hello everyone

hi everyone my names martin from south wales in uk im just starting out with a tropical tank which is 48"x18x12 if anyone has any helpfull tips on which substrate soil,plants and fish to use would be very much gratefully recieved

many thanks martin p.s ive yet to upload a photo of myself

Hmmm, I see you have been here a month and have not yet been welcomed. I hope you are still hanging around. We would all appreciate your contribution to this site. Welcome!
As for your question, you have already likely stocked your tank. According to your dimensions it is approximately 45 gallons if your measurements are in inches. All I can say is that the one inch of fish per gallon rule is false. That only works on small fish like guppies. If you want fish like angelfish you need ten gallons per fish. If you want oscars you need at least 55 gallons per fish. It all depends on the temperament or the species and the size. Do your research. Find something you like, look it up and find out just what it needs to be happy in your aquarium. We here would be happy to help you with any issues that come up regarding your fishy friends.

First of all I would like to say HOWDY !!
I am new here to the forum too!!

I agree with Megham as far as the 1 inch per gallon fish rule..just not true. don't know who started that idea..but simply doesn't always apply.
As stated for instance...some fish are full bodied ..while other fish have slimmer bodies. A person wouldn't put a 10 inch Oscar in a 10 gallon tank !! It wouldn't even have room to turn around. Best thing to do before you go buy fish is like Megham said..do some research. See what fish are compatible with others. It also takes around a month before your tank is "cycled" ( zero ammonia, zero nitrites) to place fish in. Has it completed cycling? You have a few fish in there already?
It sounds like your tank is approx. 45- 55 US gallons..so you would be able to house around 8 -10 african cichlids...around 5-6 Angelfish.. and if you chose not to go with cichlids..you could place quite a few tropical fish such as tetras, mollies, platies, swords.
African cichlids prefer rocks, larger stones..as Angelfish have far different requirements.
Tropical fish can go with smaller gravel..or even a sand substrate.
Anyways...check out your Local Fish store..and see what you like. As far as compatibility..we all would be happy to help you out with any questions you might have. Sometimes people at the Petstore may tell you some fish will live happily with another..when in fact...they are just wanting to sell fish.
So...would be happy to help you out if we can.
Cheers!!
Diane

Welcome to the forum!

We'd love to see some pictures if you have your tank up?