New tank.. ?

[angel4335]

ok, my boyfriend bought me a 29 gallon tank from walmart, it came with a filter a heater, and a hood with a light.. hes currently building me a stand for it, so i have some time before we start setting things up.
i know i have to 'cycle' the tank, but im not really sure how. ive read a few different ways, and they are all a bit confusing. which is the best way?
someone told me to set up the tank, put in my gravel and decorations, then fill it with water, and add a small pinch of food, and let it run for a week or two. then i read that i had to add some Dechlorinator? then i read elsewhere that you dont need to use the Dechlorinator, that you just had leave the tap water sit in buckets with a air stone for some time before adding it to the tank.. is this true? if so, when first setting up my tank, can i let it do this in the tank itself? and back to cycling the tank... is it true i can do this by just adding a pinch of food and waiting? or do i need to add ammonia? if so, where do i get this ammonia? does it have to be bought from a petstore?
also, i read i need a test kit, and in another post someone reccomended this one.. is that a good one? reasonably priced? http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19383;category_id=3111;pcid1=3233;pcid2=

 

[Fishyfanatic]

which is the best way?

IMO the best way is fishless using pure ammonia. It's not messy like raw shrimp or fish food and won't subject fish to the cycling process. Have you read about using pure ammonia? Use pure ammonia from a hardware store like Ace. But make sure it is pure, no additives.

and let it run for a week or two.

More like 6 weeks until the tank cycles.

then i read that i had to add some Dechlorinator?

Yes. Dechlorinator will remove chlorine/chloramine and other heavy metals from your water to make it safe for the fish. Prime is an excellent dechlorinator because it is heavily concentrated.

water sit in buckets with a air stone for some time before adding it to the tank..

That's only if your water company uses chlorine, not chloramines. When putting the water in a bucket and waiting 24 hours before adding it to the tank, then you actually have to wait a day before doing the change. It's faster just to use dechlorinator. Chlorine will dissipitate out of the bucket but chloramines won't. Contact your local water supply and see which one they use for treating the water.

also, i read i need a test kit

Yes, test kits are a must. And the one that you chose is the best IMO.

Welcome to AA!

 

[angel4335]

Thanks!

is there anything else i will need? besides the ammonia and the prime? and the test kit?

also, what kind of substrate should i get? would just gravel be ok? i heard alot of people talking about having sand too, is this optional or necessary?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The substrate depends on what kind of fish you want to keep. If you are wanting Cories, eels, or silimar fish, then sand is preferred. Just no sharp gravel. IMO sand is easier to maintain than gravel since debris won't shift though it like it does with gravel. Every tank that I have uses pool filter sand. It's also alot cheaper.

Do you have a heater, thermometer, net, gravel vac, filter, and so on?

 

[angel4335]

yes, the tank came with a heater a filter a net and one of those stick on thermometers, but im going to get a floating one when we go to get the
subtrates. gravel vac and an air pump.

i am thinking of getting guppies, as i had some when i was young and enjoyed them. but im open to suggestions as to any other fish to get with them. i would also like to get an apple snail if possible, i dont know much about snails tho.

Also- does it matter if you use Silk Plants or plastic?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

As you are aware, the stick on thermometers are useless. Glass ones are better but digitals are the best. They are about $6 at the lfs around this area. When getting the gravel vac you may want to look into a Python. It's an easier method of water changes and you won't have to do the bucket brigade. The syphon attaches to your faucet and it automatically starts sucking water out of the tank. Then just turn the knob and the tank refills. Add dechlorinator and the change is done! I am a huge promoter of the Python since it's saved us MANY back aches and spilled water buckets.

Apple snails are pretty easy to keep. Cute IMO. But I love snails. I even like the pond pest snails. LOL

It doesn't really matter which type of plant that you use, it's your choice. I would go with live plants, but I'd wait until the tank is stabalized.

 

[krap101]

personally, id replace the heater, and add another filter? usually wal mart sells tanks that come with ... mmm. the best way to keep it cheap . i use to get the whisper heaters.. i thought they looked good. but later i noticed they couldnt keep a constant temp. and for the filter.. usually sets have underrated filters too.

and pure ammonia should be able to be bought at walmart.. i bought some called "clear ammonia" to check if its without soaps and stuff, you shake it. it should be practically like shaking water.

if you have a well, you probally wont need to dechlorinate the water, or at least i dont..

and good luck

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Great catch Krap101! Didn't even notice that it was purchased from Wal-Mart.

I agree with him. The heater and filter will probably need to be upgraded in the near future. Heaters, you'll want 150 Watts. Filter, you'll want a filter that has a flow rate of about 200 to 290 gph if using a hob. Which filter came with the kit?

 

[bosk1]

Right now, I think one of the most important things to get is the test kit Fishyfanatic mentioned so you can track your water parameters as your tank cycles. There are lots of threads on this site where people are ask questions about cycling. You can get tons of good information from reading them.

Thinking down the road, you may need to upgrade your filter and heater as recommended. But if you are thinking of initially only keeping guppies and possibly snails, I would think you probably will be able to get by with what the tank came with.

Since guppies are mid-top dwellers, you might also think about getting some type of cory catfish for the bottom. Most are relatively inexpensive, stay relatively small, and are good beginner fish. Plus, there are lots of varieties. There are los of other interesting fish you could get as well. Swordtails are colorful, fairly hearty, and shouldn't eat your guppies. There are also lots of tetras that would work. Since there are so many varieties of guppy out there, and they are so colorful, if I were doing a guppy tank, I think I would probably stick with a few varieties of guppy, and then go with snails and cory cats and leave it at that. I may do that in a smaller tank for my sons when they get older if they want their own tanks.

 

[angel4335]

Thanks for all the advice, im gonna go look for some info on the fish bosk mentioned. thanks!