Couple Question About First Tank...

[eaglesaquarium]

Alkaline is above 7.0, Acidic is below 7.0.
 
Generally speaking the best course of action is to NOT change the water.  What comes out of the tap is the best way to go with your water, especially as you are just beginning.   If you find that your water is 7.5+, you have water that we would consider alkaline, and probably hard, as well.  This knocks out many fish from your options, but opens up the African cichlids options... these are far more aggressive than the South American varieties, but are also the most colorful freshwater fish there are, in my opinion.  Lake Malawi is the home to many of them.  These are often referred to as "Mbuna".  They require rocky tanks, not plants as they will destroy the plants.  So, this type of tank might be something to look into.
 
 
S.A. cichlids, like apistogrammas are great looking fish, but smaller.  They can easily be kept with Bristlenose Plecostomus (I believe that's the fish you were describing as the bristlemouth catfish).  The BNs are great algae eater, but a bit reclusive.  You won't see them much once they are full grown.  As they are younger they eat so frequently that you almost always seem them somewhere.  As they get older, they require less food, and come out more at night than during the day.  I saw mine a bunch today, but that's rare - I also fed them far earlier in the day than usual, because its a weekend (and it was raining so I was stuck in the house).
 
 
Tell me your tap water stats and we can discuss some real options.

 

[Trod673]

Yes, that was exactly the fish I was describing! 
 
My tapwater has a pH of 7.4, total hardness of about 75, Total alkalinity of about 80... Anything else you need?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Nope, that means that an Mbuna tank is very possible for you.  50 gallons is the smallest you'd want to go with for them, as they can be quite big, and the rock work you need with them mimics a saltwater environment a bit.
 
It would look kind of like this (although this one is a bit more on the overstocked side than I would suggest):

 
 
I think this is what you'd like from what you described.

 

[Trod673]

I feel like that tank is a tiny bit busy, but as you said, you woudln't stock it as much. I was thinking something a little less busy. Would a few of the Mbunas work with a couple neon tetras down the road, along with the Bristlenose Plecostomus, and some of the dwarf S.A. cichlids... Would that mix be alright? Any unfriendliness there?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

No, that won't mix at all.  In general, African cichlids need to be kept with only other similarly sized African cichlids due to temperment, but also water needs are very different.
 
 
Let me consider this... the pH is a bit high for most of the S.A. fish you are thinking of....


What is the water at your LFS?  And what supplier are they getting their fish from - more specifically, what water is the breeder using that the neons are coming from?
 
 
Neons would not be a fish I'd suggest for a pH of 7.5 and moderate hardness.  They aren't nearly as hardy as they used to be, and do much better in acidic (6.5 and lower), soft water.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

An easily available, hardy, beautiful (but understated) fish would be: Trigonostigma heteromorpha (Harlequin rasbora) - or slightly smaller but also beautiful T. hengeli (Hengel's rasbora) or T. espei (Lambchop rasbora).
Harlys:

 
Lambchop:

 
Hengels:

 
 
 
I have Harlys myself and they are fabulous shoalers, quite peaceful and generally very hardy.  They can handle a pH in the 7.5 range, but I'd do a bit of lowering, using driftwood.  This doesn't drop the pH much, but a little will help a bit.
 
 
Apistogrammas generally require acidic water, so they may not be your best choice, without messing with your water (not recommended for a beginner).  On the other hand - Bolivian Rams generally can handle up to about 7.5 pH, so they would work - either one male or a male and female.  Not two males!

 
For a larger fish, that's got some beautiful coloration: pearl gouramis can handle the higher pH.

 
A BN pleco would also work in that water.
 
 
Another schooling fish to consider would be Praecox Rainbowfish...

 

[Trod673]

These fish are all so pretty! Definitely a combination I would love to see!  I'm thinking some Lambchops, 2 Bolivian Rams (one m/one f), Pearl gouramis, a BN Pleco, and some Praecox Rainbowfish. 
 
How many pearls would be good? just one? Or do they like a group? 
And all of these are suitable together? 
 
I'm thinking the two rams, 8 lambchops, a pearl gouramis, a BN pleco, and 6 Rainbowfish? Or do you think that will be overstocked? I want them all to have adequate room, but I think that that will look nice! 
 
If these will all work, what order do you suggest I add them to the tank, once I get there? I'm aware it'll be a while, and then I have to add them weeks apart, and slowly! 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If you do a full fishless cycle, you can add them all in one go, but I'd wait to add the BN until you have some algae growth (he'll start small, but grow fast and become more reclusive as he ages and eats less).  I'd also wait to add the gourami as it will be the biggest eventually.  
 
The only concern I would have is the lamchops with the gourami - the lambchops may be too small, but I think you'd be fine.  Just add the lambchops before the pearl.  This gives the lambchops a bit of time to grow to full size (just over an inch), and getting the pearl last means it will be a juvenile when you bring it home.
 
That stocking is a perfect size for a 50 gallon - you'd even have some room for a shoal of cories - the smaller ones would work best... pandas, trilineaus, peppered.  I'd steer clear of the emeralds (not true cories) as they can be quite large and chunky - as well as staying away from the dwarf varieties, as they spend more time in the mid-water, not the bottom, and its nice to have movement in all levels of the tank.

 

[Trod673]

This is super exciting!! Also, I have a little bit of ammonia in the tank today! .5 ppm! What am I looking for it to spike up to? Anything in particular? Now to wait for Nitrites and then Nitrates! And then the lowering of the Ammonia and Nitrites!
 
Also, will you give me some tips on water changes, now that I'm dong the fishless cycle, when to do it, what levels I'm looking to drop by doing a water change, etc? Before putting hands in the tank to do things, should I rinse them in tapwater, I know detergents and stuff are dangerous in the tank, should I use soap and make sure to get it all off.. that's kind of a silly question I guess, but better safe than sorry!  Should I be looking to buy driftwood now, to put in during this cycle? I had another question, but completely forgot it. But I'll ask when I remember! 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'll deal with this in two parts.
 
Part one: Water changes during fishless cycle - 
 
The best part of a fishless cycle (besides the obvious - not harming fish) is that you don't have to do daily water changes... However, using shrimp you have a hard time controlling the amount of ammonia in the tank.  Being in the US, I can help you a lot with this.  Remove the shrimp and discard, then head over to Ace Hardware.  Get some of their Janitorial strength ammonium hydroxide.  The only ingredients are water and ammonia hydroxide.
 
http/www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1272325
 
This stuff:

 
It will be WAY more than you need, but you can use it to clean windows, etc when finished - just be sure to dilute it before using it as a cleanser!  And don't inhale deeply while pouring... you'll be sorry.
 
Get a medicine syringe to measure out specific amounts of the ammonia.  You can use the calculator on the site here.  Add sufficient ammonia to bring the concentration up to 2-3ppm.  Then wait for it to drop to zero.  When it does, add enough to bring the ammonia back up to 2 ppm.  Once it removes the ammonia in 24 hours, drop the dose to 1ppm daily while you wait for the nitrite to drop.  Once they both reach zero, dose at 2ppm again daily until they both reach zero in 12 hours.  You are then fully cycled.  You may hit some bumps along the way, but we will be here to help along the way.  Do a massive ~100% water change and add fish the next day.  
 
 
 
 
Part two: Water changes for routine maintenance after adding fish.
 
The goal is to keep your nitrates no higher than 40 ppm, or no more than 20 ppm higher than your tap water.  Routinely, this means at least a 20% water change weekly.  Personally, I do a much bigger change than that.  I do at least 25-30% weekly.  I also do a 50% monthly and a 75% every 6 months.  In the summer, I do either 50% weekly or 25% twice a week (I use the old tank water to water my impatiens).
 
The procedure is fairly simple - using a length of hose - specific length needed will vary, create a siphon - lots of methods, including the suck and spit method!   Vacuum up the gunk from the bottom fo the tank, the poo, etc. and after finishing the vac, just be sure to take out the right amount of water.  
 
Refilling is also easy - multiple methods - you can either use roughly temp matched water (cooler is better than hotter, as it mimics rain) and add dechlorinator just for the amount your replacing (added before putting it into the tank) or add the amount needed to dechlorinate the entire tank directly and refill from there.  
 
Using a "python" style device will make it easier on your back - I'll let you research that one on your own though!
 
 
 
As for your hands - you want them clean, but not carrying much in the way of soap residue - so be sure to thoroughly rinse them under the tap - and then I always dry them off, just to take an extra precaution.  The fish will be fine with trace elements, but no need to be careless.
 
 
 
Driftwood can be added now or later.  Driftwood can release tannins (tannic acid) into the water giving it a yellowish-brown look (which is actually normal for South American fish, as the amount of decaying organic material in the water does this naturally in the Amazon).  You can actually add "blackwater extract" to the tank to darken it and lower the pH if you want, but again, I wouldn't suggest that for a beginner.  Blackwater tanks are actually really cool looking (at least to me) but the water won't have that "crystal clear" appearance that some people really like.  Me - I think the natural look is better. 

 

[Trod673]

I have access to pure ammonium hydroxide (30%) Being a chemistry major has its perks! So I'll use that calculator and start that today! And so after all my levels are fine and the tank is done cycling, I basically change all of the water? The point of the cycling is to buildup the good bacteria which is found all over the tank, not just the water, correct me if I'm wrong...  
 
I really like the crystal clear look, is it a must that I have driftwood? My pH has been stable at 7.4, but if you think it's better for the fish, I would rather have a yellowish tint and healthy fish, rather than stressed fish and a crystal clear tank!  When I removed the shrimp the ammonia was at 2.0 ppm, so at the moment we are waiting for that decrease! 
 
Also, a big thanks for all you help and advice so far!! 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You are correct - the bacteria clings tightly to the surfaces where water moves (it needs access to ammonia/nitrite, oxygen and carbon) - the filter is an ideal spot for that, but any surface will do.
 
 
The driftwood isn't a must, certainly.  It is a look that some people like, and others don't.  You can still use driftwood as a decoration, the tannins released decrease over time and adding things like carbon to your filter will remove them from the water (giving you the crystal clear look).  The carbon needs to be replaced fairly regularly - but that's the only part of the filter that ever would need to be replaced unless it is falling apart.
 
The pH should drop a bit with a nitrate build-up - not much though.
 
Yup, sit back and wait for the ammonia to drop to zero.   (Any nitrite yet?)

 

[Trod673]

I have carbon in my filter, so hearing that will help, I probably will use driftwood! How often should I replace the carbon? I have a Whisper Power Filter 60, so there are two carbon filter packs in it. Should I stagger the change? 
 
I may have seen very little nitrite... but closer to none than anything! 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The carbon would need to be replaced more frequently early on to remove the tannins (as the wood puts out a lot of tannins early) and less frequently later.  The best answer I can give you is: remove the carbon after you notice the water starting to turn yellow.
 
 
Also, DO NOT have carbon in the filter during the cycling process.  Since you will be removing the carbon fairly regularly, you don't want it seeded with bacteria, because removing it would reduce the amount of bacteria later.  

 

[Trod673]

I have removed the carbon. Still quite a bit of ammonia, no nitrites yet. How should lighting be in my aquarium? Once I get fish, when should I turn off the light and let them sleep?