[mickmac]

Just joined here and looking forward to being and learning here. I just bought a used 17 gallon rimless tank (ADA 60-P) and my head is swimming from trying to figure out filtration, lighting, etc. My goal is to come up with a low tech set-up that is relatively simple/easy to successfully maintain with plants and ultimately a school or two of tiny fish. I have had FW and marine tanks in the past, but not for a long time so I’m excited to learn about new and improved methods and equipment. Thanks for having me here.

 

[NotThePainter]

Welcome! Keep on reading. I guess what is first is to figure out what you want to do, and that's hard!

 

[Griznatch]

Hello,
yeah, it can be overwhelming. Ive' had aquariums since grade school, and things have changed a lot. I went over 10 years before getting back in to this hobby, and got overloaded trying to catch up.

Sounds like you have an idea of what you want, that's half the battle. The fauna might determine what type of plants and set-up you end up with. I read a statement, on here I think, where someone said - do you want a planted tank with fish, or a fish tank with plants. You can definitely have both, but it helps if they are close to the same requirements. The more forgiving the plants and critters are, the more room you have for trial and error.

I'm impressed every time I get on these forums, by the knowledge and experience I read on here.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[Roboto]

Welcome!
After getting pretty deep into things this year using canister filters, HOB (hang on back) and sponge filters my go to are the Aquaclear HOB's for anything 20G or less.
The way they're designed allows you to change one set of filter media at a time so that you don't lose your cycle and HOB's are easier to maintain than a canister.

My suggestion is figure out what's most important to you, fish, plants, shrimp and choose what intrigues you most and build from there.
My most recent tank I wanted chili rasboras. I always keep shrimp in my tanks so I researched what shrimp would do best in the water type that chili rasboras would thrive in. I like "breeding friendly" tanks and water parameters play a large role in that so I made sure to set up the tank accordingly and also keep a pre-filter sponge on the intake of my filter to not suck up fry.

That's my recommendation, start with the highest priority thing to you personally and build from there. There are very knowledgeable people here who will guide you and hopefully steer you clear from some traps.