Basic Help

[Mizu Guupy]

Okay I am going to be getting fish come the weeknd

anyways


Information
5 or 10 gal tank
filter - NOT UNDER GRAVEL
heater - accepted for this size


Question
Do I have to cycle this tank [either 5 or 10 gal] if I was just adding three guppies

Also, is gravel a must or can you do without

 

[CruX]

I would do a fishless cycle, and I would consider a substrate as a must personally, but I keep fish that nuzzle in the substrate.

 

[backtotropical]

Yes you do have to cycle the tank. Otherwise ammonia and nitrite will build up in the water with the fish in it. Not Good.

Sorry to disagree Crux, but i dont think substrate is a must, although it has to be said it is beneficial for bacteria culturing etc.

 

[CruX]

Yes you do have to cycle the tank. Otherwise ammonia and nitrite will build up in the water with the fish in it. Not Good.

Sorry to disagree Crux, but i dont think substrate is a must, although it has to be said it is beneficial for bacteria culturing etc.

No need to say sorry, but I would consider it a must if you keep fish that nuzzle in the substrate.

 

[backtotropical]

No need to say sorry, but I would consider it a must if you keep fish that nuzzle in the substrate.

Yes agreed. I must have read over that bit. Oops!

 

[n3ont3tra]

I don't think you'll need it for guppies. But I wouldn't get females because you'll overpopulate your tank.

 

[CruX]

I don't think you'll need it for guppies. But I wouldn't get females because you'll overpopulate your tank.

Fish tanks just look odd to me with no substrate, maybe instead of gravel you might try sand, I would love to change to sand.

 

[rdd1952]

First, hello and welcome to the forum.

I agree that you need to cycle the tank and also that you should get only males so you aren't over run with fry. When I say cycle, I'm not refering to setting the tank up and lettng the filter run for a few days. I mean cycling with an ammonia source to build the bacteria necessary to process waste (ammonia). The link to the pinned fishless cycling thread is in my signature.

As for substrate, I don't think it is necessary but I agree that a tank just looks naked without it. Even if it's only a half inch or so. Also, without substrate, it's hard to get decorations to stay in place unless they are heavy.

For a filter,you need one that is rated 5 times the tank size. For a 5 gallon you need one rated at least 25 gallon per hour. For 10 gallon you need 50 gph. I don't think you will find much rated below 50gph though so any HOB should be fine. Heaters need to be at least 3 times the tank size so you need at least 15 watts for a 5 gallon and 30 watts for a 10 gallon.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

Def. do a fishless cycle.
Also, I keep all my tanks bare-bottomed. Apart from the community, but there's only a couple of big glass stones cuz they look nice
Gravel isn't a must. You can also use sand, or bare-bottomed because (imo) it's easier to clean.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Go with the largest tank you can afford...larger tanks are more stable / easier to care for than smaller ones. Sounds weird I know, but it's true.

As previously stated...you don't need substrate, and it's actually easier to clean a tank that doesn't have any...but of course without substrate all of the fish poop is going to be quite obvious.

It's good to over filter your tank, but make sure the current isn't so strong that the fish are constantly fighting to not be whirled around!