Just a couple quick noob questions..

[Dudun]

Wow, let me first start off by saying what an awesome forum...you guys have no idea how much of a help and how informative this forum really is to noobs.

I'm a college student, freshman in fact, and have recently become fascinated by aquaria. My little brother gave me his 10gal for now, but I'm looking to upgrade within a week or so, and start my cycle.

I tried to search for these, but I got tens of thousands of threads, some helpeful, some completely irrelevant.

1.) How much harder is it to clean sand rather than gravel? (I think sand looks so much nicer than gravel)
2.) Whats the exact method that you start planting live plants?
3.) How do you all feel about ordering fish online? I don't really have a LFS around my area, with the exception of Petsmart, and they seem like they just try to sell you stuff rather than helping.
4.) I'm looking for a decent sized aquarium..what would you recommend gallon wise? I read that larger tanks are actually easier to take care of than smaller ones, and with my class load, I don't have a lot of free time to be cleaning tanks.

Any and all help is appreciated! Thanks guys/gals.

[jbradt]

First off... :welcome:.

Now for your questions...

1. most will tell you sand is easier to clean than gravel.
2. to start planting live plants, do some research as to what will do well with your lighting, etc. After that, the planting depends on the plants.
3. I personally prefer to see fish before I buy them, but many peeps buy fish online. Just do your research and find a reputable seller. Many peeps here on the forum also sell fish/plants.
4. size is up to you and the space availible. I really like my 20 gallon long tank. Enough size for a good selection of possible fish, and big enough to stay pretty stable.

I'm sure others will be along with more opinions. Good luck!

[Hurley]

Welcome to the forum, glad you find it helpful. My answers are in bold below.




1.) How much harder is it to clean sand rather than gravel? (I think sand looks so much nicer than gravel)

Not very. Because its not as porous as other types of substrate, waste and food tend to settle on top but it is important to stir the sand up regularly so you don't develop poisonous gas pockets.

2.) Whats the exact method that you start planting live plants?

You stick them in the gravel. lol! but seriously plants are pretty easy. I would start out with low light plants like anubias, anacharis, and java ferns. (BTW anubias and java ferns don't get planted in the gravel. They need to be attached to something like a rock or driftwood above the gravel) They are easy and don't require much in terms of care. You can eventually upgrade your lighting to get more watts per gallon and add a co2 system and dose ferts but from my experience try low light first and take it from there.

3.) How do you all feel about ordering fish online? I don't really have a LFS around my area, with the exception of Petsmart, and they seem like they just try to sell you stuff rather than helping.

I've never ordered fish online so I can't comment.

4.) I'm looking for a decent sized aquarium..what would you recommend gallon wise? I read that larger tanks are actually easier to take care of than smaller ones, and with my class load, I don't have a lot of free time to be cleaning tanks.

That depends. What does your dorm room/lease say. Many places limit the size and number of tanks you can have. Big is better so get the largest you can afford/ are allowed. Remember, bigger tanks mean more expensive filters and more expensive lighting and co2 systems if you decide to upgrade at a later date. Also, bigger water changes. Invest in a python, it will make your life so much easier. 30gallons is a nice size for a dorm or apartment and it won't break the floor. :) It's what I've got but once I move I'm upgrading to at least a 50gallon. Hope that helps!

Any and all help is appreciated! Thanks guys/gals.

[SchizotypalVamp]

Welcome! :):)

To your questions:

1)It's not harder to clean sand. It can actually be easier.
2)Please read
http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Basics-to-starting-a-Planted-Tank/4/
it will be worth it.
3)Fish are shipped to your local fish store (LFS), that's how they end up there in the first place. So, very good, provided the supplier/store/person is reputable.
4)I love my mini tanks(10 gal and under), it takes 15-30 minutes of maintenance each week to take care of my low tech ten gallon and less than than microwaving a burrito to do a water change on my three(though I do daily water changes on this when there is more than a single less-than-an-inch-long fish in it). They are also much more cost effective. However, you are much more limited on stocking. In college this may be a good thing, as there is no telling how much time I would devote to fish if I could have bigger and more tanks.

[Dudun]

Wow, quick replies! Thanks for all the help. Another one though...do I need Co2 in the beginning? I found a nice 30gal on craigslist for $75 with stand and everything else. Think I should pick it up. A cycle can take 6-8 weeks correct?

Also, where I live right now, is in the country and our water is real hard(rusty). How is this going to effect my levels in the tank? Should I buy water from the store?

[SchizotypalVamp]

If it's hard, you can mix in distilled, but unless it's very very hard you will be fine. What's the exact hardness? If it's rusty that's a different matter and you may want to look into buying water or getting an R/O unit. Keep in mind you will have to pretreat the water since pure R/O or distilled will slowly kill fishes.

You are correct on the cycling time.

If you start off with low-light undemanding plants then no, you won't need CO2. Some examples are Crypts, Anubias, java fern, java moss, christmas moss hornworth, and anacharis.

[vmprlrd]

Dont worry about how hard your water is. My water is pretyt hard and none of my fish ever had any problems. since you are buying a used fish tank, it shoudl take a lot less than 6 to 8 weeks. also make sur eyou pay very close attention to the condition fo teh tank. Check for damages anong the conors and make sure none of teh conors are chipped.

[Dudun]

I've already told the seller that I'd like the aquarium to be filled with water when I get there. I'm not going to take some random persons word ya know...

[Shoebox_16]

Welcome to AC (:

1). It is easier to clean sand.
2). I am in the middle of live planting my 7g and 12g, and so far I have Java Ferns, Anubias and Vallisneria - it's best to start off with 'simple' and tough plants.
3). Hmm. Better online than Petsmart.
4). Hmm again! My 12g tank is easier to care for because there is more media for the bacteria, meaning the water parameters tend to be more 'reliable'. But that is just IMO.

p.s. This is the first time I've ever posted to help somebody on here, too much of a noob ):

[amosf]

gravel/sand - personal choice.. I like pea gravel type stuff.. well actually a bit smaller than a pea..

Hard water. Meh. We have liquid rock here.. I mix with soft water if I can, but hard is not usually too much issue. ph is always around 8.5 etc...

bigger tanks are easier.. 200 litre a nice size.. I guess a 100 okay... tis a worry seeing young guys still stuck in the Imperial in the us. Really need to get into the metric one day :)

cycle - yeah.. takes a while. been a long time since I ever had to fresh cycle a tank thos as we have MTS here...

[jpappy789]

I agree on the hard water issue...well there really is no issue as it will be fine for most fish. The only real problems you would run into are keeping wild caught fish or if you attempt to breed softwater fish.

Cycling will probably take you that long and definitely go the fish-less route...here's a good read on cycling thanks to rbishop:

http://aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598

[rinmouse]

If the used tank you get has been sitting dry for a while, please make sure you reseal the silicone... even if it's not leaking when you pick it up! I didn't do that on mine (I didn't know any better at the time) and of course, it leaked a couple of years later. It was a huge pita.

[Dudun]

Alright, picked up a 29L today from an ad on craigslist.

The tank itself is filthy however. How do you go about cleaning/scrubing the tank? I don't want to use any hard soaps, bleach, or anything else like that.

I plan on using play sand for the bottom. I read somewhere that it needs cleaned also. How would I go about cleaning it before putting it in the tank?

Thanks guys.

[Dudun]

Well, after doing more in depth searching, I'll use vinager & hot water.

Just need help with pre-washing the play sand.


Thanks again.