Hi! My 6yr old is setting up his new 25 gal, and we plan to ask you a million questions every step of the way. He's very excited. I'm a nervous wreck. We're heading out to buy pool filter sand. I read this is acceptable and he found one he likes the look of. He also found a piece of driftwood in the creek and wants to know if it is safe to add. I read that after boiling it should be fine. Please advise. Thanks so much! P.S. I have read about cycling. Have not decided fish in or fishless yet.
Getting started - sand & wood question
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Andrew McFadden
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Yep all you need to do is boil it and pick off any lose particles
Toad
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Read about cycling before you get any fish, and what kind of fish are you guys thinking of for this tank?
Also, make sure you rinse the sand really, really, really well before you put it in the tank.
Also, make sure you rinse the sand really, really, really well before you put it in the tank.
flitabout
Aquarium Advice Addict
The sand is a pain to wash but so worth saving the money! I love the way it looks in the tank!
It's a killer to wait while doing a fishless cycle, but it will save you a ton of work and headaches of constant water changes if you don't invest in a water changer.
I would do a bit more work on the dw before just adding the tank. First does it have any bark on it? If it does and it doesn't easily peel off, It needs weathered for most likely another year. Just toss it outside and leave it there till next Christmas. Next push your finger nail into the wood does it leave an impression or does it have give to it? If it does toss it and don't use it. You don't want any soft wood in your tank. No elm, maple, birch, or any type of evergreen woods unless they are 10+ years old. Soft woods have a tendency to leach a lot more than tannins which are safe and in fact the fish like. What fish don't like are the saps and other toxins that they are prone to leach in to your small enclosed glass box. Once you get past that then you have to look at processing the wood to make sure it's free from gunk and bugs!
1) scrub the wood to make sure you get rid of all of the dirt and lose bits of wood. Then you have a few choices on how to actually kill anything that may still reside in it.
a) boil it. Boiling may damage the fibers in the wood making it weak and it will break down faster in the tank. Pro it saturates the wood so it sinks better! Boil anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours. Then soak the wood in a separate bucket for no less than a month to make sure it doesn't rot and foul your tank. No reason to mess up your tank and have to break down the entire thing just because of dw that rotted in your tank. You'll know if it's bad because it will smell really bad! 50% of wild driftwood will rot if left in water like this. I find it's much easier to clean a 5 gallon bucket then one of my 37g tanks. This is the method I use. My last piece I soaked for almost 3 months.
b) Bake it at 250F for 6 hours. This keeps the integrity of the wood fibers intact but it dries it out so much that it take forever to get the dang things to sink. Still needs soaked for a month to make sure it doesn't foul the tank.
c) Soak in bleach water for a week then another few days in prime water. This may actually damage the wood fibers the most out of any of the methods. I also and again needs soaked for a month to see if it will rot and foul your tank.
These might take a long time but I have yet to be in the group of a people with a rotting stinking sludge infested tank with dead fish.
It's a killer to wait while doing a fishless cycle, but it will save you a ton of work and headaches of constant water changes if you don't invest in a water changer.
I would do a bit more work on the dw before just adding the tank. First does it have any bark on it? If it does and it doesn't easily peel off, It needs weathered for most likely another year. Just toss it outside and leave it there till next Christmas. Next push your finger nail into the wood does it leave an impression or does it have give to it? If it does toss it and don't use it. You don't want any soft wood in your tank. No elm, maple, birch, or any type of evergreen woods unless they are 10+ years old. Soft woods have a tendency to leach a lot more than tannins which are safe and in fact the fish like. What fish don't like are the saps and other toxins that they are prone to leach in to your small enclosed glass box. Once you get past that then you have to look at processing the wood to make sure it's free from gunk and bugs!
1) scrub the wood to make sure you get rid of all of the dirt and lose bits of wood. Then you have a few choices on how to actually kill anything that may still reside in it.
a) boil it. Boiling may damage the fibers in the wood making it weak and it will break down faster in the tank. Pro it saturates the wood so it sinks better! Boil anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours. Then soak the wood in a separate bucket for no less than a month to make sure it doesn't rot and foul your tank. No reason to mess up your tank and have to break down the entire thing just because of dw that rotted in your tank. You'll know if it's bad because it will smell really bad! 50% of wild driftwood will rot if left in water like this. I find it's much easier to clean a 5 gallon bucket then one of my 37g tanks. This is the method I use. My last piece I soaked for almost 3 months.
b) Bake it at 250F for 6 hours. This keeps the integrity of the wood fibers intact but it dries it out so much that it take forever to get the dang things to sink. Still needs soaked for a month to make sure it doesn't foul the tank.
c) Soak in bleach water for a week then another few days in prime water. This may actually damage the wood fibers the most out of any of the methods. I also and again needs soaked for a month to see if it will rot and foul your tank.
These might take a long time but I have yet to be in the group of a people with a rotting stinking sludge infested tank with dead fish.
flitabout
Aquarium Advice Addict
Oh and no clown loaches they get way to big for your tank! They need around a 100g tank. Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Clown Loach
Khuligirl93
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Yes definitely no clown loaches. They can grow almost 2 feet long. If you decide on an angel, I would only get 1 in that size tank. Same with the bristle nose pleco- they produce an enormous amount of waste for their size and can make a tank very dirty. Kuhlis are a great choice, but if you get them make sure you get at least 6 and have plenty of hiding places because they can be quite timid. I would also be weary of the barbs because they tend to be on the aggressive side and can nip fins of other fish. Corys are always a great choice, as well as livebearers. Dwarf gouramis are good too as long as you only keep one.
Toad
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If you're checking out angels, make sure your tank is at least 16 inches deep as they get quite tall.
As to the driftwood, if its barkless, weathered looking and doesn't seem flimsy to handle, I'd just boil it or bake it. If it leaks sap throw it out. Otherwise, you can glue it with pure silicone or screw it to a piece of slate and skip the soak to get it to sink.
As to the driftwood, if its barkless, weathered looking and doesn't seem flimsy to handle, I'd just boil it or bake it. If it leaks sap throw it out. Otherwise, you can glue it with pure silicone or screw it to a piece of slate and skip the soak to get it to sink.
MoxieIV
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I also wouldn't get tiger barbs with angels. The tigers tend to be very nippy.
I have pool filter sand in one of my tanks, it looks awesome. Rinse it good, your tank will be a little cloudy for a day or so after introducing it but it will clear up. Really looks good.
The driftwood just keep in a container with water for a few days or even weeks depending on whether it's leaking tannins or not, boiling it works by removing some of its tannins.
The driftwood just keep in a container with water for a few days or even weeks depending on whether it's leaking tannins or not, boiling it works by removing some of its tannins.
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