my new tank, time to begin

[Guest]

im finally ready to start my 35gallon tank,
i just went out and bought the final things i need, a hood/light and a filter.

1)))so now im ready to begin cycling, how should i go about doing this...i know what it is but my last two tanks i set up i didnt really cycle, i never lost fish but i figure i should do it right

2)))i want a planted angel tank, can i move my powder blue, and sparkling gouramis in with angels...also any one know a good angel site to list all the possilbe tankmates to i can see my options

thanks

 

[Devilishturtles]

First, get some bacteria from your already established tanks or get some Bio-Spira, and a test kit (if you don't already have one). This will help in the bacterial growth.

Also, gouramis will be ok with a larger angel, maybe not smaller ones. And also, need to make sure of your water parameters, especially hardness. Angels thrive is softer water.

 

[Guest]

will sparkling gouramis be ok with an angel...or 2 or 3

 

[Devilishturtles]

Aqua, I've personally never heard of "sparkling" gouramis, but I'm going to assume that it is just like a regular gourami, and that it will be ok with a larger angel. There was a thread that was posted a while ago on tank mates for angels. Try searching for it and you can find many other possiblities.

 

[Guest]

a sparkling gourami is one of the smallest gouramis>> heres some info>>

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1562

they only get about 1 and a 1/2 inches and i was just curious

thanks for the quick response devilishturtles

i cant get bio spira because isnt it only avaliable in the States...im in Canada so...
also what can i use to bring over established bacteria, gravel, filter media. decorations?

thx 8)

 

[Menagerie]

what can i use to bring over established bacteria, gravel, filter media. decorations

Yes--that will help. I also use some of the old tank water.

 

[Guest]

ok i will do that...does anyone know about the sparkling gouramis?

 

[Devilishturtles]

very cool aqua, thanks for the link. Also, sorry about the bio-spira...didn't see that you were from Canada

Anyways, just get some of the gunk in your gravel and put it in your tank. Some tank water will work as well as menagerie said. This will help to transfer over some of the bacteria, nitrobacter, etc... into the tank. Also, consider whether or not you are going to cycle with fish or without. Without takes longer, but is safer for the fish. Many people will buy one or two fish to stick into the tank to help produce some bacteria and ammonia. The problem is that ammonia levels will rise very quickly and frequent water changes are needed. Just something extra to think about. Hopefully, somebody can give you a little more information about the fish part. I cycled my tank without fish
Good luck!

 

[Menagerie]

Either I have had the greatest luck in the Universe, or cycling is not that bad WHEN you use old decor, old tank media and part of the old tank water. When we moved up from the states--all the fish were put in the tanks with their old gravel and decor (80 gal and 29 gal). We lost NO ONE. When we bought our new tanks (10 and 50 gal), we attached the new filters to the old tanks for a couple of weeks, dechlorinated the water and added fish. The only tank that may be actually cycling is the 20 gal--just 3 Mollies for weeks now since my other fish have not come in .
Aquafishy, IMO, your tank will be well seeded with stuff from a different tank. Are you getting all new fish for this tank, or is this a tank upgrade (same fish, new tank)? I am unsure of how many tanks you are dealing with.

As for sparkling gouramis—try PMing Christmasfish, she may know something about them.

 

[Guest]

well...sorta a half and half, heres my situation

15 GALLON
1 betta
1 mollie
3 cories

10 GALLON
3 sparkling gouramis
1 powder blue dwarf gourami
1 neon ( lost the other 6 or 7...they used to be in the 15 and i think my betta got to 'em. )

i want to get 2 or 3 angels for the 35 and maybe a small plec* and move in the cories( will cories and a plec be compatable ont he bottom together?)
and also move in the PB gourami (and maybe the sparklers depending on the info i find) and then the rest of the fish i will play by ear in the coming few months... i like rams but i heard they're life is short....but i'll evaluate my situation after i get started for the rest of the fish

*whats a small plec that i can look into

thx for the help guys


ALSO: for the cycle...i might be able to do it with fish...if i use the water and gravel, media...ect. form the other tanks how many fish would i need for a successful cycle (probably mollies)
and approx. how long would it take...i know theres no set # of days but just an approxamation

 

[Devilishturtles]

aqua, I think that 2-3 angels and your gouramis will be ok, just make sure of the size! Don't get really small angels if your gouramis are twice their size. And also, what is the kh and gh of your water? Angels will not thrive in hard water. Trust me, I know! I have to mix in some RO/DI water in my tank when I water change just to bring down the hardness a little.

Your cories and a small pleco will be fine. I believe that the bristlenose pleco stays the smallest of ones that aren't hard to find. Grows to about 4-5 inches full grown and should be cool for your tank. Can't help ya with Rams, don't know much about them....

Cycling should take a couple of weeks... however long it takes for your good bacteria levels to be enough to destroy bad bacteria. If you don't know much about the nitrogen cycle...I suggest reading the AA article on it. It is very imformative and you may learn alot about cycling. If you want to use fish, your bacteria levels will rise faster because there is not enough good to cancel out the bad. This will require more monitoring on your part and more work with water changes, etc. Whatever floats your boat though

Good luck!

 

[ChileRelleno]

Sparkliing Gourami

Wow, if I didn't know better after reading up on those I'd say they were a relation to Betta Splendens rather than the gouramis. Good looking fish, I haven't seen those down here.

 

[Guest]

well i got the sparklers about 7 months ago,ChileRelleno, and for all fish i get i research them and after researching i found that the sparkling gourami is a rare fish to find in the states, im not entirely sure buit thats just what i read

well my largest gourami...the powder blue is only about 2 1/2-3 inches go hes not that big


and about how many mollies should i get to cycle a 35 gallon?

 

[Menagerie]

i like rams but i heard they're life is short....

Rams—short lived? Just read 2-3 years—didn’t know that. Mine have been with me for over a year and survived a two day moving adventure . If you were to get rams, what tank would they go in? Have you seen Apistos—dwarf cichlids, but not rams?

and about how many mollies should i get to cycle a 35 gallon?

The real question is: How many Mollies do you want? Remember—they breed quite easily (if you haven’t read this-- http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=20181 --what happens when you’re not expecting little ones). The only way to ensure you have no fry is to buy males. However, Angels will eat fry, so you may not have a problem

 

[Guest]

well i would probably only use them for the cycle... my friend has more molllies than he can handle...yes i knew they breed like crazy...my friend has about 9...his wont breed unless the temp is higher than 78. so how many medium top full size mollies should i get from him.4-5

yes i think i will probably get rams...but i also liek the dwarf ciclids....hmmmmmm...so many options

 

[Guest]

well i would probably only use them for the cycle... my friend has more molllies than he can handle...yes i knew they breed like crazy...my friend has about 9...his wont breed unless the temp is higher than 78. so how many medium top full size mollies should i get from him.4-5

yes i think i will probably get rams...but i also liek the dwarf ciclids....hmmmmmm...so many options

 

[stoneydee]

And if you plant it, even with low light plants like java fern - you may not see much ammonia or nitrates at all.

 

[Guest]

it will be planted


so what do you think...4 or 5 mollies for the cycle?

 

[Menagerie]

If you're just borrowing--go all out and use five.

i will probably get rams...but i also liek the dwarf ciclids

I have my Apistos and rams in the same community tank, but I am not trying to breed them.

 

[Guest]

ok i think i'll go all out.lol


i will consider those fish...thanks for all your help menagerie