FIRST TANK EVER!!!! help..

[Julio604]

Hello, my name is julio.
well ive never had a fish tank, but i always enjoy looking at my friends fish tank. so i thought to get a tank for myself. When i got a fish tank ( 20 gallon).. with no lid... just the 20 gallon tank for free.. so i thought sure y nt.. so i looked around... reading alot of forums, books, did alot of researching... and i know about the " new tank syndrom " but im still not too sure about the fish i want to get or plants .. now so i can shut up ill list the things i plan to get
- lid.... is it ok if i get a flouresent light from revy... and just adapt it to a home made lid?!?!
- few low light plants... need help in picking
- onyx sand for the plants.. dnt wanna mess with the iron clay thing
- driftwood
- 2 hang over back filters . one has bio-wheel filtration , the other just normal.. and a filter which my friend gave me that goes underwater... i plan to put some peat on it to soften the water a little( and alo for some current)
- i head that a undergravel filter isnt too good for plants.. and plus the onyx sand's size is too small i plan not to use it.. any suggestions?
- also all the test kits and the decholor liquid

the fish i plan to get are maybe a few dino to start cycling... and once it has been established slowly grow to some 6ish neon tetras, few 3ish glass catfish, some 4ish silver hatchet, 1-2some corys and a weather loach
as i said b4.... is this good? is this too much and i will be adding them slowly...


thanks for ur help julio :o

[jojofromdabronx]

Add the fish later after the water is stable. maybe like at least a week or two :dance2: Add when u get the loach you HAVE to get at least 3. they like to be kept in groups. Also, when u do finally add fish, dont add too much at one time. this will cause an amonia spike.

good luck

[RockabillyChick]

looks like you've got a good start, but many of the fish you described are schooling fish and need to be kept in groups of 6 at least. make sure you don't overstock. i think you should cut it back a bit.

definately drop the glass catfish. they get up to 6" and need to be kept in schools (that means 6 or more fish) and that would definately overstock a 20 gallon tank.

weather loaches also grow up to 10 inches and need to be kept in groups or 3 or more. definately too much for a 20 gallon tank.

cory cats need to be in schools of 6 or more, as do tetras and hatchet fish. make sure you reasearch the fish you want to keep and that they will not over stock your tank.

also, you should really look into fishless cycling. its much easier on your fish if they don't have to go through the cycling process, and its easier for you because you don't have to do a million water changes every day to keep the waste in the water from poisoning your fish.

some good low light plants are Java fern, java moss, crypts, anubias