Advice on getting back into the hobby--set up concerns.

[CHINABOY1021]

i am planning for a 20-40 gallon tank. 10% fish/90%plant.

i have previous experience with aquariums, but much forgotten

my tank is mainly going to consist of amazon swords and angel fish OR neons or cardinals.

i've done some research over the net, but i have hard time finding obvious information. such as temperature requirement for these fish. 74 degrees is the number as i can remember. just want to double check.

1) wat test kits are must. ph + nitrate?
2) where can i find a list of common fish with their requirements?
3) is 15 hour daylight cycle too long?
4) wat fish is good for cycling? ive had good experience with platies. but i dont want chopping on my angels or gobbling up my neons later on
5) will plants affect the cycling?
6) im sure there are beginner aquarium guides, where are they? i just cant seem to find t hem.
7)long cycle or short cycle?

8) thanks a lot for your suggestoins

[OrionGirl]

1. Ammonia, nitrite. GH, KH. Others depending on your needs.

2. Check the species profiles here on AC. They've been updated, and will help you out with tankmates as well as parameters.

3. I wouldn't push it that long, but it will depend on light spectrum, planting, ferts, ect. A timer solves the problem.

4. Fishlessly cycle your tank, and you won't worry about this. check in the Newbie forum--lots of threads with links.

5. Yes. Plants will change the way you cycle, unless you go fishless. Then you cycle, then stock and plant in one.

6. In the Newbie forum, there's a list of good book choices.

7. Huh?

[superjohnny]

My next freshwater tank would be 36"x18"x20"

Mostly because my light is 36", but that's a really good size. My tank now is deep (24" high), but not wide (12"w).

15 hours is a lot of light. Plants need dark time for photosynthesis.

You don't need fish to cycle (as OnionGirl is saying). With no CO2 you don't really need to worry about KH & GH, amonia and PH kits should suffice.

[thom336]

I have my tank lights on for 15hrs a day with no problems. I think 20Gals would be on he small side for angels, so if you are going with angels then I would go for the 40Gal.

I wouldn't recommened the Internet as a source of research (except forums such as this one) as you will find very conflicting advice.

24-26C is around standard for most Tropical freshwater aquaria, which is about 75-79F. Like the others I would go for a fishless cycle, and I have never had any problems with having plants in the tank during cycling. Cycling should take at least around 3 weeks.

Interpet produce a large range of guides, many for beginners.

Hope this helps,
Thom.

[thom336]

Almost forgot..I would go for nitrite, nitrate and ammonia test kits.

Thom.

[125gJoe]

http://gordon.sourcecod.com/images/flagicons/american_flag.gif
Live plants are nice to have, good choice for tank-keeping! It's my opinion that Amazon Swords grow too quick and get too large for most tanks. If you have to get one, get only one... There are so many plants to choose from!