What Do I Need To Have?

[ms.tofuluv]

Okay, I got a 20 gallon rectangular tank with a Marineland Penguin 150 Biowheel Powerfilter, a Stealth Pro 100 heater, a hood with a flourescent light, and a net. I'm planning on setting up a tropical community aquarium and I'm wondering what other equipment I'm going to need like test kits and stuff. Is the equipment I have good? Also, any suggestions on hardy, pretty fish. This is my first community aquarium, I've only had small betta tanks before. Thanks!

 

[StandbySetting]

The equipment seems fine, you'll need some house hold ammonia you plan to fishless cycle, and if you're in the UK you'll need a Salifert test kit, if you're in the US, go for the API kit, the reason Saliferts are recommended over API is that Saliferts are significantly more accurate than the API kit, you'll need a substrate and some form of decor, plants would be my suggestion.

 

[ms.tofuluv]

But do I need a stand or siphon or anything like that?

 

[StandbySetting]

Whether or not you need a stand entirely depends on where you want to place it, a length of hose pipe is just as good as a proper gravel siphon.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, agree with the comment, a 20G might be placed on a dresser or other sturdy piece of furniture. Many people do find the new stands that provide cabinet and/or shelf space below to be quite useful. In the old days I used to use iron stands and put two tanks per stand but now, years later the one my son and I set up has a cabinet where the external cannister filter fits and then some shelves where we put some of our more immediately needed supplies, such as fish food and conditioner.

To nearly all beginners I certainly recommend what is commonly called a "gravel cleaning siphon" as most beginners start off learning the experience of a gravel substrate even though they sometimes later choose between that and a sand substrate. A simple hose is the best tool for a sand substrate (along with the fairly easily learned skill of using it) and the same techniques can be used on gravel but an actual gravel cleaning cylinder makes it easier for most beginners. When you gently plunge the cylinder in the gravel and stir it around the gravel is pulled part-way up the tube and jiggled around so that the debris around it is loosened and then sucked up with the outgoing water. You can even find videos on the internet of this process.

If you plan to use a bucket for your gravel-clean-water-changes then be sure you get enough hose length so that the hose doesn't want to jump out of the bucket and fly around the room from you moving about in front of the tank. The wider cylinder part that cleans the gravel comes in different sizes and this can make a big difference in how easy the contraption is to use on your tank. Choose a bigger width as the tank gets bigger and in general don't choose a tiny one. I personally don't mind plunging my hand into the tank as I do this but you can get tall cylinders for tall tanks, with the caveat that they are more difficult to maneuver.

There is another modern device that can replace the bucket hauling. We loosely call them "Pythons" after one of the companies in the USA that makes very good ones. It is basically a length of hose (potentially -very- long) that runs from a faucet to your gravel cleaning cylinder. There are adapters that can bridge the connection from your faucet to the hose and there are even one-way suction valves that can use faucet water to generate the starting suction for your siphoning session (I don't use that feature myself, too wasteful of water.) You can first use the hose to just drain the out-siphoning water to your garden or to a catch-bucket in a tub (why a catch-bucket? because you nearly always want the old water for temperature matching or for filter media cleaning) and secondly then you hook it up to the faucet adapter and refill the tank directly (after you have dosed the tank with conditioner if you are wise about insurance.)

There are plenty of fine-tuned details that experienced hobbyists eventually get in to with their water changes (or lack thereof) or their substrate cleans (or lack thereof) but for -most- beginners, for -most- first year or two experiences, the weekly gravel-clean-water-change using a gravel-cleaning siphon and conditioner and temperature matching for the return tap water is a very, -very- smart habit to try. All of this of course coming after a good fishless cycle where one has learned hands-on how a biofilter really works and feels.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[KISSfn]

The equipment seems fine, you'll need some house hold ammonia you plan to fishless cycle, and if you're in the UK you'll need a Salifert test kit, if you're in the US, go for the API kit, the reason Saliferts are recommended over API is that Saliferts are significantly more accurate than the API kit, you'll need a substrate and some form of decor, plants would be my suggestion.

+1 StandbySetting! Even if you're in the US (like me) spend the money for the Salifert Ammonia test kit at least. The API junk read +1 - 2.75mg/l in my head to head testing of both kits.
Don't forget a good thermometer.

 

[KISSfn]

+1 waterdrop!