Another Newbie!

[gbuckingham89]

Hello,

I'm pretty new to this - apart from two goldfish 10 years ago I've never had anything to do with fish and after a little research it's something I want to get into! After seeing a friends tanks (A marine & a freshwater) I've decided to get myself a setup.

Went down to my local shop today (Maidenhead Aquatics) for a nosey around and have seen a nice 110L tank + stand which I'll probably end up getting sometime over the next week or so. I've read that something around 100L is a good starting size as it will be easier to keep stable. (Also, don't have the room at present for anything much bigger).

Just thought I'd say hello as no doubt I'll have plenty of questions over the coming weeks / months - so thanks in advance!

 

[KittyKat]

Hi and welcome! Please fish-less cycle (ask your friend for some established media to seed your filter), it'll be easier than a fish-in cycle. Also, have a look at second hand tanks, they tend to be 20-50% of the new price Yes, 100 litres is a nice size to start, but I think a 3 ft 200 litre is a better size because it gives you height to work with. At any rate, a 3 ft tank of any volume will take many of the more common community fish!

 

[This Old Spouse]

Agree with Kitty Kat, and welcome! Used tanks are out there to be had for much less than new. Good luck!

 

[gbuckingham89]

Thanks for the replies!

If there was room for a bigger tank I would get one!

I've had a look on eBay and the local papers but there didn't seem to be much around 2nd hand that was around 100L and in good condition. I know it might cost a little more to start with but I think having that piece if mind that if there's any problems I have somewhere to go back to. The guy I know usually gets pretty good deals off their displayed prices so hopefully he'll able to help out a little!

Other than zebra dinos what are some good species that are easy to keep once the tank has been cycled?

I want to get it planted up a little, but have read on here that fishless cycling in a planted tank isn't a good idea - any recommendations here?

Cheers!

 

[This Old Spouse]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

 

[KittyKat]

Other than zebra dinos what are some good species that are easy to keep once the tank has been cycled?

I would not recommend zebra danios because they are too active to keep with some of the more delicate species. For a 3 ft 100 litre tank, I would look at stocking along the lines of..
* 15-25 tetras of one species
* 10 Corys or 1m 1f bristlenose plecos
* 1m 2-3f Apistogramma of one species (cacatuoides or agassizii are most common and not demanding)

or..
* 15-25 harlequin rasboras
* 10 dwarf chain loaches
* 1m 5f honey gouramis or 1m Betta splendens

or..
* 15-20 zebra danios
* 10 khuli loaches

I want to get it planted up a little, but have read on here that fishless cycling in a planted tank isn't a good idea - any recommendations here?

That's not quite true.. planting and fish-less cycling at the same time is a bad idea. Fish-less cycling, then planting is a great idea! The first will give you algae, the second does not affect plants.

 

[colleen0309]

Welcome!

 

[gbuckingham89]

Thanks for the advice Kat - much appreciated.

I popped into my local shop again today and the guys in there said pretty much the same thing about the dinos. I'm liking the sound of the following at the moment:

• 20 Tetras (probably neon or lemon)
• 10 Corys
• 1m and 2f Apistogramma
• 3-5 shrimp of some sort (if they'll get on with everything else in there - bit more research needed here!)

Also, thanks for the advice about fishless cycling with plants - that sounds iike it's going to be the best method. Guess it will take a little longer, but I'm in no hurry.

 

[KittyKat]

Those are good choices. Some people say neons don't do well in new setups, although I have never had any problems with them.

I am going to start cycling my new 60 litre aquarium in a couple of days (link to log is in my signature), feel free to follow, if you like; it will eventually be planted.

Btw, Corys and Apistos will benefit from a (play) sand substrate: Corys sift and Apistos will sometimes dig about a bit. Play sand because it is a fraction of the price of aquarium sand.. 25-30 kg will give you a decent, on average, 3-4 cm bed (think 1 cm at the front, 5 cm at the back). I personally prefer a slightly deeper substrate bed, but I am used to much larger aquaria.

By the way, I keep mentioning 3 ft because the bottom area of the aquarium affects how many fish and which species you can keep. Apistos are territorial, so for anything under 2.5 ft, I would recommend only a pair. Corys are quite active, so for anything under 3ft, I would recommend panda, dwarf or pygmy Corys, while all Cory species I can think of are ok in a 3 ft or longer tank.

p.s. if I remember correctly, Apistos and shrimp don't mix well.. but larger shrimp might be ok.. read about it.

 

[This Old Spouse]

And, they're danios, not dinos.

 

[gbuckingham89]

Kitty - your blog is great! I had a read over it last night and I think that will be a great resource, thanks.

The tank is just under 3ft in length, S=so I'll make sure to be careful what goes in.

I'll probably start with 6 penguin tetra and 6 corys (still undecided what exactly!) and give the water / bacteria a chance to catchup with the new tenants.

I was already thinking a light colour, fine substrate and looking at the price of play sand I think that's going to be the best choice!

Tank is on order now - should be picking it up at the end of the week along with test kits and other bits and bobs.

Thanks again for all your help! I'll be setting up a thread / blog somewhere to keep a record of everything - I'll make sure to post the link back here.

@This Old Spouse - woops, thanks for pointing that out!

 

[colleen0309]

Good morning and welcome!

 

[gbuckingham89]

Thanks for the welcome Colleen!

As I mentioned above, Ive started a blog for my aquarium: http/www.georgesaquarium.com/

 

[rob158]

Welcome to the forum