Hi there! I'm a first time poster here, but have been reading voraciously since yesterday evening. What a great site, and thanks for taking the time to help me. A wee bit of background: I'm not entirely a newbie, but my tank experience is limited to a 10g FW tropical tank that I kept for ~4 years and another that I kept simultaneously for ~2 years. The bad news is that was more than a decade ago (ew, I just dated myself terribly).
So, in light of that I have a son now who is fascinated with fish and a wife who actually suggested we get a tank started in our living room (I know, some of you fellows are envious!) Now the conundrum, where do I start?
I know I want at least a 29g tank and perhaps some 10g tanks as fry/quarantine tanks. I have a custom built stand already that is capable of holding two tens side by side on three shelves (I kept venomous snakes before we had children) so a stand is already in place. I could also spring for a new stand if I wanted to expand.
When I had tanks before, I simply had undergravel filters with those pumps that blew bubbles, a thermometer, tank hood with light, plastic plants, some cool rocks with hiding holes and a heater. I didn't have Bio-Wheels, Power Heads etc. I kept neon tetras, an African Butterfly cichlid, a pair of guppies and an angelfish. I suppose luck played into it back then, because the fish seemed to thrive and I wasn't very educated and there was certainly no internet. My interest waned when I reached High School and extracuricular activities began to dominate my time, so as my fish passed away, I simply didn't replace them.
So, my main questions are:
1. Is the bio-wheel and power head setup the "only" way to go these days? For a fry/quarantine type 10g tank would undergravel and pump filtration be sufficient?
2. How difficult are live plants and what sort of maintenance do they require? Are there good beginner plants?
3. I know for a fact that I want a number of neon tetras, what sort of other (maybe bigger?) fish are complimentary to them and would work well in a 29g FW? It appears from my reading that mollies and guppies would really rather like a bit of brackish water, so I don't think the neons would appreciate that.
4. If I went with a 55g tank instead am I looking at a whole lot more maintenance, and also, what is the approximate difference in price between a 29g and 55g to start up? I don't want to bite off more than I can chew and then have the poor fish suffer because I misjudged my budget for this. Keep in mind, I basically need everything; aquarium, hood, lights, fish, plants, rocks, wood, substrate, filtration, pumps, hose, net, water testing supplies, food, thermometer and heater (am I forgetting anything?)
5. Can anyone suggest a good online source for aquariums and supplies? We do have a couple of stores locally that have fish and supplies, but I do want to shop around.
6. Does anyone have a site that lists suggested FW set-ups and approximate costs just so I can toss some figures at the wife?
I already know I want to go with fishless cycling (that's really brilliant!) but I am just havnig questions about the undergravel "bubble" type thing vs power heads and such. Oh, and if I were to start with the former, how difficult is it to switch to a bio-wheel and powerhead or all of that? Whew! So many questions, I know, but thanks for your input.
By the way, if you simply agree with what someone says, please say so, I'm looking for as many opinions as I can get, including ditto. Thanks!
So, in light of that I have a son now who is fascinated with fish and a wife who actually suggested we get a tank started in our living room (I know, some of you fellows are envious!) Now the conundrum, where do I start?
I know I want at least a 29g tank and perhaps some 10g tanks as fry/quarantine tanks. I have a custom built stand already that is capable of holding two tens side by side on three shelves (I kept venomous snakes before we had children) so a stand is already in place. I could also spring for a new stand if I wanted to expand.
When I had tanks before, I simply had undergravel filters with those pumps that blew bubbles, a thermometer, tank hood with light, plastic plants, some cool rocks with hiding holes and a heater. I didn't have Bio-Wheels, Power Heads etc. I kept neon tetras, an African Butterfly cichlid, a pair of guppies and an angelfish. I suppose luck played into it back then, because the fish seemed to thrive and I wasn't very educated and there was certainly no internet. My interest waned when I reached High School and extracuricular activities began to dominate my time, so as my fish passed away, I simply didn't replace them.
So, my main questions are:
1. Is the bio-wheel and power head setup the "only" way to go these days? For a fry/quarantine type 10g tank would undergravel and pump filtration be sufficient?
2. How difficult are live plants and what sort of maintenance do they require? Are there good beginner plants?
3. I know for a fact that I want a number of neon tetras, what sort of other (maybe bigger?) fish are complimentary to them and would work well in a 29g FW? It appears from my reading that mollies and guppies would really rather like a bit of brackish water, so I don't think the neons would appreciate that.
4. If I went with a 55g tank instead am I looking at a whole lot more maintenance, and also, what is the approximate difference in price between a 29g and 55g to start up? I don't want to bite off more than I can chew and then have the poor fish suffer because I misjudged my budget for this. Keep in mind, I basically need everything; aquarium, hood, lights, fish, plants, rocks, wood, substrate, filtration, pumps, hose, net, water testing supplies, food, thermometer and heater (am I forgetting anything?)
5. Can anyone suggest a good online source for aquariums and supplies? We do have a couple of stores locally that have fish and supplies, but I do want to shop around.
6. Does anyone have a site that lists suggested FW set-ups and approximate costs just so I can toss some figures at the wife?
I already know I want to go with fishless cycling (that's really brilliant!) but I am just havnig questions about the undergravel "bubble" type thing vs power heads and such. Oh, and if I were to start with the former, how difficult is it to switch to a bio-wheel and powerhead or all of that? Whew! So many questions, I know, but thanks for your input.
By the way, if you simply agree with what someone says, please say so, I'm looking for as many opinions as I can get, including ditto. Thanks!