New fish tank - now what?

[Abu]

Hi, i'm fairly new here (writing from London, UK). Just got my first 2' x 1' tank yesterday for tropical freshwater fish along with equipment, i.e. heater, filter, lighting, gravel, plants etc. I hope you can help with some of the following newbie questions:

1) How long should i wait before i add my first tropical fish? I've had suggestions ranging from 1-2 days to 1 week!

2) What fish should i begin with? I want to keep a community tank, and i think a hardy specifies might do well for a beginner like me. I thought i'd start of with 3 or 4 Glass Catfish once the tank is ready?

3) Do i need to check PH levels before stocking? I've added AquaPlus to all the tap water i've added to the tank. Is that sufficient, or are there any other tests i need to do first?

4) Also, should i add Cycle to the new tank now before i introduce fish? I was given a bottle of Cycle with the tank kit and the booklet recommends that "In new aquariums, add Cycle to immediately commence biological filtration." The bottle also says that it "prevents fish loss by controlling amonia and nitrite." Any ideas?

5) I've only got a few plastic plants in there right now - do i need to introduce living plants at any stage to help bacteria growth?

6) I've read about adding salt to the water - is this recommended at this stage or is it dependent on the type of fish i plan to stock.

Thanks in advance.
Abu

 

[Matt Nace]

DO you know you can also cycle without fish. In some cases (madpad for example), it can take a while if you dont have a item to help start the cycle.

Fishless cycle, you cycle the tank w/o fish , by adding ammonia, which you would get from the fish and waste ect. You dont harm the fish this way..but...it can take over a month, even longer.. in some cases..and some people cant wait that long.

To answer some questions you asked,

I would find out what your water is. I would take a PH and hadness tests. This will give you an idea of what fish you may want to choose, and what to compare your water to.

I would always keep the tank running 24hours and make sure the tank  is at the temp you want , before adding a fish.

I have no expierence with these catfish, I am guessing you mean Eutropiellus buffei(African glass catfish)?

In the tanks I always had, I used danios to cycle, except for my planted tanks, cause they were cheap and not as sensative to improper conditions.

It is good that you used aquasafe, I would still get my PH and hardness readings.I would also buy a ammonia, nitIte, and nitrAte test kit, when you purchse your fish, or before you start to cycle.

I have never used cycle or stess zyme. I always seed my new tanks with an existing filter, bio-media from a filter,gravel, and/or bio-wheel, from an established tank, to speed it along.

If you would like to go with live over plastic, now would be the best time(you could do it later as well), the plants will help take in some of the ammonia, and give off some O2. Make sure you get easy growing , low light plants.

I have only added salt to my tanks when I was breeding guppys and mollies a few years ago. Some fish don't like the salt, but some will be happier with it. You are right, that it can depend on the fish you would like to keep.

Hope I answered some of your questions.

 

[Abu]

Thanks MaleRubyBarb for the useful advice, much appreciated. I've emailed my local water company asking about Ph and hardness levels of tap water, but i'll also get a test kit before introducing fish.

When should i introduce my first test fish for cycling? The tank has been running for 48hrs now, with the filter constantly on. I've not needed to use the heater yet because its scorching hot here in London and the tank temp is at a steady 82F.

Thanks for the help
Abu

 

[Matt Nace]

Find out what your water's hardness and PH is, then make your decision with what fish you want to buy.

Always research your fish. My LFS has a couple books that I can look them up in if I am not sure. If they dont, I bring one, leave and read it in my car, or know before I go in what fish I am looking for.

Since you decided to go with fish to cycle the tank, keep the fish to a minimum, so you dont get huge ammonia/nitite spikes.