Whelp.......it's been 24 hours....

[R.B.]

The tank looks good.Got a 20 gallon cause the fella said smaller is harder & glad I did.I'm gettin a kick outa this.

Here's what I've done based on what the fella at the store had to say & some of my own reasoning.

20 gallon tank with lighted hood.Put a background on the back,Penguin 200 biowheel,100 watt heater.10 plastic plants,2 turtles that fill with air bubbles & release it.BTW the pump is noisy.2 outs going to a 2 input 4 out manifold.And a sphion.

Rinsed the tank.& the rocks & the plants etc.Installed everything......Only took about 5 hours.lol

I used filtered water because I got one of them sink mounted models that has a filter the size of a thermos.Get's out viruses,chlorine,fecal matter,etc.

Added Stress Coat,cycle,& 4 rounded tablespoons of aquarium salt.

Temp is at 76,PH is 7.8........BTW my tap water has a PH of 8.8.Using the filtered water gave me the 7.8

The fella at the store said in 2 days we could add a couple of guppies.

Here's my question........

I couldn't find a rock feature I liked at 2 stores & 2 WalMarts.Something the size of a softball.Any links???

PH Is 7.8 ,right for Livebearers ???

Water temp is 76 degrees, bout right ??? Its in the green on my thermometer.

Starter fish ???........I'm looking at putting 2 guppies in on Saturday which will be about 60 hours.

Fish in the future..........I'm thinking about 5 fish no bigger than 2 inches.Everything I read suggests platys,guppies & mollies.Any thoughts on starter fish & then some hardy easy going fish.

Will I need a catfish ???Or some other thing like snails or some kind of algae eater ???

Any pro tips ???

 

[Harlock]

Pro Tip #1: Don't listen to the folks at the pet stores. It is by far better to do your own research on foums such as this one and other places on the internet. I suggest not putting the guppies in a tank that isn;t cycled. What's the cycle you say? Glad you asked! Check out the thread near the top of this forum called Sticky: Cycle. It explains all about what cycling a tank means. If you add fish before a tank is cycled, their life expectency plummets into abysmal ranges. I suggest a fishless cycle. It's safe and easy. pH is fine where it is. Just adapt fish slowly and they can live in about any pH. Guppies are wonderful fish. You could also get a school of say 6 pygmy corydoras catfish. They stay small and inhabit the bottom of the tank. Very cute.

 

[Kasakato]

Pro Tip #2: Test your water! When you are cycling or at anytime of having an aquarium testing is the number one and eaised thing you can do to provent problems, and fish loss. You want to keep the ammoina below .5ppm, nitrites below .5ppm, and the nitrates between .1(planted tanks) and 10ppm.

 

[R.B.]

I'm gonna go old school & chance being inhumane.

Think I'll start with one fish for a week & go from there.

 

[gsk177]

Old school = uniformed and uneducated.

If you choose to do this after being educated on the risks (none) and benifits (everything) of a fishless cycle, then, to put it bluntly, you get what you deserve.

You do not RISK being inhumane, but rather you ARE being inhumane by CHOOSING to fishy cycle over fishless.

Personally, I will NOT assist further if, after weighing your options, you choose to go fishy.

Good luck.

 

[tel0004]

ih you bought bio spra, couldnt you add that and have the tank instantly cycled. It then you could add a full load, and not be mean to your fish.

 

[Red Tailed Wonder]

I wouldnt use Guppies as starters as they need water thats got a bit of age to it start with Platys instead.

 

[R.B.]

gsk there's been more fished farmed the uneducated,inhumane way than the 2 month long fishless cycle.

The huge & deciding advantage of going traditional is I get to get a fish in the tank Saturday.

With Gods help.............The poor fella might make it.lol

 

[Monkey44]

Gotta say i don't really find it amusing that your choosing this course of action after learning abit about the alternatives. I agree 100% with gsk. I'm someone who did a fishy cycle 'cos i didn't know any better, and since coming to this board have really wished i'd gone the fishless route, but what's done is done. All i can do i tell you i think you're making a mistake.

 

[Harlock]

Your flippant attitude is just too trollish to deny, but let me spell it out for you.

Advantage(s) of Fishy cycle - You get one or two fish in the tank on Saturday. And... Oh wait, there is no and.

Advantages to Fishless Cycling - You can add all of your fish after the cycle (2-6 weeks) instead of one or two at a time for months. You don't have to constantly change 50% of your water. You don't stress, or worse, kill your fish. You have time to plan your purchases and you can buy fish not because they are harder to kill in the cycle, but because you want them. People don't call you a tool and refuse to help you.

Hopefully your math is better than your attitude. With God's help indeed...