marlena mc

hello there, im new to this site & the world of tropical fish, ive kept the odd goldfish won at fairs in the past, but have just deided to try & set up a small tank as ive always had a fascination with neon tetras!!
So, ive just recentley moved from Manchester(uk) to Germany to work with horses & last week i bought this tank, its 60cmx30cmx30cm (not sure what that'll be in gallons!) and it came with a small stingray filter a neon light, a heater & thermometer.
When i got home i put in 2 bags of gravel & stone ornament, i filled my tank with tap water & then opened my book that came with the tank to find out whattemp i should set the tank to!!! Unfortunately for me, although the tank is English, the tank set up insructions are all in german & i havnt got the 1st clue where to go from here, the tank has now been stud for a week, im guessing thats long enough to declorify, but after seing this site, & reading about pH levels & the nitrate cycle, im a bit worried as to what products to buy to make the tank safe for my fish when i do get them, i was going to get them today!!! Glad i nosied around on the net 1st as i'd probably killed the poor things!! So the big question is, where do i go from here?
I would like to keep tetras & guppies, was also looking at Attennenwels as i believe these can aid keeping the tank clean?
What temperature does my tank need to be for these? & what kind of plants should i put in?
Also, after setting up the tank & turning everyting on, i noticed a lot of water had splashed up onto the light bulb, iveleft it turned off at the min, but is this safe? do i need to remove some water?
I am fully an amatuer at this, so would appreciate any help, advice & tips anyone has to offer, especially seein as though i cant understand anyone here just yet!!!

Lucy

Hi welcome to Fish Lore

It looks like your tank is about 14 US gallons. Hope someone corrects me if I'm wrong on that.
Your aqaurium info says it's a salt water fish only tank? I'm thinking maybe you just clicked the wrong thing since neons are fresh water?

Here's a link to our Beginners Guide
Please be sure to follow the links and learn about the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle your tank with out fish. It's less work for you and no fish are harmed.

It sounds like you may need to add more water to stop the splashing.

After you're done reading, please ask any questions you need to, the members have a wide range of knowledge and are happy to help.

marlena mc

thanks lucy, will defo do my research on here, im in no hurry i guess, cool profile pic by the way!!

Lucy

Thanks

Cycling a tank properly can take up to a month despite what some stores and aquarium directions say so be patient. You'll need a good test kit such as the API master kit. The strips aren't very accurate.

Here's a basic explanation of the cycling process:
You'll need a source of ammonia.
Fish food (add a pinch a day) or pure ammonia Cycling with ammonia or a peice of raw shrimp (put it in a mesh bag in the tank).

First your ammonia will rise
In a few weeks bacteria will begin to develop and you'll see the nitrite levels rise and the ammonia levels start to drop.
After a few more weeks another type of bacteria will begin to develop and you'll see the nitrate levels rise and the nitrite levels drop.
When you having readings of 0 on both ammonia and nitrites with some nitrates showing, your cycle is done.