New and info gathering

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Rippinlip

AC Members
Jan 1, 2007
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Hello....not only brand new to the forums but also brand new to keeping fish. After much deliberation between saltwater and freshwater I set up my first ever tank today. It is a 55g freshwater tank. This is my gameplan after reading the literature that I have obtained and if anybody can add anything I would greatly appreciate it. I am not interested in killing any fish as a way to learn so I will take any and all advice.

I put dechlorinator in and a substance recommended to me by the guy at the pet store that helps start the bacteria process.

I plan on letting the tank run for 48 hours and introduce 3 fish.

Can somebody please tell me what results I should be looking for when I test the water that will be conducive to introducing these first fish?

Also, is there anything else I should be adding to the tank now?

Glad I found this forum. I have been wanting a tank for a LONG time and I am realizing I know zilch. Thanks in advance.

Buck
 
Rippinlip said:
Hello....not only brand new to the forums but also brand new to keeping fish. After much deliberation between saltwater and freshwater I set up my first ever tank today. It is a 55g freshwater tank. This is my gameplan after reading the literature that I have obtained and if anybody can add anything I would greatly appreciate it. I am not interested in killing any fish as a way to learn so I will take any and all advice.

I put dechlorinator in and a substance recommended to me by the guy at the pet store that helps start the bacteria process.

I plan on letting the tank run for 48 hours and introduce 3 fish.

Can somebody please tell me what results I should be looking for when I test the water that will be conducive to introducing these first fish?

Also, is there anything else I should be adding to the tank now?

Glad I found this forum. I have been wanting a tank for a LONG time and I am realizing I know zilch. Thanks in advance.

Buck
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what did they sell you? gravel from their tank or a cycled tank would help start the build up of bacteria. read up on cycling the tank from the link bkd posted.

you are starting off better then most people. coming here and trying to find out how to do it right is the best step anyone can take.
 
Mgamer20o0 said:
what did they sell you? gravel from their tank or a cycled tank would help start the build up of bacteria. read up on cycling the tank from the link bkd posted.

you are starting off better then most people. coming here and trying to find out how to do it right is the best step anyone can take.
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hmm..i think you've mistaken the word substance for substrate. what substance did they sell to you? if its not Bio-Spira it wont work.
 
BrkD said:
hmm..i think you've mistaken the word substance for substrate. what substance did they sell to you? if its not Bio-Spira it wont work.
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ok you got me. ill make a note to read the posts better when i post in them and not just skim them over.

ok if you switch out gravel to Bio-Spira it would work.
 
After one week, your NO4 levels will peak, after week 3 your NO3 levels will peak, and about a week after that your NO2 levels will slowly and constantly be rising. Just be sure that your amonia (NO4) levels start to fade off by week 2. If they don't youve got a problem. Also, if its not BioSpira dont add it to your tank . Especialy once you have fish in there. What kind of fish are you planning on adding? Start off with the hardiest of your planed population. The only thing you can add to your tank now is patience. Don't start adding fish untill your amonium levels start to fall. After a day or two of the NO4 falling then you can add a few danios or livebearers or whatever. Black Mollys or Zebra Danios are great cycling fish. THEY DONT DIE!
 
Daudzegier said:
After one week, your NO4 levels will peak, after week 3 your NO3 levels will peak, and about a week after that your NO2 levels will slowly and constantly be rising. Just be sure that your amonia (NO4) levels start to fade off by week 2. If they don't youve got a problem. Also, if its not BioSpira dont add it to your tank . Especialy once you have fish in there. What kind of fish are you planning on adding? Start off with the hardiest of your planed population. The only thing you can add to your tank now is patience. Don't start adding fish untill your amonium levels start to fall. After a day or two of the NO4 falling then you can add a few danios or livebearers or whatever. Black Mollys or Zebra Danios are great cycling fish. THEY DONT DIE!
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they do die. they shouldnt be added until the tank has cycled and the ammonia and nitrites levels are zero.
 
Do I need to put something else in the tank that produces oxygen? The guy at the store said that the filter would put enough into the water but I have doubts about that.

Buck
 
more fishy advice

Hello and welcome!

You already have a better start than 90% of the fish keepers, starting out with a 55 instead of a 5 or 10 gallon, and trying to do your homework first.

When you get your first fish, a big part of the learning process is figuring out how much to feed them. Overfeeding is one of the big problems you will encounter. Remember- you can always add a little extra food if its all eaten in seconds, but feeding too much is what causes a lot of problems. The downside to having a big tank with a couple small fish (which is what you'll do to get started) is that some food will get lost and the fish won't find it before it starts to spoil. Put the fish food in your hand before adding it to the tank- don't try to shake it in from the container.

Another skill you'll want to pick up quickly is learning what a sick fish looks like. That's one of the big problems with livebearers- especially mollies, but platies and swordtails too. If they take a serious chill in shipping or are horribly crowded at the wholesaler they will be "on the skids" and it is practically impossible to bring them back to health. Many of the big chain stores don't care if their fish are sick, or the employees are too ignorant. Or they think their ultraviolet sterilizer will fix things (how many times have I heard that one?) Don't buy a sick fish out of pity! Especially if you don't have a quarantine tank set up for it.

There are a lot of different approaches to running a successful aquarium, and you don't have to follow any particular one- some people get really religious about the approach that works for them. Overcrowding a tank or trying to put together incompatible fish will always lead to trouble.
 
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