Shopping for First Tank

Kyle, You could always do both. Have real plants and you're plastic sand castle.

Another quick question for the pros. So tank stands. Do all of them have that big hole in the top? I'm assuming that since most of the ones I've seen do, it must serve some kind of purpose. Anyone care to shed some light on the subject? I'm asking because in my design plan that I've been working out in my head, I plan on using some slate and drift wood. I just don't know how good I feel about having all that weight over a big hole. Should I be worried or not?

I am really excited about this tank guys! Thanks so much for your help!
 
The stands are built that way to accomodate the tanks that run plumbing to a second tank (usually a sump) underneath.
Don't worry about the weight on the glass- my reef tank has 100 lb. sand, 200 lb. rock plus the water and it hasn't collapsed yet :D
 
Originally posted by Cearbhaill
The stands are built that way to accomodate the tanks that run plumbing to a second tank (usually a sump) underneath.
Don't worry about the weight on the glass- my reef tank has 100 lb. sand, 200 lb. rock plus the water and it hasn't collapsed yet :D
Click to expand...

Thats good to know!

I've sketched a general layout of what I'm gonna go for. I'll take a picture and post it up later. I also went to a bookstore and checked out some of the books on fish today and have almost decided how I'm gonna populate the tank. I'll get a list tomorrow. Things are comming along nicely.
 
I coming into this late so it seems like you're getting a lot of good advice already. Since I'm also a big fan of the natural looking tank I thought I'd share a bit of my experience/advice.

Sand is really not that much more difficult to care for than gravel IME. Go to Home Depot and buy washed, screened playsand. Southdown is one brand and Quikrete is another. Southdown is actually made with some crushed coral which should raise the KH of your water. Read up a little on water chemistry to better understand what that can do for you. Its really cheap (like $3-4 for a 50lb bag) and looks great in the tank. The biggest difference in maintanence is that you can't just push it around with the vaccuum since it will suck up the sand. Instead you just pass the vaccuum over it.

Petsmart has some great, natural looking, fake wood pieces. The nice part about the fake stuff is that it has no effect on water chemistry. If you get real driftwood it will leach tannins into your water. While this isn't an awful thing it will alter your water chemistry a little and could temporarily darken your water a bit. Again, not harmful but something to know. Some fish, like most plecos, actually require driftwood to eat.

I've had a lot of good luck with live plants and IME you can add them from day one. If you fishless cycle then you will want to wait since adding plants while fishless cycling can cause heavy algae growth. Otherwise, plants are helpful in taking some of the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates out of the water.

One thing to know about plants is that they will require better lighting than the standard hood can provide. I was able to retrofit my tank hood with a 55w Power Compact Fluorescent fixture from AH Supply for about $70 and that has been great for my plants in my 29.

You can see a couple of pics of my tanks if you follow the My Tanks link in my sig.
 
Hey Tom, that 29 is almost just what I had envisioned for myself, that looks really good. Its also good to hear someone else is using sand with no problems.

I think that I am going to have good luck with the plants too, but I am gonna try with the stock lighting before I upgrade. There are a few plants that fit my needs that are 'susposed' to grow in low lighting conditions. If that really works then there will be no need for me to spend the extra cash just yet.

I had seen the fake drift wood on another site, but it wasn't very pleasing on the eyes. It just looked like some one chopped firewood and stuck it in a fish tank. I'll check the local Petsmart and see what kind of selection they have. I was worried about finding drift wood but now I think I have that one solved. With plants grow on the fake stuff tho?
 
Make sure the plants you get require low light and you should be okay with the stock light for now. It won't be long before you start wanting those light hogging plants though :D

Look in Petsmart under the fish tanks. They're on a low shelf with the gravel not in the aisle with the decorations and miniature castles.

AFAIK plants that will anchor themselves to driftwood won't really care if its fake or real. I don't believe it roots "into" the wood but rather it wraps roots around the wood. I'm only guessing at this since I know its possible to anchor those same plants to rocks as well. Not all plants work this way so make sure you're getting the right plant.

Tom
 
I would suggest looking into at least a twin tube setup for the lighting. You can find them online for $40 (plus shipping costs). I say this because I tried using the stock lighting on my 29 gal. and my plants didn't do well. Even the java ferns didn't seem to do good under 20 watts. With 40 watts I'm hoping they will do much better.

Read the thread "Newly Planted Tank Problems" in the aquatic plant section if you want to read more about my experiences.

And good luck to you btw!
 
Good Morning.

Went to Books-A-Million yesterday to sit down and see what fish I had a fancy for. Heres a general list of the fish that I found particularly pleasing. I don't know if any of these guys are really rare or anything or even if the stores arround here carry them, but this is what I liked.

Tetra's - Cardinal, Bloodfin, Head and Tailight. The book said that Bloodfin Tetra's do well by themselves or in small groups, so if I can find them maybe 2-3, then a small group of the Cardinals or Head and Tailight.

Danio's- The Leopard Danio really caught my attention. Otherwise Pearl or Zebras will do me just fine. A small shoal of these too?

Betta- I've got my heart set on having a blue or mostly blue betta. Just one Betta unless I get a female too.

Gourami- I really like the Dwarf (I think) Gourami with the blue stripes. And the Honey Gourami were pretty awesome as well. I have no idea on what kind of numbers these guys like to live in.

Corys- Network Corys, anyone ever heard of them? Well I thought they looked awesome. The Albino and Peppered Corys were also cool. 3 or 4

Banjo Cat- I really want a Banjo also. Just because I think their awesome. 1

Lake Katubu Rainbowfish- I have never heard of this fish and I'm pretty sure that I've never seen them but according to the book they are fairly hardy. It also reccomended buying a M/F pair for companionship. 2

Those are what I saw and liked. I really don't know the numbers that well or what fish get along with other fish well. I think that most of these are generally good community fish, maybe with the exception of the Betta. What do you think? Too many schooling fish? Not enough of one kind? Some are hard to find? Opinions on which fish I should cycle with? Lets hear the opinions.

I checked out DrFosterSmith.com, and AHsupply.com for lights. After looking at AHsupply I realized just how little I know about lights. I'm gonna stick with the stock lighting and try and grow some Crypts, Anubias, Java Fern, maybe some E. Tenellus, and see what happens. If something doesn't work out I'll get a Striplight to go on top of the glass front piece on the top I'm gonna get.

I'm gonna look at filtration and check out the Marineland Penguin/Emperor series with the Biowheels, like Kyle reccomended. Anyone else have good experiences with filters? Is there some specific type of filter I should stay away from because of the Plants or fish that I have? Hang off the Back, biological, mechanical, etc. I need some help here. Thanks for all the help guys. :)
 
It's all about taste.
I love everything you've listed with the exception of any danio- I find them to be so hyperactive that I can't rest. I use my tanks to relax so don't keep anything with that extreme amount of movement, but I'm sure there are folks who just love them.

Filters are to some degree a matter of funds- I have Eheim cannisters on my planted tank and find them excellent- but they are pricey. I also use biowheel filters in other tanks and am happy with them also.
Are you going to be using CO2?
That will influence your filter choice.

And I would cycle without fish- it's easier, less stressful on you, and certainly kinder to the fish.
 
Last edited:
I don't have experience with keeping bettas and gouramis together, but I'm not sure if that would work out. They might be ok, but a lot depends on the personalites of the individual fish. I'd go for either a betta or a dwarf gourami (or two) if it were me.

It would probably be best to go for one good sized school of either tetras or rainbowfish or danios, or maybe two small schools........all the fish you listed are nice fish, but if you get them all you'll be looking at an overstocking situation.

I had a pair of salt and pepper cories years ago in my community tank. They seemed happy, but from what I understand they are much happier in groups of 4 or more.

Just my 2 cents.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom