Just setup my tank, am I doing anything wrong?

[firteen888]

Hey all,

I'm brand new to the world of fish/aquariums. Last week I purchased and setup a new 29 gallon tank. After doing some research on these forums, I realized the initial setup of an aquarium isn't as simple as I thought it was. I'm currently cycling my tank (fish-less cycle using ammonia) but I want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly. While I'm anxious to go get fish, I want to make sure I'm offering my fish the best possible home that I can.

I took a quick video of my tank and posted it to youtube here YouTube - Is this air stone too strong? . I'm wondering if you guys can take a quick look at the video and let me know if it looks like I may be doing anything wrong. My main concern is the airstone I have setup. I'm concered that it could be too strong for the fish. As you can see in the video, it causes lots of movement on the surface, which I'm not sure is OK or not.

Basically, any advice/critique you guys can give me regarding my setup would be great. I'm a complete noob and just want to offer the best for the fish.

Thanks in advance!

 

[fort384]

Moved to fw getting started.

Welcome to AA!

 

[allaboutfish]

no there's othing wrong and the airstone should be perfectly fine but depends on the fish a betta would have a hard time in those bubbles so if you've got a stockinglist could you post it?

 

[Bettababe1011]

no there's othing wrong and the airstone should be perfectly fine but depends on the fish a betta would have a hard time in those bubbles so if you've got a stockinglist could you post it?

No necessarily. A lot of peoples bettas swim through the current for fun. It's not as uncommon as you might think.

 

[firteen888]

Thanks for the post, glad to know the airstone is fine. One other question about it....when I put food in the tank, do I need to turn the airstone off? I'm not sure if the food would be pushed down due to the bubbles.

so if you've got a stockinglist could you post it?

I don't plan on putting a betta in the tank, but honestly I have no idea what to put in since I'm not familiar with fish much at all. I'd love to hear your stocking recommendations. Do you think an African Dwarf Frog (or two) would be happy in this tank? I'd love to have a few of those.

 

[Bettababe1011]

In a species only tank you could definitely have a few of those. Not sure on exact numbers though.

 

[allaboutfish]

not neccasarally it'll fall eventually and the fish will get it if you do adf's you need the pellets for them so they'll sink and you'll have to make sure they get fed but yea theyd be happy you can do one adf for every 1 gallon of water (supposively i wouldnt do it though) i actually plan on getting some myself for my 10 gallon

 

[firteen888]

Thanks all! Like I said, I just started the cycling process on Friday so I've been testing every other day (ammonia is still around 4-5 PPM. Hope it's normal that it hasn't yet gone down) anyway, I've been testing using a kit I bought that came with test strips. The only problem is I can only test 4 times before running out of test strips. Can someone recommend a decent testing kit that would allow me to test (ammonia / nitrites / nitrates) whenever I want without having to worry about running out? Anything they would sell at Petco that I can pick up?

 

[nohika]

That's an easy one. The API Freshwater Master Kit! You get to play mad scientist. It's a little expensive (30-ish) but worth every bit.

 

[allaboutfish]

it's actually 25 just sayin hahaha

 

[Bettababe1011]

it's actually 25 just sayin hahaha

Not at my store. It was thirty bucks at my lfs.

 

[nohika]

Not at my store. It was thirty bucks at my lfs.

I paid 31.99 + tax. So...that's what I was going off on, since I got it at PETCO and that's where they were going.

 

[Homedog98]

32 at mine... But it's worth every penny! And just checking... What are the ingredients on the back of the ammonia bottle?

 

[firteen888]

You guys are great! Thank you all.

 

[firteen888]

What are the ingredients on the back of the ammonia bottle?

I did my research on this, haha. I made sure I got the right stuff (Janitorial strength stuff from Ace Hardware)

 

[allaboutfish]

online it's cheaper plus you get this free 7 day feeder thing

 

[Homedog98]

I did my research on this, haha. I made sure I got the right stuff (Janitorial strength stuff from Ace Hardware)

Good job! So no surfactants and junk?

 

[firteen888]

Good job! So no surfactants and junk?

Nope, I made sure of it

online it's cheaper plus you get this free 7 day feeder thing

just bought it online, thank you! This kit will allow me to test daily without having to worry about running out right?

 

[nohika]

Yup. It has like 800 tests.

 

[allaboutfish]

your welcome glad i could help