starting up

[carpy6185]

Hi there ive just got my self a tank it can hold about 25 litres , it has everythink i need like light , heater , filter , the tanks been sitting for 3 weeks as i was told to do , now i want some fish , what kind should i get and how many ?

[reignman40]

When you say *sitting* what do you mean by that? Because if the tank hasn't been dosed with ammonia then the cycle would have never started. Check out the stickies on fishless cycling if you have not done that yet.

[carpy6185]

the tanks been running , with filter and pump its been conditioned so its all up and running , now its time to get the fish , where do i start ?

[mvigor]

Letting the tank sit for a day or two will let chlorine evaporate out of the water, water temperature normalize and let the filter clean up any gravel dust. Beyond the first couple days, letting it sit doesn't do much good.

Getting fish now will start the fish tank in what is refered to here as a "Fishy Cycle".

Read the stickies on the cycle so you know what to expect in the next several weeks.

[telecubby]

Hi there ive just got my self a tank it can hold about 25 litres , it has everythink i need like light , heater , filter , the tanks been sitting for 3 weeks as i was told to do , now i want some fish , what kind should i get and how many ?

how about starting with a couple guppys for a week to set your cycle (don't over feed) then when you get some build up of algae go for a couple of chinease algae eaters .mind you all of thease get small & can be removed or sold later. then if the algae eaters seem ok 4 a week go for a school of khuli loaches .4get about the khuli loaches as they are just part of your cleanup crue .monitor conditions & do minor cleanups wth gravel vacuum weekly. Now your ready to try community fish after some ez research about what your buying & if it will eat your friends think about another light @ this time or second filter or small refugium or better yet turning this into 1 & getting the big display tank :laugh:

[iamgroovy]

I believe 25L is 6.5 gal. Telecubby, I think that's too small for all those fish and if you decide to do a fishy cycle (which is rather cruel to the fish) you want to start with a couple hardy fish like zebra danios or cories and get a test kit with tests for at least ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte. Don't add anymore fish until you are fully cycled! That can take from 3 to 6 weeks. If you can get some filter media from an established tank, that will speed things up. You could also try bio spira. I've heard that it really helps get your cycles going.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57791&highlight=fishless+cycling

[carpy6185]

Hi there i have 2 tanks , i was giving a 58 litre one today with everythink you need , i was thinking how many fish can i keep in that one ?

[iamgroovy]

Hi there i have 2 tanks , i was giving a 58 litre one today with everythink you need , i was thinking how many fish can i keep in that one ?

That works out to about 15gal I think. You could get a small school of tetras or platys. Or maybe a betta with some snails and/or dwarf cories. I have 4 cories, 3 mystery snails and 6 platys in my 15gal. I was planning on adding a betta until my platys gifted me with babies! About 7 of them have avoided being lunch so I'm going to grow them out and give them away.

[carpy6185]

How much would that set me back say if i got 5 tetras and a betta ?

[iamgroovy]

I'm not really sure but around here the tetras are just a dollar or two a piece and bettas around $4 or $5. My LFS has "buy one get one free" every Sunday. Check around, visit the stores. The best thing to do is write down the names of fish you're interested in and then go home and research them. Remember, it's all about patience! Don't get in a hurry and take your time. You'll be glad you did! Read as much as you can! :read:

Good luck!

[misscrosson]

Here... tetras are about... $2.50 a peice... and I think the betta's are something like...$5?..... Not expensive at all... if you got 4-6 tetra's and a betta I'm sure no matter where you're at you won't spend more then $20-$25

[Holly9937]

Just be careful, some tetras, especially when in a smaller tank like yours, can be pretty nippy and might go after the betta

[iamgroovy]

Just be careful, some tetras, especially when in a smaller tank like yours, can be pretty nippy and might go after the betta

Maybe platys would be better. Mine are mixed colors and they are very attractive. Just keep to the 2 females to 1 male ratio. From what I've been told, platys are good tank mates for bettas but, of course, every fish has it's own personality so be prepared to isolate or return any aggressive fish (including the betta).