Total Aquarium Noob (Thought I'd introduce myself)

[CedricR]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, and totally new to fish-keeping. I've been researching for a week in various sites and I think I pretty much get the nitrogen cycle and how to go about it. I'm getting my tank next week, thought I'd start out with a 20gal and start cycling it. In the meantime I've read that you should plan around the fish that you want in the tank, and I was thinking of starting a community tank with some hardy fish or a few small fish with a good centerpiece fish. I was thinking of getting zebra danios and White cloud minnows to start with. Is this advisable? and what would go good with them if I want a centerpiece fish? any advise would be great... Thanks

 

[Guanchy]

Hey CedricR, welcome to the forum i recently joined as well a few weeks ago, after looking into different forums i got here and i have learned and still learning a lot from everyone here!

Im currently doing the Nitrogen cycle and I'm almost done!!!
Here people recommend to do a fish-in Cycle but i know that exhumed07 and freshyfresh would be able to help you more than me.

i decided to do the Nitrogen Cycle because im going on vacaton for two weeks on sunday so i didnt want to leave anybody taking care of the fish, so i rather get the fish when i come back (im sure the tank would be ready for fish by then) :

 

[Thyra]

Welcome to the forum! Take your time and ask questions. The very first thing you will want to do when you get your tank is to make sure what ever you set it on is absolutely level - both side to side and front to back. The next thing should be the purchase of a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You might start shopping around for that because I have seen it ranging in price from $18 - to almost $30. Then you need to decide if it will be a fish in or fishless cycle. FreshyFresh did very well with a fishless cycle. The trick there is patience and finding pure ammonia. The fish you mentioned would work well and a male betta would make a nice center piece. Once you get your tank we can talk more about the type of fish.

 

[CedricR]

Thanks guys, I'm leaning towards a fish in cycle, and according to what I've been reading, the zebra danios are great cycling fish. I'm still looking around if I could get a couple of rocks or filter sponges from someone I know that has a cycled aquarium to jump start the process... If i do, do I put these in first and then the fish? or do i put it together with the fish or vice versa? I'll be posting my set up and water quality once I get my tank next week before I start the cycle to so you guys know what's going on. Thanks.

 

[Guanchy]

I went to my LFS (Local Fish Store) and i asked if they could sell me a piece of sponge or media from one of their stablished tanks and he just gave it to me for free and gave me a huge bag of water from one of their stablished tanks, that helped me a lot I'm in week 3 of my cycle and im already seeing nitrates and ammonia i going down quickly. So try to go to a LFS and ask if they can sell u anything

 

[Thyra]

Just am added note: water from an established tank does not aid in the cycling process - the beneficial bacteria are on the hard surfaces in a tank (like filter, decorations and substrate), not in the water column.

 

[CedricR]

Thanks guys... Will do. After rearranging my place (an average single condo) and measuring where i want to put the tank, I think I could fit in a 30 gallon tall tank, so I'll probably get that instead of the 20 gallon.

 

[Thyra]

Keep in mind with a tall tank - depending on what it is sitting on - it could be difficult to reach the bottom for doing maintenance or planting. I have a bow front on a stand design for it and without a step stool, I can't reach the bottom of the tank. I have another on an end table which is about 6 inches lower and that works fine. Just be sure whatever you use for a stand that its sturdy and stable. I found a wrought iron stand at a thrift store that I use for plants, but every time I look at it I wonder how anyone could have ever put a tank on it - a curious dog or kid could knock it over! Also remember a 30 gallon full tank will weigh at least 300#.

 

[Guanchy]

Just am added note: water from an established tank does not aid in the cycling process.

really? so i guess it was just the sponge from their tank that helped me, but i remember the guy at the LFS saying that he was going to give me water too because it will help.

 

[CedricR]

Thanks Thyra, Ill definitely keep those in mind...

 

[OrangeCones]

really? so i guess it was just the sponge from their tank that helped me, but i remember the guy at the LFS saying that he was going to give me water too because it will help.

Just water would not help much. But if it was 'dirty water' from them doing a water change (lots of debris floating around in the water), that has more of a chance of having the beneficial bacteria you need.

When I lived in Florida, a fish store (freshwater and marine) would sell bags of gravel or crushed coral to those wanting to start a tank. You would 'buy' a mesh bag they made from a 'knee-high' ladies hose from them for $1, and fill it with either gravel or crushed coral from their 'bulk' bins. When you got to the register, the employee would take your hose and toss it into the left side of the sump they had for their freshwater or saltwater display tanks, and then pull you one from the right side. Depending on how many they sold, those on the right side had been in there 3 weeks or more.

The risk you can run into 'seeding' a new tank this way is that if the tank it comes from has any diseases, you can transmit that to your tank. That's why they did it with only their display tanks (nothing in those tanks for sale, and they didn't add new fish to it without being quarintined for a month or two). They did NOT sell you gravel/coral from their sale tanks, as the risk of disease is much higher when you have fishing coming/going so quickly, and those arriving are always stressed and more prone to disease.

 

[CedricR]

Thanks for the info guys... lastly I'm thinking of adding live plants... you think its a good idea to put them in when i start setting up the tank if at all? What are good beginner plants and how do I go about it? any tips on the process of live plants with a fish in cycle? Thanks

 

[Thyra]

OC is our expert on planted tanks, but I would think you should plant it as you set it up before you completely fill it with water. And you should be careful to get aquatic plants because many LFS sell ones that are marginal. The site I always used for some reason is no longer working - at least not this morning. Account Suspended

 

[OrangeCones]

They have been down for months, Thyra. I don't think they'll be back this time (were down over a year before).

The best bet is to get the scientific name for the plant and then research that plant name. A big red flag is when they don't know the name. Anyone can give a plant a 'trade name' to sell it by, but some 'trade names' are misleading. For example, Trichomanes javanicum is often called 'Aqua Fern' which leads unknowing folks to think its aquatic. It can live a short time submerged, but quickly rots in your aquarium.

 

[CedricR]

Hey guys, just started my fish in cycle (using WCMM)... thanks so much for all your help... due to product availability, I was only able to get the Aqua one Aquastyle 580 tank around 18gallons tall... I decided not to go with plants (I need way more research) and stuck with a Nature themed hardscape... Got some wood from an established tank to help jump start the cycle, I'm worried though, I think I should cool down my tank any thoughts on how?... my thermometer reads 28C and I read that the WCMM would be most comfortable with a 24C temp. My waters reads 8.0 PH. Hope everything goes well...

 

[CedricR]

Hi guys... Successfully cooled my tank using evaporation method with fans, it's now just fluctuating from 23C to 25C. Question: When fish in cycling, how often should I do water changes? and how much water do I change? thanks...

 

[Thyra]

You don't say how many fish you put in the tank to start. I would certainly be testing the water daily. The first sign of ammonia or nitrite would mean you have to change enough water to get it to zero. I wouldn't change 100% of the water, but you might have to do at least 50% twice a day. When I first started I did a 25% water change daily even when I measured no ammonia or nitrite. I did that until I started to see some nitrate and although I continued to test the water, I only did about 25% weekly (as long as there was no ammonia or nitrite.

 

[CedricR]

Thanks Thyra, I have 6 WCMM and I feed them a small amount (something they could finish in about 5 mins) once every other day,