Help a 'Noob' out?

[Tullamore Dew]

A friend of mine gave me her old fishtank and cooresponding iron stand. The hood, filter system and all other accessories were destroyed in a flood.

So! Can you all help a newbie out? I need to purchase everything to complete the tank!

What kind of hood lighting is the best? Filter system recommended?

I used to have freshwater fish, and I am really looking forward to maintaining a tank once again. I just know products have changed a lot in the last decade or so.

The tank itself is about 30 inches across and about 12 deep. I assume that means I have a 30 gallon, right?

Any an all advice for products and such that you all have is more than greatly apprecaited.

Thank you!

 

[iapetus]

What kind of hood lighting is the best? Filter system recommended?

The answers to these questions really depend upon what you want to do with this tank. What kind of fish do you want to keep? Do you intend to keep live plants or fake plants?

As far as the filter goes, I'd probably recommend a Penguin Bio-Wheel 150 or 200.

The tank itself is about 30 inches across and about 12 deep. I assume that means I have a 30 gallon, right?

That sounds about right. Those are the dimensions of the footprint of my 29-gallon tank. It's 18" tall. How tall is yours?

 

[MissFishy]

Take a read through the link in my signature for explanations on different filtration systems and equipment. Also the most important part, cycling the tank for fish!

 

[d3sc3n7]

Well, if you want good quality equipment. I'd get the filter mentioned above, a visa-therm stealth heater. The hood/lights depend on what your doing with the tank, as stated above.

Listen to miss fishy about the cycle, please.

Other than that, please carefully plan out your stock (what fish you want) and let us know, before you get them. Alot of fish dont get along, and you will get plenty of help around here.

 

[Lone Wolff]

Same as others have said. Get the tank filled up, filter going, and start your cycle. You'll have PLENTY of time to decide on fish in the meantime.

The last time I had a Tullmore Dew was in Killarney 4 years ago. I saw your Username and I got instantly thirsty! Sláinte!

 

[brian1973]

Welcome to the tank.

Your of to a good start there is alot of good information here and all you have to do is ask.

I agree with everyone else get your cycle going then while your doing that research, reasearch and research before you buy any fish.

as for the tank capacity It depends on how tall it is if it is only 12" tall then it is a 20g long. my 29 gal is 24"l x 12"wx 21"h

 

[Tullamore Dew]

Miss Fishy's wonderful information regarding cycling has been printed out and I'm currently studying it! Thank you so much!

I just want a freshwater tank back - a few catfish for 'vacuums', a few angel fish, tetras - your normal, easy to maintain tank.

I'm currently researching the hoods and filters and such suggested. Again, thank you all very much!

What type of hood would you all recommend? I'm also a bit confused as to what type of lighting to buy.

And I need some kind of under gravel filter, correct?

Another question - is it possible to say . . paint the decorations that you will be displaying inside a tank and somehow seal them to ensure that they would be non-toxic? For example . . what if I wanted to say . . paint a rock and put it in the tank - just for a simple example. Can I do that with certain paints?

 

[Tullamore Dew]

The last time I had a Tullmore Dew was in Killarney 4 years ago. I saw your Username and I got instantly thirsty! Sláinte!

Ha! Tullamore Dew is my dog's name! The night I brought her home from the pound she was bouncing off the walls like a holy terror and in frustration I ordered my ex-husband to bring me 'three inches of something strong on ice' - he yelled back 'All we have is Tulley' and damn if her ears didn't perk right up. Hence, her name.

I had a friend direct from Ireland that turned me onto 'Tulley'. He would drink a swig right from the bottle and then chase it with a swig of Mountain Dew. For years we drank 'Dew Dews'. Damn. Now I'm thirsty! *celebrate

 

[iapetus]

And I need some kind of under gravel filter, correct?

Few people recommend those; most recommend against under gravel filters. I'm a fan of the Penguin Bio-Wheel hang-on-back filters. Others of use prefer other brands and types -- but the argument against UGFs is nearly universal. Just ask d3sc3n7!

 

[jediinthedark]

What kind of filter partly depends on what kind of plants you are going to keep, and what your budget is.
The last two Penguin filters that I had each suffered from horrible impeller rattling, and I now will likely never buy another Marineland filter again.

If you just want a simple cheap filter then I'm a fan of AquaClear filters.
They hang on the back of the tank and are easy and cheap to maintain.
If you want to get into keeping live plants then look into the Fluval 205. This is a canister filter which means the true "filter" part sits under the tank. This is more expensive then a Hang On Back (HOB) filter but it does not disturb the surface of the water (which releases CO2, which you want to keep in the water for the plants).
The Fluval 205 does a good job on this size tank, and is very easy to clean.
Just so you know: you can still keep live plants even with an HOB filter.

Lighting: This also depends on what you are keeping in the tank. If you are going to keep plants then you'll want to buy some sort of florescent lighting.
You have options between a full hood, or just a light strip. If you choose to just buy a light strip then you can also buy glass plates to fit over the tank (to keep fish in). Just be aware the light strips can be expensive.
Your other option is a full hood which may or may not be florescent.
My preference is to go with the florescent lighting (hood or light strip). This is for two reasons:
1) Florescent doesn't generate the heat that traditional bulbs do (and this can become a problem in the summer when you're trying to keep the tank from getting too hot).
2) Personal opinion, but I think the fish colors look better under florescent then traditional bulbs.

If you decide to do live plants then you also may want to look into a high quality gravel like Eco Complete or Flourite.

Welcome back to the hobby!

 

[Tullamore Dew]

What kind of filter partly depends on what kind of plants you are going to keep, and what your budget is.

I'm definitely sticking to plastic plants!

Anyone have a suggestion for a website that sells hoods only?

Again, I cannot thank you all enough for your time and suggestions!

 

[jen0910]

Most pet stores sell hoods. Petco, Petsmart, Live Aquaria, Aquarium Guys-pretty much any of these websites should have hoods too.

If you are near Monroeville there is a decent fish store called Elmers. There is also another pet store that has fish, I can't remember the name, I think it was Petland maybe. It is in the plaza next to, kinda below, Petco.

 

[MissDanni]

Welcome

 

[T&KMayes]

Hello,
This is my frist to have a tank and I have had a few qustions long way and things you are told is somthing else ok. Like they say you live and learn I'm trying .

 

[T&KMayes]

Hello,
This is my frist fish tank and I have a few qustions please.

 

[T&KMayes]

What started me on getting a fish tank was!! MY hubby and I went fishing and we took a few gold fish and I couldnt dump them in the pond so I took them home and I end up putting them in a out sid pond.

 

[brian1973]

T&K welcome to the tank

I would suggest starting a thread of your own, that would be the best way to get responses to any questions you may have.

There is a thread in the lounge that asks what got you started...may want to post there as well.

 

[Lone Wolff]

I'm definitely sticking to plastic plants!

Anyone have a suggestion for a website that sells hoods only?

Again, I cannot thank you all enough for your time and suggestions!

What size tank is it? I'd recommend a glass canopy/hood combination if possible . Without live plants, you won't need a certain level of light, so the std fluorescent tube lighting most commonly sold would be fine.

Some Walmart's have decent pet departments with hoods, HOB filters, etc. Others just have food, and basic accessories only. Locally, our Petsmart has 10 times the selection of aquarium supplies vs. our Petco, but for actual fish, the Petco has them beat. Odd.

AquariumGuys.com - Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Supplies
Aquarium Hoods and Accessories

Aquariumguys will have everything you need. And even more of what you really want, but may not need (yet).

 

[Tullamore Dew]

I've now bought my heater, air bubbles, and working on the filtration. And the hood. I'll get that in a week or so.

I filled up the tank, and let it sit in my extra shower for three days - no leaks!!!!

I am SO excited! *BOUNCINGS

So . . I'm doing good. But I still have a question - can I buy various tank decorations and paint them as I see fit? What kinds of paint can I use?

I had a coworker say that you can use paints that people use for their swimming pools, but that just does not seem right.

 

[brian1973]

i dont know of any paints that would be safe, you may try using the search feature at the top of the page. I know this question has been asked before.