New tank, new fish

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hello all!

ive been offered a new tank (its 2.6ft long, and im not sure how tall/wid it is) but for free im taking it since its a major upgrad from my 5 gallon.

Ive looked on the volume calculator and i think its prob gonna be around 25gallons, is this an ok size for a noob?

I still need to buy a heater and pump but ill ask for them for christmas

now comes the issue on what fishies in a local shop near me (where paulVbiker works) they have a really kewl display tank, that has really colourfull fish in there, i think they are called killyfish? and some other little fish that look all rainbow colours

I really want to have a tropical tank like this, what can i do for wood and things? (where do people get the driftwood, is it literally driftwood of the beach?)

and can i have killyfish in my tank of that size? (i think the others was glassfish?? in the show tank they looked see-through but in the display tank they was somehow colourful, btw they wasnt died)

so whats best to have n this tank?? any ideas? i like colourful fish and i like them smallish (i dont really like big fish) atm i got a 5 gallon tank with 2 guppies, and otto an a frog, lol but i think im gonna start a new and give these current fish away.

 

[WILDER]

Will you be doing a fish cycle or a fishless cycle, buy a test kit for ph,gh,kh, test your tap water this will help knowing what fish you can keep, 25gal is good as it is meduim size tank ideal for smaller fish.

 

[G_Sharky]

I'd go for a planted community fish with huge schools of tetras.....It will look awesome....

 

[toggle]

yeah, i got all the water testers for my 5 gallons,

in this one i want to have real plants although i dont know how to do this (do i need c02 stuff or summit?) also gonna have sand but i want to have some kind of driftoowd too and unaware where to buy this from.

hmmmm shcoals of fish would be kool, but would this look good in a long tank rather than high? and what are good fish? i saw some cories in my llfs and they look uber kewl
and i like the crabs but i couldnt have them in a community tank.

Agghhh im confuzzled

anyways i know i like smallish fish (about 1.5inch) and very colourful also i dont want anymroe livebreaders!!! i cant keep up with there offspring!!!

 

[Streetracer]

I've done some reading on wood and you should NOT use driftwood from the beach. You'll probably never get all the salt out of it.

Find wood you like on the forest floor and paint it with clear polyurethane such as sealant for wood floors. You may need to wire the wood to a rock to keep it from floating.

Or you could use "bog wood" that's already underwater in a pond somewhere. It won't rot as long as it stays wet. Boil the wood for an hour or so to kill any parasites and to drive out tannings which will turn your water brown.

You'll still get some tannin in the water but water changes will help keep the brown color to a minimum. The tannin will soften the water and won't hurt most fish.

 

[gadazobe]

Nice size tank. Neon tetras like a well established tank - at least 6 months old, if not more. If you want colour, how about guppies? They would be extremely happy in a well planted tank of that size. (only after cycling).

 

[Streetracer]

You won't need C02 at first. Just stick with plants that like low to medium light and don't go overboard on the lighting. If your plants are green and growing you'll know you have enough light. I'm starting a planted tank using a 36" long x 24" high but with only about 20" of water in it and it will be powered by a 96 watt compact fluorescent.

 

[WILDER]

It's red plants that need alot of lighting.

 

[sylvia]

Killies are usualy best kept in a species tank rather than in a community. The glassfish you mentioned (if they are what I think) should be fine in a community with peaceful species.
Once you have cycled your tank (go for a fishless cycle - read link in sig. for more info), and if you don't want livebearers, I would suggest 5 of the beautiful blackfin cories (wonderful black/white contrasting colors), 2 dwarf or honey gouramies, a shoal of 7 harlequin rasboras or cardinal tetras (or 5 glassfish which are slightly larger) and maybe a couple of otos as well. In a planted tank with sand this would make a beautiful setup.
However, you should research all the fish before buying them to make sure of their requirements and keep in mind that dwarf gouramies and cardinal tetras can be quite fragile due to inbreeding and mass commercial production so your tank must already be cycled and you should keep up with maintainance and provide adequate filtration.

 

[Fishy411]

a lot of peopl elike cories but i hate them. I think a big school of zebra otos would be much cooler. I think they are much more personable than Cories. i think it would be really cool to have a school of neon tetras a school of glo lite tetras a school of black neon tetras and a school of lemon tetras. and some Oto's

 

[Fishy411]

sry i meant regular oto's.

 

[WILDER]

I would go for cardinals over neon tetra's, as neon tetra's are prone to NTD, and black neons don't shoal that much and are a shy fish.

 

[toggle]

kewl, thanks for all the advice ppl.

i know about the cycling thing, i just not sure about planted...well plants and what fish to get

im still debating if not to get a community tank, a predatory tank or a acoylte (whatever there called, the little lizard finiges)

lol

 

[sylvia]

If you are worried about keeping plants, get some realy easy ones to begin with. Things like the floating duckweed (ideal for gouramies BTW - or killies if you decide on a species tank of course) or even elodea. Another great, fast-growing option is hornwart which you can also leave floating if you like. I believe some people have had success with amazon swords and I currently have a plant that resembles real grass (not hair grass or moss or anything like that I think though) and which is a rooted plant that grows easily and doesn't need too much light. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called

 

[mandi]

Plants that I have not been able to kill (and trust me, I'm baaad with plants haha) -- java fern, java moss, hornwort, mossballs (ok they're algae really, not plants), and lloydiella.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend duckweed -- my experience with it is that it takes over the tank, clogs your fiters, and smells bad. (But that's just me... lol).

I got my driftwood on ebay of all places ... I think the lady's username was 'driftwoodmary' or something crazy like that. Anyway, her driftwood is boiled, pressurewashed, and pre-soaked (it comes damp wrapped in plastic). It sinks without any problem and it won't stain your water. I was more than happy with the piece I got -- it's beautiful!