I need some tips / pointers

[ArmanS]

Hey, I know exactly what I am planing on doing for my freshwater fish tank, Its already stable and has fish in it, but I am going to get 75$ tell me if this is enough for it, my tank is 10 G, has filter, heater, light, the works, I want to :
Have my tank planted, and I want it to be suitable for only, 1 chinese algea eater, 6 neon tetras, 1 rainbow shark, and 6 guppies. I want to know, what do I need and what is the ~cost of it, for seting my tank to be planted, would it be better if I waited, and saved ~150$ and bought a 29 gallon or 20 gallon, either kit or not, get all the stuff, and make it planted? I just want a small comunity tank under 29 gallons, willing to keep it 10, but if for 150$ i can set it up in a bigger tank I will do so, so any recomendations or anything TY!!!

[cocoa_pleco]

a 10g planted is nice. plants are expensive, so if cash is tight, go with a 10g

[Drumachine09]

exnay on the ainbosharkre. Rainbow sharks are bad news with small fish such as tetras. i would go without.

[cocoa_pleco]

exnay on the ainbosharkre. Rainbow sharks are bad news with small fish such as tetras. i would go without.


arent we using posh words. lol

[Severus]

I would ditch the RS for sure. You are going to be slightly overstocked as well..

[ArmanS]

ok, but i love my rainbow shark, i will stick to tetra's and guppies, so any idea on pricing and what I should do? a 10 gal with 75$, or a 20-29 gal with 150$

[Severus]

Personally i would go for the 29 gallon. As soon as you have your 10 gallon running for a few months you are going to want another larger tank. It is always recommended to go as big as you can from the start. More margin for error, more possibilities, etc...

[cocoa_pleco]

yeppers. 10's are bad. I can almost guarantee 99.99999% you will want a bigger tank.

Also, if the power goes out, larger tanks stay stabler, and large tanks allow for more stocking and room for error and more decor options

[cocoa_pleco]

However, 10's are good for micro reefs, since you can always add anenomes.


I just studied my live rock. REALLY fascinating.

Theres little hairy anenome things and all that.

I saw a SWEET SW fish too.

It looked like a 6 inch goby and ran on live rock like a squirrel in a 300g tank. It had BEAUTIFUL coloration

[ArmanS]

how much will a good 20 gallon tank, w/o cost of fish, but including everything i need to make it planted cost?

[cocoa_pleco]

my hagen 20 was 130, but you can find some for 100$, not including gravel

[Severus]

It kind of depends ( i know thats a crappy answer.) It depends on quality, ligting, types of plants...

[xoolooxunny]

shop around! i got a 40 gallon on ebay with the hood light and glass tops for 45 bucks! i drove about an hour to pick it up, but i think it was worth it

[ArmanS]

I can't drive and I doubt my parents would to pick something i bought off ebay, also for quality, it woudln't have to be the best. For a 10 G planted tank What do I need and waht is the ~ cost for them?

[Chrona]

I'll try to give you an estimate of the cost, since I'm remaking my planted tank as well. First off though, you don't want that Chinese Algae Eater. They get big and aggressive and don't eat algae later on. You want a true Siamese Algae Eater (make sure it's a true SAE), which doesn't get as big, is peaceful, and eats algae like no other.

Planted 20g tank (on a budget):

Java ferns - 4-5 bucks each. Aquadise on Ebay sells these things with free shipping for 3 bucks for a 5 leaf rhizome. Make sure you get the heat pack if it's cold though. The idea is to use plants that draw nutrients right from the water column and are low light, so you don't need an expensive substrate or high lighting

Java moss - 2-3 bucks. Your LFS may even give you a bunch for free, since it grows so fast.

Some rocks to lash the plants to - 5-6

Seachem Flourish - 7

Seachem Flourish Excel - 7

API Leafzone - or similar liquid fert containing potassium and iron- 7

There you have it. That is all you need to grow the listed plants. With the standard 20g tank light (15w), growth rate will be very slow, possibly even stunted, but it'll grow. Should you decide to upgrade to higher lighting later on, a 24" compact fluorescent fixture will cost you about 40 bucks (not shipped) on Ebay. You could always just get that up front so you don't end up with a 15w fixture you don't need though. If you use a 10g planted, the costs listed above apply, but the 15 watt fixture will provide plenty of light for java fern and java moss. You can even throw in some anubias if you want as well.

[cocoa_pleco]

what the troll said:1:

[ArmanS]

ok, so thats all I need? I think I need more gravel...i think i barely have 1 inch of gravel, their is no like food or anything ? also, I already have 1 filter, that hangs off the side of the tank, but I am thinking of getting an undergravel filter, do these basically work like a bubble wand and send up stuff from under the gravel? cus thats where most of the fish poo is at , or should I just get a more expensive filter, my filter is the cheap one that came with the kit, cost like 15$ for the filter that came with it.

[Cichlid_Man]

Hi Arman,
If you like the rainbow shark that much, keep him in the 10 gallon and add a few other compatable fish in there and move the small guys you have into a new 29 gallon.
You are not going to be happy if you ditch the shark, and you are not going to be happy with just a 10 gallon.

A 29 gallon setup cost me 80 bucks at walmart, then I upgraded the heater and filter at a later time.

You got some good suggestions here from everybody.
Just keep asking questions and we'll all guide you through this.

[*Sarah*]

Under Gravel filters aren't really recommended at all. They tend to get clogged, and generally are more hassle than they're worth. You're better off keeping the HOB (hang on back) filter, or, even better, investing in a Canister filter. If you read some of the threads on here, you'll find lots of info on canisters. However, they are more expensive...

[Chrona]

ok, so thats all I need? I think I need more gravel...i think i barely have 1 inch of gravel, their is no like food or anything ? also, I already have 1 filter, that hangs off the side of the tank, but I am thinking of getting an undergravel filter, do these basically work like a bubble wand and send up stuff from under the gravel? cus thats where most of the fish poo is at , or should I just get a more expensive filter, my filter is the cheap one that came with the kit, cost like 15$ for the filter that came with it.

The idea behind the plants I listed is that they draw nutrients from the water, not the substrate, so you could put them in a gravel-less tank and they'd still grow. Your filter will work fine for now in a 10g. Make sure the water level is high, so that you don't get too much of a waterfall effect from the power filter.