first tank, please help me with decision

A

ara35

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Aug 10, 2006
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I have already learned about cycling and everything else, so im ready to buy a tank. its for college so it has to be around 15-20 gallons. i do not know whether to buy a tank thats a kit, or buy each thing seperate. the marineland kit looks good. i am not planting live plants so the lighting isnt a big deal. i would like to know your opinions on which was is the better way to go. also here is the list of fish i am hoping for. i have not decided the number yet.

-Dwarf gourami
-Neon tetras
-Cory cats (what is a nice small cory cat that i could get a group of?)
-maybe some ghost shrimp
-maybe a dwarf african frog
-cherry barbs

I'm still very open and undecided so any suggestions would be fantastic. Please help me out. I really want this tank to go well and look great.

Also, if anyone knows the raw shrimp method to cycling, please let me know.


THANKS
 
I'd go as large as you can (20g) - the larger the tank, the more maintenance tolerant. I have no experience with kits, but personally prefer to buy separately to get the equipment I want. Perhaps the retailer would be flexible on this.

One comment, I find my cherry barbs to hide in the plants a lot. One of my latest favorites is the gold barb. Schools well, and very active. Great fish to watch. Serpea tetras are nice active fish as well.

I'm sure you'll get many suggestions here. Good luck with the tank, and at college.
 
You can go with a kit but I would do some price comparisons and consider...
1) Lighting will be poor, so you'll prob have to upgrade in the future if you ever decide to go with plants
2) You'll prob want to upgrade the filter or purchase a second one
3) Go with a Long (aka breeder) tank if possible. Long tanks give more swim room / territory space and allow for a few more fish.

- Dwarf gouramis are pretty but have been lacking in quality lately...you may want to consider getting honey or sparkling gouramis instead. Get one male / two females if possible.

- Neon tetras are a bit sensitive so make sure you get them after your tank is nice and stable. Cardinals are a more hardy alternative, but are wild-caught. Both types should be kept at a bare minimum of 6...10 is better.

- Some small cories are: panda, adolfoi, aeneus (commonly seen in bronze/albino...but some very lovely rare color morphs exist)...avoid Emerald Corys which are not true corys and get much larger.

- Dwarf african frogs often have to be "target fed" from what I understand

- Don't know anything special to mention about the cherry barbs or shrimp.

This is one of my fav. lists of small fish for smaller tanks:
http://www.fishforums.net/Reccomendations-For-A-10-Gallon-t116208.html

If you do the raw shrimp method of fishless cycling... put it in a mesh bag or unused nylon stocking to make it easier to remove, it can get messy/stinky. Also keep an eye on your ammonia levels since using shrimp is less precise than using a chemical source. If ammonia levels creep above 6 ppms do a partial water change and/or consider using a smaller piece of shrimp.
 
Aphotic Phoenix said:
- Dwarf gouramis are pretty but have been lacking in quality lately...you may want to consider getting honey or sparkling gouramis instead. Get one male / two females if possible.

- Neon tetras are a bit sensitive so make sure you get them after your tank is nice and stable. Cardinals are a more hardy alternative, but are wild-caught. Both types should be kept at a bare minimum of 6...10 is better.
Click to expand...

Aphotic do you live in the same area as this person does? If not, you can't make a blanket statement that dwarf gouramis are lacking in quality. That said, I would agree with staying away from the powder blues, flames, etc. and getting normal colored dwarves, honeys, or sparklings. And yes, a trio is best.

I agree as well that cardinals are a much better fish than neons. Cardinals are primarily red and blue whereas neons have white on the belly in addition to being red and blue.
 
Well "lacking in quality" may have been too much of a blanket statement, but complaints about Dwarf Gourami's harboring parasites/diseases has not been limited to color strain, nor this country and forum. There are healthy ones out there, and I enjoy mine very much...but considering that this person is going to college and thus might have limited space/resources/etc that could prevent proper quarantine procedures, it seemed best to point towards other species that might be less problematic.
 
i've heard of ADFs having to be target fed as well, but mine have been doing just fine. and worse case-scenariou i've heard using a turkey baster works great when target feeding
 
hows does this sound for a stocking idea:
- 3-4 cory cats (whatever store has I will double check)
- 6 cardinal tetra
- 3 cherry barbs
- 2 ADF's
- 1 Honey Gourami
 
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