New Tank For Newbie!

[Joey_M]

Hi All!

I'm looking at an approx 100 litre tropical freshwater tank. 36x15x12 inches. I'll be needing to get all of the internals myself as the one I've got my eye on is just the physical tank.

I've also put prices next to them and listed the e-store I'm likely to order from, so if I'm about to get ripped off, please do tell! Also if you could recommend a better value alternative then I'd be grateful!
Just want to have a tank that'll thrive, with minimal painful newbie mistakes.

From OnlineAquariumStore.com
TANK - Clearseal 36" X 15" X 12" All Glass Tank - £32.99

From RocketAquatics.co.uk
FILTER - TetraTec Internal Filter 800PLUS - £21.95 or Penn Plax Cascade 400 Internal Filter - £15.99
HEATER - AquaVital 150 watt - £14.49
PUMP - Penn Plax Airtech 3 - £12.25
LIGHTS - Arcadia Control Unit (30-36" type) - £16.99 and Arcadia 36” 30 Watt T8 Original Tropical Lamp 1” Diameter - £12.99

Plus Gravel, Plants, Net, Water Test Kit, Water Treatment Chemicals, Thermometer.

Fish-wise I was thinking:
6 Zebra Danios
Pair of Guppies
Pair of Mickey Mouse Platy

From what I've read these will make good tank-mates. Would these make a good community? They'll be added to the tank (after fishless cycle) over a period of a few weeks

Anything that I've missed?

 

[altselgreen]

I'm not very good with prices and equipment, so you'll have to get someone else to cover that bit. But you've pretty much thought of everything.

I would definately recommend a pH kit, it will come in handy.

With the fish you're thinking about, the Danios are good, a nice hardy fish to start you off. If you want livebearers e.g Guppies and Platies, It depends if you want to breed them or not. If you want babies, which, to be honest are very easy to get, then you'll need a few more guppies and platies. The normal ratio is 1 male to 2 or 3 females. If you dont want babies then I would recommend getting only males. They are much brighter in colour and more stunning to look at. You cold probably get around 3 or 4 males of each Guppy and Platty.

A nice size tank for a beginner, a lot more to play around with.

I hope this helps a bit and Good Luck with your tank!

 

[Tobigara]

Other than tap water conditioner i would stay away from chemicals. stress coat and melafix are the only things i use. most of the experts on this forum (i'm not one of them) would probably tell you the same. things like ph up/down, ammonia lock etc will cause more problems than they fix.

good luck