Setting up Aquariums

HI all!

My name is Steph, I've had fish in the past but its been a few years. My tank was in storage and I was busy doing other things. I recently got my tank back out and decided I'd like to have fish again!

I started doing some online research and quickly decided I actually wanted a bigger tank so I've got a new one on the way, set to be delivered in the next few days, and I'm really excited! BUT I want to make sure I do it right and make a great environment for my new aquatic friends!

The new tank is 70L (I think about 18 gallons) and has a filter and light built in. I'll be in the market for heaters/test kits/etc. soon too. I'm planning to run a freshwater tank and keeping it simple because I don't want to get too ambitious. I'm thinking of having harlequin rasboras, danios and maybe some kuhlI loaches. Although the interenet seems to think cory catfish would be better I really like the way the loaches look so I'd like to keep them if possible. I'm not set on anything yet though because I'd love to get more advice. Plus it will be a while before I put any fish in since I'll need to condition the water, cycle the tank and I want to put live plants in!

The plants I'm thinking of starting with are anubias (there's a lovely pet shop near me that sells them on driftwood), java moss and maybe an amazon sword or java fern. I haven't done too much research on plants yet, still working on it!

Any advice would be massively appreciated! There's A LOT of information online and I want to make sure I'm not interpretting things incorrectly.

Also! my older tank which is about 25L (6 gallons) is obviouslyy quite small but I'd love to have something in it. I was thinking of putting a betta in it and maybe a snail. The tank already has a little sponge filter that doesn't move the water too much as well. Do you think that could work? If not do you have any other suggestions?

I was also thinking of asking the fish expert at my local shop if I could have some substrate from an established tank to kickstart the nitrogen cycle in my new tanks, would that be a good idea? And I'd love to know more about air stones and if I should look into them?

Sorry for the wall of text! I'm excited to learn more and get my aquariums going! Thanks!

 

I can't give much advice on the bigger new tank, but as far as your 6 gallon, that would be perfect for a betta! I have my betta in a 5 gallon with some java ferns, a marimo ball, and an apple snail. Depending on the betta, a snail should be fine in a 6 gallon. Some bettas are more aggressive than others but all you can do is try and hope for the best. Bettas also love live plants to lay on and hide in. I would recommend java fern and anubias as they like to lay on the rounder leaves. Don't forget a heater for the tank though, as bettas need warm water at around 78F. Also, if your tank isn't heavily planted, you may need to supplement your snail with shrimp pellets or algae tabs. Have fun with your new tanks!

Another fun idea could be trying out a blackwater tank as it replicates a betta's natural environment. Look them up, they are really cool!

 

1. If you aren't sold on a betta for the small tank then neocaradina shrimp might be something to consider.
2. I'm a big fan of corys, but if you prefer loaches then that's what you should look into further. I don't know enough about them to help.
3. Rasboras and danios are good options. Tetras are another good beginner shoaling fish, and there are a wide variety of sizes and colors. I'd advise starting with a school (at least 6) of one variety first. You may decide you prefer a single large school instead of multiple small ones.
4. I believe all the plants you mentioned are good options. Water wisteria is another easy fast growing plant I like. Also, you may already know this, but you can put plants in your tank right away. You don't need to wait until it's cycled. In fact, they'll help by using up ammonia and nitrates.

Good luck, and be sure to keep us up to date on how it goes.

 

This is what my 6 gallon tank looks like at the moment! It's near a window but get very little light so I'll probably go for anubias to attach to the log thing or a moss ball of some sort to start off with! I haven't got all of my aquarium supplies out of storage yet so no filter or water conditioner in yet so still a long way to go! I think I'll put a betta and a snail in there eventually!

I've been doing some more looking in regards to fish in my 18g tank, there's some really cool looking tetras so I think I'll start with a school of some sort of those! In my searching I also started looking at platys and now I like those too haha. Too many to chose from!

 

Got my filter and water conditioner set up today and now running the filter! It's such a lovely looking tank in the evening sun. Would you recommend starting to cycle (by putting in some fish food) now or waiting until I have plants in and the test kit arrives?

I'm trying really hard to be patient but I want to get started!

Big tank is due to arrive tomorrow and I'm super excited!

 

got my heater in and starting to cycle the tank now! ammonia is barely detectable so probably a fairly long way to go. I've got some java moss attached to the tunnel thing in the middle now and other bits just floating around until I decide what to do with them I've set the heater to 28c while I cycle and then I'll probably bring it down to put fish in! Its gotten a little cloudy but I've read that could be the bacteria starting to grow! I moved the large artificial plant to keep it out of the way of the filter and heater, that corner was getting a bit crowded





Sorry about the glare on these pictures! This is my new/larger tank that's about 18 gallons. I've got the substrate in (I went with fluval stratum) and started up the filter and two heaters (they're smaller ones, it was cheaper to do that way and now I have a redundancy!) There's a little piece of java moss in there near the filter intake, I'm keeping an eye on it so it doesn't clog the filter. I'll probably attach it to a rock or piece of driftwood eventually once I sort out the layout. I have this tank set to 28c for now too but I'll probably be changing it soon because I'll be adding more plants. Hopefully this weekend!

Currently I'm planning to get some elodea (I think it's technically called egreria densa but its elodea around my area), some anubias on driftwood and maybe some pink baby tears. I'm going to do plants a little at a time because I don't want to overwhelm myself or the tank!

 

I planted the big aquarium! I'm so excited, it looks really nice! I didn't think I'd be able to make it look this nice on my first try. Once they plants get rooted in the substrate and fill out it'll be even better! I have a piece of driftwood to add as well but I'm not sure if I will because I don't want it to be too crowded, I'll see once I've cleaned it.

 

Nice looking tank.

I know you didn't mention a betta for the larger tank, but if you do go that route think about getting a shorter finned Betta, the height may prove a bit much otherwise.

 

I think the bigger tank is going to be a platy or molly as a show piece, 4-6 pygmy cories, and some tetras, yet to decide which kind, there's so many cool ones!

The smaller tank I'm thinking either 1 male betta and a mystery snail OR 3 female bettas! One of the people at my LPS has female bettas and really loves them so she's winning me over a bit haha.

The smaller tank has some live plants in it now too because I put extra bits and trimmed bits from the big tank in there. It's looking pretty nice but it's a bit more haphazard than the big tank since it's just got the extras.

I'm thinking of adding some corkscrew val in the bigger tank on the far right in the back but I won't be messing with it for a bit because I want to see how it looks as it grows

 

There are so many cool fish out there! I'm even thinking about some Daffodil or Dwarf Cockatoo Cichlids, maybe Glassfish. But... still have to figure out a bigger tank for them I think.

Fun to see the tanks everyones putting together!

 

Make sure no direct sunlight hits either tank - ours is by a window and we cover one side during the day. Algae loves sunlight!

 

Make sure no direct sunlight hits either tank - ours is by a window and we cover one side during the day. Algae loves sunlight!

Yeah my big tank is in front of a window but I have the blinds closed most of the time and it only gets indirect sunlight thankfully!

 

These are the pictures of the smaller tank with the off cuts and extras of the live plants! It doesn't look too bad and I'm glad I could do it, I think the fish will like it when they're in


Please excuse the paper towel and test tube hahah I was testing the water

 

Congrats on the new tank set ups. Looks like you're on the right track.

You mentioned wanting KhulI loaches. We keep those and they are some of our favorite fish. Very entertaining little creatures. From my own experience and from reading online, KhulI Loaches perfer to shoal together in packs of 6-8 minimum or more. They are relatively small and contribute to an overall small bio-load, so keeping 10-12 is not a problem in my opinion. The larger the group, the safer they feel and they will come out during the day. Mine are out all the time, day or nite. Having Khuli's as your only bottom dweller will be just fine.

If I can make some suggestions though for your consideration....

First consider how to integrate a temporary quarantine or hospital tank set up. If you add fish to the tank for the first time, this isn't really an issue to quarantine. Having to Quarantine fish comes into play when introducing new fish after that. Originally I used a 10 gallon tank for quarantine/hospital tank duties, but it became a regularly stocked tank of it's own.

My solution for a temporary quarantine/hospital tank was using the following: cheap small adjustable heater, a cycled sponge filter from another tank and a 5 gallon bucket. Any new fish went into the bucket with a sponge filter I pulled from another tank and I dropped in an adjustable 50w heater. New fish stayed in this set up for 10-14 days to ensure they didn't develop any visible signs of Ich. Water changes were easy. I would unplug the heater, pull the sponge filter out and then pour out half the water into a sink or bath tub. I would do 50% WC's every 3 days because they were easy to do. After quarantine, the little heater gets put up and the sponge filter goes back into the main tank if there was no signs of illness or Ich.

All of this makes for extra steps, work, time and effort when introducing new fish to tanks. In the long run, it prevents transmitting Ich or other parasites/illness to the entire tank of fish. If you do have to deal with Ich, ask the forum for recommendations.

My other suggestion is to consider painting the back of the glass with acrylic arts and crafts paint. For under $10, you can change the way your tanks look. Flat black or a darkish blue works well and in my opinion this type of DIY project is one of the most cost effective and easiest ways to transform the look of a tank.

Since the tanks are already filled with water and can't be moved, use some old newspapers and masking/painter's tape to mask off the table. I have found a small roller brush works best, along with about 3 light coats. I painted the back of a 4ft long 75 gallon tank while it was set up and running without any issues.

I suggest painting the black glass for 3 reasons. First, it will block the light coming in from the window behind the tank. Although natural sunlight would be good for plants, it may contribute to excess algae growth. It might not, but just something to consider.

Secondly, it's for aesthetic purposes. After I painted the back of our tanks black, it transformed the way they looked. Now we don't see the wires, air line tubes, filters, hoses etc etc. All of the equipment is blocked from view giving a cleaner presentation.

Finally, I have seen various sources state how having a background on the back glass will allow the fish to feel safer, because it's like a river bank or wall. The fish think it's a natural shelter and know a predator can't come from that direction. I'm not sure how true this is, but it makes sense to me.

 

My solution for a temporary quarantine/hospital tank was using the following: cheap small adjustable heater, a cycled sponge filter from another tank and a 5 gallon bucket. Any new fish went into the bucket with a sponge filter I pulled from another tank and I dropped in an adjustable 50w heater.

This is interesting to know, because I do not have another tank of any size. Do you use a top for the bucket and how much water to add? Just take a sponge out of cycled tank filter and drop it into the bucket?

Thanks.

 

Congrats on the new tank set ups. Looks like you're on the right track.

You mentioned wanting KhulI loaches. We keep those and they are some of our favorite fish. Very entertaining little creatures. From my own experience and from reading online, KhulI Loaches perfer to shoal together in packs of 6-8 minimum or more. They are relatively small and contribute to an overall small bio-load, so keeping 10-12 is not a problem in my opinion. The larger the group, the safer they feel and they will come out during the day. Mine are out all the time, day or nite. Having Khuli's as your only bottom dweller will be just fine.

If I can make some suggestions though for your consideration....

First consider how to integrate a temporary quarantine or hospital tank set up. If you add fish to the tank for the first time, this isn't really an issue to quarantine. Having to Quarantine fish comes into play when introducing new fish after that. Originally I used a 10 gallon tank for quarantine/hospital tank duties, but it became a regularly stocked tank of it's own.

My solution for a temporary quarantine/hospital tank was using the following: cheap small adjustable heater, a cycled sponge filter from another tank and a 5 gallon bucket. Any new fish went into the bucket with a sponge filter I pulled from another tank and I dropped in an adjustable 50w heater. New fish stayed in this set up for 10-14 days to ensure they didn't develop any visible signs of Ich. Water changes were easy. I would unplug the heater, pull the sponge filter out and then pour out half the water into a sink or bath tub. I would do 50% WC's every 3 days because they were easy to do. After quarantine, the little heater gets put up and the sponge filter goes back into the main tank if there was no signs of illness or Ich.

All of this makes for extra steps, work, time and effort when introducing new fish to tanks. In the long run, it prevents transmitting Ich or other parasites/illness to the entire tank of fish. If you do have to deal with Ich, ask the forum for recommendations.

My other suggestion is to consider painting the back of the glass with acrylic arts and crafts paint. For under $10, you can change the way your tanks look. Flat black or a darkish blue works well and in my opinion this type of DIY project is one of the most cost effective and easiest ways to transform the look of a tank.

Since the tanks are already filled with water and can't be moved, use some old newspapers and masking/painter's tape to mask off the table. I have found a small roller brush works best, along with about 3 light coats. I painted the back of a 4ft long 75 gallon tank while it was set up and running without any issues.

I suggest painting the black glass for 3 reasons. First, it will block the light coming in from the window behind the tank. Although natural sunlight would be good for plants, it may contribute to excess algae growth. It might not, but just something to consider.

Secondly, it's for aesthetic purposes. After I painted the back of our tanks black, it transformed the way they looked. Now we don't see the wires, air line tubes, filters, hoses etc etc. All of the equipment is blocked from view giving a cleaner presentation.

Finally, I have seen various sources state how having a background on the back glass will allow the fish to feel safer, because it's like a river bank or wall. The fish think it's a natural shelter and know a predator can't come from that direction. I'm not sure how true this is, but it makes sense to me.

Thanks for the info! I have some spare buckets and things that I can set up as quarintine, I use a quarintine system with my birds so I'm familiar with the technique!

I might actually get some black paper for the back of my tank to see if I like it and then paint! I think it'd be nice since I was already considering a background but I'm not a big fan of the fake riverbed/ocean look.

 

Update! Both my tanks are going well! I have some happy plants and happy fish!

My smaller tank has the betta in now, his name is Herschel. I want to get an anubias in there and add some of that golden vine type driftwood but I'm in no rush and he's happy



My bigger tank is going well too! I've added some gravel to help hold the plants down because they were floating up a lot. We've got a HEAP of new growth so I've been trimming them and replanting the off cuts to fill in the space! The molly is ignoring the pygmy cories which is great I'm planning to add a couple more cories and a school of Tetras at some point but no rush! Just going to get them when I have spare money (which might be a while). I named the molly Helios and the cories are vesta, pallas, bennu and ceres (after asteroids).



It's not a great photo because its sunny at the moment. I put some back cardboard on the back to keep sunlight out and give it a nicer background too which I like! And I've brought the pH up a bit with the crushed coral

If anyone has ideas about what kind of tetras I should get let me know! I can't decide haha.

 

I'm a big fan of Black phantom tetras, rummy nose and cardinals. I only have neons right now because I need the space for a dwarf cichlid later on.

 

Both tanks are looking great! I'm fairly new to aquariums myself but I do have Kuhlis and they're great. A couple of considerations if you're still planning on adding them:

I think 18gal is too small for a proper school of kuhlis, even more so if there's another bottom species like cories. I personally have 3 and while it's not optimal, they're doing ok and aren't excessively shy. If you can't go for a full school I think 3 are the very bare minimum. It's important that they have hiding spots too, so a patch of fine sand would do wonders. If not, several stones, small logs or other decorations raised about half an inch from the bottom of the tank by propping them against each other will be great for them.

 

I'm a big fan of Black phantom tetras, rummy nose and cardinals. I only have neons right now because I need the space for a dwarf cichlid later on.

I like the black phantoms too! My only problem would be their size, I want to be able to have a decent size school. I'm leaning towards king blue tetras, they're a nice colour and fairly little

 

I like the black phantoms too! My only problem would be their size, I want to be able to have a decent size school. I'm leaning towards king blue tetras, they're a nice colour and fairly little

Black neon tetras and serpae tetras are two of my favorites.