New Aquarium

[milindsaraswala]

I am trying to start new Fresh water Tank. I wanted to start planting also. So I wanted to know how much size tank I can start with. Which Fish Should I start with. Which plants with be good for starting. And for most thing I wanted to know first I should start with planting or putting new fish. I like a colorful not very big and not very small fish.

I know about fish less cycling. So I wanted to know should I complete first cycling or should I start with planting also with fish. I will be very thankful for good answer

 

[fatheadminnow]

I am trying to start new Fresh water Tank. I wanted to start planting also. So I wanted to know how much size tank I can start with. Which Fish Should I start with. Which plants with be good for starting. And for most thing I wanted to know first I should start with planting or putting new fish. I like a colorful not very big and not very small fish.

I know about fish less cycling. So I wanted to know should I complete first cycling or should I start with planting also with fish. I will be very thankful for good answer

If I had time, as I am in college right now, I would get a 55 gallon! It is a very popular and well sized tank!

Design the tank how you want it first with substrate, decor and plants, and then perform the fishless cycle.

These are some good plants that I got form some other people on this forum, as they help "prevent" algae growth.

Hygrophila species
Ludwigia species
Rotala species
Egeria species
Brazilian Water Ivy
Small Ambulia
Mexican Oak Leaf
Water Sprite
Hornwort
Floating plants (careful they don’t block too much light)

-FHM

 

[Truck]

well we cant tell you what plant species and fish species would be suitable until you decide on the tank size, the best size for planting IMO is a 125 litre tall tank, i would plant it up and then start the cycle, but i would add a little more ammonia than normal as the plants will consume some of it.

 

[cooldude]

Buy the biggest size you can afford. Minimum should be 20 gallons. Easy to maintain.

You can add plants from the begining or after the cycle is completed.

http/aquarium-setup.blogspot.com/

 

[chesterscot]

i agree with cooldude get the biggest tank you can afford or fit in your home
regards scot

 

[waterdrop]

Larger tanks are easier for beginners in that they are more forgiving of mistakes in most aspects. It takes longer for negative things to happen to a larger body of water. Also a larger amount of water gives you a longer time to notice a problem beginning.

On the other hand once you get up into 50, 75, 100 gallon tanks, some of the weight and maintenance issues get much bigger too. It takes more people to handle moving these things and the supplies for them cost more too. If you have the room and are ready to take this on then its a wonderful thing, but for many beginners it can be a bit much for finding out what the hobby is going to be like.

I think there is a "sweet spot" down around 20, 25, 30 gallons or so, depending on the space you have. A tank in this size range is easier to handle physically but is large enough to be forgiving of water mistakes as compared to a 5 or 10 gallon tank.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

I almost agree with WD on the tank choice but find that a 55 is a small enough tank for easy care while giving flexible stocking options. I have mostly tanks in the 29 gallon size because I like a separate tank for each fish species and the larger tanks can take a lot of room. I also have a few 10 gallon tanks for hospital tanks and growing small fry in bare bottomed tanks. Each tank ends up being suited to a different purpose but a nice 20 to 55 gallon tank can serve as a good beginner community tank.

 

[milindsaraswala]

I came to conclusion that I am ready to buy 20 Gallon long tank. Now need more help above question

 

[roofer no1]

I came to conclusion that I am ready to buy 20 Gallon long tank. Now need more help above question

i would go for 10 zebra danios or platies once the tank is ready as these fish are hardy and help bring on the filltraison system in the tank .

 

[waterdrop]

I came to conclusion that I am ready to buy 20 Gallon long tank. Now need more help above question

i would go for 10 zebra danios or platies once the tank is ready as these fish are hardy and help bring on the filltraison system in the tank .

I agree with danios and platies being among the very best of the hardy fish that can be introduced to a new tank, but I respectfully disagree with the idea of having a beginner use them to cycle the filter. One of the great things about this "New to the Hobby" forum is that it provides a sort of guide center to help beginners be able to get through their first (and hopefully only, since thereafter you can just clone your bacteria) fishless cycle.

While its entirely possible for a beginner to Fish-In Cycle a filter, just like an experienced aquarist, it often doesn't go well and the mistakes come at the expense of the fish, not to mention that it can be a huge hassle for the beginner doing frequent large water changes. In contrast, the labor involved in a fishless cycle is next to nothing, even though the patience part is difficult.

My personal preference, if I were milindsaraswala, would be to introduce a small to medium number of inexpensive plants (they may get covered with algae) and to begin a fishless cycle in the 20 gallon tank. The article to read is our pinned one at the top of the forum by rdd1952 that tells about the Add&Wait method of fishless cycling. If at all possible, some mature media should be sought out from another TFF member or a LFS or whereever you can find any. You will have to get a good liquid-reagent based test kit and find the right kind of pure household ammonia, which can be difficult. The plants sometimes carry a few bacteria in with them and so might possibly help seed the fishless cycle a little although not anywhere near the degree to which a piece of mature media added to the filter will. Good luck and keep asking here milind~

~~waterdrop~~

 

[roofer no1]

I came to conclusion that I am ready to buy 20 Gallon long tank. Now need more help above question

i would go for 10 zebra danios or platies once the tank is ready as these fish are hardy and help bring on the filltraison system in the tank .

I agree with danios and platies being among the very best of the hardy fish that can be introduced to a new tank, but I respectfully disagree with the idea of having a beginner use them to cycle the filter. One of the great things about this "New to the Hobby" forum is that it provides a sort of guide center to help beginners be able to get through their first (and hopefully only, since thereafter you can just clone your bacteria) fishless cycle.

While its entirely possible for a beginner to Fish-In Cycle a filter, just like an experienced aquarist, it often doesn't go well and the mistakes come at the expense of the fish, not to mention that it can be a huge hassle for the beginner doing frequent large water changes. In contrast, the labor involved in a fishless cycle is next to nothing, even though the patience part is difficult.

My personal preference, if I were milindsaraswala, would be to introduce a small to medium number of inexpensive plants (they may get covered with algae) and to begin a fishless cycle in the 20 gallon tank. The article to read is our pinned one at the top of the forum by rdd1952 that tells about the Add&Wait method of fishless cycling. If at all possible, some mature media should be sought out from another TFF member or a LFS or whereever you can find any. You will have to get a good liquid-reagent based test kit and find the right kind of pure household ammonia, which can be difficult. The plants sometimes carry a few bacteria in with them and so might possibly help seed the fishless cycle a little although not anywhere near the degree to which a piece of mature media added to the filter will. Good luck and keep asking here milind~

~~waterdrop~~

i agree with your points i didn't mean throw these fish into a tank that has had no time for some filter bacteria to build up patience is the key word dont be tempted to rush. but these fish are a good place to start and will help in maturing a tank . apologes if it was miss leading

 

[waterdrop]

I came to conclusion that I am ready to buy 20 Gallon long tank. Now need more help above question

i would go for 10 zebra danios or platies once the tank is ready as these fish are hardy and help bring on the filltraison system in the tank .

I agree with danios and platies being among the very best of the hardy fish that can be introduced to a new tank, but I respectfully disagree with the idea of having a beginner use them to cycle the filter. One of the great things about this "New to the Hobby" forum is that it provides a sort of guide center to help beginners be able to get through their first (and hopefully only, since thereafter you can just clone your bacteria) fishless cycle.

While its entirely possible for a beginner to Fish-In Cycle a filter, just like an experienced aquarist, it often doesn't go well and the mistakes come at the expense of the fish, not to mention that it can be a huge hassle for the beginner doing frequent large water changes. In contrast, the labor involved in a fishless cycle is next to nothing, even though the patience part is difficult.

My personal preference, if I were milindsaraswala, would be to introduce a small to medium number of inexpensive plants (they may get covered with algae) and to begin a fishless cycle in the 20 gallon tank. The article to read is our pinned one at the top of the forum by rdd1952 that tells about the Add&Wait method of fishless cycling. If at all possible, some mature media should be sought out from another TFF member or a LFS or whereever you can find any. You will have to get a good liquid-reagent based test kit and find the right kind of pure household ammonia, which can be difficult. The plants sometimes carry a few bacteria in with them and so might possibly help seed the fishless cycle a little although not anywhere near the degree to which a piece of mature media added to the filter will. Good luck and keep asking here milind~

~~waterdrop~~

i agree with your points i didn't mean throw these fish into a tank that has had no time for some filter bacteria to build up patience is the key word dont be tempted to rush. but these fish are a good place to start and will help in maturing a tank . apologes if it was miss leading

Yes, I think we're on the same page. Danios, Platies and Rasboras are among the very best "first fish" after a tank is fully cycled and to have for instance while you're waiting the 6 months of so to mature a tank for neon tetras for instance. On the forum we usually like to try to be pretty definite about how to go about maturing the bacteria so that its not a hit or miss thing for a beginner, thus the concern, as otherwise its so easy for them to just hear something like "wait 3 weeks" from a LFS or other useless things. Sorry, didn't mean to sound harsh, just trying to help. -wd-