newbie to the tropical fish

[cougargirl50]

Hi i'm new to this site. And im finding alot of information on starting an aquarium. I now have a 10 gallon aquarium that have gold fish in, and they are really healthy and the color looks awesome on them.
So now I have the itch to start a tropical fish aquarium. Im buying things slowly to get started. I bought a undergravel filter (one person says use it one person says they are a waste of money) I have no idea, but I have one in my 10 gallon, so I bought one for the aquarium that I am about to buy. The one that I'm looking at is a 29 gallon. I bought the gravel, and the underground filter. The aquarium that im looking at has the heater, filters, ok its a kit that has everything that I need to starter up. Reading some of the things on here I AM SO CONFUSED. It sounds like tropical fish are so hard.
What do you recommend that I do once I get the aquarium home and set up. I read some of the pinned material you have on here, and I read about the cycling thing, but some of it is over my head. And I know that I need a good test kit. What else or does anyone have any advice on what I do to start this thing. I think once I get it up and going It will work out fine for me. It's getting this thing started.
I always had gold fish before, and now its time to move onto something else.
Any suggestions.. And yous are right on here fish store employees dont know a whole lot.

Any help would be appreciated. I will be posting probably a good bit of times. Just trying to figure out what all I gotta do.

Thanks again.

 

[keane]

Hi and to the forums.

Don't worry about feeling "over your head". I was exactly the same when I started (which was only four months ago!) but I kept coming on here for advice (and still continue to do so) and things worked out great.

Firstly decide whether you want to cycle with fish or without fish .

That way you have already narrowed your options and need only concentrate on the one topic.

Thereafter just take it step by step. Read the pinned articles again and if you have any questions, no matter how daft they might sound, ask them.

No-one is here to ridicule. Everyone is happy to help and advise.

Patience is the key to starting up a tank. If you do it right in the first place, things will be a lot easier in the future .

steve

 

[eudielynn]

Welcome to TFF. We were all new at this once and most of us have learned what to do (and not to do) the hard way. ) We will be glad to share our experiences with you. Once you read over the pinned articles a few times and some of the posts you will have a much better idea of what is going on. Tropicals are not that hard to keep as long as you maintain your tank. "Water change" has become the battle cry at my house. As long as I keep up with regular water changes I have very little problem. Again, welcome.

 

[cougargirl50]

Thank you for the information that you have shared already.
I have been on the interent all day so far looking into different fish options and while you said about narrowing my options down to whether I want to cycle with fish or without.
I did some reading on it and I think I'm going to go with the fishless cycle. I was reading and to do the cycle with the fish, it's hard on them. (but it doesn't take as long to get it started)
I called my local That Fish Place store and they were giving me all kinds of different things I need to use to get started
for example:

Bio Spira
Stress coat
Cycle

He also told me that once I start using this stuff that my aquarium would turn cloudy, for a week or two that, that is norman and to not do a water change.
He mise well of been speaking a different launguage to me. He talked so fast.

I asked him about my undergravel filter that I bought and he said that I did a good job on buying that. He said that will really help with my filtration. So I guess I bought something right. But I also have an underground filter with my goldfish.

So OK im going to do the fishless cycle process. I have city water. So I need to get some thing to start my cycling process, and I know that I need a Ph test kit or some kind of test kit. What do you all recommend?

There was another question that I have but at the moment it flew right out my brain I guess. I have been reading so much today, that it all is just overwelming.
I do know that I am getting very anctious to get this up and running. Sounds like its going to be work but I'm up for the challenge.

Thanks again