New Starter! Help!

[Dr1_veR]

HI All

ive just started this hobby and need some help. Ive done a fair amount of reading and cant seem to find any realy advise.
Ive know ive gone and don the wrong thing by buying a 17litre (4.4 Gallon) Cube Tank. I really didnt want to spend too much before i went serious. Plus i can always use the tank in the future as a isolation tank. im going to buy a 25w heater for it so i can keep tropical fish.
The questions are...

What type of fish can i keep?
How Many?
i was thinking of getting 3-4 Neon Tetras, would they be ok in this Tank?
Can anyone suggest any other fish that would be ok in this tank?
i dont really want just one betta as i like to see fish that move in scoals rather than flop about like goldfish
Also any plant reccomendations?

ive just filled it with water so heres a pic so you get the general idea of the size.


Any help and infomation would be great guys

- Graham

 

[BethK]

4 neons and some live plants will be ok for a 17ltr but i wouldn't add any more fish.

have you looked in this section about cycling a tank? i would cycle your tank before adding tetras, tetras are not hardy fish, like they used to be, so they ideally need a cycled tank x

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Driver.
That is indeed a very small tank and will be harder to care for than a larger one. Large amounts of water mean better water quality stability. They just don't move around as easily as a small tank.
We have a location called the beginner's resource center with lots of help about what you should know starting out. I have a link to it in my signature area. It has articles on everything from setting up the equipment to cycling a tank.
You are in the perfect position to go to your local fish shop and have a look at all the fish they have available. Since you want shoaling fish in that small tank you will be looking for very small fish that are swimming the way you would like to see. Who knows what you may find? Just jot down the names of things you like and come back here. We should be able to help you work out a decent stocking plan. Neons or cardinal tetras will work in small numbers but I also keep Heterandria formosa, golden teddies and black chins in very small tanks. Those last are not common in a pet shop but can be found if you attend a fish club meeting or any similar event because lots of us have that kind of small fish. Don't be afraid to ask if anyone has any small fish that stay small when you are with hobbyists, we all love the fish we keep and really do like to pass them around among the club members. Another option for interesting and very small creatures is the neocaridina shrimp. They come in various color varieties like lime green shrimp or cherry red shrimp or even a yellow colored variety.

 

[tinytayor]

HI All

ive just started this hobby and need some help. Ive done a fair amount of reading and cant seem to find any realy advise.
Ive know ive gone and don the wrong thing by buying a 17litre (4.4 Gallon) Cube Tank. I really didnt want to spend too much before i went serious. Plus i can always use the tank in the future as a isolation tank. im going to buy a 25w heater for it so i can keep tropical fish.
The questions are...

What type of fish can i keep?
How Many?
i was thinking of getting 3-4 Neon Tetras, would they be ok in this Tank?
Can anyone suggest any other fish that would be ok in this tank?
i dont really want just one betta as i like to see fish that move in scoals rather than flop about like goldfish
Also any plant reccomendations?

ive just filled it with water so heres a pic so you get the general idea of the size.


Any help and infomation would be great guys

- Graham

View attachment 60760

i personally like the rummy noses. theyr pretty and theyre a schooling fish

 

[ajs2294]

i personally like the rummy noses. theyr pretty and theyre a schooling fish

Rummynose are a bit larger and would require a bigger tank. Neon tetras are schooling fish also. 4 neons definitely would be your max in the tank and you'll have to keep an extra eye on water parameters being a small tank things change fast!

 

[Dr1_veR]

thanks for the advise all. I bought the book Freshwater Aquariums for Dummies
its quite helpful about cycling and getting it right. Im gonna go buy my heater today. i

is it worth installing the heater and setting temperature and balance and adding the plants and fish together or setting the temp etc then adding plants followed by 2 fish then another 2 in say a weeks or twos time?

- Graham

 

[Dr1_veR]

also i think ive decided on getting 3 tetras and a guppy! Will that be ok? Im told they are good community fish and like each others company.
- Graham

 

[Embrace]

I take it that your book doesn't teach you the fishless cycle then?
Have a read of this http/www.ehow.com/how_2166427_do-fishless-cycle.html

I know it isn't the one from the forum but sometimes for beginners (especially people like me ) a step by step guide is easier to digest than a long paragraph

Oh and here is the more in depth version if you feel up to it

Oh and here is the more in depth version if you feel up to it

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

 

[Dr1_veR]

cheers embrace, ill have study now

 

[Embrace]

No problem
Any questions about that or anything else just ask

 

[ajs2294]

also i think ive decided on getting 3 tetras and a guppy! Will that be ok?

It would be "ok" but really tetras are shoaling fish and require a group of 5 or more. What tetras are you looking at also? There are many many types

 

[Dr1_veR]

also i think ive decided on getting 3 tetras and a guppy! Will that be ok?

It would be "ok" but really tetras are shoaling fish and require a group of 5 or more. What tetras are you looking at also? There are many many types

just some cardinals or neons. Basically the smallest of the species at adult size. Then maybe a colourful male guppy. If i got just guppies how many could i have? 3-4. I don't want to overload the tank, i want the fish to be happy. Ive set the tank temp at 78 F which i think is rightfor tetras n guppies.

Im doing a fishless cycle now to. Ive dechlorinated the water and added sum bacteria im a solution i got from a cycling startup kit.

any suggestions to types of tetras an guppies i should keep. I think im cycling right. Havnt added any fish yet so let me know if im doing summat wrong

thanks guys
- Graham

 

[Curiosity101]

Have you read the fishless cycling guide, if you have, and you're doing what it says. Then you you are doing it right. Basically you need to add an ammonia source to the tank for it to begin cycling, the point of the fishless cycle is that the bacteria that make the ammonia (and then nitrites) safe. Are in super low numbers in a new tank so if you put fish in they create ammonia but it isn't dealt with quickly enough so the fish are poisoned and this can easily lead to lasting damage that will shorten lives.

You can do a fish in cycle where you manually keep the ammonia (and then nitrites) at a safe level for the fish but this often means very large daily water changes and daily water testing.

It's up to you which one you opt for in the long run. But just so you know some quick facts:
Bacteria in a bottle doesn't cycle your tank, often it doesn't actually do anything as the bacteria is normally dead by the time you use it.
You could put as many live bacteria into the tank as you wanted, if there isn't an ammonia source then they wont reproduce and will begin to die quite rapidly.
Although we talk about cycling tanks as an active process, it will happen regardless of whether you try to cycle it, it's just a case of whether fish get damaged in the process.

Also I personally wouldn't have cardinals in there, but I probably wouldn't have neons in it either. However out of the two the neons are the better choice.
Some other easy to find small fish to consider:
Endlers
Galaxy rasbora
Norman lampeyes

Eitherways I'd suggest just sticking to 1 species with it being a small tank so if it were me I'd get 5 neons and nothing else. Or 3/4 male guppies etc etc.

 

[Dr1_veR]

cheers curiosity! When i get home from work ill add sum fish flakes. Ive read that should create ammonia which should kick start the growth of friendly bateria. Am i right?

- Graham

 

[Curiosity101]

It will once it starts rotting yes
Do you have a test kit yet? You will need to test your water so I suggest you buy one of your own, and avoid the paper based test strips as they're useless.