Hello everyone! About to start a 30gal freshwater tank and need some advice...

[Cache86]

Hello everyone! I have recently purchased a 30 gal breeder tank (36"x12"x15.5") and cant wait to get started! Been doing ALOT (probably put in around 12 hours of research so far) of homework on starting the tank and wanted to get some feedback on my choices to make sure i am on the right path. I have read and watched tons of videos on the cycling process and cleaning of a tank.I am pretty sure i have it down and will cycle my tank with a little bit of fish food and time.

Here is a list of all the equipment i am about to purchase.

(x2) SunSun HW-603 Multi-Stage Canister Filter, 106 gph
Fluval M 200-Watt Submersible Heater
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
(x2)Flourite Red, 7 kg / 15.4 lbs
Aqueon 06232 Siphon Vacuum Aquarium Gravel Cleaner with Bulb, 10-Inch
Fluval Biomax Bio Rings - 500 grams/17.63 ounces
All Glass Aquarium AAG21236 Fluorescent Deluxe Hood, 36-Inch, Black
Prime, 50 mL / 1.7 fl. oz
I have 50#s of pool filter sand that i have washed already.

I definitely want to have live plants as well in my tank.

So i guess my initial questions are: Is this all good? What else should i get? Should i also put a layer of small gravel in between the flourite and sand? Should i get any more chems? is it ok to cycle and THEN add plants? I dont know what fish i want yet so thats why i wanted to wait for the plant selection.

Any and all feedback/suggestions is super appreciated!

 

[Coryluv]

I'm only going to address a few items. First, you can't go wrong with the API Master test kit.

Pretty much anything with the Fluval name on it is good. However, have you looked at the the Aqueon Pro heaters? I just have the 100 watt model, but I love it and would not hesitate to buy it in other wattages. There is no glass in it. It has an aluminum core and a plastic shell. It has a power light (green), heating light (red), and has a safety shut off if it is not in water. The only downside is that it costs more (I'm looking at online price, not retail stores which are even higher. I saw my heater on one retail storei for $45, sheesh). Of course it depends on how much you need to raise the temp, but I think 200 watts is a little overkill. My 100 watt does the job for me, but is a little underkill.

I always buy my prime in the 500 ml size. Again, online with free shipping. Very cost effective. I also buy the 500 ml sizes of Flourish Excel and Comprenehsive. You will need fertilizer with plants. I also use Flourish root tabs.

Considering your surface area, you may not have enough flourite. I have a 29 gallon tank with a 30x12 bottom and used nearly 40 lbs of Petco black sand in order to have enough substrate for my plants. Maybe flourite weighs less for a given volume. I'm just wondering when I see two 15 lbs for a larger area. As a beginner you may do just was well with all pool filter sand and root tabs. You don't have to worry about the layers getting mixed as you plant and work in your substrate then. The more layers the more potential trouble they can be.

I've had good luck with Zoo Med Ultra Sun fluorescent buibs. They are tri phospher full spectrum 6500k. Most fish stores carry them. I had only one 24 in bulb and my plants grew. I then upgraded to an LED light rather than retrofit a second tube into my fixture.

You do want to get a timer for your lights. The hardware store ones work fine.

Get a good thermometer. I have a digital aquarium thermometer that I use for temp matching during water changes, but nothing beats the reliability and accuracy of an old fashioned thermometer suction cupped to the side of the tank. I unabashedly keep mine in the front corner kitty corner from my heater. The strips you stick on the outside are not accurate enough IMHO.

You need a couple of good nets, one large and one small.

You need glass cleaning pad, and a decor brush is nice to have. You also may need a tube brush to keep your filter intakes clean. A couple of 5 gallon buckets for aquarium use only is to me a must.

I cycled with plants. Any stem plants will be well rooted by the time you get fish. They grow well during the cycle with all that nitrogen in the tank, but be sure to fertilize, especially since there will be no fish waste. OTOH, you can certainly wait on the plants. Heck, when I started buying I hadn't even decided to do plants.

Everything you have on your list that I know about (can't comment in what I don't know) is good, I'm just sharing other thoughts from my experience.

Sounds liks fun. Best wishes.

 

[Cache86]

I'm only going to address a few items. First, you can't go wrong with the API Master test kit.

Pretty much anything with the Fluval name on it is good. However, have you looked at the the Aqueon Pro heaters? I just have the 100 watt model, but I love it and would not hesitate to buy it in other wattages. There is no glass in it. It has an aluminum core and a plastic shell. It has a power light (green), heating light (red), and has a safety shut off if it is not in water. The only downside is that it costs more (I'm looking at online price, not retail stores which are even higher. I saw my heater on one retail storei for $45, sheesh). Of course it depends on how much you need to raise the temp, but I think 200 watts is a little overkill. My 100 watt does the job for me, but is a little underkill.

I always buy my prime in the 500 ml size. Again, online with free shipping. Very cost effective. I also buy the 500 ml sizes of Flourish Excel and Comprenehsive. You will need fertilizer with plants. I also use Flourish root tabs.

Considering your surface area, you may not have enough flourite. I have a 29 gallon tank with a 30x12 bottom and used nearly 40 lbs of Petco black sand in order to have enough substrate for my plants. Maybe flourite weighs less for a given volume. I'm just wondering when I see two 15 lbs for a larger area. As a beginner you may do just was well with all pool filter sand and root tabs. You don't have to worry about the layers getting mixed as you plant and work in your substrate then. The more layers the more potential trouble they can be.

I've had good luck with Zoo Med Ultra Sun fluorescent buibs. They are tri phospher full spectrum 6500k. Most fish stores carry them. I had only one 24 in bulb and my plants grew. I then upgraded to an LED light rather than retrofit a second tube into my fixture.

You do want to get a timer for your lights. The hardware store ones work fine.

Get a good thermometer. I have a digital aquarium thermometer that I use for temp matching during water changes, but nothing beats the reliability and accuracy of an old fashioned thermometer suction cupped to the side of the tank. I unabashedly keep mine in the front corner kitty corner from my heater. The strips you stick on the outside are not accurate enough IMHO.

You need a couple of good nets, one large and one small.

You need glass cleaning pad, and a decor brush is nice to have. You also may need a tube brush to keep your filter intakes clean. A couple of 5 gallon buckets for aquarium use only is to me a must.

I cycled with plants. Any stem plants will be well rooted by the time you get fish. They grow well during the cycle with all that nitrogen in the tank, but be sure to fertilize, especially since there will be no fish waste. OTOH, you can certainly wait on the plants. Heck, when I started buying I hadn't even decided to do plants.

Everything you have on your list that I know about (can't comment in what I don't know) is good, I'm just sharing other thoughts from my experience.

Sounds liks fun. Best wishes.

Thank you for all this info. I was planning to make a second purchase after I got the tank cycling for all the upkeep equipment. That way I could split the startup cost. I have decided to go with sand alone after doing more threads. 50# doesn't look like enough though right?

You definitely hit a couple of questions for that 2nd list.

Getting very antsy...

 

[Coryluv]

Thank you for all this info. I was planning to make a second purchase after I got the tank cycling for all the upkeep equipment. That way I could split the startup cost. I have decided to go with sand alone after doing more threads. 50# doesn't look like enough though right?

You definitely hit a couple of questions for that 2nd list.

Getting very antsy...

Glad I could help.

I understand. I bought in stages, too.

I used about 35 lbs sand to cover 30x12. It's 2.5 in deep in front to a bit over 4 in deep in back (where my ruffle swords are). I'm covering 360 sq in and you are covering an additional 72 sq in. So I'm covering 5/6 of your area. A little math tells me that approx 40 lbs for me and approx 50 lbs for you gives about the same depth I have. If you want it much deeper than what I'm using, then you will need more sand.

I understand the antsy. It felt like a long wait to get fish. At least I had the plants to watch in the meantime, but its just not the same. Keep us posted. I'd really like to follow your build.

 

[Cache86]

can you help me find a good light fixture with two bulbs? i cant seem to find any that are less than $70 and up. Is that just how it is? from what i gather i need 2 bulbs for my tank size.

I go on vacation on the 13 for a week so im trying to get the cycle going by next weekend. i figured one week of monitoring and then 1 week of natural chemistry working. By the 22nd it should be stabilizing to start on cruise mode... Yes? maybe not?

I have decided on going with low-med plants.

 

[Coryluv]

can you help me find a good light fixture with two bulbs? i cant seem to find any that are less than $70 and up. Is that just how it is? from what i gather i need 2 bulbs for my tank size.

I go on vacation on the 13 for a week so im trying to get the cycle going by next weekend. i figured one week of monitoring and then 1 week of natural chemistry working. By the 22nd it should be stabilizing to start on cruise mode... Yes? maybe not?

If I see anything in lighting ill let you know. Hopefully someone else will weigh in.

As to the cycle, it is better to be there to monitor and add ammonia and change water as needed, but sure, you can try it. You have little to lose. If it grinds to a halt while you are gone you probably can just do a partial water change and get it going again. Do you have a source of seeded material?

If you have no plants, you don't need a light in order to cycle.

 

[Cache86]

I dont have any seeded material. I was thinking about just going to petland and asking them for a couple of used filters or buying pay for them if they were to sell them to me. Its not like i can transfer something bad because of tank negligence or something on their end right? lol

 

[Coryluv]

You could get something, but if their tanks look healthy, the odds are against your getting anything bad. Some things, like ich, require fish to survive and other things just live in fish tanks. So a fishless period helps lower your risk. You also run a slightly lower risk getting seeded material from another hobbyist with healthy tanks IMHO, because stores generally add new fish from different sources every week. Anytime you transfer anything between tanks, unless it has been completely disinfected, you run a risk. Of course disinfecting would kill the good bacteria you are trying to cultivate. So to sum it up, odds are in your favor, but there are no guarantees.

Edited to add: lol, I answered that an then saw the "lol". At 4 am I didn't get it. I left my lengthy and serious answer stand just in case someone else "didn't get it".

 

[Cache86]

to be honest bro i was being serious...lol!! I pretty much compared it to herpes in my mind when i wrote that hahahahaah

 

[Coryluv]

Well, take it with a proverbial grain of salt, lol anyway. I wrote it at 4 am.

 

[patrickriley2010]

I'm only going to address a few items. First, you can't go wrong with the API Master test kit.

Pretty much anything with the Fluval name on it is good. However, have you looked at the the Aqueon Pro heaters? I just have the 100 watt model, but I love it and would not hesitate to buy it in other wattages. There is no glass in it. It has an aluminum core and a plastic shell. It has a power light (green), heating light (red), and has a safety shut off if it is not in water. The only downside is that it costs more (I'm looking at online price, not retail stores which are even higher. I saw my heater on one retail storei for $45, sheesh). Of course it depends on how much you need to raise the temp, but I think 200 watts is a little overkill. My 100 watt does the job for me, but is a little underkill.

I always buy my prime in the 500 ml size. Again, online with free shipping. Very cost effective. I also buy the 500 ml sizes of Flourish Excel and Comprenehsive. You will need fertilizer with plants. I also use Flourish root tabs.

Considering your surface area, you may not have enough flourite. I have a 29 gallon tank with a 30x12 bottom and used nearly 40 lbs of Petco black sand in order to have enough substrate for my plants. Maybe flourite weighs less for a given volume. I'm just wondering when I see two 15 lbs for a larger area. As a beginner you may do just was well with all pool filter sand and root tabs. You don't have to worry about the layers getting mixed as you plant and work in your substrate then. The more layers the more potential trouble they can be.

I've had good luck with Zoo Med Ultra Sun fluorescent buibs. They are tri phospher full spectrum 6500k. Most fish stores carry them. I had only one 24 in bulb and my plants grew. I then upgraded to an LED light rather than retrofit a second tube into my fixture.

You do want to get a timer for your lights. The hardware store ones work fine.

Get a good thermometer. I have a digital aquarium thermometer that I use for temp matching during water changes, but nothing beats the reliability and accuracy of an old fashioned thermometer suction cupped to the side of the tank. I unabashedly keep mine in the front corner kitty corner from my heater. The strips you stick on the outside are not accurate enough IMHO.

You need a couple of good nets, one large and one small.

You need glass cleaning pad, and a decor brush is nice to have. You also may need a tube brush to keep your filter intakes clean. A couple of 5 gallon buckets for aquarium use only is to me a must.

I cycled with plants. Any stem plants will be well rooted by the time you get fish. They grow well during the cycle with all that nitrogen in the tank, but be sure to fertilize, especially since there will be no fish waste. OTOH, you can certainly wait on the plants. Heck, when I started buying I hadn't even decided to do plants.

Everything you have on your list that I know about (can't comment in what I don't know) is good, I'm just sharing other thoughts from my experience.

Sounds liks fun. Best wishes.

I second the heater I got mine and all my fish stuff off of amazon primarily because I have amazon prime and get 2 day shipping free on alot of items "everything I have ever needed" and the prices are great.

Here is a link to said heater. I like it because you just set the dial and when the temp is reached it shuts off.
http://amzn.to/14h2uf2


I will also add if you do go with Pool filter sand do it outside I did mine inside and found out the dust from it is actually toxic when not in water

 

[Coryluv]

I second the heater I got mine and all my fish stuff off of amazon primarily because I have amazon prime and get 2 day shipping free on alot of items "everything I have ever needed" and the prices are great.

Here is a link to said heater. I like it because you just set the dial and when the temp is reached it shuts off.
Amazon.com: Aqueon


I will also add if you do go with Pool filter sand do it outside I did mine inside and found out the dust from it is actually toxic when not in water

In fact, I just ordered a 150 W Aqueon Pro on Amazon. Gonna use the 100 W Aqueon Pro in a 10 gal quarantine tank I'm setting up and also have it as a spare. It will be so nice to have a spare/second heater just in case. I'm moving up a notch in heaters because one night when the windows were open the house got down to 60 F by accident and the 100 W could barely keep up in the 29 gal.

 

[Cache86]

I second the heater I got mine and all my fish stuff off of amazon primarily because I have amazon prime and get 2 day shipping free on alot of items "everything I have ever needed" and the prices are great.

Here is a link to said heater. I like it because you just set the dial and when the temp is reached it shuts off.
http://amzn.to/14h2uf2

I will also add if you do go with Pool filter sand do it outside I did mine inside and found out the dust from it is actually toxic when not in water

I am getting a 150 heater, can't remember the brand (I'm on my phone) with good reviews on it. And I have a patio in the back so I was able to wash out the sand there. I actually spend quite some time looking for a sand that wasn't as dirty to begin with and the one I bought was not bad at all. It took me around 15 mins to wash out the 50# bag. I got it from ACE hardware. $10. I know its expensive for sand but I like the grain size and cleanliness of it.

I also have amazon prime and so far, everything that I search for is cheaper on amazon over eBay. all but the filter. Cheaper on eBay by like $10.

 

[Cache86]

I second the heater I got mine and all my fish stuff off of amazon primarily because I have amazon prime and get 2 day shipping free on alot of items "everything I have ever needed" and the prices are great.

Here is a link to said heater. I like it because you just set the dial and when the temp is reached it shuts off.
Amazon.com: Aqueon


I will also add if you do go with Pool filter sand do it outside I did mine inside and found out the dust from it is actually toxic when not in water

I have amazon prime as well and have found EVERYTHING that I have searched for so far for my tank cheaper than eBay.

 

[Cache86]

So I put my sand in today and I have a little left over from the 50#s to do a little bit of sculpting...

 

[Cache86]

First pic of tank! Will this be enough or will it compact a lot and force me to add more?

 

[Cache86]

I just purchased the Current USA LED+ 36"-48" light fixture for my tank. I did some searching and from what i read it will work fine for low to mod plants.

Anyone have any experience with it?

 

[Coryluv]

Awesome on your sand. Ty for the pics. I have that light in the size that fits 30 in tanks. The actual light is about 24 in long. I absolutely love it. Perfect for low light plants.

PS. What you see is what you get on your sand.

 

[Cache86]

what do you mean by wysiwyg on my sand?

 

[Coryluv]

what do you mean by wysiwyg on my sand?

Oh gosh, I'm sorry I wasn't clear. It won't compact. It will stay how you put it (assuming you shield it from a direct stream of water which will move but not compact it).