Going to go buy today... Need some help

[Damarcman]

Hey guys my first post here...

Right now I have a 5 gallon with 4 danios, 1 silver hatchet, 1 cory cat, and 1 ghost shrimp (others keep dyeing for some reason)

Got a little money scraped together and want to get them about a 20 gallon today.

I need some help with brand choices... I have a few lfs around and a petsmart. i know i can get a 20g for about 25 w/ no top from PS. But really what brand filter should i go with... they carry Top Fin, penguin, and proAquatics...

Also I heard cory's like sand/fine gravel... would home depot sand be cool?
and I might opt for planting live plants too.

Any recommendations would be nice

thanks,
Mark

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/reviews/index.php

Best website for fish product reviews.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Damarcman

Welcome to the forum!

First, let me tell you that most likely your fish are dying because they are too crowded in that small tank you have. Getting a bigger tank is the right thing to do and you will do much better with one.

Do you know about cycling a tank? This is the single most important thing you need to understand to keep fish successfully. Here's a link that will explain it to you:

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...showtopic=10099

Since you already have fish and a tank with bacteria, you will probably want to move them to your new tank, so except for learning the principles involved, you can forget about the fishless cycle and do the cycling with fishes.

The bigger the tank you get, the better. The same goes, within reason, for the filter. I like the AquaClear filters best because you can add additional filter floss to the chamber above the sponge, which will provide many more places for beneficial bacteria to cling. AquaClears are simple filters, are not too expensive, and work very well.

Now, about your substrate........... What do you have in your 5 gallon tank? This gravel is literally crawling with beneficial bacteria that will reproduce quickly in a new tank, if you place it on top of whatever you buy for it. Do not wash it or let it dry, just scoop it out and put it on top.

The same goes for your filter. Don't clean it, just quickly move it to your newly set up tank and run it along with your new filter for a few weeks. The bacteria will spread and populate your new filter too.

Corys do well with fine gravel, which I would recommend for you to start out with, since it's simple to maintain. I use #3 builders gravel which you might be able to get in a 50 pound bag at the lfs, or at Home Depot. Just make sure that the brand you get has no sharp or rough edges on it. This is what will hurt a cory.

By the way, corys are schooling fish, and should be kept in groups of 3 or more. Your cory will be so happy when you have your new tank set up and you get him some companions. Be sure to watch them when you add his new friends.

There are many friendly fishkeepers on this forum who will be happy to answer your questions and help you get your new tank successfully set up. Just ask.

 

[Damarcman]

First, let me tell you that most likely your fish are dying because they are too crowded in that small tank you have. Getting a bigger tank is the right thing to do and you will do much better with one.

hey thanks alot the your time and effort... clear something up... only the ship kicked the bucket... bought 3 they died after bout 3 weeks, bought 3 more and 2 have died after 2 weeks... all the other fish seem cool!

I have gravel now, which is kinda sharp i think, which is why i wanna get rid of it...

I would bag it in like cheese cloth and hang it in new take along with old filter/biowheel in order to transfer good bacteria.

my other thought is how does sand mixed with a little gravel look and would it be nice? or the hell w/ the gravel all together.

Last ?? can plants work fine with sand?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Damarcman

I see you have some knowledge of cycling. Please don't mind that I start from the beginning with my responses to new members. Until I know differently, I figure that it's best to do that, rather than make real beginners totally confused by assuming they know things they don't.

I don't know much about sand, but there are members who do. It would be a good idea to start a topic with "sand" in the title to attract them. This is an article that I have that discusses sand as a substrate and might give you some ideas:

http/cichlid-forum.com/articles/sand.php#2

This is a picture that shows the kind of gravel I use. It's fine enough for corys and loaches and yet plants do well in it:

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...pic=38564&st=0&

Hope this helps.

 

[noelberg]

as far as HOB filters go, I really like my penguin biowheel for the money. The mini or the 125 will both work well on a 20 gal although i recommend the 125 if u have lotsa messy fish like swordtails (mine always have poo hanging from em!). I got the biowheels from petco.com for a song compared to the lfs where i bought the whole tank setup - the mini cost nearly $40 !!

HTH and GL

 

[AquaSeaFoam]

Generally plain sand isn't great for rooted plants because it compacts too tightly around the plants' roots. If you mix sand and gravel, eventually all the sand will sift through the gravel to the bottom of the tank. Fortunatly a lot of low light plants don't need to be rooted in the substrate. (java fern, anubias nana, java moss...)
EDIT: You can get filters and equipment a lot cheaper online than in pet stores. try www.bigalsonline.com and www.drsfostersmith.com

 

[pete28]

hi i have nothing but penguins and the 125 is definitely a good choice for your sized tank. as far as the gravel/sand i would start with gravel especially if you are going to have plants.