New Tank

[joshua]

Hmm... I'm buying a relatively small plastic tank... already got a filter... not planning to do gravel or lights... and get a few guppies and maybe a plant... any of u think it's gonna work out?

 

[AquaNut]

Hi Joshua and welcome to the forum

I must say that your plans don't sound too promising to me. Do you know anything about the nitrogen cycle and cycling a new tank? There are lots of topics on here about it, and I believe there's a pinned thread about it, too. Basically, if you just put fish into clean, dechlorinated water, the ammonia from their waste will soon poison them because there is no nitrifying bacteria present in the water. These nitrifying bacteria turn the ammonia into nitrites, and then other bacteria turn the nitrites into harmless nitrates. So... before you add fish to a tank, you need to start your nitrogen cycle. Again, there is lots of info available on here about how to do that.

Secondly, why are you not planning to use gravel? The gravel is where a lot of that beneficial nitrifying bacteria live. It's pretty crucial to have some sort of substrate (gravel or sand, typically) in the bottom of the tank.

Thirdly, you didn't mention a heater. Guppies are tropical fish and do not live in room temperature water, unless you live in a sauna.

If you want to get a live plant, it will need a light of some sort. The fish probably don't care if there's a light or not, but guppies look brilliant under lights... not so much so without them.

You didn't mention how small this tank is going to be, but all fish need some room to swim. As you probably know, guppies are live bearers, meaning they give birth to live young. They are also very prolific breeders. If you have a male and a female in the same tank, they will produce young.

I encourage you to do some reading on this forum and elsewhere. Keeping fish is a wonderful and rewarding hobby, and there's nothing wrong with starting off small, I just think you may need a little more information before you toss some guppies in a tank. Good luck.

 

[joshua]

okay thanks alot. my tank is about 1 1/4 foot long and a foot high. i don't think a heater is needed as where i live the temperature outside is 35 degrees celsius and being where i am, there isn't the 4 seasons.. (only summer all year round) really appreciate ur advice will check out the water cycling thing. thanks once again

 

[joshua]

so is it right to say if i do not put gravel or sand, the bacteria to break down ammonia would not grow? my filter is a mechanical one which pushes the water through a sponge. will artificial gravel (plastic ones) work the same way as real ones?

 

[AquaNut]

Thanks for the added info, Joshua. My bad... it doesn't sound like you'll need a heater. I live in Canada. Brrrr. lol Also, your tank isn't as small as I suspected it might be. This is good news. The filter is definitely the most important place for nitrifying bacteria to live, but a lot of it is housed in the gravel or substrate, as well. The bacteria will still grow, but I imagine it would be a lot more difficult to stabilize your tank without it. I can see no reason why plastic gravel wouldn't house the bacteria the same way as rock gravel would, provided it's non toxic and sterile. I suggest you get advice from more people regarding whether or not you could house guppies without gravel in the tank. I'm sure it is possible, but I personally wouldn't recommend it.

 

[joshua]

okay.. was just wondering if an undergravel filter is necessary with gravel. would i have to clean the gravel often?

 

[AquaNut]

An undergravel filter is definitely not necessary. In fact, most people dont recommend them anymore. There are few set rules in fishkeeping. Even when somebody tells you a rule, it's really usually more of an opinion. So, I can give you my opinions about things like how often you need to clean your gravel, but I encourage you to read others' opinions, too, and decide what sounds best to you.

I would suggest that you clean your gravel once a week when you do a partial water change (15% is usually a good amount of water to replace each week). However, if you only keep a small number of fish and you are careful not to overfeed, you aren't going to have a lot of muck in your gravel. I think the technical name for that muck is mulm. There are very simple, inexpensive gadgets, commonly available in any fish shop, that siphon the debris from your gravel while draining some water from the tank for a water change. They're usually called gravel siphons or gravel vacuums. At any rate, you wouldn't want to be cleaning the gravel for the first couple of months, at least, as you would not want to disturb the bacterial cultures. Furthermore, live plants use that mulm as fertilizer, so live plants reduce the need for gravel siphoning. I promise you that having gravel in the bottom of your tank will make fishkeeping easier, not more difficult.

 

[joshua]

wow thanks.. will get a bag tomorrow is artificial ones or real ones recommended?

 

[AquaNut]

I personally like natural looking tanks, with natural gravel or sand, live plants, real wood and rocks. However, I think it's totally a personal preference. Aquarium gravel is generally found in all colours and assorted sizes. I'd personally select something on the small side, but again, for a first tank and a simple set-up, I think anything fish-safe would be fine.

 

[Alien Anna]

Hi and Welcome!

Fish keeping is a great hobby, but you'd be advised to find out the basics before buying fish. Please read my article on "Avoiding New Tank Syndrome" - follow the link in my sig. It'll tell you all about the Nitrogen Cycle and how to avoid poisoning your fish.

 

[joshua]

hmm... with gravel will the faeces juz get buried or will the filter still work as it should... cuz u said it the gravel would get dirtied cause of the faeces... so is the filter's use impaired with gravel?

 

[joshua]

hmm sorry i think i misinterpreted ur previous msg u may ignore that one...

 

[joshua]

was just wondering if i could have black and neon tetras with my guppies? according to my cousin neon tetras are pretty weak and die quite easily (they do for me... maybe i'm just a lousy owner). do those tetras and guppy live together well?

 

[Alien Anna]

was just wondering if i could have black and neon tetras with my guppies? according to my cousin neon tetras are pretty weak and die quite easily (they do for me... maybe i'm just a lousy owner). do those tetras and guppy live together well?

Tetras may nip the fins of guppies, and neons have a pretty bad reputation for doing so. Black neons are fine in my experience (I keep them with my betta).

When people say that fish are pretty "weak", they usually mean they don't cope well with poor water quality. If your tank is properly cycled and your water quality good I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. I keep cardinal tetras, rummy-nosed tetras and pencilfish in one tank - all of whom are supposed to be very delicate, but I've rarely lost a fish except through old age.

But get your tank cycled using Fishless Cycling techniques and then we can discuss all kinds of attractive fish that might be suitable.

 

[joshua]

I-----------I
I I
I I
I ---------
I ______ <-- Water Comes Out Of Here
I I
I-----------I
I I
I I
I I <--- this is the filter part with the sponge where water gets sucked in
I I
I I
I----------I

hmm was wondering where the tube where the water comes out from should be, above or below the water surface as right now it's below and my poor fish seem to be swimming against the current like crazy. and what's more its only a 5W pump.. one of the smallest i could find. was wondering if it would be unhealthy for the fish or could be positioned in a differnet way