new tank checklist and lighting /substrate question.

new2tanks

new2tanks

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Feb 18, 2006
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hi

i just got my 20g long starter kit.it includes, an HOB filter, 100W heater, hood and fluorscent lighting (15W), net, glass thermometer, bacteria sample...what else do i need to get? in terms of smthg to treat the water, test kit, ammoina etc.

please be specific with brand names etc. also what substrate do u reccommend? (gonna have some live plants and small schooling fish-mostly zebra danios, cardinals etc).

would the 15W fluorscent light strip be good for med/low light plants?

aslo the entire starter kit went for about 150...is this a good deal?

thanks,
N.
 
1st off the light they gave you keeps your plant choices at a minimum. Low light plants are all you can get. If you want live plants without to much trouble I'd upgrade to 2 wpg. As you stand you're only at .75 wpg.

On what you need:

Test Kit: AP Freshwater Master Kit (ph,am,NI,NA)

GH/KH test- KH part is more important so you can get away with just that one.
I have the one by Tetra but I'm sure there are better ones.

Substrate- with the fish you are planning I'd just go with gravel, about 2 inches worth since you want plants.

Biospira if you can find it will cycle your tank almost instantly, allowing you to add the entire fish load at once. The stuff they gave you is pretty much worthless.

edit: I forgot the dechlorinator...Prime seems to be the most approved and used among the forum.

Other than that you'll need to cycle your tank the old fashioned way:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64301&highlight=sticky
 
i have a 20g long tank as well.

i used two whisper 5-15 gallon hob filters, one on each end to avoid dead spots, since the tank is so long. i did not hang them on the back, but rather the sides of the tank. you may want to hang your single filter on the side of your tank as well, then the flow will not simply go to the front of the tank, hit the wall, and spin around in a circle, but actually cirulate the water the whole length of the tank.

you need a simple dechlorinator that removes chlorine and chloramines.

and you should get a LIQUID test kit.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...<>ast_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1133632283063

print out the above page and take it to your local petsmart. have them price match the liquid freshwater master test kit. they are $25 in the store, so that will save you $10. liquid test kits are more accurate than the dip strips and last 10X longer. that kit contains pH, pH high, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia tests, which covers the basics. the only other tests you MAY need is gH and kH, but you may never need them.

for plants, the best thing is probably flourite, unless you go with plants that are not heavy root feeders like hornwort. i've been using sand in my 20g for the past 2 weeks and my plants are doing wonderfully. however you have to be careful with sand and anerobic bacteria creating poisonous gas pockets trapped under the sand.

15 watts in a 20g is very low light. in mine, i bought a 48" flourecent shop light ($8 at home depot) and two full spectrum T12 bulbs and my hornwort and rotala indica are growing about an inch a day thus far.

for price...it depends on the brands of all the things included, if there was a stand, etc.

my 20g long tank cost $25, two filters were $22 for both, heater was $14, no hood, i just use a sheet of plexiglass i had leftover from another project, but hoods for 20 longs can be expensive, so it may have been a good deal.
 
my dad said that i should try ultra violet light...if so what wattage should i get considering i am looking for low to med light?
also they havent given me a screen which i am not happy about.

RoackabillyChick, should i get another filter or can i do that later in time.

this starter is a Top fin starter kit and all prices are canadian dollars. no stand included and the 150 is after all taxes.

can anyone say why the bacteria sample is useless?

thanks for all your help ICE and Rock.
 
avoid UV light, that will kill everything. UV light is not for fish tanks. you need FULL SPECTRUM light. the bulbs will say full spectrum on the end of the tube. or you can look for any flourecent bulb that has a "color temp" of 6500k or as close to that as possible.

what do you mean by a screen?

$150 sounds like an average price in canadian. you could have done it a bit cheaper with some ingenuity, but 150 isn't bad.

one filter should be fine. sometime in the future you might want to get a second one just to make sure there are no dead spots in the water, but its not vital so long as you do regular water changes, and possibly slide the filter from one side of the tank to the other in the middle of the week between water changes.

was the bacteria refrigerated when you got it? and kept refrigerated on the way home and once you got it home? if not, then the bacteria is all dead. when kept refrigerated, like Biospira is, the bacteria are dormant and don't go through their lifecycle. when warmed up to room temp, they quickly eat up what tiny amount of ammonia and nitrite might be present in the bottle or packet, run out of food, and die.
 
Last edited:
new2tanks said:
can anyone say why the bacteria sample is useless?
Click to expand...

Further to what RockabillyChick has stated - Bacteria in other products besides Bio Spira can’t live suspended as they claim. Bacteria needs food and oxygen. They can’t get that in a bottle and live long-term. Apparently, also, the bacteria they have in those is not the “right” kind. Bio spira that IceH20 mentions works because it is refrigerated and has an expiry date. But, no matter, Bio Spira isn’t available in Canada yet.
 
RockabillyChick said:
what do you mean by a screen?
Click to expand...


shouldnt i have a screen between the hood and the water to avoid the risk of shock? thats what my instructions sair for the hood.

also what wattage should i up my fluorscent lighting to so that i have low to medium lighting?


thanks so much. :joke:
 
most hoods come with a splash guard. And im guessing you got the screen for reptiles from crawing out theyre tank.
 
TipStylez said:
And im guessing you got the screen for reptiles from crawing out theyre tank.
Click to expand...


no i dont have a screen.
but the instructions that came with the light say there needs to be some sort of screen.i dont get it.its not like the light is not covered by a thin plastic case...
 
most hoods cover the top of the tank with a glass or clear plastic paine in the center where the light strip sits, and theres a gap in the back for the filter and heater cord.

medium lighting is around 1.5-2.5 watts per gallon, so for a 20g tank you will need 30-50 watts, aproximately.
 
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