Help me build my tank in the proper way

[symon_say]

Hi

A short background before, i've always love fish, when i was 10 i use to have bettas and breed then, but some day the cleaning lady drop some chemicals by accident in the tank, and all my bettas died.

12 years later i bought a Marina gold fish tank, i think is a 2.5 gls tank, and i put 2 gold fish and 1 pleco in there, the gold fish died every 2 weeks, i think that the pleco was the killer and take it out but gold fish keep dying, i get sick of it, and put the tank in the garbage.

Now 5 years later and getting marry next year, my GF and i decided to have a fish tank, but this time i'm gonna do it the right way, that's why i'm here.

Now the present, we are gonna get a 29 Aqueon Deluxe kit, and im gonna decor the fish tank something like the photo below, now the help i want is about fishes, this are the fishes we like, but i don't want to overstock it, so, from the list pick what you'll get:

- Betta (male and female)
- Glofish
- Platy (red and red wag)
- Neon tetra
- Molly (black and dalmation)
- Guppy
- Angels
- Clow loach

 

[ryanoh]

Here's what I can say about your list:

- Betta (male and female)
Male bettas are risky to put with other fish. If you want a betta in your community tank, go with a female. You can either get one, or like 5. One female betta won't be aggressive to most other fish (do be careful if you get guppies with long tails), but they will be to other bettas unless you get enough to establish a "sorority," and that number is usually around 5. I've only ever had one in my tank, but I've heard that sororities can get tricky so this may be something you want to wait on since you're just starting out.

- Glofish
Glofish are a genetically altered version of Danios. Not that this matters, but some people seem to be really bothered by this.

- Platy (red and red wag)
Platies were the first fish I had. They're a good starter fish, pretty hardy, and really exciting the fist time they ever breed (and trust me, if you have male and female, they will). If you want to fry (babies) to survive you need to have good places for them to hide. The only caution about them is that your ratio of males to females should be 1:3 so one male doesn't harass one female too much. You can tell them apart by the males having pointed rear bottom fins while the females are more rounded.

- Neon tetra
These are the most easy going fish ever. You can keep them with almost any other peaceful fish there is, and I think they're pretty hardy. I've had a few die when I messed up and put in too warm of water, so they might be more temperature sensitive than other fish. I'm not sure though.

- Molly (black and dalmation)
I haven't kept these fish, but they seem very similar to platies, so apply everything I said about them to these. I know they can be kept in brackish (which means in between freshwater and full blown saltwater), but other than that they're a pretty typical livebearer fish.

- Guppy
Another livebearer, so treat it like platies or mollies. The only difference is that depending on how much water current you have in your tank they might have some trouble getting around with their big tails. Also, like I said, a betta might see the tail and show some aggression to the guppy, and the guppy really won't be able to do anything to defend itself.

- Angels
I've never personally kept angels, but I looked into it a few weeks ago. They're aggressive, but I think they can be kept with most community fish. You'll want to wait for someone else to give you some feedback on that though. The reason I decided not to get angels is because they're the natural predator or the neon tetra, and I have lots of neon tetras. I guess it really comes down to a choice between tetras or angels.

- Clow loach
I think you meant to type "clown loach," and those are really cool fish. They get very, VERY big so I'd have to say not to put one in your 29 gallon. If you like loaches though there are some smaller breeds, but I'm not sure what they are. Some other people on this forum should be able to help you out there. Since loaches are the only bottom feeders you have on this list I'll go ahead and say this though. Fish that scoot along the bottom sort of hinge on what kind of substrate you have. Some prefer sand or smooth gravel so they don't get scraped up on sharp corners while looks for food on the floor of your tank.

Knowing all that, pick the ones you like and go to aqadvisor.com to help you determine how many of each you can have, and it will even tell you if some of the fish you have won't get along or if they have too different of living conditions.

As far as your past tanks I'm just going to say that it seems like you didn't cycle them. I'm no expert in this, but you need to grow the beneficial bacteria in your tank and filter before adding fish. You can either wait for another forum member to tell you or google "aquarium nitrogen cycle" and find some more information.

Sorry if that was really long, hope it helps.

 

[aakaakaak]

1. Be sure to use something that takes the chlorine and chloramines out of your tap water. Tetra Aquasafe or Seachem Prime both do a good job of this. Chlorine will kill your fish.

2. Before you get your fish do your research on what conditions they need. Also make sure they're compatible. Plugging the numbers into aqadvisor is not adequate. It's a great place to start, but should not be your only resource. Do some good google research on the fish you want.

3. The setup - What you will need:
Tank
Tank Stand
Filter
Lighting*
Substrate
Heater
Decorations
Liquid test kit
Water change bucket
Gravel Vaccuume
Glass magnet cleaning tool
Chlorine Neutralizer
Fish food**
Tetra Safe Start***

*Lighting - If you plan to do plants you'll need to do your research on this just like you do fish. However, what you'll need to pay attention to is how much light and nutrients they need. The lighting provided in your standard tank is inadequate to run high light plants, but will do okay with low light such as Java Fern and Java Moss. Lighting can get expensive unless you're willing to do some DIY stuff.

**What fish food you buy will depend on the kinds of fish you plan on getting. Be sure to provide your fish with a varied diet. An improper diet can cause problems.

***When you set your tank up let it run with nothing in it for about a week. The day you pick up the fish put a bottle of Tetra Safe Start in the tank. WIth the TSS in the tank, go to the store, pick out one group of your fish (preferably the cheapest type of fish) and bring them home to acclimate before you put them in your tank. This should take you more than an hour. If it doesn't, wait a full hour or more from when you put the TSS in the tank. The TSS will basically jump start your nitrogen cycle so there will be less chance of your fish dying to ammonia poisoning or nitrite gill burn.

If you have any more questions please feel free to ask us.

 

[symon_say]

Thanks those are great answer, i have been doing my research for some weeks, and i'm definitely more knowledge about fish and fish tanks.

I have already ordered the test kit, i'm buildng the stand is almost ready, and about the aquarium i'm almost set, i have read a lot about it, and i'm ready to start with it.

I'm looking a little more feedback about fishes, and what would you chose and in what quantity would you put then is this was gonna be your aquarium, i have check aqadvisor but i can't trust only in 1 opinion from a database, i prefer people like you helping my out with their knowledge and discovers.

 

[ryanoh]

Some more advice on fish from me would be to go with a tank of livebearers since you're new to these, and they're easy and fun. Get a lot of plants, but like Aak said make sure they'll grow with your light. Plants will help your cycle out too. Then go get Some platies and some guppies. They're nice to look at, and its pretty exciting when you're looking at your tank one day and you spot tiny babies. I'd say to understock your tank at first incase you decide you want to keep the babies, and if you decide you don't most fish stores will take them off your hands for you.

 

[aakaakaak]

IMO if you go with livebearers always understock. They'll "assist" you in filling out the numbers in a month or three.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

2 angels in a 29 would be OK until they become adults, but nothing else in the tank...they need there space and will get quite big, so no to the rest of your fish. If you go this route.

I would either do a school of neon’s...like 10 of them with 3 female/1 male of the molly's or platy's. Both the molly's and platy's will reproduce, alot so you will quickly have too many fish in the tank. (One platy in a 12 gallon at work dropped 5 babies then 6, 2 weeks later!) Or instead of the neon’s go with the guppies who will also reproduce quickly. I am one of those who are not a fan of the "altered" fish (glow fish) and do not buy them..

Good Luck and go slow when adding fish

 

[symon_say]

Thanks, i'll take the angels out of the equation, and just leave the small fish in it.

- Are tetras, guppy, mollies, platties and glofish (danio) compatible, so i can get a few of the ones i like the most??

- I don't want to breed right now, can i get just females of the livebreeders??

Next year when i move, i'll get a 55gls fish tank, and keep the 29gls for 2 angels or 2 goldfish, and when i have that tank i'll breed some.

 

[paperdog9]

The guppies fin's might get nipped, but if you are dealing with females, I think you will be fine. Oh and usually the females at stores are pregnant when you get them, so be aware of that.

 

[unwritten law]

ya just get males... Dont get teh angels, dont get teh clown loaches. Id go with 5-7 neons, 5-7 glofish, 3-5 platies, and the betta... maybe a dwarf pleco or 3 cories later on.

 

[aakaakaak]

Most smart fish stores separate the male and female guppies. Just pay attention to what's what on that front. You could also go with all male guppies, since they're the pretty ones.

 

[symon_say]

The guppies might be the last one i get cause i gonna get then in base of what specific fish i like, given that they don't look the same like the other species.

Another question not related with this tank, but for curiosity can you put a male betta with a bunch on females lets say like 10-15 females??

 

[bassbonediva]

No, a male betta cannot be kept with female bettas. Either the male will rip into the females defending his territory, or the females will take out the male defending their territory (which is the more likely case since females are faster and more agile).

 

[ryanoh]

I'm not trying to sway you, but even if you have a fish that gives birth to live babies, you probably won't keep them unless you want to. I've only had one baby survive into adulthood until recently when I loaded my tank up with plants. Even if you buy some female that are already pregnant, the babies will probably get eaten anyways.

 

[symon_say]

For the bettas i was just curious, and for the livebreeders, is better to have what profiles recommend 1 male for some females then, is a little sad to let the babies die

Another thing i live in the Caribbean and our average temp is between 85-90 F in normal days, right now we are in winter (i guess) and its about 75 F (this don't happen often) and all the formulas i have seen for heater don't work for me cause my external temperature is higher than the temperature the tank should have, how do i determine how to set the heater???

 

[ryanoh]

I've heard of salt water tanks using some sort of cooling fan, but as long as your tank is in your house and you use air conditioner in your house your tank should be okay. I live in Mississippi and during the summers our temperatures are usually pretty hot. I had some issues with my tank getting a little warm when I would go out of town for the weekend and not leave the air on, but as long as I was home and I had the ac or a window and a fan open the temperature stayed where it should have been.

I know air condition gets expensive though, so I found you this article about other things you can try:
How to keep your aquarium cool.

 

[symon_say]

Thanks i'll see how my fish tank act when i have it set to see how to keep it with constant temp.

 

[symon_say]

Good new for me, i might be getting a 90 gls used tank instead of a brand new 29 gls, so now i have a lot more space for fishes .

Now i need your advice on this tank, recommend me some good reading to do the best for my fishes.

 

[symon_say]

Ok, the 90 gallons fish tank was in bad shape and i realize that i can get a 55 gallons tank, and that's what i'm gonna do.

Now another round of question, i'll get aqueon 55 gallons deluxe kit, that comes with filter, thermometer, heater and all the basic equipment, i have already order the test kit, so i can monitor the water.

I'll decor the tank mostly with artificial decor, cause i don't want to mess with more living things to start, i might add 2 or 3 live plants but no more, the tank will be set mostly with small schooling fish, i know i'll be overstock a little bit sooner or later so another filter is mandatory to keep things under control.

- My question is, is better to add the 2nd filter since the beginning or later when it is needed??

- About substrate, i want to use sand in the lower subtrate and put gravel over it, cause sand is a lot cheaper for my, can i use any kind of sand, is river sand good for this??

Sorry if my english is not the best...

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

You should not plan on being overstocked. You should start slowly when adding fish when your cycle is complete.