Getting a new 44 gallon tank

[fishgirl30]

Hi everyone, I am getting a new tank this next weekend, its going to be a corner tank, 44 gallon. I am SO excited! Have never had a tank this big before. I was wondering, I am somewhat new to fish keeping, and heard you are supposed to let a new tank 'condition' for awhile. How long do you do this? Can't you just put in water conditioner in it? And, if I do need to let it condition for awhile, can I put in plants? Any thing else you might suggest would be awesome. Thanks so much!

 

[jsoong]

There are 2 parts to the "conditioning" thing.

First, you have to make sure there is nothing bad in the tank left over from maunfacturing, or contamination from store, etc. Brand new silicone gives off acetatic acid (& other bad stuff), & you are supposed to air out newly made tanks before use. However, I expect that having the tank sit in the warehouse, store, etc., there would be plenty of time for that to happen. Next you need to really clean out the tank. Some people use bleach (10:1), other use salt (brine). Just clean everythign well, and rinse & rinse after. & if you use bleach, then you have to use dechlor to get out the bleach after last rinse.

Next, have everthing set up (water, filters, etc), and run the tank for a day or 2. This is just to verify that everthign works properly, and there is no leak.

After that, you can start cycling. There is a myth floating around that you can cycle by just running an empty tank for a week or 2. This is not true. To cycle a tank, you need a source of nitrogen. So you need to either add cycling fish or ammonia (for fishless). You prob. know all about cycling if you had a tank before. If not then I suggest reading the KRIB FAQ. here:

http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin.html

 

[PlatyLady]

Congrats on getting your new tank! A 44 gallon tank will be awesome, lucky you... What kind of fish are you getting?

Anyway, clean your tank and everything else you put in it really really really well - substrate (gravel), decorations, fake plants, filter, hoses, whatever. Just make sure everything is rinsed impeccably. I use salt to wash my stuff. If you feel you have to use some sort of commercial detergent, you will be in for another week of rinsing it off.

Water - You must dechlorinate your water! At most pet shops I've been to, they say to let your tank run for a week before adding fish. As jsoong already said, you have cycle with either ammonia or a fish, or you can use BioSpira and add it at the same time as adding your fish. There are some really knowledgeable cycling experts around here - if you have questions about it, they'll surely pop out!

As for plants, I use plastic and silk, so I can't help ya there.

Have fun with your new tank!

 

[fishgirl30]

Thanks, I am excited! But I think I have decided to go with a retangular bow front 46 gallon type. The man at my lfs said its better ariation in a bigger tank (open more on top than tall ones). Also, I would have to look at getting a different hood. The one they had there fit only small filters, and not the double bio wheel I am going to get. I have been reading many of the post about starting new aquariams, and have learned so much, but I do have some questions about cycling. I am going to get the bio-spira stuff, but my question is, after I get the water in, rock, plants decor all in place, and the dechlore in there, do I then go and by my fish I want and put the bio-spira in then, or do I wait a couple of weeks with one or two fish in there, then put the other fish in there and the bio-spira? I want to do everything right, and everyone is just so helpful.
I am not sure what fish I am going to get, I do know I want maybe 2 angels, some tetras, a plecostomus or maybe just some cories, so many beautiful fish out there, hard to decide! Anyone have suggestions on a good fish community? I do know about the 1 inch per gallon, so I wont go over that. Oh, and I am trying to decide if I should go with plasitc plants or with real ones. I wanted to go real, but my friends say its difficult and you have to have extra bright lights in your tank, and then the fish don't like that extra light. What to do....hmmm....thinking more on that one.
thanks again!

 

[Fruitbat]

fishgirl30...

I think the others have covered the 'conditioning' part pretty well so I'll address your question about plants. You CAN keep live plants in your aquarium, even with the standard light fixtures that usually go on them. HOWEVER...you need to make sure that you choose low-light plants.

A few possibilities would include:

Cryptocoryne species - Cryptocoryne is a genus that has plants with a wide variety of leaf shapes...from C. crispatula var. balansae and C. retrospiralis which have long, narrow leaves, to C. pontederiifolia and C. ciliata with broader leaves. They can all grow in light levels less than 1.0 watts per gallon though they don't need low light to thrive.

Anubias species are all very pretty plants which vary dramatically in size and leaf shape. They are the consummate low-light plant.

Microsorium species - the Java Fern and Bolbitis species are both true aquatic ferns and do well in low light.

Ceratophyllum species - often called Hornwort...these are 'stem plants' that thrive in lower light levels.

There are others....but don't resign yourself to artificial just because you're probably going to have a 'low light' tank.

 

[fishgirl30]

thanks for the excellent plant suggestions! I will be lookig into them this weekend. Well, I have my tank now. It is a 44gal bow front. I got a TV stand, short one, that should hold at least a 35in tv set. I hope this is ok. I have spent alot of $ on the tank and accesories. But anyways, I got the filter running, rocks and a decoration in there. No fish yet or plants, waiting for the water to heat up first. but I put in the bio spira stuff and the no chlore. Am I doing everything ok? I am going to get two danios for cycling tomorrow, and some plants as well. Thanks again!

 

[fishgirl30]

Oh, another question. Do I need to start doing tests now, or when I put the two danios in tomorrow? I am thinking of maybe getting a master test kit. Right now all I have is the quick strip test for amonia, just got that yesterday, and jungle five in one test strips. Are they accurate to use, or is the master kit better to get? Thanks again!

 

[An t-iasg]

Hi, Did you add the Bio-Spira bacteria already? That ideally should be added with your fish. I would get some fish in as soon as possible, so the bacteria doesn't die off. It needs the ammonia that the fish create to "eat".

I have found that the test kits with the test tubes and little reagent bottles (is "reagent" the right word? lol) are more accurate than the test strips. I would buy the master test kit instead of the strips. So when you're done with the strips, you may want to purchase the master kit. I would do the first test the day after you put the danios in the tank -- if there are no fish or live plants in there now, there will be no ammonia to test for.

 

[PlatyLady]

Water tests - yes, I agree that there should be no ammonia to test for. But you can go ahead and test pH and hardness. If you want, you can go ahead and test the other parameters, so you have a baseline of what they should look like and just check out your test in general. I know, I know - most people are pretty good about figuring out tests, but I liked playing with the test tubes and knowing I was doing it right. I'm a little paranoid about such things!

 

[LAGlocker]

I know what you mean there platylady. I tested my water like 2 times a day every day for the first month or so I have tanks set up. On some of them I still test daily, but thats just to check co2 and nitrates. Once a week I do ammonia and nitrites. I was fascinated with the test kits for a while though. I think I spent more on the reagents than Idid the test kit after a while.

 

[fishgirl30]

I am going to put in danios tomorrow. But it will be later in the evening. I don't have a car till then. I am getting my car fixed this sat. so that wont be a problem for much longer..YEAH! Should I take two neons or guppies out of my ten gallon and put in there? Although the temp right now is 70. But in another two hours I expect it will be 78 like I have it set at. I have to agree with platylady about the testing all the time. I am testing my ten gal everyother day, and with the master kit (I take it that they are liquid tests) I will be very fasinated myself! I am wierd that way. I like things like that..lol.