Beginner: Fish combo good?

[slick_jing]

I have just bought a used 25g tank!
What are your opinions on this combination of fish?

6 dwarf gouramis
6 neon tetras
4 hatchets

Also, I want to have some plans, but I have a 20watt incandescent lightbulb. Is it even possible? if so, what plants?

[darkdep]

Don't use incandecent...period.  Go buy some compact fluorescent spiral lights to screw in instead (I highly recommend the Philips Daylight bulbs that Home Depot has...They have 2-packs for a good price.

I'm new to plants too, so I can recommend what I've been able to keep alive:

Java Fern
Hygro
Amazon Sword
Crypts

[BigDaddy]

I'll answer the plant question.   :lol:

You definately do not have sufficient lighting for any plant... even the low light ones.

Incandescent lighting is very poor lighting for plant growth.

Are you sure it is an incandescent and not a fluorescent bulb?  It would seem to me that a 25 gallon would have a standard 20 W fluorescent bulb over it.

In that case, you could grow low light plants like anubias, java moss, java fern or some floating plants.

[mseguin]

If you can, I would maybe do 3-4 gouramis and a few more hatchets.

[slick_jing]

I have yet to cycle the tank....
Do I place the plants during the cycling? Also, of the fish I plan to have, which ones should I use to cycle the tank that are consisdered hardy? (and cheap to purchase if they ever die) Tetras? Gouramis?

Thanks

[Nelson]

I have yet to cycle the tank....
Do I place the plants during the cycling? Also, of the fish I plan to have, which ones should I use to cycle the tank that are consisdered hardy? (and cheap to purchase if they ever die) Tetras? Gouramis?

Thanks

You can buy Danios for .49 at PetSmart.  Very hearty fish.

[mseguin]

In ur selection there, neons would probably be the most hardy, but I still wouldnt recommend them for cycling. Danios like Nelson suggested would be perfect.

[Mettle]

I'd recommend the gouramis over the neons myself. Neons are not hardy by any means and shouldn't be classified as a beginner tetra. Zebra danios are an alright start to cycle the tank.

[luvfishies]

I'm just a bit worried that Hatchets and the Dwarf Gouramis are both topdwellers, and that male DGs are aggressive with each other.

I'd probably go with 2M 2F Dwarf gouramis, 5 Hatchets, a Bristlenose Pleco, some Cardinal Tetras, and some Lemon tetras. That would be a nice mix, and not overstocked.

NO fish are good for cycling. Even the danios suffer damage, eventually.

Try fishless cycling with ammonia in a bottle, instead, or asking someone here for some filter stuff. That way you can add some fish, and not worry about ammonia and nitrite, as long as you keep the fishload low.

Did the tank come with a hood/canopy? If so, does it take one long light, or do 2 lights SCREW IN? In this case, it's actually better if your hood takes 2 bulbs, as you can use the compact screw-in fluorescents, and grow some decent plants in there.

If it's one long tube, I'm afraid that you'll only ever be able to stick a 20w bulb in there, and no matter what you're told, a different KIND of bulb (aquaglo, plantgro, etc) will NOT make a difference.

[slick_jing]

Ammonia in a bottle? I'll look that up!
I have a canopy with 2 screw on bulbs....except, I dont think I will be able to fit 2 fluoresent bulbs in it! they're too big and seem to only fit the incandescent size bulb. What's the alternative?!

Screw the hatchets... i think Ill go rainbowfish. Thanks for your suggestion. I dont want my fish to die during cycling!

[luvfishies]

OK, you can fit the COMPACT SCREW in Fluorescents, they look like pigtails with a fat end where you screw the fixture in, or doubled up tubes, also with the fat ends.

You could fit 2 @ 25w of those, for 50w of light, and have a decent amount of low-med light plants in there.

FISHLESS CYCLING is awesome. It will take about a month without any seed material from a member here, but you will be able to tweak the decor during that time, and you'll certainly learn about water testing, as you do need to test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, so as to determine just where in the cycle you are, and when it's done.  You will be able to fully stock the tank when you're done a fishless cycle, which is an added bonus.

Here's a link to it: http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm

And another:  http://www.aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=31

Happy Cycling!