Fish advice

So,
Have always wanted to get a fresh tropical tank.
Never took the plunge tho !

This evening I was giving the following stuff by my brother in law.
He had been keeping some goldfish for the last few years.

I reckon this is a good place to cut my teeth with fish keeping.(well i do have some in the pond also )

Here's what I got .Sorry for the picture quality .


The tank.I think its 30/40L

And these few bits.


Now I'd like to make a proper go at this and I like to do things right.
So tell me.

I was thinking neon Tetras and similar sized fish.

What is an achievable goal with this set up?
I picture something like this as the end goal.But I'm under no illusions here folks !


And maybe someone could point me in the right direction for reading material before I get cracking?

Thanks in advance

lynchie

Read the sticky on cycling an aquarium so that you can familiarise yourself with the nitrogen cycle before even thinking of adding fish to your tank. This process can take a long time so don't expect to be adding fish this weekend unless you plan on doing the fish in cycle.

Thanks.
How does this sound.
I plan on getting some new substrate.
I like the look of sand and soil.
Will add some live plants and rocks/wood .
Then I was planning on setting it up and cycling it for a good while.I think it'll be several weeks after I start cycling the tank before I add fish.
Does this sound ok?
I'll order a test kit too.
What about that filter I have.the external one .is it up to the job?
Thanks

él statutorio

You're pretty much on the ball there already. Sounds like you've been doing your research.

I'm open to correction but if you want to do a planted tank (and your lighting is decent) you don't have to wait for the water to cycle before adding plants.

If you want to do it right, get it all set up with plants etc and leave it be for a few weeks. (I'd wait a month) then I'd add maybe 6 neons.

Hard to tell what the capacity is of the tank, maybe 60-ish liters? If it was just a planted tank and neons were all that's going in I'd put about 10/12 in there, max.

I haven't kept neons in years though, others might be more familiar with their requirements.

*edit* one final thing, if the tank has been empty for a while, might be no harm to stick it out in a shed and fill it there to check for leaks. If ti was me I'd reseal it too just to be sure.

Thanks él statutorio.
It is a 55L tank

Actually there's a question ,
The stock lamp is just a florescent tube.
it that going to enough light for plants?

I was thinking 12 neons too.
And the tank had some gold fish in it.They are now living the good life in my pond!

kylith

It depends on what plants you want. I have anubias and crinums growing fine with the bog standard tank lights. The tropica website is good for letting you know the requirements of various plants.

Just be aware if you're going for a sand-topped soil substrate that some fish will dig. My bloody, beloved, plec has ruined the look of my tank by digging all the substrate up and instead of a neat sand top it looks like a fecking river bottom. It's probably more authentic but it's not as pretty and it clogs the filter.

Polo_Mint

Your equipment looks fine. Don't do into aquascaping just yet. Soil and a few plants are fine. As its your first time a would go or guppies.male and female. Add some fake reeds in the corner of the tank and maybe an up side down plant pot

Your guppies will breed so you will always have a steady supply of fish in the tank

Thanks guys,
I like the Idea of Guppies!
I'm going to visit newlands this weekend for a look.
Is it best to buy soil/sand to use as substrate ?

Polo_Mint

Buy soil

You will need about 3 inches of soil.


Put the soil in a bucket and add treated water to just enough to soak it

Add soil to tank. Arrange plants in the soil.

Then get a plate and place in the tank.

Fill tank will water by always having the flow of the water hitting the plate. Thank me later for this idea lol

kylith

I used John Innes 3 with a fistful of bone meal in it, and capped it with JBL sansibar. Whatever you do don't use something with manure in it.