75 Gal decorated & filled up(wadayathink?)

[Fresh808]

www.photobucket.com/smbolter
If you'd like, take a look and tell me what you think of my 75 gal set up.
Havent put any fish yet. Just finished it at about 4pm and had to catch some zzz's for work qt 10pm...
What's my best option to cycle the tank now. A couple gold fish, my pleco, barrow two of my brother in laws koi???
LMK

 

[Marconis]

All I see in there is a nice car.

Don't use those fish to cycle the tank. Read up on the fishless cycle and go from there.

 

[Fresh808]

Gonna add fish today. Ran outa time yesterday. Work the graveyard shift. Once you get to the cars, if you look around on the right side, there's a little icon labeled Aquarium. Click on it.
Scott

 

[BigJim]

+1 on the fishless cycle. Read the links in my signature for further information. It's faster and less work than cycling with fish.

 

[straick]

Another +1 for the fishless cycle. Haven't had to truly change the water(unless you count a mistake on my part) the whole time, whereas with a fish cycle, you'll be having to carefully monitor and change water.
I do like your cat fish though. One of the cats at my parents place thinks it's a fish every summer. He just loves to jump in the pool(usually when going after a bug), only to then remember that it's wet. At least he's better at swimming now than when he first jumped in.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Gonna add fish today. Ran outa time yesterday. Work the graveyard shift. Once you get to the cars, if you look around on the right side, there's a little icon labeled Aquarium. Click on it.
Scott

+1 for fishless cycling.

If you missed it and got fish today, then search cycling with fish.

Sent from my Epic 4G using Aquarium

 

[Fresh808]

The only fish I planned to really add were my convicts/one oscar/one large pleco that are in the smaller tank right now, but I have to get the glass covers first. Don't need no kamikaze fish that think they can fly.

 

[Fresh808]

I have some gravel in my smaller tank (30 gal) that's full of what I call junk and debris and the plastic plants are somewhat coated with algae or??? I read that I can take some gravel in a stocking and place it in my new tank along with the plants and that will help seed the bacteria. Is this the right direction to go?
All the used dirty rock and plants are being retired anyhow, so if those items can help speed up the process, great!

 

[Marconis]

In my opinion, the right direction to go is to cycle with a pure ammonia source and absolutely no fish. Right now I am cycling my new 10g with fish and plants, but it was completely unintended.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

I have some gravel in my smaller tank (30 gal) that's full of what I call junk and debris and the plastic plants are somewhat coated with algae or??? I read that I can take some gravel in a stocking and place it in my new tank along with the plants and that will help seed the bacteria. Is this the right direction to go?
All the used dirty rock and plants are being retired anyhow, so if those items can help speed up the process, great!

Here's something to consider:

What size tank are they in now and is that tank gonna be retired/empty? If so move filter, gravel, water and decco over with them and you're instantly cycled. Worked great for me when I traded up on my main DT.

I had some treated water ready, added it to fill to the top and never had an issue. If you've got a new filter for the bigger tank, run it with your old one and it'll get seeded in a week or so (mine took 3 days).

Just test your water a lot and be ready for any spikes. I never saw any, but every system is different.

Sent from my Epic 4G using Aquarium

 

[Fresh808]

I already have new substrate(black caribsea sand) along with African root and new filter. Canister this time. My 30 gal is a eclipse so I can't use the filter on the new tank. It's all built in to the hood, but I can and have transferred the plastic plants over and will put a bunch of the rock in a nylon stocking to transfer the bacteria over. Seems weird at first to move all this dirty crap over,but it also makes sense.
I just noticed when I woke up last night before I left for work that my tank has a cloudy haze to it now. How long after the new filter has been running should I wait before the first cleaning?
At work and brain dead now. 2:00am and counting the hours and minutes till 6am!!!
Hope the water has cleared up a bit, but if it's still hazy, is that just part of a new tank going through it's cycle?
Scott

 

[Marconis]

Probably from the substrate.

Please read the articles on this site about fishless cycling and cycling with fish. Half of your questions can be answered in those.

 

[Fresh808]

Thanks!
FYI...
PH is 7.5-8.0
Alk 75-80
Hardness 120
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
I placed 2 red tailed black sharks in that I adopted and they are loving life in there. T least it appears so.
BTW, what's up with these sharks. Can someone share a little bit or a lot about these fish?
They are digging for gold behind one of the roots and I put my lg pleco in there and they all seem to b buddies now.
One red tail is about 4" and the other is about 3". My pleco is about 8".
Any info on these RT black sharks would be great!!!
Aloha,
Scott

 

[Marconis]

And what is your ammonia?

 

[Fresh808]

Just checked the ammonia with a AP test kit and the ammonia is between .025-.050 ppm
Scott

 

[Jason7894561230]

Sweet car! and tank

 

[Fresh808]

Sweet car! and tank

Thanks Jason!
Aloha...

 

[Fresh808]

I just want to say that I can't believe how quiet the RENA XP3 filter is!
I open the cabinet and expect to hear something and wonder if the filter is even on, but when I place my hand on it I can feel a very slight vibration from the motor, but that's it.
I just hope that I have the media arranged correctly. How do some of you have your canister media arranged from bottom to top or top to bottom?
Where should the specific types of media be placed in what order.
I bought some biomax and the filter came with something that looks like white scouring pads and the charcoal media. What order does it work best?
Scott