Hi Im a newbie!!

[Fish Hobbyist]

Hi! I may be getting a fish soon, and I need a little help with him. He is my neighbor's fish, but they are moving away. He needs a place to live now. He is freshwater tropical, a long fin black skirt tetra. They call him Stripey. I have no idea how to care for a fish, but id love to give him a home. I know I need a gravel vac and heater. My water is a little basic. How do i fix that? Idk what im doing. How do you use aa gravel vac? Any tips? How warm should the water be kept at? What planys are safe for him to occasionally nibble at? I'd like to try live plants. What fertile subtrate (cheap) can I use? How much will it cost to set up his home. My budget is 180 US dollars. I have a 20 gal and unused filter. I'm actually scared. I kinda need some tips... Thank you for accepting me! I appreciate it!

 

[Fish4dawin]

Hi there welcome to TFF!

Do you know your water parameters (GH and pH; this can be obtained from you water companys website) and the tank dimensions? So you could have sand substrate, which is what I have, and I dose the tank once a week with Leaf Zone. I have anacharis in my 33 gallon but it might get a bit big for your tank even though it kinda acts as a floating plant. Because your neighbours are moving away, some beneficial bacteria needs to be added to the tank. This means having your tank cycle to pick up the beneficial bacteria. This usually takes around 1 month or 2, but using Tetra Safe Start I believe will speed it up and within a few days or maybe a week, you should be able to add Stripey. If you intend to add diftwood you could attach Java fern or anubias onto it.

Now for Stripeys tankmates. Ideally, he'd like more of his own kind so maybe add 3-4 more of them, and then probably some sort of corydoras. I can not stress this enough but do not add the fish before you've applied the safe start. If you add the safe start after the fish, fish will die. So add the safe start first, let it do it's thing for a few days and then add the fish.

Edit: You can also buy API Quick Start which is a bit more pricey (only by a few $) but its not a large amount.

 

[Fish Hobbyist]

Thank you for replying to me! I have well water, and through baking soda tests I can confirm it is slightly basic. Hopefully by adding some driftwood, I can decrease it to the ideal range. What do you think?

Also, the tank is 20 gallons, 24 in long, 12 in wide, 16 in tall. Comes with a hood and LEDs. Just to clarify, this essentially all I know about my stuff and general fishkeeping. I have a list with a gravel vac, 5 gal bucket, ph meter, filter media,fertile substrate, beneficial bacteria, fish net, plants, food, and driftwood Ihope this will be enough?? Plz let me know so I can help this fishy and give him a good life... Idk what im getting myself into...

 

[Afterburned]

What about the tank he is coming from? Can you get any of the filter sponge do you think? Using some filter material from another tank will speed up the cycling process. As for the water why not pop in to your local fish shop & say you want some more fish but will they test your water for you?

 

[ClownLurch]

Welcome.
Theyre more commonly known as “Black Widow Tetras” amongst other names in various parts of the world. They’re very easily acquired as most aquarium stockists keep them (LFS=Local Fish Store).
Rule 1: Treat advice from LFS with a degree of scepticism, theyre often not as expert as you believe and maybe trying to sell you something you don’t need. Ask on here before you make any major decisions. Trust us we’ve all been sold or told something unsuitable by a LFS in the past

Rule 2: Go to seriouslyfish.com and search for black widow tetra. Click on the name when it appears and it’ll bring up a roughly A4 sized page of all the essential science backed black widow tetra info you’ll need for now. Water temps, min tank size, water hardness, water ph, tank mates, tank Plants, breeding etc. Print it off if possible, read up on it and pretty soon you’ll know just about everything they require. You never know but some time in the future you could be our go to guy for black widow advice.

Fish like to feel they can blend in to their enviroment for safety reasons so try to get as dark a sand or gravel as possible.
Before buying other fish than BWT try and get your water tested so you can buy tank mates suited to your waters chemical make up.

Dont be afraid to ask questions on here. This lot are the most helpful bunch around. Don’t take any fashion or hair styling tips from them though.

 

[ClownLurch]

As afterburned said if you can have the previous owners filter or filter media ( foam/plastic balls/glass balls/cartridges/whatever) and put it in your tank before it dries out then half of your potential problems are solved. Still wet plants, rocks, ornaments will help as well.
Show them this thread to convince em if you have to. *


*waves to stripeys old family

 

[Fish Hobbyist]

What about the tank he is coming from? Can you get any of the filter sponge do you think? Using some filter material from another tank will speed up the cycling process. As for the water why not pop in to your local fish shop & say you want some more fish but will they test your water for you?

He is coming from an unfortunately small tank with fake decor. He has a filter, so I will collect any old filter media. I also have no local fish store near me, other than PetSmart, which does not take good care of the fish. I don't trust them at all. All I know about my water is that it is ever so slightly basic. Thanks!

 

[Fish Hobbyist]

Welcome.
Theyre more commonly known as “Black Widow Tetras” amongst other names in various parts of the world. They’re very easily acquired as most aquarium stockists keep them (LFS=Local Fish Store).
Rule 1: Treat advice from LFS with a degree of scepticism, theyre often not as expert as you believe and maybe trying to sell you something you don’t need. Ask on here before you make any major decisions. Trust us we’ve all been sold or told something unsuitable by a LFS in the past

Rule 2: Go to seriouslyfish.com and search for black widow tetra. Click on the name when it appears and it’ll bring up a roughly A4 sized page of all the essential science backed black widow tetra info you’ll need for now. Water temps, min tank size, water hardness, water ph, tank mates, tank Plants, breeding etc. Print it off if possible, read up on it and pretty soon you’ll know just about everything they require. You never know but some time in the future you could be our go to guy for black widow advice.

Fish like to feel they can blend in to their enviroment for safety reasons so try to get as dark a sand or gravel as possible.
Before buying other fish than BWT try and get your water tested so you can buy tank mates suited to your waters chemical make up.

Dont be afraid to ask questions on here. This lot are the most helpful bunch around. Don’t take any fashion or hair styling tips from them though.

Lol. Thank you! I agree about the LFS, especially since all I have is a PetSmart that doesn't take good care of them. I did not know that black skirt tetras are also called black widow tetras. Also, I will definitely go to seriouslyfish.com to see what plants and temperature and everything. Also, I think I might not get a water heater, as those apparently can break, start fires, etc. Also, he did not have one in the past. Would getting one shock him? Also, I just thought of something. I won't have a plastic bag to float him in. How do I acclimate him to his new home? Thanks!

 

[ClownLurch]

Any holeless plastic bag will do if it’s an emergency. Or a thin plastic food carton maybe? Anything the water temp can equalise within a reasonable amount of time.
we don’t have pets mart over here but we have pets at home which I believe is Pet Co over in the US. We don’t have any of those mutant glofish things either.......atm.

20-26C according to SF.com. So ideally aim for 23C. If you’re in a warm area of the US maybe the ambient temp will be enough? If you get a heater don’t increase his temp too quickly.

 

[Fish Hobbyist]

Hm. Good idea! Thank you for the tips, I appreciate it! I actually live in a very northern state... Bordering Canada. My house temp is 72 degrees. I think that should be fine then, right?