fishing for answers , Newb!!

[ShoreToPlease]

Newb. to the little World of Freshwater tanks

I recently aquired a 20gal freshwater tank setup already with 7 fish inside

tank,filter,heater,light,scenery, rocks, thermostat,algea magnet,

I have no idea what speices of fish are in this tank except its freshwater,


I also went to the local petco. to get some insite on how to up keep this already nice tank

ive gotten info like keep water at 72-76*f constanly check levels with those strips. feed daily

Um a ton of other things,,, Im just worried if im not doing somthing. what can i add to this tank already and id love to find out what type of fish i have now and whats compatible.

So i dont wipe out my entire tank with one wrong move, I also have a 29 gallon in my attic with everything there to start up. depending how much i enjoy this setup. I will start the 29gal

So far i love them

Sorry for the ?'s but im a newb
My hobby's are cars bracket racing my mustang and friends and work. Fish are a new hobby to me

 

[silver dollars]

First welcome to the tank!


Second, we aren't sure what kind of fish you have. The only way we can help you identify them is by picture(if possible for you). A 20gal is kinda small, so its important to know what kind of fish that you put into the tank cause some newbies do make mistakes and get fish that will get too big for the tank. But that is what we are here for. To help and make sure that you have knowledge about what to put into a tank. We won't be mad at you if you did infact make a mistake, we will just like to help. Can't wait to see your responce! *thumbsups

 

[ShoreToPlease]

Hmm ive been reading around while someone got to posting . I guess this is a timid site. compared to a mustang forum i use. corral.net haha

But i have been looking for answers for what types of fish i have. ill have to get on taking pictures.

How do i set up the 29 gallon. cycling and what should i expect on the cleaning. I know the filter just doesnt clean everything

I want to add a algea sucker. haha a sucker fish idk what there names are or anything , Im soo sorry ,, I sound uneducated . but with this yes

I could build you a motor blindfolded. hopfully ill be able to do the same after sharing info here

 

[Lotus]

Welcome to the site.

Was the tank already set up (someone else had been keeping the fish in the tank) or is it a brand new setup?

Pictures will help us identify your fish, and help you learn how to care for them.

You will need to do a water change once a week, removing about 25% of the water and replacing it with fresh, treated tapwater (tapwater to which you have added dechlorinator). This will help keep your fish healthy.

Your temps sound a little low. Around 76 to 78 is better, but it will depend on the fish. Goldfish like lower temps, but I'm assuming you'd know a goldfish if you saw one.

 

[ShoreToPlease]

yea no goldfish here

ill try to give a brief description of them

The biggest fish has two long whiskers and completly white with a pearl tint the size of a cell phone and a odd snout

there are 2 smaller fish that are the same. with big fan tails and slim bodys almost like tiger stripe pattern on the tails.

1 meduim sized orange fish with black spots like a mustache and black fins its similar to a goldfish color

and the last one is a array of colors but cant describe it, yellow mostly and black and silver grey

and 2 little guys like feeder fish with crazy blue eyes

Sounds stupid but ive been trying to figure out what these guys are.
any helpful web sites i can check out to aid in my findings

 

[ShoreToPlease]

and also the tank was set up already. I just moved it to my appartment. and added water

 

[Lotus]

Try this for identifying the fish: FishProfiles.com - Fish Identifier

I think we're gonna need pictures

 

[ShoreToPlease]

Now cleaning the tank. thats done how.
When should i switch the water and what are easy tips to keep everything healthy

Id assume you need a ratio of water to keep everything in order , Is there a product i can test the water . other then bringing a sample to petco , everytime.

Im really getting into this i already wanna set up my 29gallon. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

how would one go about that.

Any good tech articles to verify. or how to's books? or somthing

Im gunna start using the search feature now to. becuase im sure im not the only one with ?;s

 

[ishar]

I would advise you to hold off on our 29 gallon until you get everything figured out. The 20G will be good to start on and figure out.

For help identifying your fish, try googling these ones as they could be what you have:

1)the whiskered one could be a gourami of some sort

2) the ones with big fan tails and slim bodies could be guppies

3) the orange fish could be a platy

4) no idea what this rainbow coloured one could be, sorry. Same with the little feeder guys. Sorry.

Just see what you can come up with, and use these ideas in conjunction with Lotus' site and you may be abl to come up with something .

Welcome to the tank!

 

[Lotus]

This site should help explain about water changes. There are links to info on technical terms you might not know: http://www.firsttankguide.net/waterchange.php

This has a nice video of how to siphon the tank for water changes: http://www.firsttankguide.net/waterchange.php

 

[ShoreToPlease]

so after some poking around

Im sure i have 1 gourami of unknown breed
2 guppies. cobra's possibley
1 platy. orange.

and the rest i have no clue haha still looking. i just googled there names and found pictures of what they look like. Im gunna go to a fish place near home and browse the selection and ask some ?'s

they are doing well. i guess happy and not stressed out. they become very active after feeding and the gourami chases everything around.

Its wierd the guppies stick togher. so do the small feeder looking guys.
the platy spend most of the time on the bottom . and the unkown guy just does his or her own thing

Intresting. im scared thou im not doing something right or im gunna hurt them by not having anyone into fish to actually see my setup. My sisters fiance has 12 piranha but hasnt shown a intrest to check out my fish. hopfully he will soon

 

[ishar]

I am impressed with my own diagnosis of your fish I must say! LOL.

Well it is good that you know what your fish are- that is a good step in the right direction in caring for them. The fish you have a fairly hardy, so you shouldn't stress yourself out too much about hurting them . Just read up on the net about how to do water changes and everything else and you will do just fine.

I stumbled on this excellent site for beginners, and I thought I would pass it on to you so you might get something out of it:
First Tank Guide Site Map and Frequently Asked Questions - The First Tank Guide - Finding Articles in the First Tank Guide Quickly...

 

[Big Vine]

With your enthusiasm and apparent willingness to learn and do research, I think you'll do just fine.

Welcome to MFT!
BV