First Tank, general tips before purchasing?

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Esoter1c

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Dec 26, 2006
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Hi, I've been reading up on freshwater aquariums for about 2 months now and I think I'm finally ready to setup my own aquarium, to start off I'd like a planted freshwater aquarium, probably somewhere in the 30-40gallon range.
As I said I've been reading up so I understand about cycling (I plan on doing a fishey cycle, but have yet to decide on a good couple of fish that will be hardy enough to do it), growing plants (injecting co2, etc), algae, and other basic information.

I however, am not too sure on what would be a suitable setup. I understand I will need a mechanical/biological filter, or atleast thats the route I plan on going, but what kind of filter would work best? So far I hear an undergravel would be best for a small tank, with a wet/dry trickle being better but more pricier. Also should I buy a tank kit or find a local store and pick out my own parts/hoods? With that, does anyone know of any good fish/pet stores in the lower mainland (British Columbia)? I live in Maple Ridge and have heard great white is probably the best place to start.

Anyways anyone who can give me tips on what to get in terms of a tank, it would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Esoter1c
 
filtration is partly a matter of preference.

I have HOB's and they work fine. I also have a 75 with wet/dry..it works fine as well.
cannisters are also a great way to go.
remember that a wet/dry may work best in a drilled tank. so if you don't plan on drilling look at either HOB or cannister.

before you purchase a tank..decide what species appeals to you..this may help determine what size tank to get. do you know if you have 'soft' or 'hard' water..sometimes helps determine which species to go with ..while many softwater species can adapt to a bit harder water it may not be true for hard water species to adapt to soft water..the fix is adding minerals(salts) to the water. one more thing to work out.

I think tho you are atleast starting on the right step. however, have you considered a 'fishless cycle' ?? while the tank is cycling you can work out the stocking and set up.

remember the set up is partly used to make the fish feel comfortable while appealing to your eye.
 
I believe I have soft water, and my reasoning for doing a fishey cycle instead of a fishless cycle is the fact that it can be quicker and maybe slightly easier for me since it will be my first time cycling a tank.

What are the pros/coms of a canister filter versus an undergravel filter, I cant say as I have read too much on them, most of the stuff I have read has been about undergravel filters and wet/dry trickle filters.
I also forgot to mention if I were to get an undergravel filter, it would be a reverse flow.

Right now Im open to pretty much any type of fish, but I like the idea of possibly getting some tetras and then some algae eaters, although I havent done much research yet on what would be compatible.

Personally I'm open to all ideas right now, since I am a beginner.
 
From personal experience, I would go with the canister instead of the undergravel. I've had undergravel filters in previous tanks as well as HOB filters. Right now, I have a canister filter on my 29 gallon.

The canister I think is the quietest of them all, which I like.

I wouldn't go with the undergravel because it's harder to clean than a canister. To clean an undergravel you'd have to strip apart the tank, which is not a good idea for an established tank . . . With the canister, all you have to do is rinse the filter material and you're good to go. Not too much disturbance to the biological filtration that's present in the filter media and tank.

I like tetras too. With a 30-40 gallon, a small school of tetras along with a few other fish would look neat.

That's my 2 cents.
 
If this is your first tank a kit like Aqua-Culture, sold at Wal-Mart, may work out for you. They range from 10 - 55 Gallons. The tank itself is solid and the equipment, although not the best, will get the job done. Aside from an API test Kit I would also invest in a python which will become your best friend during a fish-in cycle. I would avoid the Top Fin kits altogether.

However if you have a few extra bucks assembling your own set-up is worth the extra money and fun. Since you mentioned a planted aquarium you may want to do a little more research to decide on a low tech tank or going with all of the bells and whistles. You will definitely want a light that kicks out 2 Watts per gallon and a substrate that is geared for a planted aquarium.

Tank Care!
 
please dont do a fishy cycle, it burns the fish's gills and causes severe immunodeficiency (they die easier)

as for filters, i would go w/ the canister.
 
A few things to consider:

If you want this to be a planted tank, you don't want an undergravel filter, even reverse flow. RUGF coupled with a HOB or canister for mechanical filtration are a fine option in a non-planted tank, but they interfere with the plants roots and nutrient uptake. You want mulm in the gravel for them.

Your choice of HOB or canister will depend on whether you are going high tech (CO2 injection and high light) in your planting. If you are injecting CO2, even DIY CO2, the canister is your better option as it will not cause as much CO2 to be released from the water surface.

Fishy cycling is NOT easier than fishless cycling nor is it quicker than fishless cycling. In fact, it can take you many times longer with fishless cycling since you only cycle the tank initially to support the small number of fish you are using to cycle the tank. Each time you add new fish, the tank will mini-cycle to grow enough bacteria to support the new fish. The process can go on for months until you get your final stocking, and you'll likely lose fish along the way. Fishy cycling also involves daily water testing (sometimes more than once daily) and once the ammonia and then nitrite start to spike, daily (again sometimes more) water changes (great if you work at home and can be there at 10AM when the fish start gasping for air at the surface and need an immediate water change because ammonia is essentially burning their gills or nitrite interfering with respiration).

With fishless cycling, you just dump in enough ammonia to get an initial reading of 5-10ppm and then keep dumping in that same amount daily. No need to test daily unless you want to, no need for water changes until the cycle is complete and the tank is ready to be fully stocked. I'd recommend testing a couple times a week to watch for your nitrite spike. When that spikes and then goes to 0 and you have nitrates, you're golden. I've never had it take longer than 4 to 5 weeks, especially if you can get some mature gravel or filter squeezings from an existing fish tank to put in your filter and jump start the process.
 
Oh ok, from what I've read everyone has said fishy cycling takes alot less time.
What if I used a Cycle product (namely Nutrafin Cycle), would that be a good idea to help cycle the tank quicker?
I took a look at the petcetera in my area today (we dont have a walmart, or anything like it here unfortunately) and found a "complete kit" for a 33 gallon tank at $160 CAD, but it does come with an undergravel filter so I'd have to swap that out, but their the only store around here that carries that size of tank, my LFS largest is only 20 gallons. I don't mind spending too much money on my aquarium cause I want one that will work out well. How much does it cost though to setup a hi-tech co2 injection? I've read about it but I know absolutely nothing about that kind of gear so it kind of flew over me. I play paintball so I have a spare paintball co2 tank lieing around (16oz) so can anyone point me in the direction to a good article about it? (I read the sticky in the planted section, but I had a hard time comprehending all of it) What if I went with a simple yeast in pop bottle co2 injection? Anyone advice/articles to read would be great, thanks!
 
Esoter1c said:
Oh ok, from what I've read everyone has said fishy cycling takes alot less time.
What if I used a Cycle product (namely Nutrafin Cycle), would that be a good idea to help cycle the tank quicker?
I took a look at the petcetera in my area today (we dont have a walmart, or anything like it here unfortunately) and found a "complete kit" for a 33 gallon tank at $160 CAD, but it does come with an undergravel filter so I'd have to swap that out, but their the only store around here that carries that size of tank, my LFS largest is only 20 gallons. I don't mind spending too much money on my aquarium cause I want one that will work out well. How much does it cost though to setup a hi-tech co2 injection? I've read about it but I know absolutely nothing about that kind of gear so it kind of flew over me. I play paintball so I have a spare paintball co2 tank lieing around (16oz) so can anyone point me in the direction to a good article about it? (I read the sticky in the planted section, but I had a hard time comprehending all of it) What if I went with a simple yeast in pop bottle co2 injection? Anyone advice/articles to read would be great, thanks!
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a fishy cycle will not be any quicker than a non fishy(fishless) cycle.

fish cycles can be done but you will have to be very diligent at watching the water parameter, testing and doing water changes.

it sounds like you want to do what's best ..a good start.
as for co2 injection I use the red sea paintball set up with the solenoid..they range in price from about 150 - 200
for small auariums they work great..I actually have one on a 75 and it easily keeps the co2 in the 'green' you do have to be careful tho as it will just as easily get to high :rolleyes:
 
Cycle is a waste of money. It simply doesn't work.
 
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