open to suggestions

[samsonyates]

i just bought a 30 gallon tank its a normal tank, i set it up this morning and was wondering how long i should let the water in it before i put fish in and was looking for suggestions as to what kinds of fish i could put in it and what would go together well. mostly looking for some direction here, obviously i'm a newbie, guess i should have said that lol. any suggestions would help. or should i make it a sw tank? which is easier maintanance and what are the cost differences? just looking for some help

[wickedjester]

Freshwater is going to be cheaper than saltwater especially just starting out. With a 30 gallon tank I usually always make sure they have cycle for 24 hours. Usually a bit longer.

What to stock with really depends on your taste. What do you like?

[Solareclipsed]

You should really let your tank cycle for at least 2 or 3 weeks for freshwater and even longer for saltwater before adding fish.
Saltwater is more expensive and requires more work.

[samsonyates]

i'm not particular on what i put in it, just looking for a variety of fish is all. and about how many should i put in the tank? i don't want to over populate the tank.

[Solareclipsed]

Make sure you have ample filtration for the tank and by rule of thumb you can put approximately 1 inch of fish per gallon. Just make sure you find out how big the fish is gonna get so you dont start out with what doesnt seem like a lot but ends up way to much for the tank when grown. It is best to go to knowledgable fish stores and tell them about your tank and they can usually help you pick out what will work in your tank.

[samsonyates]

ok thanks all. very helpful indeed.

[dreminon]

depending on where you are at have some fish you can see if you want. some fancy guppies and orange platys

[ADMIN2]

First off, welcome to the community!

I hope you find the site informative and fun. My suggestion to you is to choose which one you want to set up. If money is a big factor freshwater is usually cheaper, unless you get a crazy planted set up with rare fish going. But really I suggest setting up what you really want to do. Maintenance can sometimes be difficult either route you choose. One thing I have found out over the years is maintanence can be much less demanding if you make the right choices in the beginning rather than waiting until later to fix problems.

[Solareclipsed]

what Phil says is absolutely true. Figure out what you want to do and buy the right equipment the first time so you dont have to upgrade shortly down the road and spend even more money.

[samsonyates]

thanks. i'm going to go with a freshwater tank, maybe down the road someday if i have the extra money then i'll just start a saltwater tank. i live in ironton. and berts pet store have been very helpful. how many filters should i have for it? i just figured that the 1 it came with was enough. what other kind should i get

[Solareclipsed]

The one that came with it is probably enough.

[ADMIN]

Bert's is very reputable and was our first sponsor. As far as what you may need for the tank, talk to Jim and listen to what he tells you and suggests. Solar is right with the general fish rule. The idea is to have a filter rated at about twice the tank size or just keep a lower stock load with lots of live plants. Either will work fine. If you do plants though your going to need aditional lighting and plant substrate.

[duke33]

All I can add is, when you do buy a filter or light or whatever, buy quality products. Please do your homework on your fish stocking. There are to many stores out there that will sell you fish that will outgrow a 30 in no time. Tetra's and cories are good starters.

[dainramis]

I am actually running a 29 gallon tank right now, and have had it for 2 1/2 years. It was also my first tank. I use a marineland penguin biowheel filter (the one rated for 30 gal), and a crappyish heater but so far I havn't had any problems. As for cycling, I got lucky. We set up the tank for just under a week, then we got some free fish we just threw in there to see what would happen. We didn't add any fish however for about a month.
As for substrate we just use rounded, natural colored gravel. We have always had living plants to varying degrees of success, plants that are working well for us in our set up are Java Fern, Water Wysteria, and ancharis. We also have a sword plant that died back to its roots but has since resprouted and looking quite nice for once.

Some of the fish that we have found are nice and hearty
Danio
clown pleco
Head and tail light tetras
Glowlight tetras
Dragon fish (if you use very small amoutns of aquarium salt @ 1/2 Tsp per gallon and give him a nice place to hide, the hide is very important to his health)

mostly like they said above do your research on what you want before you buy, makes things so much smoother and happier

[duke33]

Look up "fishless cycle" and go from there. You wait for the tank to cycle before you add fish., Of course you will have to buy your test kits and whatnot. While your waiting for the tank to cycle do homework on stocking possibilities. Every tank is different. It's a matter of personal tastes.