new hobby, but i do have a few questions
    Don't add anything until you get that tank cycled. The will mate like rabbits, but you can avoid that by just getting males WHEN the tank is cycled.
    Ie. Tetra Safe Start
    6" pleco in a 30g...what kind/type is it..if it's common that's a no-no..will get huge and plecos are really dirty (poo) fish and you'll need good filtration!
    Give me your tank readings and once/if your cycled I'd be glad to help you with some suggestions :)
    Not with mollies and guppies you don't want one. Unless you want a bunch of stressed fish with ich which will lead to a tank nightmare and ultimately deaths.
    Thanks for your time, i look forward to getting to know all of you
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 22, 2015
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 16, 2009
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  4. justonemoretank

    justonemoretank New Member

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    As for the molly in your filter intake, most fish won't just get "sucked in." When a fish ends up on the intake, it usually means that it died or became very ill first. Please check out the links re: cycling that Dawn gave you; it's really important that you understand the basics before you start stocking; otherwise, you're going to lose fish, and you'll find more stuck on the intake every day! You need to, at the very least, take your water to the LFS to be tested, but ideally, you should have your own test kits. You may find that your cheap CL purchase actually requires more of an investment (in money, but mostly, in time!) than you thought!
     
    justonemoretank, Jul 16, 2009
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  5. WarthogWilly

    WarthogWilly Thread Starter New Member

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    wow, in no way did i say i wasnt in this for the long haul, I realiaze alot of time and money are going into this, so please dont insult me by saying this, the fish did not die and go into the intake, i litterally watched the molly investigate the tube, then it swam vertically to the opening and litterally got sucked up, by the time I got it out, it was folded like an acordian. Thanks for all the help so far, all the fish are still really active, feeding well, and dont seem stressed one bit, Im going to look more into this "cycleing" and so forth, but when i cleaned the tank I only used a toothbrush and a little salt for friction, and then rinsed it very good, several times, filled it up, and added some de-chlorine liquid, and some stuff to keep the fish slimy and healthy, so far it looked like it worked very good, i am going to check my chemisrty this weekend, I am getting started, trying to figure this stuff out, thanks for all the help, Is there a good link to tank setup and cycleing and so forth, something easy to understand for a newbie?
     
    WarthogWilly, Jul 17, 2009
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  6. KingKedros452

    KingKedros452 New Member

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    Make sure to get a liquid test kit for cycling and not test strips. The strips start to break down as soon as you open the package,then give you inaccurate results.

    Another thing about the large pleco, which could potentially grow to have its nose on one end of the tank and its tail on the other, is they are omnivores. They do not eat fish poop ever and rarely eat algae in most cases. Instead they will snack on your smaller, slower fish and hog all of the fish food. If your tank does get algae it is usually a sign of too much light or too many phosphates in the water, which are easy to remedy without adding a large fish. Would you add a lion to take care of a mouse in your house?
     
    KingKedros452, Jul 17, 2009
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  7. James0816

    James0816 New Member

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    Don't jump the gun on the pleco. Your more common plecs are herbivores. While some may display omnivore tendencies....more than not they will not bother other fishies. There are even some who will only munch on wood and (if I'm not mistaken) I do believe there are a couple that are carnivores. From time to time you will see them chase others around but in a non aggressive way. Now ... if you have other species like discs and rays...then they could do damage to these guys as they would attempt to suck the slime coat off.

    But anyway...back on track.

    And yes...fish can and will get sucked up the intake even if they are healthy. I lost a female endler that way. My stupid mistake for leaving the filter running while doing maitenance. She was curious...got to close...and the rest is chum. Ooooooooo that was bad. Sry. :D

    If you do plan on keeping Mollies and Guppies...I would highly recommend the use of a pre-filter. Just a sponge or nylons over the intake. I prefer the sponge for a more cleaner look. It will protect your fry and also capture food items and the fishies and shrimps (if you have them) will pick it out. (Also aids in Co2 diffusion...but that is another beast in itself.). I use AC20s for mine. Just cut a slit in the middle nearly all the way through and then slide it over the intake. Good to go!

    Definately test your water...as soon as possible. An uncycled tank is very bad. Especially when you add as much as you already have. Stay on top of it and be prepared to change water as necessary. If you know another fish person, see if they have any established media you can use. This will help.
     
    James0816, Jul 17, 2009
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  8. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    Links were already given?
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 17, 2009
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  9. WarthogWilly

    WarthogWilly Thread Starter New Member

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    thanks so much guys so much so far, and im sorry MOD dawn, i saw your links, right after i posted, they were perfect, i now now about cycleing, you guys have to reason like millions of people in the worlds population just think you throw fish in a tank and there good, so this is new to me, i did a 40% water change today, bought some water testing supplies, my reslults showed i had very soft water, high p.h like in the 8ish range, high ammonia, very little nitrites, and no nitrates, now this is to be expected cux its my 6th day, so i did my big water chnge, and ill check it in a week, thnks alot guys, and thanks again dawn for the links, i wasnt sure how to edit my post, cuz i saw them right after i posted, lol, im a dork sometimes
     
    WarthogWilly, Jul 18, 2009
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  10. James0816

    James0816 New Member

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    Good to know. Don't wait a week for testing again. You're cycling so you have to stay on top of that ammonia and nitrIte.
     
    James0816, Jul 18, 2009
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  11. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    No problem! Your tank is still cycling...if you want to be on the safe side pick up a bottle of Tetra Safe Start (that is appropriate for your tank size) and toss the entire bottle in.

    Also, be sure to "wash" your media such as bio-balls, bio-wheels, sponges inside your tank...THEN do the partial...and add dechlorinator BEFORE refilling.

    Do your partials (20-25%) every week..to make it easier to remember go with the same day of the week (ie. I use Thursdays before additional chems are added to my water).

    And feed LIGHTLY.

    Also, I'd be testing daily until that tank is cycled ;)
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 18, 2009
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  12. WarthogWilly

    WarthogWilly Thread Starter New Member

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    could anyone tell me if a Tetra heater is any good, im having problems with mine, the orange light is never on, if i take it out of the water(i realize its not saposed to work mif its not submerged) and flick it the orange light comes on for like 5 seconds, and the heater heats in my hand, so it must work?
    when it goes back in the water, the lights never on, and the water temp, goes from 72-76 so am i just a whacko, or is this wrong, i try adjusting it higher to see if the light will come on, but jonestly 3/4 and full bore make no difference on the temp, I have 2 thermometers so it not that..... Its a tetra heater are these junk, the guy i bought it from say he bought it brand new like 2-3 months ago....O and I think i found a snail! Like the size of a piece of the small fish tnk grvel, its sitting on one of my structures, what should i do? I wouldnt mind 1 but if theres a nother im afraid ill have amillion in a month, it must have rode in on a fish or something, cuz the tank and all plants/structures were cleaned, and dried, and the gravel is all new, weird, im not sure its a snail, but its sorta football shaped, and clung in a weird spot, its so small its hard to tell but im 75% sure its a snail, thanks so far for all the help, and sorry for all the questions but this is all new to me...Thanks Bill
     
    WarthogWilly, Jul 18, 2009
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  13. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Personally I wouldn't buy a Tetra heater.

    It sounds like you just have a bad unit and you need to either exchange it for another or get a different brand.

    If you don't want the snail take it out. It you have one you likely have more you have not seen.
     
    Anthony, Jul 18, 2009
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  14. WarthogWilly

    WarthogWilly Thread Starter New Member

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    any suggestions for a 30 gal tank? what would you use, need it to be around 75ish......................
     
    WarthogWilly, Jul 18, 2009
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  15. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    depends on how cold your house gets...low temp...highest temp
    A/c in same room as tank
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 18, 2009
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  16. WarthogWilly

    WarthogWilly Thread Starter New Member

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    nah no a/c in that room, I live in wisconsin so summers are 100 and winters are -30 lol so id say its either so hot a/c is on at bout 75, or to cold and heat is on to 78, so its pretty much mid 70s in the house at all times, think I even need a heater?
     
    WarthogWilly, Jul 18, 2009
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  17. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    yup, always better safe than sorry.
    I'd recommend either an inline one such as the hydor if you have a canister...or possibly a rena smart heater.
    go with either a 100W - 8 in. - up to 35 gallon or
    150W - 9 1/2 in. - up to 50 gallon if you opt for the rena smart heater.

    Ps. I suggest going with the higher wattage ALWAYS when possible (room allowed).
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 18, 2009
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  18. WarthogWilly

    WarthogWilly Thread Starter New Member

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    awsome, i was reading some of your guides you have written, now i am a bit confused about the sponge concept, I have a "on the back" filter and the tube sticks down into the water, right now i have a homeade contraption, basically a plastic cage around it so my fish go swim up it, ask the dead molly how that feels, anyways, is this where your talking about putting a sponge? at the end of that, or could i put one in my filter, after my insert, just before the water returns to the tank there is a big open area? It seemed like a cheap benificial way to help keep "media" in the tank, please explain when you have time
     
    WarthogWilly, Jul 18, 2009
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  19. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    the sponge goes over the bottom of the intake (aka...where you have the plastic cage).
    HOB filters (hang on back) are more often harder to fit (hence, many do it diy...a sponge and zip tie...or even cheaper -pantyhose and zip tie).
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 18, 2009
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  20. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    I found this which might help SHOW what I am trying to explain.
    Pre-filters such as the one in the photo can be found at kensfish.com
    (where I get mine at).
    You can also see my sponges if you follow the link to the 10g and 90g in my signature.
    the 10g pre-filter sponge is on a Rena Smart filter
    the 90g pre-filter sponge is on a ac110 & a Rena Filstar xp4
    filter max pre-filter.jpg
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 18, 2009
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