It all happened so fast! What can I say. My wife and I were explaining to my 4 year old daughter why we can't have a dog in our apartment when it occurred to us that we could probably handle an aquarium instead. As usual with any new hobby, I immersed myself in reading online until I felt I had read just about every beginner tutorial out there and then we bought a tank. We just got our 29 gallon freshwater tank filled and treated, added a little bottled bacteria, and are waiting for the infamous cycle. Meanwhile, I will be happily playing with our test kit and trying to select our first fish.

I'll try to post more later, but just wanted to pop in and say hi. I hope this can be a good place to share stories and hopefully get some good advice to help me avoid common beginner mistakes.

Thanks,
Tim

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Doc

Dr Hank's 200 gallon Reef Tank
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f46/drhanks-tank-3440.html

Welcome and thanks for joining us and thanks for doing this the right and patient way. I also want to thank you for getting your daughter into a hobby that can be a lifelong love for her. And a wonderful hobby that your family can enjoy together. The love of fish and the atmosphere they can lend to a home is a wonderful thing. I do have to give you a warning though. There is a disease called MTS that is associated with the fish keeping hobby. It develops soon after you begin loving the fish you have and start to find there are fish you cannot add to your tank... the initials stand for Multiple Tank Syndrome....LOL. Soon tanks start sprouting up everywhere and you find yourself totally immersed in the hobby and love of the aquatic. Enjoy your new hobby.

Rose

what do you think to keep in you 20 gallon tank?after complete the cycling process you may add neon or cardinal tetras,danio,clown loach,red tail shark,cory etc...and are you interested to keep a planted tank?

I, too, must warn you about MTS! It happens before you even realize what is going on!

Have fun with the tank, the fish selection should be really fun for you and your family. We've enjoyed it so very much!

Hello and welcome

Welcome to the site!
Would would be the most puppy-like fish, the Oscar Cichlid, which needs a big tank(29gallon is considered minimum, but 50% of oscars out-grow that size and need to be moved to a 55 or even a 75 gallon tank. if not, Bettas, Platies, Molliensia "Mollies", and Corydoras "Cory" catfish are also personable and easy to keep. But keep in mind-
1.Bettas have extremely variable personalities, so it may not be a good idea to keep them in a community tank.
2.Both platies and mollies could easily overpopulate the tank, so keep a school of just females.
3.Cories will need somewhat specialized food and need to be kept in groups of at least 6.
another cool thing is this:
Aquarium Décor: R2 Fish School Complete Fish Training System
it works for every of above fish(except cories), as well as oscars and goldfish(to small of a tank for golds as well)

other cool fish include the previously mentioned tetras and danios, as well as otociclus "oto" catfish(no plecos!), gouramis, other livebearers, tiger and gold barbs, but no Loachs or any fish labelled as "________Shark"!

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I'm so sorry I haven't been on the forum in so long! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten this lovely website! I moved to a different county back in May 2011 and started high school in a totally different school district. So I'm still adjusting and studying hard, and don't presently have any aquariums. But once I do, I'll be right back on this forum!

To our friendly site. X3 on the mts. it can catch up with you rather quickly.

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SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!!
220 Tank build
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

Thanks for the very warm welcome guys!

I just corrected a typo, we actually got a 29 gallon tank, not a 20. We were planning on getting a 20 gallon, but we had a nice wooden stand that used to house our TV and when I took the measurements, the 29 gallon was a perfect fit. I may come to regret the snug fit when doing anything other than routine maintenance, but it was hard to pass up. Of course, hearing about how heavy tanks are, I made sure to reinforce the stand with a little extra strategically placed lumber. I'm no carpenter, but so far, we;ve made it 3 nights with no sign of problems in the stand.

Once concern I do have however, maybe you guys can help with. I noticed the glass itself on the front pane of the aquarium is a little bowed out at the top, maybe about a quarter inch. Is that normal? It's got me a bit worried.

As for what's going in the tank, I'd like to start simple and work my way up. We're starting with plastic plants and some hardy fish. I'd like to avoid breeding, because I'm definitely not ready to handle spawn, and I don't like the idea of all the little eggs getting eaten! I have heard that some plants are pretty easy to handle though, so I may add some real ones once I get comfortable with what I have.

I'm still researching fish, but I'm thinking along te lines of a small school of either zebra danios or cherry barbs along with two or three Cory Cats and maybe a Dwarf Gourami or two. Of course, I'd only be adding a couple at a time to keep my bio filtration balanced.

MTS huh, I can see how that would happen. Hopefully, one tank will last me for the next year or two until we purchase a house. But then I guess the sky's the limit, err maybe floorspace.