Newbie Help With Fish Selection

[Smithers13]

Just set up my tank still in waiting process! My question is what fish to get over time my tank is 2-1/2 ft what small colourfull fish I like neons and guppys all advice welcome, school numbers ect ect cheers

 

[KittyKat]

Firstly, I strongly recommend that you fish-less cycle your tank before adding any fish. The sort which involves addition of ammonia and a liquid test kit, not the sort which involves sitting the water in a tank for a week.

Secondly, you haven't picked the best fish ever to start with, but I will explain about it in a bit.. you should be looking at this sort of stocking:
* 10 neon tetras
* 6 male guppies
* 6 dwarf/pygmy Corys (who do best on (play)sand, not gravel)
..which leaves room for a few more additions.

So, now to why they might not be the best choices..
* Neon tetras can sometimes be very fragile, so a lot of people on this forum will recommend that they are only added to a 6+ month old set up. Personally, I have never had a problem adding them to a new, planted set up with the right water parameters (pH 7.0 or lower, hardness medium or softer). They are known to be not the hardiest fish ever so if you get them, do be prepared for problems.
* Guppies are again quite a fragile fish.. very often, because they are inbred. It is normally well worth while finding a good breeder if you want to keep them, rather than buying them from an average shop. Note that some shops will take fish in from normal people, like you and I, and those fish tend to be the healthiest. They are very prone to fin rot.

On the other hand..
* Dwarf or pygmy Corys are quite hardy, and are pretty much the only bottom fish you can have in a tank that size..
* Plants will help the fish feel more secure, so you are more likely to have luck with your fish.
* If you take your time to find healthy fish and properly cycle your fish tank, your chances of success will also be greatly improved.
* It is good practice to have medication at hand, regardless of which fish you keep anyway.
* Schooling fish, such as neons and Corys, really do benefit from schools, so you're already on the right track here. Even though we recommend 6 as a minimum, in my experience, most of these fish do best in groups of 15-20+ and with few species (as I suggested above), you could raise the numbers for both slightly (for example, to 15 neons and 8-10 Corys) with time.

 

[Smithers13]

Cheers for the reply. I am planning on doing the cycle thing(getting stuff after work) as for the sand is it as u say normal play sand?how do I prep it(good rinse?)and is there plants that are good/bad, easy/hard to keep?

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

rinse rinse and more rinse with sand! if you do a really good job your water will be crystal... if not then you can either do a few water changes or wait a few days it should all settle down.

A few plants ive found to be easy (since i have little knowledge on plants) are anubias (best tied onto a piece of wood), crypts, vallis, elodea, java moss, java fern.

 

[moochy13]

amazon swords are also in my experience no hassle, no care plants. the ones in my tank in my sig get no extra care or food, they just do their thing. they used to be tiny. however if they get as big as my ones, or eve bigger, one would probably be enough. ive got 4 main plants in mine, im taking one out later to give to a mate as they are blocking all my light !

 

[Smithers13]

Sorry for all the questions but wanna get this right
Sand is normal play sand from say b&q early learning etc etc as for rinsing sand u talking from bucket to bucket using say a sive??
moochey I can't see your sig can u attach a link please ,am I better off planting before fish before fishless cycle??? Cheers in advance I'll get some pics as a go along

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

argos play sand is a popular choice on here and veryyy cheap. As for rinsing it id fill a bucket up about 1/3 with sand and put a hose in it and let it run occasionally sifting the sand abit.

People usually recommend planting after a fishless cycle (i think it mite be due to the fact that plants absorb your nitrates)

 

[Smithers13]

Just leave water over flowing?? How long for till the water runs clean??

 

[moochy13]

you need to keep agitating the sand while the water is running through it, so unfortunately not something you can set up and leave alone for half hour. yes keep going till the water runs clean. its hard work and takes ages, so its up to you how much you want to do it. i didnt clean mine loads, as i was fish in cycling and removing bogwood tannin so i was doing water changes anyway, which helped to remove the 'dust'.

 

[Warehouse]

Smithers, I recently changed to argos play sand. I took 1/3 of a bag at a time and placed it into a bucket. Filled the bucket halfway then moved the sand around with my hands. After a few seconds you'll find every sand particle is floating around in the water. After about 10 seconds of this remove your hands and the sand sinks quickly, leaving the dirty water which you simply tip out. Repeat the process 6 times or until the sand is settling and you can see through the water clearly, then it's ready to be put straight into the tank.

 

[KittyKat]

rinse rinse and more rinse with sand! if you do a really good job your water will be crystal... if not then you can either do a few water changes or wait a few days it should all settle down.

A few plants ive found to be easy (since i have little knowledge on plants) are anubias (best tied onto a piece of wood), crypts, vallis, elodea, java moss, java fern.

+1, Java moss and Java ferns need to be tied to wood or rocks too. Also worth trying easyer Hygrophila species, Cabomba and water sprite, although those can be a bit hit and miss. Avoid anything which has high demands.

Sand is normal play sand from say b&q

Yep. I used to use Tesco play sand, lots of people use Argos play sand.

 

[Tizer]

lol @ being told how to clean sand. It does make me wonder sometimes.

Good luck with your tank, post pics when you can

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

lol @ being told how to clean sand. It does make me wonder sometimes.

I often get the am i doing it right thoughts lol when i 1st took this hobby up i actually rang my m8 and asked him how do i use my gravel cleaner lmao