First Timer.. Need A Little Advice

[pixelpefekt]

Just about to set up my first tank (24"x12"x12") mainly as something fun for the kids can get involved in.

I bought a few decorations (sunken treasure and plastic plants and a bunch of tiny terraccota pots about 1" each). All of these were from a tank that used to house Terrapins. If I give them all a good clean in warm water, will they be safe to use in my tank? At the moment I have no fish but am hoping to buy a few neons in about a weeks time once the bacteria have done their work.

Shop advised me to add only 2 or 3 fish every week or so.

Thanks.

 

[pixelpefekt]

One more thing.. I've been reading up about the mature filter media donations and wonder if it would be possible to use a fliter that's from an established cold water tank?

 

[johanv]

Hi, I'd suggest you boil the deco you got from the terrapin tank which should get rid of salmonela(spelling?) and any other nasties associated with terrapins.

I don't see why you can't use media from a cold water tank to help with maturing a tropical tank as long as the media comes from a healthy environment.

 

[aquila]

At the moment I have no fish but am hoping to buy a few neons in about a weeks time once the bacteria have done their work.

Just a heads up, it will take longer than a week to establish the necessary bacteria in your filter; there are a number of pinned topics at the top of this forum which will help you through the process and explain things more clearly. In addition I would not recommend neons to be the first fish in a new tank, as they are notoriously sensitive and do much better in an established tank (6 months+). There are a number of attractive yet hardy fish that would be better choices for first fish.

 

[pixelpefekt]

There are a number of attractive yet hardy fish that would be better choices for first fish.

FISH CHOICE:
Thanks for the info. Any advice on what's a hardy fish? We were also planning on getting Zebra Danios. Looking for simple (to care for) fish for the first while. I'm happy to wait longer than a week before adding more fish to the first batch.

MATURE FILTER:
My friends tank is long established and his fish seem fish so I'm hoping it may be a suitable donor. Once I get a filter from him, I'm guessing I should transport it in tank water and get it in my tank ASAP. Also, once it's there... what then? Should I add fish or leave it for a few days?

CLEANSING:
As for the decorations... i never thought of boiling them. I'll do that but WHAT IF (perhaps I'm a tad hasty at times) I added the decorations to my water today. Can I just remove them, boil them and put them back or (more likely) should I empty the tank, clean it and the gravel again and then start over.

Sorry for the dumb questions. Last thing I want to do is mess up and kill some lil fish along with upsetting the kids.

Thanks!

 

[aquila]

FISH CHOICE:
Thanks for the info. Any advice on what's a hardy fish? We were also planning on getting Zebra Danios. Looking for simple (to care for) fish for the first while. I'm happy to wait longer than a week before adding more fish to the first batch.


MATURE FILTER:
My friends tank is long established and his fish seem fish so I'm hoping it may be a suitable donor. Once I get a filter from him, I'm guessing I should transport it in tank water and get it in my tank ASAP. Also, once it's there... what then? Should I add fish or leave it for a few days?

CLEANSING:
As for the decorations... i never thought of boiling them. I'll do that but WHAT IF (perhaps I'm a tad hasty at times) I added the decorations to my water today. Can I just remove them, boil them and put them back or (more likely) should I empty the tank, clean it and the gravel again and then start over.

Zebra Danios are very hardy and a good choice for first fish. Leave the neons for a couple of months at least. Other larger varieties of tetra would be a better choice for the first few months - black phantom tetras are very striking and hardier than neons, just as an example.

Fantastic that you've got access to a mature filter. Yep, transport the filter in tank water and bung it in your tank as soon as possible. I'd leave it running for 24 hours and then test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If the first two are zero and the nitrate shows a reading, it's safe to add a few zebra danios. If you have any detectable readings for ammonia and nitrite, leave it another few days and keep retesting. Once you've got the danios in keep retesting the water at regular intervals - if you don't get a spike of ammonia or nitrite, you're good to add a few more fish (best to do this gradually, testing your water regularly).

I wouldn't worry too much about the decorations to be honest.

 

[pixelpefekt]

Thanks again. New filter added, decorations out for a boil (just in case) and I'll go shopping for a test kit soon.

Fingers crossed.

 

[pixelpefekt]

Me again...

Now that the mature filter is in my tank. Do I need to add ammonia or will the bacteria multiply on its/their own?