Shopping for First Tank

I would go as large as you can afford as larger tanks are more stable than smaller tanks, this gives you some room for the errors you will inevitably make (we all do/did/will). As others have said, you're ahead of the pack by doing some reasearch first.

Another thing to consider is placement of the tank, not only ion realation to windows, walls, heat/cooling vents and such, but alos in relation to your floor joists. It's better, if possible, to place the tank perpendicuar to your joists so you have more than one helping hold that weight. Course, if your house is built on a slab that point is moot.
 
Ok, I knew that they would have the same footprint, but when you said surface area I thought you meant glass sides included.

So I guess I will be getting a premade stand so that I don't have to worry about the well being of my dresser.

I've been looking at fish and what really catches my eye is the Tetra family in general. They seem to stay small and are the most colorful. So probably a small school of one type of those.

Then I was thinking one of those small catfish looking fish that just kinda chill on the bottom and look cool.

Maybe a silver dollar something or another fish I saw at the pet store. Any questions comments on my choices?

Why don't you guys give me some names of the smaller freshwater fish that hold a special place in you guys tanks.;) Fish that are good for a 29-30 something gallon planted tank.
 
Many of the smaller tetras are grwat choices. Neons, cardinals, glolights, sliver tips, emporer, head and tail light, lemon. Lots of great choices for a planted tank. I think you are also looking for Cory catfish which are perfect community bottom dwellers.

I would stay away from Silver Dollars due to their love of eating plants. But maybe look at some dwarf gouramis. Great fun and can be very pretty. You could put 3 in a tank that size as long as it is planted.
 
Almost any of the tetras can be gorgeous in the right setting- and to me that means in numbers.
What I would suggest that you avoid is the "one of everything" syndrome. Not that you are headed there- I just really prefer to see fish in groups of like.
Maybe a school of tetras, a couple of bottom dwelling catfish/otos/maybe one bristlenose pleco, and a male betta for surface interest and color?

I have a scad of ghost shrimp in my planted tank and they are the favorite of most folks as far as watching antics go. They're cheap and they don't add too much to the bioload either- I expect they'll get eaten as my discus grow but as for now they are adorable!
 
I think prettymuch everyone's saying the same things and you've got a good idea of what you're doing. You can spend a lot of money fast or you can budget yourself. It all depends on what you want. Most kits sell you a bunch of junk you don't need, it all depends on the place and the parts. This is where I disagree with most others on this post. Being that you are just starting and need prettymuch everything, that kit (depending on what filter, light, etc.) sounds pretty reasonable. I just purchased a 29 gallon setup over the weekend. I already had a stand, filter, airline, airpump and any supplies, net, etc. and spent about $250 at Petsmart which is usually fairly reasonable. The tank with lighthood cost $70. We did however opt for expensive decorations, design background, etc. I am inexperienced at real planting and we like the "not so natural" look in most our tanks. I personally like to well overfilter the tank so I can push the fish limits and have had pretty good luck. For example, I put a Penguin 330 on my 29 gallon tank. go to www.bigalsonline.com and get as many of the things as you can. Unfortunately I found them too late and have spent a lot of money on things I could have gotten cheaper. Things like decorations, filter, etc. at the least. Make sure the light hood you get has a fluorescent bulb because incandescent bulbs get way too hot in my experiences. A HOB (hang on back) filter is probably the best route for you and I personally like the Marineland penguin/emperor series with the bio-wheels. I realize they are not as popular due to the way the filters are placed but they are fairly easy to setup for a beginner, easy to maintain and work very efficiently. Some people have made the comment that they are noisy but they must have air in the filter or something because I can't hear the filter running over the airpump humming on mine. I have two penguins and two emperors so I don't think mine's just quieter than everyone else. It hasn't been mentioned yet but sand isn't a good idea for substrate being that it can create pockets of lethal gases trapped inside the sand. You can probably set up several small schools of tetras and a few cory catfish and have a great looking tank. Don't let everyone tell you tetras will only survive in large groups. I set up my 55 gallon with about a 8 or more groups of 3 tetras per variety and they thrive just fine and all intermingle together. Maybe if you had them in with more aggressive fish you might need the numbers. I don't seem to have much luck with rummynose tetras though. I'm not sure if they do need a larger group or my water's just too hard for them. I agree with the reading and looking for fish. Did you browse the fish at the stores you went to? Look around before buying anything, you might find a fish you can't live without but you can't add to the tank because it isn't compatible with any of the fish you already bought. I've run into this manytimes before. Many fish don't get along with others and unless you are aware of this beforehand, there can be much carnage. Watch Ebay and your local papers, garage sales, etc. You can pick up stuff dirt cheap at times. I really wish I lived on one of the coasts at times. I see stuff selling on ebay so cheap it makes me cry but I just can't get it to me here in Oklahoma. have fun and good luck. KYle
 
Originally posted by TKOS
Many of the smaller tetras are great choices. Neons, cardinals, glolights, sliver tips, emporer, head and tail light, lemon. Lots of great choices for a planted tank. I think you are also looking for Cory catfish which are perfect community bottom dwellers.
Click to expand...

TKOS, this is bassically what I had in mind, but this shrimp thing sounds interesting.

Cedar, I was also thinking of getting a beta for my tank, but I didn't know if tetras or those Cory cats were bad about fin nipping. I don't want a finless beta.

Snakeskinner, I was leaning towards some kind of natural pebbles or something for substrate. I just don't think that a bunch of neon green and orange rocks would look to well in the tank I have in mind.

Thanks for reccomending Big Al's I think I'll check there and see what kind of deals they have and start outfitting myself. Maybe I'll move on up to a longer tank instead of just a tall 20gal like TKOS reccomended.
 
some tetras are fin nippers like serpae tetras. I think maybe black skirts and lemon tetras can also be fin nippers. Just check into them on the internet. Bettas can be bullies to larger fish like mollies, guppies, etc. but seem to ignore small fish like tetras, at least in my experiences with them. They seem to vary tremendously on individuals. I see lots of people with them in community tanks but I don't seem to have that kind of luck. As for the substrate, I tend to go for a brown/tan rock to look somewhat natural and then spread some shells for looks. Our latest tank we used a blackish/brown rock with some scattered shells to try and show off our congo tetras more since they are pearly white and kind of disappear into the lighter substrates. for most tetras and such, the tank layout doesn't matter that much so go for the looks and surface area for more fish. Angels, discus, etc. need taller tanks due to their height. fish like danio's need more length to swim back and forth. Kyle
 
agree, i actually think that you should get the 29g and after you get the hang of it than upgrade. i actually upgraded from a 10g to a 55g and i got the 55g about 3-4 weeks ago and im already thinkin about upgrading to a 125g. i, well my ma and dad surprised me, with another oscar (red) so i plan on getting that 125 fast. as for your fish, they are very sutible i would look and search a little more, but i really like the way you ask so many questions to find out about and keep your fish safe. the 29g sounds like a good thing to get for starters.
 
Snakeskinner, Check out the link I posted in my first post and you'll see what I'm kinda looking for in a substrate. See if thats kinda the result you got, and if it is you can give me some pointers on how to go about it. I'll also check into the tendacys of my tetras before i buy them. I've heard good things about bettas in community tanks as long as the other fish don't look so much like bettas, long fins and such.

Some_guy, wow, thats alot of tanks. Did you keep them all? The problem is that I'm kinda limited on space. I am almost certain that I'm gonna get something in the 30's long range. That should fill up the space I have perfectly and still be large enough to hold me over until I get my own place.

Thanks for all the comments and susgestions guys, keep 'em commin. Any other good ideas for me?:D

Edit: I was looking up some information on Banjo and Cory cats and found this post, http://www.aquariacentral.com/forum...25604&perpage=15&highlight=Banjo&pagenumber=2 This just makes me want to use sand more so. I think I can handle stirring my sand once a week. That would take what, 10 secconds? Read the thread and comment.
 
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the top left and middle left photos are similar to what I have in most my tanks. One has more white and another more black. I want to do a planted tank, just never have taken the initiative. I like the look of the natural tank but I also like the look of some of the decorations and my wife likes them too. kyle
 
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