Lots of questions in 1

8 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


tchavera
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:58 am

Lots of questions in 1

by tchavera

Alright, I just got a 12 gallon tank. I've read and read and I'm going to buy books tomorrow. I'm really interested in this and hope it's a hobby that fits me. So, I know that I need to cycle my water blablabla but I have a few questions:

1) Can I change my light bulb to a blue, would it be alright on the fish? (I haven't added fish yet)

2) When my tank is ready, should I add a "sucker" fish? If so, I don't want one growing a foot long, obviously because I have a 12 gallon tank.

3) When they say add plants, should I get REAL plants? If so, what kind?

4) Say I have to stick my hand in the water, is there special gloves I could use or something that wouldn't hurt the fish?


Sorry for a lot of questions at once, I'm new to this.. Also, if anyone wants to share anymore information offtopic, I would appreciate it. I would like to learn as much as I can! Thanks :)!


tchavera
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:58 am

by tchavera

oh, and should I fill it with spring water?


maydayparade
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:57 pm

by maydayparade

Okay welcome to the hobby,

1. changing your light bulb to blue, I guese wouldnt matter. But it wont look natural, and it may bother the fish a bit. But I am pretty sure with gouramis they are fine with a different coloured light bulb. But if you wanted live plants, you can not have a blue light.

2. Depends what kind of "suckerfish" you want. I had siamese algae eaters in a 15 didnt grow over 2 inches. Or there are oto cats, which are like 1 inch at the most. Snails work well to, but you dont NEED one. They are just to control algae levels in your tank. But if you got live plants, yes one of those would be a good idea. (corydoras arent "sucker" fish but, are like mini catfish. Probably my favourite fish)

3. Live plants in my opinion are much more natural and better looking. And with the right conditions can make your tank look VERY nice. But the thing about live plants is you need: special light (youd need about a 42 watt bulb, to get most variety of plants. But because you have a a smaller tank, some anubias, maybe an amazon sword, and some micro swords for the foreground. And all those <------ plants need like 2 watts per gallon. (to get watts per gallon, just divide how many watts you have by the size of your tank. A 20 gallon tank with a 40 watt bulb has 2 WPG.
Also for live plants you need nutients in the water, and sometimes in the ground. There arre special substrates you can buy (flourite) or just tablets you place in the ground. Probably the most importank nutrient is carbon. So maybe a DIY (do it yourself) c02 system would help. http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/do-your ... ticle.html
(for the c02 system)

and if you want to start a planted tank :http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/do-yourself/11687-making-diy-c02-unit-c02-mixture-article.html

they are more costly than plastic plants but worth it, in my opinion. Plastic plants are a good choice to, and there is nothing needed for them. But you can reasearch and decide.

4. maybe you shouldnt, but i stick my hand in my tank ALL the time. As long as you have no chemicals or soaps on your hands. I wouldnt say it's a problem. But if you did it A LOT it may do somehting to the water, and harm your fish. Just dont do it a lot, you will need to eventualy. Like when doing water changes.

spring water... nahhhh just regualr tap water. After cycling it, and declorinating it, it wouldnt matter anyways....

what kind of fish are you going to get?


maydayparade
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:57 pm

by maydayparade

sorry the link for the planted tank article is here


http://atlas.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_newtank.htm


tchavera
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:58 am

by tchavera

Wow, thanks on the fast reply and full of info! Honestly, I'm not sure what type of fish I'm going to get. I was thinking about something easy like goldfish but I don't want goldfish. What fish are just as easy to take care of? And man, it seems like it's hard work having live plants.


maydayparade
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:57 pm

by maydayparade

lol
I would just recomend some guppies, gouramis, platys, tetras. etc
like some begginer fish.
A good place to check out what fish you might want would be:http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=830

and live plants arent really hard. but costly... my lights were 100 bucks, sand was like 60. plants were $60 for 8... the list goes on and on... im broke :P


maydayparade
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:57 pm

by maydayparade



dizzcat
 
Posts: 648
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:30 am

by dizzcat

Welcome to our obsession LOL

1) I don't think a blue light would look good in a freshwater tank. Your fishes true colors will not show up right. I think they are mostly for saltwater tanks.

2) For a tank that size I would go with a couple Otto Cats. They stay small and do a great job with algae. Wait until the tank has been up and running a couple months tho because they can be sensitive to water chems. Cory's are fun, they are like a vacuum fish LOL. They do a wonderful job at finding food that went into cracks and crevasses of decor. Don't just get one tho, it will be too lonely.

3) Fake plants can look just as good as live ones. You can get some that do not require the high light levels to grow, or the CO2. Plants like Amazon Swords are real hardy. You can get a good fertilizer like Seachem Flourish and add it a couple times a week. Without the extra lighting and CO2 you are limited to what kinds will work tho. I have had live plants in my community tank for 2 years now and just started with CO2 a month ago. Yes you can really see the difference with it, my plants are growing fast!

4) You can stick you hand in the tank, I do all the time. Just make sure to wash your hands real good first. Avoid soap that has lotion or perfumes in it. I use a mild dish soap when I am going to stick my hands in.

The fish Mayday suggested are a good choice. Fish like guppies and platties and Tetras are good beginner fish. Goldfish are actually a bad beginner fish because they are incredibly messy and they get huge! If you go with gouramis, try to avoid the blue 3 spotted kind. They get rather big and can be aggressive. Mollies are aggressive too. Just make sure you research what you are thinking about before you buy it. Pay attention to the ADULT size (most fish are juveniles at the store, so small), the aggression levels, weather they need to be in groups, etc. Don't overstock either. Your tank may look rather empty with only 4 guppies and a couple tetra, but it wont after they grow up. :-) If you go with guppies or Platys you will get to experience baby fish (fry) because they are prolific breeders.

Good luck!

Lots of questions in 1

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