Arthropoddi
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hey everyone, I'm new, and I mean brand new to the hobby, and these forums, so I'm sorry if I ask something dumb or if I'm way behind on something
I do know what I'm supposed to do in terms of maintenance. I've spent probably a total of a few days researching cycling, water chemistry, stocking boundaries, ect.
So here's the deal...
I have a ten gallon, and a five gallon both that I want to cycle. The 5.5 for a betta, and the 10 for a pair of dwarf gouramis.
The five and a half gallon already has a hood and heater, and a basic HOB filter, but that's where my issue stems.
I took a drive today to the pet store, thinking I had my list figured out but as soon as I got there I...stood and stared at everything for about 45 minutes then left.
Here's the thing. I have no idea what's best in terms of filters for cycling.
What I wanted to do was have 2 filters, a dual sponge filter for biofiltering, and a mechanical filter for if/when my fish ever get sick and I need to medicate, I'd have the mechanical filter one to remove the medication once it was done.
Well they had everything for the sponge filter, airline tubes, air pumps, ect., but they didn't have the actual sponge filter. They had a bunch of other filters that claimed to do biofiltration as well as mechanical and chemical, but those just confuse me and I don't know how well they actually work.
Should I stick to my original plan and do sponges for bio, and mechanical for actually filtering out particles? Or are mechanical filters with biofiltering claims just as good?
I'm talking specifically about the tetra whisper 10i i saw, with their bioscrubber thing. Would that work?
I'm beginning fresh cycles on a 5 gallon and a 10 gallon, but my ten gallon doesn't have a hood. It'd be cheaper to buy another Topfin ten gallon set from petsmart than it would to be to buy a hood and a heater, both of which the set comes with. I heard that heaters are what you pay for, so are the Topfin heaters that come in the pack just as good as 35 dollar heaters?
I ended up leaving with nothing but a 35 dollar Aqueon heater, which I was positive I needed, but if it would be better to return it and just get the set I will. The thing is though it bothers me to have so much other stuff I'll never use, like the filter that comes with it. I already have an Aqueon QuietFlow 10, and extra filter cartridges, I don't want another one just sitting around.
Also, I don't mean to make this longer than what it is, but how do you do a fishless cycle without ammonia? I drove all over today and nowhere had it, only lemon scented or something. I heard you can use fish food, but I also heard that adds other stuff to the water you don't want. I have some OmegaOne betta flakes that say they don't cloud up the water, would those work? If so how do I go about doing that?
Sorry this was so long...
I do know what I'm supposed to do in terms of maintenance. I've spent probably a total of a few days researching cycling, water chemistry, stocking boundaries, ect.
So here's the deal...
I have a ten gallon, and a five gallon both that I want to cycle. The 5.5 for a betta, and the 10 for a pair of dwarf gouramis.
The five and a half gallon already has a hood and heater, and a basic HOB filter, but that's where my issue stems.
I took a drive today to the pet store, thinking I had my list figured out but as soon as I got there I...stood and stared at everything for about 45 minutes then left.
Here's the thing. I have no idea what's best in terms of filters for cycling.
What I wanted to do was have 2 filters, a dual sponge filter for biofiltering, and a mechanical filter for if/when my fish ever get sick and I need to medicate, I'd have the mechanical filter one to remove the medication once it was done.
Well they had everything for the sponge filter, airline tubes, air pumps, ect., but they didn't have the actual sponge filter. They had a bunch of other filters that claimed to do biofiltration as well as mechanical and chemical, but those just confuse me and I don't know how well they actually work.
Should I stick to my original plan and do sponges for bio, and mechanical for actually filtering out particles? Or are mechanical filters with biofiltering claims just as good?
I'm talking specifically about the tetra whisper 10i i saw, with their bioscrubber thing. Would that work?
I'm beginning fresh cycles on a 5 gallon and a 10 gallon, but my ten gallon doesn't have a hood. It'd be cheaper to buy another Topfin ten gallon set from petsmart than it would to be to buy a hood and a heater, both of which the set comes with. I heard that heaters are what you pay for, so are the Topfin heaters that come in the pack just as good as 35 dollar heaters?
I ended up leaving with nothing but a 35 dollar Aqueon heater, which I was positive I needed, but if it would be better to return it and just get the set I will. The thing is though it bothers me to have so much other stuff I'll never use, like the filter that comes with it. I already have an Aqueon QuietFlow 10, and extra filter cartridges, I don't want another one just sitting around.
Also, I don't mean to make this longer than what it is, but how do you do a fishless cycle without ammonia? I drove all over today and nowhere had it, only lemon scented or something. I heard you can use fish food, but I also heard that adds other stuff to the water you don't want. I have some OmegaOne betta flakes that say they don't cloud up the water, would those work? If so how do I go about doing that?
Sorry this was so long...