New 20 gallon tank

[Kaitlinashleigh]

Hey! So I’m very interested in getting some fish but I’m trying to do my research beforehand. I have plans of getting a 20 gallon tank to start off with. I would also like to put glo fish in there. Can I put a betta in with them? What about snails? Excuse my lack of knowledge but what about those sucker fish that stick to the sides? I would like some live plants as well. Any suggestions for those? Easiest to keep, tips ect. Also, tips for setting up my tank and how long to wait before adding the fish. Any tips that you have for general maintenance as well. Like I said, I’m very new to this and just want to know as much as I possibly can to avoid the fish dying. So any tips or suggestions are appreciated!

 

[NickAu]

Can I put a betta in with them?

No male bettas are solitary fish and are best kept alone,

Before suggesting fish, do you know your tap water parameters, Things like PH, is the water soft or hard that sort of thing?

 

[Wills]

Hi welcome to the forum Like Nick said above before planning your fish its important to work out what kind of water you have from your tap first.

This is our hand beginners guide section http://www.fishforums.net/threads/beginners-resource-center.277264/ I would recommend reading the articles on the Nitrogen Cycle and Fishless Cycling. Fishless cycling is the best secret in fishkeeping, it takes a while but it is a way to be sure that when you eventually add fish to your tank that they will thrive from the start.

Wills

 

[Wansui]

I Agree with the above posts, make sure you read about fish-less cycling. Keep in mind that it will require patience, but it's well worth it in the long run. What fish you could house comfortably would be easier to answer if you provide some water parameters. What plants you could have would depend on substrate, light and fish (some fish love to eat plants).

 

[Kaitlinashleigh]

No male bettas are solitary fish and are best kept alone,

Before suggesting fish, do you know your tap water parameters, Things like PH, is the water soft or hard that sort of thing?

How would I find out what my tap water parameters are?

 

[Essjay]

You will need a test kit in order to cycle the tank, and that will contain tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Liquid reagent testers are better than strip testers. When you get your test kit, test the pH of freshly run water and a sample that's been allowed to stand overnight.
For hardness, both general hardness (GH) and KH, you can buy testers but as these values don't change, the cheapest option is to look on your water provider's website. If they give KH they will call it alkalinity. We need both the number and the unit as there are several units they could use. If you can't find your hardness, tell us the name of the company and we'll see what we can find.

 

[joannethomas6]

Hi I'm no expert but I've had a 43 gal tank for the last 2 months & a 30ltr bio orb before that. I've found out most of my info from either my dad (who gave me the tank) or on Internet & fish shop. I find it easier to go for community fish, I have 6 male guppies, 6 neon tetras, 2 rabbit snails, a rainbow shark & a baby shrimp that got in the bag. When you buy look on the internet & see if they like to be in a shoal, if not if they get on with there own kind and a bit about them. Guppies & neons are easy to keep happy if there in a shoal, but sharks like a hiding place and is advised to have just one as they can be territorial with other sharks but get on good with peaceful fish. As for the cat fish that stick into the glass - pleco, they grow really big but get on with community fish but if your ranks not very big then I wouldn't bother cos it means less of any other fish. It's roughly 1 inch fish per 12 square metre of surface air, so mine is 48in x 12in = 576in squared - divide by 12 = 48 fish at 1 inch, if this helps. Also molly's, platties and small Cory catfish are good and peaceful. They all like a similar temp if you get it to 76-78 degrees


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Essjay]

The best place to research fish is the website Seriously Fish http://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ as this one is written by fish experts. Other websites are written by people who just keep fish and may or may not give accurate information. Shops are just about the worst place to ask for advice as so many of them don't know or don't care and are interested only in making a sale.
Seriously Fish will inform about the hardness and pH a species needs, the minimum tank size, diet, habitat (so you can give the fish the environment it needs) and fish that go well with that species, or tank mates to avoid.
Rules like the 1 inch of fish per 12 square inches, or 1 inch of fish per American gallon are not reliable.

 

[Wills]

If you need to buy some test kits look on Amazon, I paid £46 from a shop for my test kit then went on Amazon to look for the hardness one and they have them for £23, the hardness test kit was £9 I think.

Wills