New beginner

[HeMan]

Hello pals,

This is my 1st post here and totally new in fish keeping.

I just started this hobby last week, bought a 6 gallon small tank, a pack of 4kg
Soil, airpump is build inside the tank plus the sponge filter, and a drift wood for decoration purpose.

I have been cycling my tank for a week. I decide to keep shrimps and some fishes
I still dont know what fish to start 1st or shrimps in 1st
My question are:

1)can i buy those normal shrimps that are food for big fishes to try out ?
2)can i put in some plants like hornworts (i read that these plant are able to live without CO2, is it true?
3)what fish to start would be ideal?
4) do i really need a ph reader or thermometer in the tank?

Sorry for my grammer

Hope to hear some advice
Thank you very much

[edw7636]

Hornworts is ok as long there is light. Can be use as floating or planted. Up to you. No co2 needed but if you want to see fast growth. Co2 and fertilizer are mostly needed but not necessary. Fast growth I mean within a day you can see 2 new shoots of leaves spouting out. It's that fast.

New fish always research their max adult size and the condition that will fit in with shrimps. Do not overstock or anticipate cycling process.

Once cycling process is done. Add in livestock slowly as in once per week or more. This enable the bb to adjust to the bio load.

As for whether shrimp go in first or fish depends on the difficulties you want to tackle. Fish is easier and much tolerant then shrimp.

Get the stuff right from the very start to avoid frustration that can happen over a few months later. Do a read up on nitrogen cycle. Once you truly understand the cycling process. You will be able to troubleshoot problems later on. On specify species and shrimp. Better to consult the expert on the respective forum section.

[AquaObsession]

Go with either fish or shrimps.

[HeMan]

Thanks for the replies, i am using LEO tank bundles with pump, filter and led light.

Yesterday i use tetra ph test kit , my water reads yellow(5 ph) which cycle since last week with drift wood and
substrate(a japanese brand with chinese wording 水草)

I did the same test on my the other goldfish tank also reads 5ph
Then i do another test on tap water(7.5) and water 1 day overnight(7.5)

Do you guys know how come the water ph is so low 5
Can ferns, hornwort or moss or shrimps survive in there?

[stormhawk]

It reads pH 5 because of the soil you are using. Feeder shrimp will not survive in your tank because they prefer alkaline water with pH above 7. Get nitrite, ammonia and nitrate test kits. When your ammonia and nitrite are at zero, your tank should be safe for fish or shrimps. I would advise you to read the stickies or do some searching on Google on suitable shrimp/fish for the pH your tank is at. The way I see it, at pH 5 you can probably keep some Boraras species aka pygmy rasboras. Only thing is that at that pH, some plants will not survive. You can try Cryptocoryne species though. Hornwort will grow without CO2 as long as the tank has a source of nitrate, but may not do well at that pH. Likewise for mosses or ferns.

You don't need a pH probe in the tank since the soil will continuously buffer the pH. What soil are you using by the way? Regarding the thermometer, it will be a good investment. Shrimps in general prefer lower temperatures around 24-26 deg C depending on what you intend to keep. If your tank is constantly covered with a hood, the temperature will easily shoot up to 31-32 deg Celsius. Given the size of the tank, water parameters will be of utmost importance. Smaller tanks are less forgiving on water conditions because of the lower volume of water. Any swing, especially an ammonia spike due to overcrowding of fish or shrimp, can kill them.

[HeMan]

Hi stormhawk thanks for the advice.

Im using a japanese wording with chinese words水草菅 infront its in a green bag comes
In 4 or 2kg , the LFS at jalan kayu recommend me if i want to have plant

By the my other BARE goldfish tank also read 5ph ???

Anyone able to recommend me a cheap all in 1 tester for ph nitrite ammonia etc and where to buy?

Thanks alot

[sateman]

I bought API test kit at C328 for $53. It has Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH all in one. Very useful. But I read in this forum that the SERA one is easier to decipher as the colours are more distinguishable

[HeMan]

Thanks fot that information sateman

My tank is now on 8 days cycling, will need to know if i can
start to plant some ferns / moss or hornworts into the soil or
tie them onto the driftwood? I do not want to disturb the soil much
so how do you bros plant when theres water in it? Soak in the whole hands or
use some tools?

Thanks

[AquaObsession]

May I ask why you bother so much with testing the water? Just asking, not intend to flame here

[takaco]

Start with beginner fish

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/a...cfm?c=830+2855

[HeMan]

Hi aquaobsession
im concern about the ph level cause shrimp cant survive such a low ph right?

[stormhawk]

In the bare goldfish tank, the drop in pH is perplexing though. It could be your filter media, or the water you are using is RO water or distilled water. In such cases, pH drop is apparent. Sometimes, if your test kit is past the expiry date, the reagent may not work right.

[HeMan]

Just to check if anyone knows any other ways to lower
down my tank temperature.

My tank in the living room and my living room windows
are facing the west sun so usually my house is very hot
in the afternoon.

Other than getting a chiller or on the aircon, what other
options can be done to lower the temperature?

I know a way is ti put a fan blowing above the water.

Does having plants in tank lower the temperature?

My tank water temperature is usually 28.7c at night,
afternoon i have not test i think will be higher.

Last thing i would like to know is it due to the pump that
is inside the water that causes the temperature to raise ?

Thank you very much for replying 

[wongce]

Using a fan will help to drop the around 1-2 deg from
Ambient temperature...you can get those fan from LFS, check for DC ones which is normally less noisy...but note AC ones works great and powerful..

For test kits,I don't think you need full range of test kit for now..skip those strip type as they r not very accurate...for cycling you need ammonia,nitrite,nitrate test kit to check whether the nitrogen cycle is completed...google about nitrogen cycle to learn more. However,There are a lot of commandos who dont even use test kits and keep hardy fish after 1-2 week of cycling(old days style)...not recomended for everyone..but it works for me...lol

For fauna,I think you are beginner in this hobby and never keep fish/shrimp before right?? I would suggest you keep guppy/platy first to get a feel of the hobby... Once you are more Confident and you want to venture into shrimp,the best bet is cherry,Yamato range...they are good as cleaners of the tank...

For flora,I would suggest java fern,moss,nanas,hornwarts...these plants are great for beginners...hardy as long you have sufficient lights and fauna to provide poo as nutrient...

Do note you need minimum anti chlorine for neutralizing chlorine in the tap water... A lot of beginners did not know this crutial step and this caused a lot of casualties... There is no need to buy those fancy conditioners although they might be better... For me, Those 1 dollar anti chlorine works like a charm as long you dose according to directions..

Recomended reading: nitrogen cycle, books and articles from Tom Barr & diana walstad...Past forum post in aq

Lastly,happy fish keeping and welcome to the hobby...

[HeMan]

wow, wongce...your explaination is clear , i roughly have an idea now, thanks for the valuable advice.

[HeMan]

I already set up my tank with a java moss ball , some ferns tied
to the driftwood , 2 harlequin and 2 otos to start the
tank.
Now comes the critical part is the temperature.
I covered my tank with a flat piece of glass but did left some gaps
for air to run through. The temperature was 29.4c omg......

Anyone knows what is a best brand or type of fan i could buy to bring
the temperature down at least 3 to 4 degree , i dont mind noisy as
long as can solve the issue.

Pls do not recommend chiller.
Thanks

[wongce]

Don't buy dymax fan...adapter easily overheat and breakdown..especially those bigger versions,my adapter died within 11 days of usage..sigh...

Mr aqua,kotobuki are excellent choice althought might be a bit pricey s$37-60,I am using kotobuki, quite ok.. Manage to bring down about 2-3 degrees... However you can always DIY from a computer fan with a dc adapter if you want...

Due to safety reasons, try to avoid ac fan...reasons:you will get the shock o you life if you accidentally drop a moving fan into the tank with your hands IN the tank...lol...just a safety precaution...

Java moss ball??? Do you mean Marimo?? They are algae not moss...hehe

Oto are sensitive to ammonia,thus not a good idea to introduce into tank such a early stage. Furthermore,they are algae eaters..i doubt your tank will have any algae or bacteria film at the moment..

We normally don't cover our tank as planted tank's lights will heat up the water quite fast...if possible,no cover is best or try to leave a bigger gap for natural ventilation.

[HeMan]

Thanks wongce, noted .

I tried not to cover the tank but one of my harlequin MIA already
i suspect it jump out of the tank ( suicided) sigh.......

[cs1]

Please show us some photos