Hey Total Newbie To The Fish Word !

[adam172]

hey

im a total newbie to all this so bare with me if i sound stupid or dont understand something lol

i brought a small 17L tank 3 days ago with the intensions of having a very small amount of trpical fish in there, the tank come with a filter and light since filling it up and running it i have added some greenery - 4x vallis and 3x hair grasses

it doesnt yet have a heater but i have one on its way each day i have been recomended to add some food flake to the water ?

heres some pics of how it sits atm

 

[Inchworm]

Hi adam172

Welcome to the forum!

Since you are just getting set up, I'll move your thread to the Your New Tropical Tank section. The folks who post there will walk you through the process step by step.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

Welcome to our highly addictive world...

You can either choose to do fish in cycling or fishless cycling.

Fish in cycling can be quite stressful to fish as your water stats will be all over the shop as the bacteria establishes themselves. I did this with mine and everything worked ok for me fish in cycling

or (as most members advocate) you could go for fishless cycling fishless cycling this is much less stressful for the fish, but you need the patience of a saint!

Whatever you do - buy a good water test kit and read everything in beginners resource centre

There're loads of really friendly and knowledgeable people on this forum. Ask away and you'll get the help you need.

Enjoy

What you thinking of stocking? Looks like a great shrimp tank to me!

 

[adam172]

hey thanks guys iv just brought an API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT from ebay and a 25W elite heater once these arrive i will test the water and if its not to bad i will do fish in cycling.

for the size of the tank i have what sort of fish will i be able to have in there?

i would like my tank to be bright with maybe just 1 or 2 fish in there could anybody recomend any thing i looked at betas but my filter might be to strong for them?

 

[Assaye]

I would recommend 3-4 male endlers to start with

Small, very pretty little fish. Avoid females as that last thing you need in a small tank is them breeding.

Could finish it off with 10 red cherry shrimp.

I would always avoid doing a fish-in cycle if I can. It requires twice daily water testing and very frequent (often twice daily) water changes of 50% or more. It is risky for the fish and can easily lead to a shortened lifespan for the fish, if not death if not handled correctly.

It takes just as long as a fishless cycle and is riskier for the fish. Plus it's much more work for you. Need I say more?

Oh, and take the plants out of their pots. Just cut the pop away and peel off the wooly stuff they're planted in. Trim the roots down a little (leave about 2-3 cm of root) and re-plant. They'll grow much better!

 

[adam172]

i heard i should leave them in the pots until the cycle is done?

 

[Assaye]

i heard i should leave them in the pots until the cycle is done?

Not sure why that would be of benefit. I've never heard this. Ask in the planted tank section.

 

[adam172]

ok thank you, i cant see any difference either really ?

 

[adam172]

just took my plants out there pots tank looks much better and more natural now

 

[OldMan47]

The pots are not needed. The flake you have been adding to an otherwise empty tank is the beginning of a fishless cycle for people who have no local source of ammonia. It can be an effective approach to cycling but is harder to control than using ammonia for a fishless cycle. If you are going to go with a fish-in cycle, be sure to stop adding that extra fish food. The idea with that addition is to introduce ammonia to the tank and you will be getting more than you want to deal with from the fish themselves.

 

[adam172]

here's some more pics i now have the heater in and the plant out of there pots

what do you think i like it

 

[waterdrop]

Nice looking tank there Adam, I like how you've grouped the plants and the fact that they compliment each other nicely!

Now that you have a good test kit, its time to post up your tap and tank water parameters from all the tests so that the members will be able to see that in your thread as background later. Have you found a gravel cleaning siphon hose yet? That will be an essential and you'll want the wider cylinder part to not be too big for this particular tank. You'll use it for your weekly water changes once the tank is cycled and if you do a fish-in cycle, you'll be using it much more frequently for the first month or so.

If you plan to limit yourself to two fish (and of course the 17L/4.xG tank is small) then the water changing of a fish-in cycle may not be as terrible as can happen when people get themselves into an overstocked (for a fish-in cycle) situation. Still, the ammonia and nitrite can be extremely unpredictable during the first month before the biofilter is established and the dedication to multiple daily tests and possible daily water changes will need to be thorough. The goal is to always keep either of those toxins below 0.25ppm concentration in the tank, so as soon as you see a 0.25ppm reading you have to perform another large water change procedure.

Another worry in your new tank will be getting the plants started. A new tank is a very sterile place for plants. They are living things and need nutrition, not just light. I suppose the postings of water parameters will help the members think about your plant situation and make comments. For now I'd try to limit the tank lighting to 4 hours, but those 4 hours need to be continuous in order that the mechanisms in the plants have time to crank up and operate.

~~waterdrop~~