New to FW,just a few ??? on a good set up

[ozzy]

Hello AC
I am new to fresh water but have had a salt water now for a few years,what I would like to do is start off with a 29 gallon tank,so if you was to set up this new tank what would ya use along the line of filtration,substrate,lighting.......ect ect
Just want to make sure I get off on the right track if a know what I mean ,I would like to keep this tank as natural as I can
thank for all the help

 

[TKOS]

What sort of fish do you think you would like to keep. That will probably determine your filtration needs as certain fish (plecos etc...) make huge amounts of waste and need massive filtration. On the other hand a tank of neon tetras will not need nearly as much.

The other big question is do you want live plants? I assume yes as you mention natural tank. But if you want a tank of cichlids then plants may not be the way to go.

 

[scott]

As far as filtration I would go with an AC 300. An emperor 280 is what I have on mine but you can read some of my frustration with it in the Penguin v. Emperor thread in DIY. It is also a good filter though. Substrate, Flourite for plants, whatever you want if not. In freshwater you "generally" use just tapwater without alteration so it is best to determine the parameters of your tapwater and then pick fish. Tapwater can be adjusted but it is easier to know beforehand what to expect and pick the fish accordingly.

 

[ozzy]

What sort of fish do you think you would like to keep.
just some sort of small tetra...mabe a beta,nothing all that big cause it's onl a 29 gallon
The other big question is do you want live plants?
yes
As far as filtration I would go with an AC 300. An emperor 280 are hang on filters OK in a planted aquarium ??
in m salt tank the only filtration is a skimmer,no hang on filters or canister filter,the tank is based off of natural filtration,no carbon or an of that stuff...
can one have the same type of set up in a fresh water tank ??
can the plants and snails, worms,ect....,do the filtration in place of a carbon based filter ??

 

[scott]

just some sort of small tetra...mabe a beta,nothing all that big cause it's onl a 29 gallon

Tetras will nip the fins off of bettas so it is not a good idea to keep them together.

280 are hang on filters OK in a planted aquarium ??

They are okay but I believe an internal cannister style filter is preffered. I don't know to much about plants and I am learning myself. Hopefully someone else will help you out here or you can pose this question in the plant forum.

in m salt tank the only filtration is a skimmer,no hang on filters or canister filter,the tank is based off of natural filtration,no carbon or an of that stuff...

While carbon is not necessary filtration is. I know in planted tanks some people only have the filter on at night though because of the oxygen and CO2 exchanges. Again I am no expert.

 

[TKOS]

Bettas are fine with most tetras, especially if you keep them in groups of 5 or so (the tetras, not the bettas or course). Paradise fish are just as nice as well or if you are concerned then some dwarf gouramis would look nice. If you have a planted tank that will be no problem.

It depends on the plants you want but generally for best growth you will want an aquatic soil like Flourite or the pond soil made by Schultz.

You will need some sort of filter unlike Salt Water. Canister or HOB will work fine on your size tank and as long as you keep the water level high enough there will be minimal distortion to loose CO2, so you will be fine. Carbon wears out in about a week so then it just becomes a great bed for bacteria to grow on. I just rinse out my filter cartridges once a week during water changes to keep the bacteria. Only replace the carbon if you need to get rid of medication in the water.

 

[scott]

Tetras will nip the fins off of bettas so it is not a good idea to keep them together.

TKOS is right, I was thinking barbs for some reason. Sorry.

 

[TKOS]

Yes, definatly stay away from the barb family with a betta. You might be able to get away with cherry barbs but then why chance it.

 

[anonapersona]

Originally posted by ozzy
What sort of fish do you think you would like to keep.
just some sort of small tetra...mabe a beta,nothing all that big cause it's onl a 29 gallon
The other big question is do you want live plants?
yes
As far as filtration I would go with an AC 300. An emperor 280 are hang on filters OK in a planted aquarium ??
in m salt tank the only filtration is a skimmer,no hang on filters or canister filter,the tank is based off of natural filtration,no carbon or an of that stuff...
can one have the same type of set up in a fresh water tank ??
can the plants and snails, worms,ect....,do the filtration in place of a carbon based filter ??

You can have a non filtered planted fish tank, find a copy of Diana Walstads book, (I don't have the title, I'll locate that -- edit -- Ecology of the Planted Aquarium]) It is based on natural soil, moderate lighting, low fish load. You might need to add mechanical filtration to that.

Another method is the higher light, iron enriched gravel, Co2 added, fertilizer added method. Perhaps more risk of algae and probably more variety of plants available due to the hgiher light.

You'll find more discussion of the more technical aquarium, since there is more to tinker with and thus more to talk about.

 

[ozzy]

as long as you keep the water level high enough there will be minimal distortion to loose CO2,
in time I would add a float switch for my top- off,and speaking of water..is tap water good or would RO water be best ??
They are okay but I believe an internal cannister style filter is preffered
would this be because it would be less disturbing on the water surface ??
aquatic soil like Flourite or the pond soil made by Schultz.
can this be bought on-line,LFS ??
thanks again