My Very First Tank...

[Iwantsomefish]

Hi everyone,
 
This is my first post on my tank journal.
 
I'm about to buy a white Fluval Edge 46Litre next week and it'll be my very first tank.
 
I know they're not everyone's fave tank but I'm happy to see how I get on...
 
So far, I think I want white substrate to match the tank surround, I'm going to go with plastic plants as I hear real ones don't work so well in the FE due to the way the lighting falls in the tank but I also know that fake plants don't get as dirty so I think it sounds as if fake is the way to go.
 
I also want to get a bit of wood, and a few rocks or pebbles. I really like the look this guy below has got in his FE (albeit one that is smaller by 50% than mine)
 
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzOJjmXjeH8
 
I'm thinking of cardinals, a siamese fighting fish, and I really want a bright yellow fish so maybe honey yellow gourami, but I'd also love some pale blue ones too. I really want a colourful tank.
 
I'm also going to order an API test kit and Kleen off ammonia so I can do the tank cylcling process, trying to think of other things I need to get right now, keen to get started as soon as I get the tank.
 
No tank as yet to photo so here's a pic of where I am planning it to go... I'm going to have the phone and sound system on one side and the tank on the other end. The flowers aren't usually there, it's only as my talbe has a big pile of ironing on it, but actually that's exactly the colour fish I'm looking to find.
 
Will update when there's some new tank arrival activity...
 
Happy to hear from others with advice and suggestions, handy hints etc.
 
Special thanks to RCA who's given me some thoughts so far.
 
PS - Hope this thread is in the right place, coudn't see a journal page for non-planted tanks for mixed fish so if it needs to move, feel free, just let me know where...
 
Thanks

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Firstly, I'm also thinking of getting this tank for my daughters room. However please don't pay too much attention to the video. A tank that size, 6 gallons shouldn't really have much more than 6 inches of fish in it and I suspect if he isn't already overstocked he will be as soon as they grow a little.

Corys should also be kept in groups of at least 5. The fact his fish are all "panting" could be to increased Ammonia/Nitrite levels due to too many fish in a new tank. I know he says he's used mature media, but the fact he has too many fish in there makes me wonder if his tank is as mature as it should be before adding fish...

I would suggest you check out here http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/ to familiarise yourself with cycling and make sure this is done before you add any fish.

On the question of stock. You want no more than one shoal of the 5-6 of the smallest tetras you can find or maybe just the Siamese Fighting Fish on its own.

 

[Iwantsomefish]

Firstly, I'm also thinking of getting this tank for my daughters room. However please don't pay too much attention to the video. A tank that size, 6 gallons shouldn't really have much more than 6 inches of fish in it and I suspect if he isn't already overstocked he will be as soon as they grow a little.

Corys should also be kept in groups of at least 5. The fact his fish are all "panting" could be to increased Ammonia/Nitrite levels due to too many fish in a new tank. I know he says he's used mature media, but the fact he has too many fish in there makes me wonder if his tank is as mature as it should be before adding fish...

I would suggest you check out here http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/ to familiarise yourself with cycling and make sure this is done before you add any fish.

On the question of stock. You want no more than one shoal of the 5-6 of the smallest tetras you can find or maybe just the Siamese Fighting Fish on its own.

 
 
Just to be sure there's no confusion in terms of size, mine's the one that's double the size his one is in the video, his is the 23litre original size, the one I intend to get is the 'big brother'...

 

[eaglesaquarium]

46L is about 12 G, so you can easily keep about 12 inches of fish in that tank, but as stated 6+ is preferred for corys. I'd suggest sticking to the smaller species of corys: either dwarfs like C. pygmaeus, C. habrosus, or C. hastatus - or the smallest of the non-dwarf species C. panda.
 
Getting 6 of these would leave some space for some mid-top swimmers like some microrasboras: Trigonostigma espei or T. hengeli.  Or, you could get a few male endlers (getting females as well means getting overrun with endlers).  There are some other options that are suitable for a tank that size, but the options are limited.  So, please take care when stocking to find appropriate sized, temperament, and shoal size.

 

[cowboy507]

I think a betta (fighting fish) with some cories, or maybe tetras would look nice. As everyone has said it is a bit more difficult to stock a tank this size. I have just a 10 rectangle tank so I know the pains.

 

[RCA]

Thanks for the mention "Iwantsomefish" and glad you are now getting further inputs on your project
 
For a Betta you cannot use plastic plants only silk, as plastic will rip his fins.  A good way to test decorations for a Betta is to use a stocking and run it over the item, if it snags it will shred your Bettas fins.  I have recently got a couple of Plakat fighters and I find them a lot easier to keep than the fancier varieties, however I am also partial to a nice Crowntail   You can see all my boys in the squares in my signature, the Plakat Dumbo Butterfly is the purple one.
 
There is more on my latest Betta Male in the post > Well What Would You Have Done... and he has just moved into the Edge as it is the Burnt Orange one so suits his colours.  You will also see a larger image of the purple Plakat in that post.  My old VT male (first on left in sig.) has moved into his own "retirement" home with special water etc., for his old age
 
Also, I would be tempted to have at least some live plant(s) as it helps with keeping the aquarium stable, I have a plant that I have had 3+ years and it is now split into 3 tanks, I think it is Amazon Sword, it loves it in the Edge too.
 
Remember with the Edge you cannot put Corys in there if you plan to have water all the way to the top, as they are surface breathers and need to find air.  A Betta will often figure out/find the hole (although depends on the Betta!), but Corys can't.
 
Looking forward to sharing the journey further with you.

 

[the_lock_man]

That's the other issue with the Edge.
 

Remember with the Edge you cannot put Corys in there if you plan to have water all the way to the top, as they are surface breathers and need to find air.

 
If you fill it to the top, not only do air-breathing fish like cories, fighters, gourami, struggle, you are also restricting oxygen exchange, as the water surface area is severely restricted.

 

[Iwantsomefish]

Tank is on order with a free Fluval heater and thermometer and algae magnet.
 
Looking forward to its arrival.
 
Got to order my ammonia and api kit still and need to order my tank interior:
 

• plants
• rocks/pebbles
• wood perhaps
• substrate

Is there any thing else I should put on my shopping list?
 
Know I'll need food but that can wait till I have the fish which will be a while down the line so is there anything else I need for now...
 

• De-Chloriner?

 

[RCA]

How exciting for you ...

 
I would add to your list, plus further info on some of the things you have already noted:

• IAL - Indian Almond Leaves - great for Bettas
• Bogwood - again good for Bettas, make sure there are no sharp bits
• Rocks and Pebbles if you want that in your look, go outside in the garden centres as they are a lot cheaper than in the LFS
  
• Ammonia, for fish-less cycling _ I found it hard to get the Kleenoff brand (although it is on ebay and Amazon), but I got one called Max (challs.com) and spoke to them to confirm it was safe for the aquarium i.e. only Ammonia as contents.
• Seachem Prime is what I have recently converted to for De-clorinator - it is more expensive but you only need a very small amount
• Syringes - you can get 5ml (good for measuring De-clorinator) at a chemist, but then order a 20ml (easier for water testing) and a 50ml (good for adding or extracting water when introducing new fish) from Amazon or elsewhere.
• Syphon, this is by far my favourite gravel cleaner as it is small so the water comes out at a reasonable rate vs the large ones.
• Buckets - to be labelled - FISH ONLY - one large one for waste water, it is useful to have a longer one like a mop bucket for waste, then I have a 5L as well as a Beer Bucket to make up new water.  You can of course use the same bucket, but if you have separate buckets you can be multi-tasking i.e. cleaning filter sponges etc in your old tank water (hence the longer bucket) while preparing the new water.
• Washing up bowl - I find this useful to put wet things into while doing maintenance e.g. ornaments, plants, nets etc.
• Digital Thermometer (the image is currently wrong on Amazon, but I now have 4 of these and the price has just dropped!) for checking the new water is up to the same temp as the aquarium.  You do not need to get one of these, as I used to finger test, but it is more accurate to be on the sage side.
• Net or two - get small and medium
  
    Do not bother going for Fluval specific as it is expensive for what you need, and a normal one is fine.
• I also use the Pure Aqua Balls in all my filters, I believe Mamashack has been using them of late and seen some benefits.  I use the Pond version, but there is a debate about which are better for the aquarium, yet to get a definitive answer.
• Food - see my profile for what I feed.

If I think of anything else I will let you know, although others may add to this - enjoy shopping...

 

[RCA]

Iwantsomefish
How are you going, has the tank arrived?

 

[Mamashack]

Just a little word about the Pure Aquarium Balls RCA mentioned I've been using. They are not recommended for starting the fishless cycle just for keeping the water clean once the cycle is complete. I did try them during a fishless cycle and whilst I don't think they did any harm, I'm not sure they speeded (sped?) things up either. I will be using them to help boost the water cleaning process on a weekly basis when I get my betta in there - hopefully later today! I think most of the things I thought to say on reading the OPs 1st post has been said by other people so I'll leave it there.
Good luck Iwantsomefish! Keep us informed and post lots of pics - we likes pics! lol

 

[The Taffy Apple]

I think a betta (fighting fish) with some cories, or maybe tetras would look nice. As everyone has said it is a bit more difficult to stock a tank this size. I have just a 10 rectangle tank so I know the pains.

 
 
Betta fish require water that is consideraby warmer than that of which Corydoras need to survive, so i would advise against this.
 
I also noticed the original poster mentioned Cardinal Tetra...WAY too small a tank for these.
 
Terry.

 

[Iwantsomefish]

Little Update...
 
Have finally got round to setting up the tank... Hopefully it can be seen in the attachment.
 
But...
 
It's all empty as I umed and aahed for ages over what to put in to decorate it. I was going to go for the look like in the video above but I changed my mind on hearing how dirty the white gravel can get with algae, fish mess and food, I then decided to get natural but wasn't keen on the options I saw so ended up choosing some Roman Pettex black gravel.
 
In terms of what to put on there, I've ordered a cool cave which I've read some good reviews on; it might be a bit big but just going to see how it looks when it arrives. I've also ordered some foreground and background plants, generally dark green/dark red which should play nicely with the black gravel, well I'm hoping anyway, so it will look a bit dffierent than I'd originally planned. Those bits should come through by the end of the week.
 
I'm all ready with my ammonia and my test kit so I can get started...

 

[RCA]

Thanks for the update we are looking forward to seeing the progression.  If you have not already put your substrate into the aquarium, if you are planning live plants I would recommend a base layer for the plants, like the JBL Pro-Flora.  I am glad you went with a dark substrate, I think this will show the fish off better for you.  Not familiar with the one you have selected so will be interesting seeing how it turns out.
 
What is a "cool cave", can you put a link to it?
 
Guess what, I picked up a black version of your 46L for £20, so watch this space, so many projects, so little time

 

[Mamashack]

You'll have so many tanks soon RCA you'll have to move out to make room! lol