Stocking My Aquarium

[billyharless]

Hello,

I am a newbie. Purchased a 29gal tank and stand from Petsmart. I have been reading up on the internet and in magazines. Hoping I can get some good advice here.

Here is what I have. 29gal tank with heater (temp stays around 78-80 degrees).

I put the following fish in so far.

2 Black Mollies

They are doing well but they seem to skim the surface a LOT! Is this normal?

2 Red Platties

They are doing well but seem shy. They hide a lot and stay away from the the other fish. One is fat and I wonder if it is pregnant.

6 Blue Neon Tetras

They are pretty and fun to watch swim around in their school. Last night I came home and one was dead. Looks like something was eating on it.

2 snails

They are all over the place.

I would like to add a couple of big fish that might do well with these and maybe a couple of crabs.

Any thoughts?

[vato]

Well first of all PetSmart isn't a great place to buy fish for a number of reasons. Second, did you cycle your tank? this is pretty important for your tank and will help you avoid disapointment with your fish. Also, with they size of your fish and tank I don't think it would be a very good idea to put in any large fish. As a general rule don't put in if if they can fit into anothers mouth!! Also crabs might not be a good choice either, one because they need to accces the surface to breath (at least MOST freshwater spieces do) and they are carnivorus and will take out little fish if they get to close. I really don't mean to shoot you down and discourage you with your new tank, it's just many people are misinformed about this hobby. If you are looking for questions to be answered, this is the place!! There are TONS of knowledgable people here that are willing to give you all the advise you need, so if you have questions ask them! We may even answer some you don't ask. But with a little information you can make your tank a beautiful little get-away, that is triving. Good Luck, and Welcome!

[holyherbiness]

Amen to that vato

The combination of fish you have so far is okay.
However, If you purchased the tank, stand, and fish at the same time, I would assume that your tank is not cycled yet. Cycling a new tank is CRUCIAL. Other members can help you with cycling.

I don't know many big fish that would go well with these little fish. Same with the crabs

Welcome to the hobby! Dont be daunted, fishkeeping is fun

[silentskream]

2 snails they are all over the place

haha.. wait a week or two.. by thne you'll have about 100 snails all over the place!! :p

[billyharless]

Thanks for the quick replies. I appreciate your advice. Like I said this is all new to me and so far I have only been able to go by the advice I received by the kids a the Petsmart and that is not good because I get different advice depending on who is working that day.

I did not know anything about cycling my tank. Can you ellaborate? I hope my fish are not going to die now. Yikes!

When I mentioned big fish, I guess I really meant something bigger than a neon tetra. Maybe something the size of a small silver dollar? I was also thinking of some type of small shark and/or catfish.

[billyharless]

Why are snails like rabbits or something? Should I get a snail eating fish?

[Watcher74]

Snails are like rabbits. I wouldn't worry about control until it happens though. I've bought 3 snails for my tank and only 1 is still alive. No babies.

P.S. What filtration do you have on the tank?

[billyharless]

I don't recall the name of the filter but it came with the tank. I also have a heater installed in the tank. I set it at 78 degrees.

[cgrabe]

Originally posted by billyharless
I also have a heater installed in the tank. I set it at 78 degrees.
The thermostats on those heaters often aren't very precise. Be sure to check the thermometer in the water to make sure you're actually close to what you want.

[billyharless]

I thought the same thing but so far the thermometer is reading about the same as the thermostat. Should I set it higher than 78 degrees?

[Watcher74]

You really need to find out what type of filter you have. If you bought a "package" then a lot of the equipment is not going to be very good quality.

And I can almost guarantee you that the filter included will not be enough.

Please try to find out exactly what filter you have and tell us. That will greatly vary how many/type of fish you will be able to keep.

[vato]

In my opinion, 78 might be a little too high for a community aquarium such as yours, I usually set them to about 75 degrees, sometimes lower depending on the needs of the fish. Cycling, eh, where do I start?! Well "cycling" your tank is the process by which the bacterial cultures in your tank build up. This bacteria is benifical and important for your tank. Once the bacteria culture is in amature state it naturally filters the water in your tank, reducing and breaking down the Ammoniam Nitrites, and nitrates in your tank (all of which can be harmful to your fish Ammonia being the worst, nitrates being the least damaging) This cycle is usually done fishless, but can be done with fish. but you have to be ready to loss some fish if that is the case (which may not happen nessesarity) during the cycle your tank goes through many changes in water perameters and quality, and these are hard on your fish. (this is why it is usually fishless) there will be "spikes" of various chemicals do to the balance of your aquarium. The cycle should take about 4 weeks (sounds like a long time, but it is worth it) all you need to do is fill your tank with water and let it go, some people will play with their ammonia levels and such, but I never have and have been succesful every time. once this cycle is over it will be safer to put fish in because there will be little change in the water perameters because the balance of the tank has been settled. Before you put fish in though, it will be benificial to test your water for: pH, nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia, as well as KH(carbonate hardness) and GH (general hardness) if you do not have the testing kits for this most LFSs(Local fish store, you will hear this used a lot here) will test it for you and give you the results. I hope this helps! If you ahev any more questions don't be afraid to ask!!

[dwayne]

Watcher ~ I bought my 29 gallon set up at PetSmart 4 years ago and it came with a Top Fin 40. I bought a Whisper 40(??30 maybe) to supplement that.

Read the sticky note at the top of this forum about cycling. Don't add any more fish into your tank for right now. You may, or may not, lose some fish during the cycling process. Try not to let it bother you too much, adding a ton of fish before cycling the tank is a big mistake, but hey, mistakes happen and we all learn from them. :) Neons are rather delicate fish (ime and imho!), so don't be surprised if you lose a few more before your cycle is over.

Make sure the thermometer is on the opposite side of the tank as the heater. As long as it's an inside the water thermometer (as opposed to the 'tape' ones you mount on the outside of the glass), the reading should be accurate.

Snails, as someone else said, don't worry about snail control until/unless you have an outbreak.

Once your cycle is complete, you could add a rainbow shark or maybe some cories for the bottom, and maybe some zebra danios for the top level (they're very zippy little guys, and a lot of fun to watch).

There are tons of very knowledgeable people on this board, so don't be afraid to ask questions - the only dumb question is the one that goes unasked!!

:D
~Tara

[billyharless]

I did not realize I needed to cycle my aquarium. Maybe that is why one of my neon's died yesterday. They have a 14 day guarantee so I can take it back for a new one but I was hoping that would not happen.

Now I am worried about my fish. My gf went home for lunch and she just emailed me to say that all the fish seem to be happy and alive.

This message board is awesome. I have learned more on this site than in the books and magazines. Also I really don't ask too many questions at Petsmart anymore because I get so many different opinions. However, the Petsmart seems to have cleaner more organized aquariums than the local mom and pop petstore.

[cgrabe]

Originally posted by billyharless
Also I really don't ask too many questions at Petsmart anymore because I get so many different opinions. However, the Petsmart seems to have cleaner more organized aquariums than the local mom and pop petstore.
Yeah, the employees there generaly aren't too experienced, but their tanks are in good shape. I only have two other options around here. One is Walmart which is so bad they managed to float a Pleco among other things last time I looked. The other option is a pet store with a good variety of fresh and saltwater fish, but something just didn't seem right about them. The only thing I could pinpoint was a couple tangs with open sores brushing against some rocks. I'm hesitant to buy anything from them.

[vato]

I'll say it and I think most people will agree with me. It is best not to buy from a chain retailer. First of all, like you have said, they are not very helpful when it comes to helping you out with advice. Sceond they generally have a water system that is connected to every tank. This might be good for water quality, and easy for them to take care of, but it is bad when it comes to diseases. If one fish has it they all run the potential of catching it. Most chain retailers buy their product from substandard breeding institutions that are just producing for sheer numbers, and have questional bereeding practices. With this you have poor fish with defects, inbreeding, weak immune systems, and diseases. They also do not have the knowledge to care for them once in the store. Chain retailers usually don't quarintine their fish to see if there is any indication of disease. They will sell them to you right off the truck, thus a greater chance to have a serious disease introduced into your tank. Also it is in your best interest to find a local retailer that is reputable for quality and service. You may be charged more, but they will provide you with good information, and good fish. Basically the more you buy at one of these store the more they are able to do for you. (example: beable to carry a more varied selection of fish) Where as large chians will not beable to help you with service, or selection the more you buy. And another good arguing point is a local fish store keeps your money in your area. I'd say if there is one exeption to this chain store rule it would have to be "Big Al's". Ask around, ask here if anyone knows of a good LFS in your area. As you can see the benifits far out number the drawbacks in this situation!

[heat]

Billy,
Do you have a small petshop in your area? If so they might have some cycled material that you could buy. Even if it's say 10 cups of gravel that they have in their current tanks you could add that to yours and the bacteria on it will help (ime) alot with the cycling and help keep down the fish loss a bit in the begining. The shop may even have "cycled" filter media that you could purchase.

Another option, do you know anyone who has an established tank set up? Established being longer than say 6 months. If you do you could get gravel from them or filter media.

Don't worry if the gravel is a different color *grin* I just go out and buy a cheapo vegetable/fruit/pasta strainer with the littlest holes you can find and place the gravel inside it and then set the whole thing in there. Can also be done with bowls,plates etc. Some have used knee-highs as well to put the gravel in and hang it in the tank.

So many options... if you've read the cycling info sticky then you are a step ahead of many new fish keepers. But know there are certainly some short cuts, like the cycled or seeded media/gravel that can ease the situation a bit for you.