Need help choosing products

[Lauren B.]

Since I'm starting to set up my new aquarium kit, I need all your imput on what type of products I need to purchase. If you have favorite brands, please list their names as well, but keep in mind that my aquarium is a 6-gallon desktop that will house no more than 5 teeny weeny fish. You folks here are my only fish-knowledge source, so the lives of my future neon tetras depend on your advice! :11:

Water conditioner - the aquarium kit came with a sample packet of Tetra's AquaSafe water conditioner. Is there another brand I should buy instead? It says it dechlorinates and enhances the fish's slime coating. Do I need any other additives, or is this an all-in-one?

Beneficial bacteria additive - Do I need this for a first-time aquarium? I have a Bio-wheel system.

Master test kit - Can I use the 5-in-1 (or 6-in-1) dip-stick strip test? I've seen the kits that look like science projects with little beakers and little bottles. I know they're probably better, but they're really more money than I want to spend.

Gravel cleaner - Do the ones with the hand-pump siphon work (it has a bulb that you pump with your hand, much like on a blood pressure cuff, and your squeezing starts the siphon). I thought these might be easier than the regular ones. Since I don't understand how water pressure/siphoning works (hey, I was an english major, not science), I have little patience for it. I'm afraid I'll get aggravated if the siphoning doesn't work easily for me.

Water temperature - what should I set my heater to? By the way, on the unanimous advice of everyone here, I got a Stealth heater (and had a bitch of a time trying to get those freaking suction cups pushed inside the holes of the clamp/holder).

Fish food - the kit came with a sample packet of TetraMin Tropical Flakes, but there's so much out there to choose from...tropical flakes, tropical crisps that keep the aquarium cleaner, color enhancing flakes (do these actually work?). Someone recommended Omega One brand, but the selection I found was limited. Also, will my neon tetras eat krill or bloodworms or any of the other freeze-dried food?


Thanks all, if you think of anything else, feel free to just yell 'em out.
Lauren B. :1luvu:

[*Sarah*]

My tetras love blood worms and tubifex worms. Flake food is a staple food, and anything else is a supplement to the diet. At least that's what I've read, but I'm no expert.

[*Sarah*]

You will want a thermometer that hangs inside the tank or is stuck by suction cup in the tank, not one that is like a sticker that sticks to the tank, they are not as accurate.

Liqiud tests are more accurate than strip tests.

I personally use Cycle and Aqua Plus water conditioner and I find they work well. Just make sure your water conditioner removes both Chlorene and Chloramine.

I haven't used a gravel cleaner with a hand pump, just the old ones that u suck on the bottom till the water starts flowing, lol. Works fine for me.

Good luck!

OH, and as far as cycling goes, you won't want to do it with Tetras because they are very sensitive to water quality. You're better off doing fishless cycling where you add pure ammonia to the tank. You can read all about it, there's a lot of good info on this site if you search it.

[Chrona]

Water conditioner - the aquarium kit came with a sample packet of Tetra's AquaSafe water conditioner. Is there another brand I should buy instead? It says it dechlorinates and enhances the fish's slime coating. Do I need any other additives, or is this an all-in-one?

I use Aquasafe and it works great.

Beneficial bacteria additive - Do I need this for a first-time aquarium? I have a Bio-wheel system.

Is it cycled? It will help with cycling and when you add new fish. Also, if you are overfeeding, it will help clear up some of the dissolved organics (although this all ends up as nitrates)

Master test kit - Can I use the 5-in-1 (or 6-in-1) dip-stick strip test? I've seen the kits that look like science projects with little beakers and little bottles. I know they're probably better, but they're really more money than I want to spend.

The dip sticks (althought faster and easier) actually end up costing more than most master test kits because the kits will do more tests. Also, I've heard that the test strips are less accurate, but in my opinion, it's much easier to read the tabs on strips than the round test tube that refracts and deflects light at random angles.

Gravel cleaner - Do the ones with the hand-pump siphon work (it has a bulb that you pump with your hand, much like on a blood pressure cuff, and your squeezing starts the siphon). I thought these might be easier than the regular ones. Since I don't understand how water pressure/siphoning works (hey, I was an english major, not science), I have little patience for it. I'm afraid I'll get aggravated if the siphoning doesn't work easily for me.

Never tried. I just use a vinyl tube for my 10 gallon and a garden hose for my 55 gallon.

Water temperature - what should I set my heater to? By the way, on the unanimous advice of everyone here, I got a Stealth heater (and had a bitch of a time trying to get those freaking suction cups pushed inside the holes of the clamp/holder).

LOL, I think it might have been easier if you slid them in (maybe I'm misunderstanding you). Thats what I did with my heater (not stealth though). 68-74 is a good range for neon tetras

Fish food - the kit came with a sample packet of TetraMin Tropical Flakes, but there's so much out there to choose from...tropical flakes, tropical crisps that keep the aquarium cleaner, color enhancing flakes (do these actually work?). Someone recommended Omega One brand, but the selection I found was limited. Also, will my neon tetras eat krill or bloodworms or any of the other freeze-dried food?

Tetramin flakes work great for me. I bought bloodworms thinking I was going to feed them to my guppy fry, but I got the name wrong (was actually supposed to be tubifex worms) and they are too big for my 1.5 inch cardinals to eat, so I would imagine the same for your neons, unless you crush them up. A good supplement to the flakes would also be tubifex worms. They come in freeze-dried cubes

[cocoa_pleco]

ditto with chrona. WELL SAID

[holbritter]

An air stone would be a great addition. I find my fish just love the bubbles :)

[Severus]

A good supplement to the flakes would also be tubifex worms. They come in freeze-dried cubes

Dont feed Tubifex more than a few times a week, they are very fatty. If i were you i would look for a good staple diet, whether it be flake or pellet. Hikari, New Life Spectrum, Omega One are all good brands.

I had the same problem with the suction cups on my Stealth. They were real tough to get in!

[Chrona]

Dont feed Tubifex more than a few times a week, they are very fatty. If i were you i would look for a good staple diet, whether it be flake or pellet. Hikari, New Life Spectrum, Omega One are all good brands.

I had the same problem with the suction cups on my Stealth. They were real tough to get in!

How much better is Hikari than say, Tetra?

[cocoa_pleco]

alot. Hikari pwns the competition

[Incredulous_Ed]

yeah, hikari has way more nutrition

[Drumachine09]

You folks here are my only fish-knowledge source, so the lives of my future neon tetras depend on your advice! :11:

WHOA WHOA WHOA! Slow down girl, im under alot of pressure right now! I just learned I can prevent forrest fires.

[Chrona]

WHOA WHOA WHOA! Slow down girl, im under alot of pressure right now! I just learned I can prevent forrest fires.

Why is your fish title arowana and not clownfish?

[Drumachine09]

Why is your fish title arowana and not clownfish?

LOL good idea, i think it suits me quite well! maybe i will change my user title to clownfish!

[cocoa_pleco]

Did smokey the bear tell you that advice drumachine?

I didnt know he does house calls. lol

[Faith_at_Large]

Just a little extra note. My lps told me that the stick-on type thermometers loose their effectiveness after a year and are difficult to remove, so you end up with a collection of them or a mess.

For smaller tanks, I can recommend another useful tool. A standard turkey baster (purchased, washed and used exclusively with that tank) is an easy way to spot clean the excess food that drops to the bottom of the tank. I used one for my two gallon tank when I first started out. And now I use one for my ten gallon tank. It is a little trickier on the bigger tank, but still allows me to clean up without dipping my hands in or doing a water change every time I over-estimate what my fish will eat. After two minutes, my flakes are never still floating on the top.

[Lauren B.]

For smaller tanks, I can recommend another useful tool. A standard turkey baster (purchased, washed and used exclusively with that tank) is an easy way to spot clean the excess food that drops to the bottom of the tank.

Good tip! I never thought of that but I will definitely keep it in mind....thanks!

I heard the same about stick-on thermometers as well, so I went with a standard in-the-tank suction cup type. A little bit of an eyesore, but a necessary evil.

[Drumachine09]

Also, a bottle of Mela-fix is a very good medication for pop-eye, fin rot, mouth fungus, and a couple of other things that i cant remember, but it is a good addition to any aquarium medicine cabinet.

[cocoa_pleco]

Melafix and pimafix are AWESOME mixed and pwn diseases.

I heard that hagens sticky thermometers are easy to get off.

Too bad i stuck a sticky one on my 20. All my tanks have floaty glass ones instead of stickys, but my toad tank has a digital one

[cocoa_pleco]

you should have seen what i found. INDUSTRIAL sizes of melafix and pimafix.

Its like ten gallons a bottle.

[Drumachine09]

Did smokey the bear tell you that advice drumachine?

I didnt know he does house calls. lol

Me and smokey are homies.

[cocoa_pleco]

tell smokie to come to my place, i need to learn about fire safety.

Oh, and i also need a brown bear rug. think smokie can help me there?

And a buddy left me his shotgun.

Oh, what a coincidence, a bear, shotgun, and need for a rug.

That puzzle fits together, u n l e s s y o u r e s l o w

[Drumachine09]

Too late, i garotted his furry arse on the way out the door. Teach him to tell me not to play with fire.He'll look great next to my mounted scruff mcgruff, and my tony the tiger pelt.

[cocoa_pleco]

Too late, i garotted his furry arse on the way out the door. Teach him to tell me not to play with fire.He'll look great next to my mounted scruff mcgruff, and my tony the tiger pelt.


LOL. i still am hunting the "trix" rabbit. The lil bas**rd never learns.

TRIX ARE FOR KIDS!!