I want to start an Aquarium...

Metasynth

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
Tropical freshwater fish, since I'm a beginner and saltwater seems a little intimidating, as well as more maintainence. I was thinking about a 20 gallon TopFin starter kit, it includes an inadequate filter, but a 100w heater, a fluorescent hood, and some other goodies...

They're charging 80 bucks at PetSmart for the kit. I have been shopping around and it seems like this is the best deal for 20 gallon tanks, because piecing together everything seperately seems like it'll end up being more expensive...I could set up a 10 gallon for way cheaper, but I think I'd just want to upgrade to a larger tank as soon as I set it up.

Anyway, I know a lot of you have aquariums...Help me out a little...It seems like all I would need to add is an airstone and pump, gravel, plants and fish...And probably upgrade to a better filter eventually. So I have a budget of around 140ish, what do ya'll suggest I do?
 
rowlman

rowlman

Well-Known Member
...once you get it, you'll want a bigger tank. Do you have any smaller, private owned pet stores by you?...I can get a 50 gallon for $50-$60...Pet Smart is expensive.

If you get the set-up...it should have everything you need. If you get just a tank you'll need an air-pump with air line and stone, a filter with easy to rinse and change filter pads, a heater and thermometer ( a sticker one will work fine), enough gravel to give you a 1 1/2"-2" cover, a lid with lights, go with florecense it makes the fish much more colorfull...a few plastic plants...try and stay away from real ones at first untill your tank as been going for a while...and some slate is always nice to lean aginst shit for hiding places. Oh, and a safe stand...away from the window if possible.Water with gravel is 10 lbs per gallon.
I can tell you everything you wanna know about setting it up.
Wanna talk fish?
 
Metasynth

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
So the 80 dollar tank at petsmart includes a filter, heater, thermometer, fluorescent hood, and a couple other things...I have airstones, and a pump is like 8 bucks at the hydro store...I was looking at 20 gallon tanks, and I can't really find any with hoods for less than 40, and that is just the tank and hood. So to buy the heater and filter, wouldn't that put me over the 80 dollar mark? I dunno, i've shopped around at like 3 places, and I figured the mom and pop aquarium stores would be more expensive, since they cater to people who really put time and effort into their setups...

PS...whats the "cycle"?
 
rowlman

rowlman

Well-Known Member
$80 dollars for a 20 gallon set-up is cool. With a 20 gallon, you can use pretty much use anything for a stand to,and save some money.Just don't get anything like Oscars or Dempsys in a tank that small...we'll talk about fish later.

A cycle is the thing a ride like a motherfucker thru the woods at 75 mph on...sometimes hitting trees.

...who mentioned a cycle?...the pet store?
 
Metasynth

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
I'm on some fish forum, on a newbie pitfall sticky thread and they're all talking about cycling the tank...


I wouldnt listen to anything anyone at a pet store told me about fish, not unless it was a specialty Aquarium store and everyone who worked there actually knew what they were talking about...


Also...PWC?
 
ANC

ANC

Well-Known Member
I'd look at second hand or auction sites, you can pick up incredible deals.

It realy helps to get the tank up and stable a few days before adding fish.
This allows time for bacteria to grow on surfaces. The in turn will turn toxic wastes from fish into nutrients for plants.
 
Metasynth

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I've been reading about that...The plan is to get the tank up and running for like a week+ before I add fish to it, but I need guidance...lol...Nothing second hand, though...I'm not really into used shit, call it a character flaw........
 
rowlman

rowlman

Well-Known Member
Cycling the tank?...huh, maybe they're talking about the amont of water being cycled thru the filter per hour/ compared to the amount of water in the tank?...like how many time an hour does the water cycle?...other than that...idk, and I had over 12 tanks, some big fuckers too, for like 10 years.
You want to put your filter off to one side, not in the middle, this helps all the water to get cycled without any still areas...you want to keep the water moving. Filter on the oppisite side of the airstone makes a nice little current.

And don't forget a PH kit...very important. Different fish like different PH too...not much, but in does vary. Always set your tank up a good 3 days or more before putting fish in.
 
rowlman

rowlman

Well-Known Member
...watch the used tanks...if not stored properly ( I live where it gets cold in the winter )...the can lose the seal and leak. A leaking tank is a major disaster.
 
Metasynth

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
So cycling is the process of the ammonia being broken down by bacteria into nitrites, which another bacteria then breaks down into nitrates, less harmful for fish...The kit i've been looking at comes with a sample of bacteria, I'm assuming that is to speed up the process so you don't have to wait the 6 weeks(fuck, a month and a half!) to "cycle" the tank and get a healthy bacteria colony in your substrate/filter...

And yeah, no saltwater fish and no used equipment.
 
rowlman

rowlman

Well-Known Member
Metasynth said:
So cycling is the process of the ammonia being broken down by bacteria into nitrites, which another bacteria then breaks down into nitrates, less harmful for fish...The kit i've been looking at comes with a sample of bacteria, I'm assuming that is to speed up the process so you don't have to wait the 6 weeks(fuck, a month and a half!) to "cycle" the tank and get a healthy bacteria colony in your substrate/filter...

And yeah, no saltwater fish and no used equipment.
Click to expand...
...lol...just put a few goldfish in there first and feed them good for two weeks, then do a 20% water change and buy fish...I've had tanks my whole life...the bacteria will build up fast.
They also sell a water conditioner to speed this up...I've never used it...and to tell the truth, I've bought fish and THEN came home and set the tank up...but I always had another fishtank to pull alittle water from, or a dirty filter pad to start with. PH and water temps are important...the bacteria come along naturally....you can wait a month, or 3 days, it's up to you.
 
rowlman

rowlman

Well-Known Member
...adding a few starter fish to get the water right is how the professional-saltwater guys do it;-)...works for fresh too.
 
Metasynth

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
Well, i'm planning on waiting a week or so...or maybe just getting some goldfish to start...we'll see. Like I said, the kit comes with a sample of bacteria, so it may speed up the process drastically...I'll have to do a little more reading on the subject.
 
Hepheastus420

Hepheastus420

Well-Known Member
You must take one gravity bong hit outa that tank, :).

Sure it might kill all your fish, but it's responsible nonetheless.


What????
 
X

xKuroiTaimax

Well-Known Member
Please try some sort of fishy aqua/hydroponics system... I've seen a couple of people try it and it would be awesomeness.
 
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