I Kinda Want To Get Into This Fish Hobby Thing... Advice?

So I recently rescued a betta fish and nursed it back to health (he's doing super great, by the way, and is now beautiful and full of attitude LOL), and after all the help given to me on here and all the reading I did while trying to get him better, I'm kind of really interested in setting up a bigger tank and having a few more fish that aren't bettas??? I really love bettas, don't get me wrong! Lotus is such a joy and it always cracks me up when I say hello to him and he immediately flares at me and wants to fight LOL (he quickly settles down and is like "oh, it is you, human. pls give to me the food things--I hunger"), but seeing all these beautiful fish and tank setups on here has made me jealous! xD I'd love to have something like that of my own, but of course i'm a complete beginner and want to start "small" (small as in, not a whole lot all at once and only a few hardy fish that i'm less likely to kill with beginner mistakes, not small as in a small tank, haha)

I've read all the beginner articles on here about setting up the tank, getting your cycle going, having a quarantine/hospital tank, and etc., so you don't have to go into detail on those things if you don't want! I'm pretty good at researching things for myself and I love to read articles and learn new things, even if it's not something i'm ever going to do or be involved in :'D mostly I just want advice on which fish would be best for a beginner and how much room they would need and which plants/substrate/etc. would be ideal and such!

I'm kind of interested in Platys? I work at a small local pet store, and the fish place we buy our fish from send us so many free platys for every so many other types of fish we buy, so we almost always have platys in our tanks, and they've always seemed so pretty and social and just sweet fish! I'm used to cats, dogs, and other small furry babs, so fish are a bit different for me o: i've really enjoyed how sociable my bettas are, so i'd love a fish that's happy to see me (even if it's just because me = food) and is an active/somewhat active swimmer that I can enjoy watching swim around the tank Let me know if you think platys would be good, or if another beginner fish would be a better fit!

Depending on which fish I decide to get, I also need to know what size tank! I don't really want to go above a 20 gallon if I can help it, as I have somewhat limited space i've read that getting a 20 gallon to start out is better than a 10g, so i'd definitely be okay with that! Whatever will be better for the fish is what I want <3

I'm also really interested in having a planted tank! I love the look of them, and I have some live plants in my betta tanks and they're so pretty and just enjoyable, idk :'D I've read that sand is better for plants that need to have their roots planted, but what is your opinion? I've always just thought you put aquarium gravel in the tank, so that's what i've had, but i'm open to other options if they'll be better for the tank setup I want! I also know that different plants need different things o: some require more or less lighting, some require different pH, etc.~ So I'll definitely keep that in mind when deciding what plants I want

I think that's all for now? I hope this is the right place to post this, haha~ It's probably going to be a while before I can actually get a tank and set it up, so any advice before then will be greatly appreciated! Thank you guys so much for all your help so far, and any help to come ;u; I've learned so much already on this site! I hope to learn a lot more in the future, and maybe expand what kind of tank and fish I have as I get more comfortable with fish keeping

 

Platys need at least 10 gallons but do best in tanks 20 gallons and above (and its easier to maintain). Platys are quite hardy, but will breed if you have any females and male together. They also need to be kept in a male female ratio of 1 male : 2-3 females or else the female will be getting followed around too much. They are pretty active and will come up to the part of the tank where you feed them after a few months (mines will go to the front right corner, where I feed my fish, whenever I open the tank's hood).
Potting soil is best for plants that use their roots to absorb nutrients. You could get some plants that don't really use their roots/don't have roots such as java fern and hornwort (hornwort also provides a place for fry to hid if your platies do breed).

 

Platys need at least 10 gallons but do best in tanks 20 gallons and above (and its easier to maintain). Platys are quite hardy, but will breed if you have any females and male together. They also need to be kept in a male female ratio of 1 male : 2-3 females or else the female will be getting followed around too much. They are pretty active and will come up to the part of the tank where you feed them after a few months (mines will go to the front right corner, where I feed my fish, whenever I open the tank's hood).
Potting soil is best for plants that use their roots to absorb nutrients. You could get some plants that don't really use their roots/don't have roots such as java fern and hornwort (hornwort also provides a place for fry to hid if your platies do breed).

Make sure you don't use regular land potting soil with additives! 100% organic land potting soil or aquatic plant soil is the best.

 

A lot of people say platties need 30 gallons. If you are tight on space a 29 gallon has a higher profile and a smaller base. I don't do platties so others would probably be of more help. There are a number of fish that will do well in a 20 gallon. I have my Electric Blue Crayfish and some Gold Cloud Minnows in an unheated tank. The crayfish cracks me up. He is fascinating to watch. I'm sure that with the research you do, you will find the perfect fit for you.

 

Platys need at least 10 gallons but do best in tanks 20 gallons and above (and its easier to maintain). Platys are quite hardy, but will breed if you have any females and male together. They also need to be kept in a male female ratio of 1 male : 2-3 females or else the female will be getting followed around too much. They are pretty active and will come up to the part of the tank where you feed them after a few months (mines will go to the front right corner, where I feed my fish, whenever I open the tank's hood).
Potting soil is best for plants that use their roots to absorb nutrients. You could get some plants that don't really use their roots/don't have roots such as java fern and hornwort (hornwort also provides a place for fry to hid if your platies do breed).

Definitely looking to do a 20 gallon! I have 10 gallon tanks for my rodents, and from looking at those I can definitely tell that they wouldn't be big enough for more than a couple of fish :'D especially with the plants and decor i'd want to put in there <3 I wouldn't actually be wanting to breed if I could help it, so I was hoping to try to get all female platys if I could, if I ended up going the platy route

for the potting soil, would that be the whole bottom of the tank? like, in place of the sand/gravel as the substrate? Thanks so much for the advice!

Make sure you don't use regular land potting soil with additives! 100% organic land potting soil or aquatic plant soil is the best.

I would definitely do potting soil meant to go into aquariums because i'm always super paranoid about stuff I use for my animals thanks for mentioning which type of potting soil would be best, as i've never really heard of potting soil being used in aquariums before!

Super helpful advice so far, keep em coming LOL

 

I wouldnt do a dirted tank on your first "attempt." imo a 20 gallon long is the best tank for a beginner.

 

A lot of people say platties need 30 gallons. If you are tight on space a 29 gallon has a higher profile and a smaller base. I don't do platties so others would probably be of more help. There are a number of fish that will do well in a 20 gallon. I have my Electric Blue Crayfish and some Gold Cloud Minnows in an unheated tank. The crayfish cracks me up. He is fascinating to watch. I'm sure that with the research you do, you will find the perfect fit for you.

I don't really want a whole lot of fish to start out o: i've read that platys aren't schooling fish, so I was hoping I could get away with like... 3 fish? Definitely correct me if i'm wrong about that, though! I recently saw a blue crayfish at another pet store I went to and they seemed really cool! scuttled up to the front of the tank to check me out when I crouched down to look at them xD they seem like they would be fun~

I wouldnt do a dirted tank on your first "attempt." imo a 20 gallon long is the best tank for a beginner.

I would definitely do my research first and decide what would be easiest for me but also best for the fish/plants o: what would you recommend instead of potting soil? Sand? or the small gravel?

I was thinking a 20 gallon long with just a few fish to start out i'm definitely open to more options, but they would have to go in my "animal" room (aka the room that I keep shut so the cat can't torture the animals in there) which is kind of cluttered with too much/too big furniture, so the space is limited until I can downsize some things, which will take a while

Thanks for the replies!

 

Definitely looking to do a 20 gallon! I have 10 gallon tanks for my rodents, and from looking at those I can definitely tell that they wouldn't be big enough for more than a couple of fish :'D especially with the plants and decor i'd want to put in there <3 I wouldn't actually be wanting to breed if I could help it, so I was hoping to try to get all female platys if I could, if I ended up going the platy route

for the potting soil, would that be the whole bottom of the tank? like, in place of the sand/gravel as the substrate? Thanks so much for the advice!



I would definitely do potting soil meant to go into aquariums because i'm always super paranoid about stuff I use for my animals thanks for mentioning which type of potting soil would be best, as i've never really heard of potting soil being used in aquariums before!

Super helpful advice so far, keep em coming LOL

If you don't want fry, just don't put any floating plants. The other platies will eat them (the fry) once they have been given birth. Female platies can store sperm for up to 3 months so that probably won't keep them from having fry.

 

I totally agree with Namtab. Once you get some experience in the hobby, then step up to using dirt.
Also whatever tank you you decide on, make it the biggest and LONGEST that you can afford and accommodate.
I'm not into Platys, so l will leave stocking and care up to others.

 

Platy are fun fish. My son recently requested his own tank and then picked (gasp) live bearer fish. I, of course wanting to support, him agreed even though in 25 plus years if fish keeping I'd avoided live bearers for more than feeders as I don't want to deal or worry about fry. Researched tons (after they were home) and we immediately began having fry. Platy do eat many of their fry we started with 20-22 and were down to four maybe five and have heavily planted areas and wads of Anacharis to hide. I also had a peaceful betta in there that last week went on a murderous hunting mission and reduced the fry dramatically over about 6 hours (he's now out of the tank) but they are very active and personable and come is every color on the rainbow!

I recommend getting females though, I know everyone says males but I'd rather deal with removing fry and letting nature take its course the first few months while they exhaust their sperm stores. I just feel it's very unnatural to cram a bunch of boisterous boys in a tank and expect them to get along... Someone's going to bully imo.

I also wouldn't do dirted on your first attempt... But then again personally I still don't want to deal with dirted after many years planting tanks lol. Many common plants do fine in gravel, most like root tabs if in non plant substrates. Root tabs need replenished a couple times a year. I like plant specific substrates but I can afford the extra cost. In the end get whatever makes you happy and suits your budget and style, there's ways to make everything work... Just don't expect to keep rare plants without an investment

 

I think three platys would be fine.

 

If you want plants I'd do something like Eco-Complete for your substrate. It works really well in my tanks.

 

If you do go with a 20 gallon, definitely go for the 20 long rather than high. Fish use more horizontal space than they do vertical, so a longer tank has more room for them than a taller tank of equal volume.

Personally, I prefer sand as a substrate, but that's mainly because I like corydoras — they (and many other bottom feeders) prefer sand to gravel. But if you don't plan on any bottom feeders and prefer the look of gravel, I see no reason not to use it.

As for plants, there are plenty of easy ones that don't need any particular substrate or lighting. I bought a single java fern when I started up my tank, and it's grown like crazy without any need for fertilizer. I was able to split it into several plants — recently gave one to my roommate for her betta's tank.

 

If you don't want fry, just don't put any floating plants. The other platies will eat them (the fry) once they have been given birth. Female platies can store sperm for up to 3 months so that probably won't keep them from having fry.

so long as they're not constantly breeding, a few fry would be fine, I think o: i'm okay with the adult platys weeding out the fry on their own, though I am a big softie so if any make it I'll probably try to rehome them (or maybe give in and get another tank, haha)

I totally agree with Namtab. Once you get some experience in the hobby, then step up to using dirt.
Also whatever tank you you decide on, make it the biggest and LONGEST that you can afford and accommodate.
I'm not into Platys, so l will leave stocking and care up to others.

thank you for the advice! 20 gallon long is probably what i'm going to start out with, since I think I can fit that one, and definitely only doing a few fish to start so I don't overcrowd anybody~

Platy are fun fish. My son recently requested his own tank and then picked (gasp) live bearer fish. I, of course wanting to support, him agreed even though in 25 plus years if fish keeping I'd avoided live bearers for more than feeders as I don't want to deal or worry about fry. Researched tons (after they were home) and we immediately began having fry. Platy do eat many of their fry we started with 20-22 and were down to four maybe five and have heavily planted areas and wads of Anacharis to hide. I also had a peaceful betta in there that last week went on a murderous hunting mission and reduced the fry dramatically over about 6 hours (he's now out of the tank) but they are very active and personable and come is every color on the rainbow!

I recommend getting females though, I know everyone says males but I'd rather deal with removing fry and letting nature take its course the first few months while they exhaust their sperm stores. I just feel it's very unnatural to cram a bunch of boisterous boys in a tank and expect them to get along... Someone's going to bully imo.

I also wouldn't do dirted on your first attempt... But then again personally I still don't want to deal with dirted after many years planting tanks lol. Many common plants do fine in gravel, most like root tabs if in non plant substrates. Root tabs need replenished a couple times a year. I like plant specific substrates but I can afford the extra cost. In the end get whatever makes you happy and suits your budget and style, there's ways to make everything work... Just don't expect to keep rare plants without an investment

Thank you for sharing your experience and the advice! Cost isn't a super big issue, as I always want to do the best for my animals and if I don't think I can afford them and their care then I don't get them i'm a big animal lover in general and i've volunteered at shelters and worked at local, natural pet stores for years so I get to see firsthand what happens when people get in over their head because "cute puppy/kitten/bunny/etc.!" I will probably stick to easy to care for plants at first, since i'm new to this aquarium thing, so I'll probably go the smaller gravel route unless someone says sand would be better :'D

I think three platys would be fine.

Thanks for the reply! That's what i'm leaning towards as of right now~

If you want plants I'd do something like Eco-Complete for your substrate. It works really well in my tanks.

I'll definitely look into that thanks for the reply!

If you do go with a 20 gallon, definitely go for the 20 long rather than high. Fish use more horizontal space than they do vertical, so a longer tank has more room for them than a taller tank of equal volume.

Personally, I prefer sand as a substrate, but that's mainly because I like corydoras — they (and many other bottom feeders) prefer sand to gravel. But if you don't plan on any bottom feeders and prefer the look of gravel, I see no reason not to use it.

As for plants, there are plenty of easy ones that don't need any particular substrate or lighting. I bought a single java fern when I started up my tank, and it's grown like crazy without any need for fertilizer. I was able to split it into several plants — recently gave one to my roommate for her betta's tank.

I'd read about the long vs tall thing, so definitely getting a 20 long instead of a 20 tall i'm thinking just one species of fish at this point, rather than a community tank with different types of fish, simply because i'm still learning and I feel like it would be easier to get the hang of basic stuff with one type of hardy fish rather than several fish that might need different things o: right now in my betta tanks I have anacharis and a smaller variety of anubias, and they seem to be doing well despite the low lighting I don't want anything fancy, but I would like to branch out into some different plants for some variety~ I haven't tried java fern yet, so that would probably be fun! thanks for the advice and recommendations <3

 

Would agree with 20long recommendation, platys are great, inexpensive, hardy, and peaceful.
I highly recommend sand and corys, my family loves breeding and raising them and their fry. I'm getting into rainbows in my big tanks now, but gonna keep platysin my 55,swordtails only 75, and endlers in my 40b.

Research endlers, you could keep a pretty decent group in a 20l. Would highly recommend cory's, I have pandas and peppered (my son breeds and raises them). I very energetic and entertaining fish, but do better with a sand substrate. I use pool filter sand with root tabs and column fertilizer for a low light tank. Have Java ferns (windelov is my favorite), Java moss, anubias, wisteria and dwarf baby tears (in my 10, requires higher light).

 

I love platys. I am going to swim against the current, as usual, and suggest one male and two females. Sure, they will breed in a 20 gallon tank with floating plants. Out of 100, 2 or 3 will make it to adulthood.
As your older ones fade, young ones will fill their places. A 20 can sustain a colony of 12-15 platys, with water changes and good filtration. Wouldn't it be neat in a couple of years to look in your tank and realize that your fish had grown up in it?
When I was a teenager, working in a small pet shop, I bought a pair of 'sunset variatus'. X variatus are a platy species that resemble a swordless swordtail. I had a few Corydoras in my 20 long, and that tank ran for generations. I came to really enjoy watching them develop and move up and I never had trouble finding people to take my spare adult pairs.
You put in a sand bottom (I bought 50lbs of pool filter sand for a tank today - $8 cdn - looks great). You choose low light plants, and you are in business.

 

Would agree with 20long recommendation, platys are great, inexpensive, hardy, and peaceful.
I highly recommend sand and corys, my family loves breeding and raising them and their fry. I'm getting into rainbows in my big tanks now, but gonna keep platysin my 55,swordtails only 75, and endlers in my 40b.

Research endlers, you could keep a pretty decent group in a 20l. Would highly recommend cory's, I have pandas and peppered (my son breeds and raises them). I very energetic and entertaining fish, but do better with a sand substrate. I use pool filter sand with root tabs and column fertilizer for a low light tank. Have Java ferns (windelov is my favorite), Java moss, anubias, wisteria and dwarf baby tears (in my 10, requires higher light).

I'll look into all of those! Thank you for the recommendations <3

I love platys. I am going to swim against the current, as usual, and suggest one male and two females. Sure, they will breed in a 20 gallon tank with floating plants. Out of 100, 2 or 3 will make it to adulthood.
As your older ones fade, young ones will fill their places. A 20 can sustain a colony of 12-15 platys, with water changes and good filtration. Wouldn't it be neat in a couple of years to look in your tank and realize that your fish had grown up in it?
When I was a teenager, working in a small pet shop, I bought a pair of 'sunset variatus'. X variatus are a platy species that resemble a swordless swordtail. I had a few Corydoras in my 20 long, and that tank ran for generations. I came to really enjoy watching them develop and move up and I never had trouble finding people to take my spare adult pairs.
You put in a sand bottom (I bought 50lbs of pool filter sand for a tank today - $8 cdn - looks great). You choose low light plants, and you are in business.

That actually sounds really nice? I've never bred anything before, all my dogs and cats have always been fixed, my gerbils are two females, and my hamster is a loner LOL and with animals i'm usually in it for the long haul (one of my cats is 20 years old, if that tells you anything, haha), so it makes me kind of sad that the Platys only live for 2-3 years, according to their profile thing on here. I get super attached to animals, so that would maybe help to have their babies to look after <3 though to be fair, I have a tendency to keep animals for a long time :'D so hopefully my luck will hold out and I'll have any fish I get for a long, long time <3

Thanks for the idea!

 

I just have one suggestion, but it's probably something everybody knows: Get a tank with a lid, preferably one that clicks into place (although I'm not sure that any do that), since there will be rodents in the room and cats nearby. I would hate for something to happen to one of those animals or the fish. It would be easy for a rodent or a cat to accidentally fall in the tank if the rodent escaped his own cage and felt like exploring or the cat decided to try to grab some fish. Also, I have a tank with a lid because I'm afraid of non-living things falling in there (like, say, I'm carrying a drink and I spill it and some goes up in the air and then into the tank). My tank has holes in the lid for the HOB filter, letting the heater and light cords out, letting the airline tubing out, and feeding the fish, but it covers most of the tank. Lol one of my guppies, Tobias, will sometimes eat all or the majority of the food if I only give it in one place, so I usually don't use the feeding hole and have to take off the lid to spread the food a bit. Today I forgot about that and fed them through the hole before rushing off to take care of the fish I take care of where I work. Hopefully, everybody got some food. I didn't have time to watch and make sure.

 

I just have one suggestion, but it's probably something everybody knows: Get a tank with a lid, preferably one that clicks into place (although I'm not sure that any do that), since there will be rodents in the room and cats nearby. I would hate for something to happen to one of those animals or the fish. It would be easy for a rodent or a cat to accidentally fall in the tank if the rodent escaped his own cage and felt like exploring or the cat decided to try to grab some fish. Also, I have a tank with a lid because I'm afraid of non-living things falling in there (like, say, I'm carrying a drink and I spill it and some goes up in the air and then into the tank). My tank has holes in the lid for the HOB filter, letting the heater and light cords out, letting the airline tubing out, and feeding the fish, but it covers most of the tank. Lol one of my guppies, Tobias, will sometimes eat all or the majority of the food if I only give it in one place, so I usually don't use the feeding hole and have to take off the lid to spread the food a bit. Today I forgot about that and fed them through the hole before rushing off to take care of the fish I take care of where I work. Hopefully, everybody got some food. I didn't have time to watch and make sure.

oh yes, there will definitely be a lid :'D the cat in question is very good at slipping past me because she's a slinky lil cat snake, and she's super curious and would definitely jump up there and try to get a fish snack. She's finally stopped messing with the gerbils and hamster, but I may have pressed that she leave the rodents alone a little too firmly, since there's now a (wild) mouse in the house and she just kind of looks at it and then at me like "but you said not to mess with the rodents, mom" :'D she's a brat but I love her

the gerbils are also fond of throwing their bedding and poop everywhere since I added their wire tank topper to give them a couple of extra levels to run around on, so I definitely don't want that going in the tank! I'm going to try to have the tank a good distance away from the other animals (out of poop and bedding throwing range, haha), but my gerbils are good at making messes so it never hurts to be safe rather than sorry

 

Not sure if somebody answered this already but I would go with sand, I am assuming you will be doing a low tech tank (low light, no co2) otherwise you would want to get a nutrient rich substrate like potting soil. Also, imo sand is a lot easier to clean as the waste sits on top of the sand, rather than slipping between the spaces in the gravel.

I think most people here really like Black Diamond blasting sand for black sand, and pool filter sand for white.

Good low tech plants would be Anacharis, java fern, anubias, hornwort (I think its pretty easy?) And any floating plant such as water lettuce, frogbit, duckweed, etc.

 

Not sure if somebody answered this already but I would go with sand, I am assuming you will be doing a low tech tank (low light, no co2) otherwise you would want to get a nutrient rich substrate like potting soil. Also, imo sand is a lot easier to clean as the waste sits on top of the sand, rather than slipping between the spaces in the gravel.

Good low tech plants would be Anacharis, java fern, anubias, hornwort (I think its pretty easy?) And any floating plant such as water lettuce, frogbit, duckweed, etc.

nobody had really said for sure which one would be better, so thank you! I have had that trouble with the gravel in my betta tanks, so that definitely sounds easier I have anacharis and anubias in my betta tanks and they've been pretty easy to care for, so I'll definitely get more of those, or just move some from one of my betta tanks :'D the anacharis in one tank in particular is growing like crazy, haha! I'll check out the other ones you mentioned, since I don't think i've looked at hornwort yet o:

 

There's several plant based sands available also. I like flourite black sand and my plants have been happy with it. But rinse it very well of its your only substrate (if you don't use a cap) it can be pretty dusty. I usually cap it, and like Caribsea sands for capping, I like the difference sizes and color variations they have. If you do not want a solid black or white.

 

This is a good hobby because you can start with minimal equipment and technology (a tank, a light, a cycled filter) and go from there.
If you want later, you can get a dirted tank and branch into high tech planted set ups.
Or you can choose low light plants and stay with beautiful low tech.
You can veer into large fish when you have space, or like me, use your space for small fish in planted tanks.
You can go for species that need warm water, or stick with platys and other species that don't need heaters unless your house is really cold in winter.
I got a killie species in 1992 that I really liked. I realized it was extremely rare at the time, so I started breeding it so I could continue to have it. I still do. The original fish, with a 2-3 year lifespan, are long gone, but their line lives on 25 years later. So you can even do longterm projects like that, if you like a species.
The substrate's the limit - you can an enormous amount with this hobby. I have friends who have gone into scientific jobs because of the spark from their fishtanks, people who have enjoyable and satisfying fish related jobs and businesses, people who have travelled though jungles to learn about fish - it can expand.
Or it can just run as an escape (for a short time every day) from the stress of doing other things.
Here is my 25 year killie:

 

Everyone's advice has been great so far. And as far as my two cents, if you want cool personalities corydoras are so much fun watching them patrol the tank and interact can be fun and they swim up the sides a lot for bottom feeders. I find them quite cute as well I have peppers and an albino right now, but the poor albino is lonely so I'm gonna try to trade him for another pepper as they are meant to be kept in groups. I will suggest both though as each has its cool traits. Another fish I have with lots of personality would be my dwarf gouramis (id suggest you only get one male, as they can be territorial). Every time I walk up the glass they greet me making little O's with their mouths like they are trying to talk to me. They will show off for a bit too swimming around all excited as if thinking that will make you want to feed them more. They are huge pigs and eat as much as you put in so id be careful of that but defiantly good eaters. They are relatives of your betta so I'm sure you'd already know a lot about them. Welcome to the hobby I am new myself but its really a great one and fishlore is such a great resource.

 

Looks like you've gotten a lot of good advice already! Welcome to fishlore and I hope you enjoy the hobby

I will double down with the rest and say sand is the way to go. I know right now you don't want to do a community set up but that may change in a few weeks or months. With platies taking up the top of your tank, you'll want to fill it out wiht something on the bottom, like a ram or two, or corydoras, or kuhlI loaches for example. All of these fish are going to do much better on a sandy substrate than gravel.

As Namtab suggested, pool filter sand or play sand that can be found in most home depots or lowes or pool stores will be a great sand if you are looking for something natural. Black diamond at tractor supply is a great alternative if you want a black sand. Stay on top of your water changes for the first few months as these sands have silica and can contribute to algae blooms . Though I wouldn't worry about your plants. Many low light plants are water column feeders meaning they get their nutrients from the water as opposed to the roots/substrate. For those that are root feeders, root tabs are inexpensive and can be placed under them in the substrate. That saves you money from having to purchase expensive plant sand.

But welcome to the hobby. It's great! I noticed you are in TN. I'm also a volunteer state resident. Where abouts are you?

 

I think everyone's covered most of everything already, but I have a couple things to say

If you do use sand, be sure to use root tabs if you have heavy root feeding plants, since sand is inert and has no nutrients. Some plant specific substrates are higher in trace nutrients but not macro nutrients, so root tabs aren't a bad idea for these either.

For plant information, I'll direct you over to tropica, they have excellent info on various plants and how to set up a planted tank. You can also check out ADA, they mostly sell products but their tanks are amazing and set the bar high for the planted hobby.

And of course you also have the plant forum on fishlore, I lurk there a lot along with people who really know their stuff about plants

 

There's several plant based sands available also. I like flourite black sand and my plants have been happy with it. But rinse it very well of its your only substrate (if you don't use a cap) it can be pretty dusty. I usually cap it, and like Caribsea sands for capping, I like the difference sizes and color variations they have. If you do not want a solid black or white.

I'm definitely going to have to look into all the varieties of sand! They sound like they'd look really nice I'm familiar with caribsea because we sell some of their products at the store where I work, and the sales rep for our area was by not too long ago and gave me some free indian almond leaves for my bettas <3 so I'll for sure look into those, since I could probably get those through work for a good price~ Thank you!

This is a good hobby because you can start with minimal equipment and technology (a tank, a light, a cycled filter) and go from there.
If you want later, you can get a dirted tank and branch into high tech planted set ups.
Or you can choose low light plants and stay with beautiful low tech.
You can veer into large fish when you have space, or like me, use your space for small fish in planted tanks.
You can go for species that need warm water, or stick with platys and other species that don't need heaters unless your house is really cold in winter.
I got a killie species in 1992 that I really liked. I realized it was extremely rare at the time, so I started breeding it so I could continue to have it. I still do. The original fish, with a 2-3 year lifespan, are long gone, but their line lives on 25 years later. So you can even do longterm projects like that, if you like a species.
The substrate's the limit - you can an enormous amount with this hobby. I have friends who have gone into scientific jobs because of the spark from their fishtanks, people who have enjoyable and satisfying fish related jobs and businesses, people who have travelled though jungles to learn about fish - it can expand.
Or it can just run as an escape (for a short time every day) from the stress of doing other things.
Here is my 25 year killie:
View attachment 328924

I'm definitely leaning more towards letting them breed now, since it seems so cool to be able to have the descendants of the fish I started with! Though I do have a question o: would I need to add in some fresh genetics every so often to keep the fish I have from inbreeding and becoming unhealthy? I would assume so, having done a lot of research on dog breeding and genetics a while back when that struck my fancy LOL but it would be interesting to hear what you did with your killies <3

Everyone's advice has been great so far. And as far as my two cents, if you want cool personalities corydoras are so much fun watching them patrol the tank and interact can be fun and they swim up the sides a lot for bottom feeders. I find them quite cute as well I have peppers and an albino right now, but the poor albino is lonely so I'm gonna try to trade him for another pepper as they are meant to be kept in groups. I will suggest both though as each has its cool traits. Another fish I have with lots of personality would be my dwarf gouramis (id suggest you only get one male, as they can be territorial). Every time I walk up the glass they greet me making little O's with their mouths like they are trying to talk to me. They will show off for a bit too swimming around all excited as if thinking that will make you want to feed them more. They are huge pigs and eat as much as you put in so id be careful of that but defiantly good eaters. They are relatives of your betta so I'm sure you'd already know a lot about them. Welcome to the hobby I am new myself but its really a great one and fishlore is such a great resource.

A couple of people have mentioned corys, so they seem to be pretty popular! I'll definitely check them out maybe I can start with platys and eventually add more to my tank? Depends on what size tank I can go with, though, since I definitely don't want to overcrowd anyone~ We have some gouramis at work but they're not the dwarf kind o: they're still pretty cool but they don't sell very well (for us at least, haha) so we've had the same three for over a year :'D but they're definitely cool looking and interesting to interact with!

Looks like you've gotten a lot of good advice already! Welcome to fishlore and I hope you enjoy the hobby

I will double down with the rest and say sand is the way to go. I know right now you don't want to do a community set up but that may change in a few weeks or months. With platies taking up the top of your tank, you'll want to fill it out wiht something on the bottom, like a ram or two, or corydoras, or kuhlI loaches for example. All of these fish are going to do much better on a sandy substrate than gravel.

As Namtab suggested, pool filter sand or play sand that can be found in most home depots or lowes or pool stores will be a great sand if you are looking for something natural. Black diamond at tractor supply is a great alternative if you want a black sand. Stay on top of your water changes for the first few months as these sands have silica and can contribute to algae blooms . Though I wouldn't worry about your plants. Many low light plants are water column feeders meaning they get their nutrients from the water as opposed to the roots/substrate. For those that are root feeders, root tabs are inexpensive and can be placed under them in the substrate. That saves you money from having to purchase expensive plant sand.

But welcome to the hobby. It's great! I noticed you are in TN. I'm also a volunteer state resident. Where abouts are you?

Hello, fellow Tennesseean! I'm on the eastern side of TN, in Knoxville~ Born and raised here, and wouldn't want to live anywhere else really, but I do wish the allergies weren't quite so bad LOL

Thank you for your suggestions! Knowing myself, I'll probably branch out into another type of fish (like the ones you mentioned) after I get the tank set up and add the platys (or whatever first fish I go for haha) and feel like i've gotten the hang of the bigger tank setup thing o: I'll take a look at home depot, since it's close by and my dad practically lives there, and see what kinds of sands they have~

I think everyone's covered most of everything already, but I have a couple things to say

If you do use sand, be sure to use root tabs if you have heavy root feeding plants, since sand is inert and has no nutrients. Some plant specific substrates are higher in trace nutrients but not macro nutrients, so root tabs aren't a bad idea for these either.

For plant information, I'll direct you over to tropica, they have excellent info on various plants and how to set up a planted tank. You can also check out ADA, they mostly sell products but their tanks are amazing and set the bar high for the planted hobby.

And of course you also have the plant forum on fishlore, I lurk there a lot along with people who really know their stuff about plants

Thank you for the website suggestion for the plants! I'll definitely check them out <3 and I'll be sure to drop by the plant forum on here and see what everyone else is talking about

I've gotten a lot of super great ideas from you guys, thank you so much! Everyone on here has been so great <3

 

Ok, so first advice is that you should go for the biggest aquarium you can, on that available space, since later on, you will want to upgrade. And that is really costly (new scape, more gravel, new filter, new light, more fish, etc).

Next, I would recommend that if you can afford it, go with one of those aquasoil type substrates. If not then use what ever you want (imo sand looks good) and try to go for a dark substrate if you don't want any of the fish poo to be seen. Oh and also if you get something like regular gravel or sand, then look into buying some root tabs.

As of filters, always go for something that gives you 5-10 times turn over rate of your filter (so lets say your tank is a 10g, then you would need a filter with 50-100gph).

As for fish, if you want to get livebearers, then I would recommend some endlers, they are small and they look beautiful.

 

You've gotten a lot of great advice already. I've had platies for years in low light planted tanks and they are great, easy community fish. I have had them in a 20L and in 29 gallon and there are advantages to both. Plants sometimes grow better in a 20l because it's a lower tank and the light reaches the bottom easier. However the 29 gallon (exact same footprint as the 20L) has a greater water volume and more swimming space.

Low light plants will grow fine in a sand (add root tabs for root feeders) and I think it's the easiest to keep clean and is one of the least expensive substrates. Just rinse it really really well.

One last caution: This hobby can be addicting

 

You've gotten a lot of great advice already. I've had platies for years in low light planted tanks and they are great, easy community fish. I have had them in a 20L and in 29 gallon and there are advantages to both. Plants sometimes grow better in a 20l because it's a lower tank and the light reaches the bottom easier. However the 29 gallon (exact same footprint as the 20L) has a greater water volume and more swimming space.

Low light plants will grow fine in a sand (add root tabs for root feeders) and I think it's the easiest to keep clean and is one of the least expensive substrates. Just rinse it really really well.

One last caution: This hobby can be addicting

YYYEEESSSS, I got 2 tanks since the start of the year and upgraded one. I only started this year xD

 

Not sure if somebody answered this already but I would go with sand, I am assuming you will be doing a low tech tank (low light, no co2) otherwise you would want to get a nutrient rich substrate like potting soil. Also, imo sand is a lot easier to clean as the waste sits on top of the sand, rather than slipping between the spaces in the gravel.

I think most people here really like Black Diamond blasting sand for black sand, and pool filter sand for white.

Good low tech plants would be Anacharis, java fern, anubias, hornwort (I think its pretty easy?) And any floating plant such as water lettuce, frogbit, duckweed, etc.

Please do not consider Aquarium soil especially if you're a first timer and are not considering a serious planted tank. For experiment, I tried ADA soil and put some plants, a heater and plant LED lamps. The soil when disturbed creates a lot of dust and settles down to the plant leaves and stays there permanently hence the once beautiful plants have become all brownish and ugly. I tried to change water since I noticed some dozen wriggling worms on the glass surface. Initially I planted the carpet grass with just sufficient dampness keeping it covered to allow the roots to bed and covered it up with glad wrapping to retain moisture. Didn't grow too well so I brought up the water level to the top which disturbed the soil and it was all cloudy for days. Also I couldn't keep any fish in there whilst the process was going on to stabilize and grow the plants. I would not encourage anyone to do soil as firstly cleaning the aquarium by siphoning water out and replacing it creates a dust cloud. For me it's never again!

By contrast the Diamond black quartz gravel I used with my shrimp and planted tank works wonderfully. Just add some root tabs to the soil if you have Crips plants they do very well. Before the gravel is put in wash thoroughly and this is all fine. Even if you add water the dust clouds from gravel isn't similar to the soil substrate when disturbed. The dust settles quickly. ADA soil can't be thoroughly washed as in Diamond Quartz sand so part of the reason why the dust cloud is intense from soil. Diamond Quartz sand is inert.

 

If you want a higher gallonage. You can take the footprint and get a taller tank in the same footprint. You could add another layer to the tank by adding semI aquatic plants like Pothos. I use sand in all my tanks. I always recommend Livebearers. You get to watch your fish breed and have children and their children grow up. If you are thinking a twenty gallon long a 29 gallon has the same footprint. If you want a smaller tank and Livebearers. A 10 gallon can have a whole colony of Least Killifish.