New To The Hobby And A New 20G Tank

[zwalter]

Hey guys,

My girlfriend got me a fish tank for Christmas this year and it's our first one, so neither of us are very knowledgeable in the subject. If you guys would be so kind to tell me what to do before I get fish, what fish would be good to get and how many fish would be acceptable, and what type of plant life/decorations would be nice too, I would really appreciate it.

These are the supplies and the live plants I have thus far:
8" white ribbon
8" argentine sword
8" peacock fern

Aqueon Conditioner
API pH test kit
Kordon Water Conditioning Kit

I know that I have to wait a couple days for the water to go through the filter before getting fish, but I'm not sure if I should put the water conditioner in now or wait till the day I get the fish. Any advice on this would also be appreciated.

Thank you ahead of time for those who can provide me any help.

Best fishes,
Zach

 

[K_Hedin]

Hey there Zach, welcome to the forum and the exciting and addicting hobby of having fish. I know you are probably looking for a lot of answers but my best advice would be to start with the following link and read some of the articles. Especially make sure to read about the fish in and fishless cycles. That will help you determine where to start with your tank. There is also a lot of information on different fish here that can help you decide what kind of fish you want to get. Also a general rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon. So with it being a 20 gallon tank that would mean 20 inches of fish when they are fully grown. Don't buy a baby 1 inch fish and thing I can get 20 of them when they will all grow to be 3 inches. Hope this all helps but I think once you get a little reading in then you can come back with some more specific questions and really get the info you are looking for.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

 

[SensesFail]

The begginers resource centre is the place to go I'm currently fish less cycling using the add and wait method which is when you add the correct dose of ammonia to take the tank to 4-5 ppm and then leave it until the filter processes it to 0 ppm and then do the same.(that's a very minute part of what happens) This is all explained in detail along with the nitrogen cycle.

I'd recommend that cycle, unless you have your heart set on getting fish now then you can do the fish in cycling but you will need to do water changes frequently even 1-2 times a day depending on the amount of fish producing the ammonia. But if you take your time getting it correct you should be flying.

This forums a brilliant place there are many many helpful people on here who will guide you every step of the way! By posting your test results they can tell you what's happening if required in a specific thread relating to you! Check mine out sensesfailyou tank journal

All the best

Oh pardon the bad English or spelling it's a nightmare typing on a mobile with such a small screen haha

 

[KittyKat]

My girlfriend got me a fish tank for Christmas this year and it's our first one, so neither of us are very knowledgeable in the subject. If you guys would be so kind to tell me what to do before I get fish

I would strongly advise you to fish-less cycle the tank. Do read about the nitrogen cycle, do read about fish diseases, do read about behaviour of different fish groups.

what fish would be good to get and how many fish would be acceptable

Here are a few options I would recommend to a beginner..

• The mixed bag option:
  • 1 pair dwarf gouram
  • 15 harlequin rasboras
  • pair Bolivian rams
  • 1 bristlenose pleco
• The SA (South American) community:
  • 15 cardinal tetras
  • 1m 2f Apistogramma cacatuoides
  • 1 bristlenose pleco
• The more aggressive community:
  • 15 tiger barbs
  • pair kribs
  • 1 bristlenose pleco

The few important things to take from that are that schooling fish should be kept.. in school of 6+ individuals and that it is quite important to be able to sex certain fish (for example cichlids and gouramis) when you buy them as a tank-full of males can lead disaster. For a beginner, it is generally best to avoid aggressive fish as they can cause all sorts of problems.

and what type of plant life/decorations would be nice too, I would really appreciate it.

Some basic plants I recommend to everyone are Anubias spp, Java moss, Java fern.. also some Hygrophilas can be quite easy as well.
Just to point out.. the plant at the back on the left is non-aquatic, take it out and put it into a pot: it will rot under water. The one at back left could be a non-aquatic as well.

These are the supplies and the live plants I have thus far:
8" white ribbon
8" argentine sword
8" peacock fern

Those are *ahem* uncommon common names! Have a look at Tropica's plant index to see if you can identify them?

Aqueon Conditioner
API pH test kit
Kordon Water Conditioning Kit

Conditioner (aka dechlorinator and dechloraminator) should be used when you do water changes once the fish are in.
You should be using a liquid test kit (API do a good "master" one) because strips are not accurate. You should have tests for at least ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, preferably for hardness too.
I think "water conditioning kit" is another word for "dechlorinator"?
Once you get fish, you should also have one bottle of anti-fungal/anti-bacterial medication (I prefer eSHA 2000) and one of anti-whitespot medication.

I know that I have to wait a couple days for the water to go through the filter before getting fish, but I'm not sure if I should put the water conditioner in now or wait till the day I get the fish. Any advice on this would also be appreciated.

The first time, it shouldn't matter if you have conditioner or not as chlorine dissipates in about 24 hours and chloramine in about 1 week (both are nasty to fish). If you do things properly, unfortunately it won't be a couple of days, but more like 4-5 weeks. The other two options are fish-in cycling (which takes a lot of effort and the fish are usually harmed in the process) or cyclent cycling with plants (but this is not for the beginner).

Welcome to the forum, hope you make the right decision about cycling and good luck!

 

[rob158]

to the forum

 

[Aqua Tom]

Welcome to our fishy family. Please read the begineers resource centre for a lot of information that you probably didnt know (I certainly didnt at first). There is a handy link in my signiture.

 

[shasm]

Welcome to the forum and to the world of fish keeping. I hope you get hooked.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Zach.

I am afraid that the plant you are calling a white ribbon is terrestrial, not a water plant. I would welcome a comment by a true plant expert but I know I have seen things like that sold as water plants in the past and they simply were not.

The best advice I can give, while you are doing your fishless cycle, is to visit the local fish shop now and then with pen and paper in hand. If you bring back a list of the fish that particularly suit your fancy, I bet we can help you put together a nice balanced stocking of fish that you will like.

 

[shasm]

Yes, the ribbon is not aquatic, though they sell them as such. It will just rot in your tank.

 

[zwalter]

Welcome to the forum Zach.

I am afraid that the plant you are calling a white ribbon is terrestrial, not a water plant. I would welcome a comment by a true plant expert but I know I have seen things like that sold as water plants in the past and they simply were not.

The best advice I can give, while you are doing your fishless cycle, is to visit the local fish shop now and then with pen and paper in hand. If you bring back a list of the fish that particularly suit your fancy, I bet we can help you put together a nice balanced stocking of fish that you will like.

Hi guys,

I've been away from the forum since Christmas and am now just catching up on your posts. I am disappointed to hear that the white ribbon is not a water plant, as Petco sold me it as such. Cost me $7.99 too.

I have been doing a fish in cycle for more than a week now after letting the filter run for 5 days. I bought 4 Cardinal Tetras and have been changing 2 gallons (10%) of water daily and 5 gallons every Sunday. The last two days however I have noticed that the water has been getting cloudy. The temperature is still between 76-78 F, and I took my water to Petsmart to get tested where they said everything looked good there. Is the water getting cloudy because I left the "white ribbon" in? It hadn't started turning brown yet, but I feel really stupid that I didn't check the posts earlier.

It is a new tank and I have read that new tanks can get cloudy in the first couple weeks, but is there a way I can get the water clear again that is safe for my fish?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Aqua Tom]

What whhere your most recent API results?

 

[zwalter]

What whhere your most recent API results?

I don't have the number figures, but since I'm going to go to Petco to ask for my money back, I may as well go to Petsmart to get my water analyzed again. Petsmart is right across the street. They seem much more knowledgeable at Petsmart, or at least the woman that I talked to seemed knowledgeable. She claimed to have 3 tanks and stated a lot of the things I had read online. Maybe she can give me some input on the cloudiness.

 

[Aqua Tom]

I have just read the OP again & didnt realise that your API kit was just for PH. You really need to get a master kit. this tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate & high-low ph.

Once you have this kit you can properly monitor the water yourslef & not rely on somebody that at the end of the day is only realy trying to sell you fish.

Cynical on my part but i talk from experience.

 

[zwalter]

I have just read the OP again & didnt realise that your API kit was just for PH. You really need to get a master kit. this tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate & high-low ph.

Once you have this kit you can properly monitor the water yourslef & not rely on somebody that at the end of the day is only realy trying to sell you fish.

Cynical on my part but i talk from experience.

Yeah, I should get a master kit, those are just so dang expensive.

Petsmart gave me these readings:
Ammonia - about 1 ppm
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Chlorine - 0
Hard Water
pH - 7.6-7.8

my kit read pH about 7.6.

I asked him about the cloudiness, he said it may be from being a new aquarium. What are your thoughts? Could it be from the plants? I got back from Petco, they wouldn't give me a refund but just a new plant. They gave me a Kyoto grass plant. I did some research when I got back home and many things say this is also a non-aquatic. This brings my Petco plants to 4 and many forums say they are all non-aquatic:

White ribbon - Dracaena sanderiana
peacock fern - Selaginella willdenovii
Argentine swords - Echinodorus argentinensis
Kyoto - ophiopogon japonica

What are the effects that they will have if I keep them in the tank? Will they release toxins and hurt my fish or will they just rot over the next few months and when they get too ugly I can just toss them? I have no intentions to put them in a pot, so it be toss them now or toss them later. I'm really disappointed that Petco would carry at least 4 different species of "aquatic" plants and them really not be aquatic.

 

[Myuu]

The cloudiness could be a bacteria bloom. I'm not sure of anything else it could be, seeing as your substrate isn't sand. And the non-aquatic plants will survive for a little bit, but they'll eventually rot away. I'd remove them from your tank now, just so don't risk having them decompose without realizing it