30 gallon, newbie, cant wait to get started

[Lostlilkidd]

Hi Everyone!

I've been on this forum all day cruising through all the helpful info! After weeks of obsessing over the possibility of getting a tank, i will finally be getting a 30 gallon tank this weekend.

Im ready to jump right in, and fill the tank with water and fishes... even though that would be wrong on many levels.

Chances are Im going to have the guy at Petco recommend all the equipment that I need. But any brief recommendations on filters (hang on)? heaters?

I've also browsed through countless species of fishes that i can stock in my tank. I seem to come across tetras and cory's often as they are good fishes for beginners. I'm happy as long as the fishes are eye pleasing and easy to maintain for a beginner.
Any recommendations?

Lastly, i would like to add a live plant or two in there. It seems amazon sword are popular as well. Aside from gravel, would I add sand as well?

I know, i seem like im all over the place... but cant wait to get started!

 

[unwritten law]

Welcome

Just gravel is okay for most plants but I like the appeal of sand or flourite which I think is more like clay, but I'm probably wrong. A 30 gallon is a good starting size of a tank, hopefully will keep you from getting a larger one within a month. Tetras can be good for beginners, but try to get the hardier one, neons can be very fragile. I havent had tetras in a long time so someone else can help you out with those. I don't know anything about cories but its okay because I would recommend fishless cycling the tank for a couple weeks before even adding fish so you have plenty of time to think it over. IO would try to find another store besides petco for fish because they aren't always that healthy. For your tank I would get a school of tetras, larger ones, and a pair or something larger like angles or what ever floats you boat, and maybe 3-4 cories, or a smaller pleco species.

For a 30 gallon a nice hang on back fiter (HOB) will work just fine, unless you have plenty of cash to dish out on a quieter, more efficient canister filter. I have both on my 46 gallon and the power filter is a lot louder than the canister one. Heaters are like most other things, you get what you pay for.... Look to make sure you can adjust the temperature and some people like ones that have a light showing that its actually working... Don't get a package deal from petco, I did it and you get underrated crappy equipment.

 

[jo3olous]

first off, WELCOME TO MFT!!! This is probably one of the best resources out there, and we're pretty friendly if I do say so myself. You'll get used to the sarcasm some people bring, I'm probably the harshest with words, and I don't even think I'm that bad.

30G provides you with some decent stocking options. You will get professional advice about what filter to get, and heaters and such from the others... but from me...

Theres always the Sand / Gravel debate for your subtrate. Gravel is easier to clean, and hides mess better. Sand is prettier but you will see build up of dirt which is a good thing sometimes cuz you will know when to vacuum, and sand is just better for some fish.

I recommend getting these things down:

Tank
Heater
Filter
Subtrate (gravel/sand)
decorations ( driftwood, rocks, whatever you prefer )
Fish net
Thermometer
Water test kit (not the strips) the master one
*** If you go real plant route, lighting fixture *** <--- someone will advise
*** You don't NEED a lighting fixture, it's mostly for looks and better viewing, although planted tanks will need proper lighting (not just your avg flourescent)

Okay once you are clear on all fish tank components and such (I think there is a complete thread for this, again someone will surely post it)

FISH SELECTION!!!! Yay fun part
For ease of fish keeping, I will recommend community fish

1) The goldfish route - They're relatively easy to keep and don't require a heater for the most part. they can hang with the room temp but actually prefer cooler temps in the 60s. Anyway the general rule of thumb is 1 common goldfish per 20G of water, 10G more for each additional. And for the Fantails/moors it's 1 per 15G of water I believe. So you could probably house 2-3 goldfish easily.

2) Tetras / Danios / Corys / Ottos / - You could have a solid school of tetras or danios depending on which ones anywhere from 7-12 to make a really active fun tank. You can add the corys/ottos/ or other small plecos (NOT COMMON) to fill the bottom region of your tank, since tetras and danios will be found around the top/mid section of your tank. You can then finish off this set with 1 centerpiece fish, a dwarf gourami maybe or a community fish that should top off around 4-5 inches.

3) Livebearers gallore - Guppies? Careful of what sex you get, either all males or all female, or 3 males to a female. These things will reproduce and overstock your tank like crazy! .. Also check out maybe some Swordtails or platies, those fish are lots of fun too. You could keep a good 8-10 of these in your tank, maybe more depending on which specific type. Once again you can add bottom feeders to the mix, nothing that exceeds 5-6 inches in length though.

4) semi-aggressive anyone??? Barbs are really neat and fun to watch. Tiger barbs, for example are really really active in shoals of 6-8 but be careful what you mix because they are aggressive. They do well with these bottom dwellers - 1 redtail shark / 1 rainbow shark / yo yo loaches / kuhli loaches / smaller plecos <-- from my experience. do not mix > 1 redtail or rainbow together, do not get bala sharks. Balas require big big tanks (100+)

5) Won't get into african cichlids, theyre not that hard to care for but not the easiest of the bunch either.


******* BEFORE PURCHASING FISH ********

Cycle tank!!! It takes about a week most say on avg, it's not that hard and you risk 0 fish this way. Your test kit you will have purchased will be handy for this so you can watch the water perameters as it develops. There should be a thread on this. The main reason you don't want to do a fish in cycle is because it's detrimental to the fish, plus you risk losing some/all along the way so why take the chance?

Good luck with your tank!

 

[Lostlilkidd]

Aside from tetras, and corys... any other recommendations.

For the HOB.. any recommendations?

Im so tempted to avoid the fishless cycle =(

 

[unwritten law]

I lost 5 fish within a few weeks trying to do a fish-in cycle... Its not worth the money, stress, and time of trying to do it. For the HOB filters most bio-wheel setups are nice, I prefer Marineland and again I would stay away from petco brands like whisper and such, I just have bad experiences with them over others. Like mentioned lighting is crucial for plants and requires more powerful and expensive lighting... Really depends on how much you want to spend.

For fish just look around the freshwater profiles on this site, link at the top and tell us what you like and we can tell you if its a good match.

 

[Michaelh218]

I understand about wanting to avoid the cycle, but here's the thing, if you don't in most cases you are throwing money down the toilet.

If you want to jumpstart your cycle, get a cooked deli shrimp and let it sit in your tank for 3 days (preferably in a stocking so you can pull it out easier). Be warned, it will STINK when you pull it out but that jumpstarts the process. You will still want to wait a couple of weeks to make sure the cycle is completed.

If you know your cycle has started and you are wondering if its done yet I would test the water, nitrates, nitrites, and ammoinia. That will tell you if its completed.

Another thing that I've read (and wish I had done) is add fish slowly so you don't overhwelm the tank and end up with an ammonia spike.

Just my two cents from another newbie

 

[TMony]

Welcome . . . I think jo3olous did a nice job and gave you lots to think about. So I will just say . . .don't forget to get something to do water changes . . . syphon

 

[unwritten law]

The shrimp thing is just to add ammonia to your tank... its easier to just to a store and buy pure ammonia with out additives like fragrances. Just read up on fishless cycling.

 

[Lostlilkidd]

Thanks for all the info.
I think im going to go with Tetras / Danios / Corys / Ottos and maybe a center piece. I guess i'll stock with a school of 7/9 tetras and a couple of cory.s/danios/ottos first. I can decide later about the possibility of a center piece fish/semi aggressive fish.

Any recommendations on plant or HOB?

I guess i'll go with a fishless cycle since it'll take a week. Until then.. its to the pet store after work to look at possible fishes to buy =(

 

[TMony]

Aquaclears are popular for that size of tank. Get an oversized filter that is recommended for a 50 or 70 gallon tank.

Aquaclear 200 (50) or 300(70)

 

[jo3olous]

Another thing that I've read (and wish I had done) is add fish slowly so you don't overhwelm the tank and end up with an ammonia spike.

Just my two cents from another newbie

I would take this quote very seriously, it can also save you a lot of confusion. when you complete your cycle, I would recommend adding the danios first, I think they are the hardiest of the bunch... try 3-4 .... then add 3-4 fish every 4-5 days till you reach your stock limits/ you are happy. Don't go and buy 10 fish and put them all in at once, that will just crush your perameters and everyone will be stressed out.

 

[Kissyboots]

Cycling: Cycling a Tank

Just remember not to overstock. One inch of fish per gallon of water is a good guideline.

Welcome to the tank!

 

[unwritten law]

You can added a more fish right after your fishless cycle because your filter has more bacteria then it knows what to do with it... Once your filter is only dealing with fish poop and not tons of ammonia that you add the bacteria dies off a bit. But then you need to add slowly. I don't think you need to get the filter rated for a 70 gallon but one rated for a 45-55 wouldn't hurt.

 

[Lostlilkidd]

if i forego the peaceful tank route and wanted semi aggressive tank.
Could i do:
7 tetras
mix of barbs, sharks, corys, and a centerpiece fish
?

 

[LadyLail]

Please, try and find a LPS that has individual tanks. This cuts down on the spread of disease. All these chains like Petsmart, Walmart, Petco, etc. have one huge pump that filters all the water in all the tanks and is able to cycle all the diseases to everything. Plus, most of these employees are fly by night and are there to get a paycheck, and are more concerned about selling their 5,000 goldfish in a 10 gallon tank than the overall heath of the fish (not all, but most).

Also, you may want to reconsider getting all those fish at once, and beyond that, all those fish period. Sounds like you have alot going on in your 30g IMO- may be too much for the fish. If they get overcrowded, they will stress and will not be as healthy. Also, until you really get a hang of fishkeeping, you may find yourself overwhelmed when little problems arise, and if you have a ton of different fish that have different temperments and requirements, it'll be hard to pin point the problem.

I do however think it is wise to hold off on the "centerpeice fish" like you mentioned. A semi-aggressive fish can often be territorial (how much so varies not only on the species, but the individual temperment of each fish), and if there's a few schools of Tetras and Danios (which are wonderful fun BTW) swimming around all the time mid to top of the tank, then Ottos and Corys that have found their knitch at the bottom, the semi-aggresive may turn into the playground bully because there's no room for him.

Just some things to consider. When you start getting everything up and running, post some pics so we can see the begginings of your new most lethal addiction ...

 

[LadyLail]

What kind of Tetras? What kind of Sharks? What are you thinking of as your "centerpeice"? A lot of the little Tetras are too passive for a semi-aggressive tank in my experience. And they may become food for your Sharks if they get big enough (Just incase you were thinking about it- Bala Sharks really aren't good for a 30g- they require HUGE tanks (100+).

 

[Lostlilkidd]

im thinking...
7 neon tetras/or platies
2 cherry barbs
1 or 2 red tail sharks
2 cories
1 center piece.
Shrimp for the bottom

Does this work?

 

[unwritten law]

nope...

You want to make sure the platies are all one sex or just maybe 2 females.
Cherries should be in larger groups like 6 cause they are social but its not the biggest problem
You only want one RTS unless you have a 55+ and can have 3 or more. They get mean and the dominant one will beat up the other.
Corries again should be in larger groups, at least 4-5 Id say
Your centerpiece of course is still up in the air
Shrimp may get eaten by the RTS

I suggest getting one or two schools of fish, they much more appealing then a bunch or random fish. Id rather have a school of 10 tetras then two 5 fish schools of something else

 

[teevee]

Post a picture when it's up and running and good luck! Don't do what I did when I started.... I got pairs and ended up with waaaaaay too many babies and the tank is now over crowded!!

 

[Lostlilkidd]

If i do a school of tetras, what could i do for the other 2 schools?

Is there a way to fit a center piece and shrimp?