What do I need?

[mikeb]

I do not have a filter yet or anything else in regards to hardware. What else will I need for a 29 Gallon Tank with:

20 Cardinal Tetras
2 Peacock gudgeons (Tateurndina ocellicauda)
8 pygmy Corydoras
2 Mystery Snails

I assume I am going to need a filter of some sort, water circulator, light, but I do not know what type or anything other than what youtube is telling me. Any help is appreciated on this end. FYI, this will be a planted tank.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Hardware

Filter suitably sized for your tank. Note, generally filters can be set up better than what the manufacturer recommends in the manual.

Heater suitably sized for your tank.

Generally typical aquarium lighting is sufficient for low demand plants that are typically kept. If you are wanting to go with more high demand plants you will need to look at stronger lighting and CO2 injection.

An airpump and airstone are never a bad idea, but not necessary if your filter is good enough.

Fish net for moving fish about.

Syphon for doing water changes.

A few buckets specifically for aquarium use.

Consumables.

Aquarium test kit that tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as a minimum.

Fish food.

Water conditioner.

Plants will benefit from an all in one liquid fertiliser, and rooted plants will benefit from root tabs with your play sand substrate.

If you are using RO you will need something like seachem equilibrium to restore minerals that both the fish and plants will need.

Im sure there are other things, maybe other people can chip in too.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Thermometer

 

[mikeb]

I was watching a couple of youtube videos and one guy made a lot of sense when it comes to filters. He recommended getting two smaller hang on the back filters instead of one. Just in case something were to happen. He recommended if a filter that moved 4 - 5 times the gallons in the tank. So I would be looking for a filter that would do about 120 GPH to 150 GPH or just get two that do half that. I am looking for filters now, but wanted to try and get any recommendations on my research. Thank you!

 

[Colin_T]

The fish you want to keep come from slow moving water and don't want or need massive amounts of water being turned over every hour.

Most power filters are pretty reliable and whilst they might break down, it usually happens some years after you get it. If a power filter does stop working/ break down, wash the filter media/ material out in a bucket of aquarium water, and then put the media in the aquarium. Pour the bucket of dirt water on the lawn outside. Wash the filter case and impellor assembly under tap water and find a new part to get the filter working. The beneficial filter bacteria will live on the filter media in the aquarium until you can get the filter fixed.


If you want a reliable hang on back (HOB) style filter, get an AquaClear HOB. They have a lifetime warranty if you bought the filter new (and keep it), are easy to clean and maintain, and usually last years.

An AquaClear 50 HOB filter would be heaps for your tank. Use 2 sponges and 1 pack of ceramic beads, or 3 sponges and no beads.

 

[mikeb]

Thank you.

I was also looking at this Seachem Tidal 55. I liked that the motor was under the water and self priming. I am not sure if the Aqua Clear has those features. This aquarium is going in my daughter's bedroom, so I would like for it to be as quiet as possible.

 

[mikeb]

Looking for these ceramic beads. Do they come in existing bags? Like these:

Beads

 

[Colin_T]

Most filters have the media in the box so you don't need to buy ceramic beads or sponges. But the Fluval BioMax (in the link) is the type of thing I mentioned (ceramic beads).

The AquaClear motor sits under one side of the case, on the outside. The impeller is inside the case in the water. If the water level in the tank is at a suitable level, the filter is self priming. However, it's best to fill them up with aquarium water before turning the filter on.

 

[mikeb]

All right I have the following in my cart ready to pull the trigger:


EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 100W ( Pack of 1)

Seachem Equilibrium 300gramSeachem Equilibrium 300gram

AquaClear 50 Power Filter


hygger 16W Full Spectrum Aquarium Light

Marina Deluxe Floating Thermometer

I am holding off on the fish food, since we are cycling the tank. Anything else you can think of that you might suggest I get just for the cycling part aside from the plants.

I jumped the gun and already put some play sand in the tank (after it was washed), but now I think I want to paint the back glass black. I also got the river rocks from a local landscaping company. Those were much less expensive than the pet store. Thank you for the help!

 

[Aiken Drum]

How are you going to cycle the tank? Fishless cycle or fish in cycle?

You definitely want a background of some kind. Personally i prefer the painting route, but if its too problematic to get everything out to do that then black card on the back is an alternative.

 

[mikeb]

I am going to do the fishless cycle. It seemed more humane, and I like the idea of trying to be patient with this project. So I was planning on getting my plants in there as soon as possible.

After looking at some of the other member tanks I would like a grass that has the potential to carpet the play sand, and then maybe some floating plants.

I am going to remove a bit of sand so that I can paint the background. It seemed most folks leaned towards black paint. I was planning on using the plasti dip paint. Saw a youtube on it and it looked neat. If you have other suggestions I am all ears.

After doing a bit of reading about the Tidal 55 and the AC 50 I opted for the AC. Seemed like Tidal does a good job of having "influencers" on youtube promoting their products, but the reviews were decent, in comparison, but not quite as good as the AC. Thank you for that suggestion and all the others.

 

[Aiken Drum]

If you are doing a fishless cycle you need an ammonia source to add to your list of things to get. Dr Tims Ammonium Chloride is commonly used, other ammonium chloride products are also available.

Carpeting plants are usually in the high tech/ high demand plant bracket. You might need a stronger light and injected CO2 and specialised planted substrate for it to be successful. You will have to see how that goes for you.

 

[mikeb]

10/4, I am out on carpeting plants. Do not want high maintenance, this is enough maintenance for me starting off.

Added the Dr. Timm's
Dr. Tim's

 

[Colin_T]

Pygmy chain swords make a nice carpet plant and don't need too much care. A little bit of aquarium plant fertiliser and some light and they do quite well.

Depending on how warm your home is, you might want a 150 watt heater for your tank.

You can also get some 1 inch thick polystyrene foam sheets and tape them to the base back and sides of the tank to help insulate it. You don't need to do this but it can help reduce heating costs.

A coverglass (if you don't already have one on the tank) is also good for trapping heat. Try to get 4, 5 or 6mm thick glass rather than 2 or 3mm thick that is normally sold in pet shops.

 

[mikeb]

I guess I lucked out when I got my coverglass. It is the thicker one, but I was at a higher end fish store in town. They were so helpful I wanted to at least buy something from them at the time. I hope to be getting the plants and fish there.

Removed most of the sand last night, and painted the back of the tank with black Plasti Dip spray paint. Came out good.

Any other tank prep I should do prior to setting this up? I have some rocks that I bought from the landscape company. I was going to put my substrate back in the tank, and then arrange the rocks the way my daughter wants them.

When adding plants do you guys add them without water on initial setup or is it best to have water and then just push them down in the substrate while you have water in the tank. Seems I have seen alot of planting going on with water, and I assume some plants wont stand up without the water. I apologize for all the noob questions, and appreciate the help!

 

[Aiken Drum]

Its easier to plant with the tank empty. Plants want to float so its easier to get them firmly rooted in the substrate without the tank full of water. Many of the easier to keep plants arent even rooted. Rhizome plants like anubias and java fern just need attaching to something like a rock, piece of driftwood or a plant weight to hold them down. You can tie them on with string or plastic tie wraps. Or superglue them. Same with mosses.

Here are a couple of videos. One is just about low demand type plants, the other is first in a great series setting up a low tech planted tank. Goes into a bit of detail about lighting and substate, straying into a bit more of a high tech setup IMO but its a good guide nonetheless.

https://youtu.be/DpOVZEhBQ2c?si=Q1puaKnuW6IUe8Hj

https://youtu.be/66Xt4qglbNc?si=Y-C_1t-fwgK4HvkJ

 

[Colin_T]

Just for clarification, did you spray paint the outside of the tank or the inside? I don't want to offend you but some people have painted the inside and that's not good for the fish

I prefer to have the tank 3/4 full with water when doing plants. It helps you see how they look rather than having them drooped on the substrate. You also won't disturb the substrate if you plant them after 3/4 filling the tank with water. If you plant them and then add water, you sometimes have to replant some of them. You don't have the tank full when planting or decorating because you can cause it to overflow when you put your arm in.

Make sure your hands and arms are free of chemicals, grease, oil, perfume, hand sanitiser, etc, before working in the tank. And if you use a perfumed soap, make sure your hands don't smell of it before working in the tank.

 

[mikeb]

Not offended. I painted the outside of the glass. It really looks so much better. One of my daughters friends her dad runs the Houston Zoo Aquarium. They do the same thing to make the tank look infinite.

Thank you for the videos

 

[Colin_T]

So do you and your daughter get to go visit the Houston Zoo Aquarium and get a behind the scenes look because you know someone there?

 

[mikeb]

Yes sir, we got the whole tour of their new Galapagos' park and aquarium. We got to feed the tropical fish as well as the sharks/bull and black tips. It was crazy how much it takes to take care of a huge aquarium like that on a daily basis.