Just getting started

[fallingacrobat]

I am helping my 16 year old daughter start an aquarium she got for Christmas. She has never had fish. I haven't had a tank since I was in college, so most of what I knew is long forgotten. I'm looking forward to getting started, but patience is my daughter's first lesson in tank setup!

 

[Sgooosh]

is the tank cycled? stocking? pics?
to the forum!!!

 

[Guyb93]

I am helping my 16 year old daughter start an aquarium she got for Christmas. She has never had fish. I haven't had a tank since I was in college, so most of what I knew is long forgotten. I'm looking forward to getting started, but patience is my daughter's first lesson in tank setup!

Are you teaching her to do a full cycle lol that would be patience lol and welcome to the forum, what’s the plans stick wise with the tank

 

[CharLee86]

I am helping my 16 year old daughter start an aquarium she got for Christmas. She has never had fish. I haven't had a tank since I was in college, so most of what I knew is long forgotten. I'm looking forward to getting started, but patience is my daughter's first lesson in tank setup!

Heya and welcome.

Patience is indeed the key. Ive learned the hard way haha.

An aquarium is such a nice way to bind and be creative together.
My daughter is only 3 but she already loves the fish and the aquariums.
She has her favourites of course.
She loves my male betta Flashheart.
He has big fins and as my daughter said "I love him mummy, he has a dress in just like me" hahah.

 

[fallingacrobat]

Here we are so far. Maria chose the gravel, rocks, and plants. No fish yet. Yes- we are going to cycle the tank first. I've read some about methods. Advice? Can I ask my local fish shop for some squish from a sponge filter? Any recommendations on a good water testing kit?

 

[hansgruber7]

I think the API kit is the best one to go with. Is that a ten gallon? Maybe start with a betta. Or five or six tetras or something hardy. Have you considered real plants? It may feel overwhelming, but you could just get a java fern or anubia attached to some driftwood or even some floating plants like frogbit to start with.

 

[fallingacrobat]

I think the API kit is the best one to go with. Is that a ten gallon? Maybe start with a betta. Or five or six tetras or something hardy. Have you considered real plants? It may feel overwhelming, but you could just get a java fern or anubia attached to some driftwood or even some floating plants like frogbit to start with.

It is a 13 gallon tank. I haven't considered real plants. I've never done that before, and thought we should concentrate on keeping the fish alive first? Would living plants help the tank cycle faster? Keep the environment healthier for the fish? Do I have to provide living plants with something more than water to thrive? I am hoping to cycle the tank before adding fish if possible. I would like to make it as easy on the new fish as possible.
Thanks for the advice on the test kit.

 

[itiwhetu]

Yes live plants will make the tank healthy and fish keeping easier. You don't have to do anything else but put the plants in the tank and control the amount of light to about 10 hours per day.

 

[Sgooosh]

It is a 13 gallon tank. I haven't considered real plants. I've never done that before, and thought we should concentrate on keeping the fish alive first? Would living plants help the tank cycle faster? Keep the environment healthier for the fish? Do I have to provide living plants with something more than water to thrive? I am hoping to cycle the tank before adding fish if possible. I would like to make it as easy on the new fish as possible.
Thanks for the advice on the test kit.

I thibjk you should start with a female betta or plakat betta becuase long finny bettas rip apart on the sharp rocks and plastic plants so something that has stronger and shorter fins

 

[hansgruber7]

Living plants will help with cycling and also will help your fish. If you start with column feeders (don't need soil) it's easier. That would be java ferns, anubias, and floating plants like frogbit. The only thing they need is light really. You might need to add some nutrients (I dose one squirt of Aquarium Co Op fertilizer once a week). If you want a plant that is a root feeder, you would just need to put some root tabs in the substrate. I think real plants make for a much better aquarium experience overall. Cleaner water and healthier and less stressful for the fish personally.

 

[fallingacrobat]

Thanks for the info about the live plants. Maria wants to put several fish in the tank. Can bettas live with other types of fish? I've always thought they are pretty aggressive.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Thanks for the info about the live plants. Maria wants to put several fish in the tank. Can bettas live with other types of fish? I've always thought they are pretty aggressive.

You're going to get a mixed opinion on that. I'm in the "no they should be kept by themselves" camp.
Whilst they may not attack other fish you put with them, they're solitary fish and are stressed around others. Stressed fish become poorly fish.

 

[itiwhetu]

If I was you I would say no to the Bettas at this stage of your journey. Experienced fish keepers sometimes keep Bettas in their community tanks, but there are many factors to consider to make it work.

 

[Essjay]

If you decide against live plants, this is the best method for fishless cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ Some other methods have you adding so much ammonia that it makes so much nitrite that the cycle stalls. This method was written so that you can never get to stall point.

@Sgooosh mentioned the plants - long finned bettas' fins are delicate and easily torn. Plastic plants have sharp edges which can tear the fins. Silk plants are better as they don't have sharp edges, and they also come in dayglo colours like plastic plants if your daughter prefers those.

 

[fallingacrobat]

Help me understand the live plant's role in cycling. Do living plants aid cycling because the beneficial bacteria live on the surfaces of the plants, or that somehow the plants help neutralize the ammonia and nitrite in the water? Will live plants in the water effectively cycle the tank? If so, is there an estimate of how long that will take?
Also regarding cycling, I don't want to sacrifice fish for the sake of cycling the tank, but is there a way I can use fish to cycle without damaging the fish?