My first tank! - 29 gal

[SCATHED]

I bought my first tank the other day on craigslist. I got the tank, hood and light, stand, undergravel filter, air pump, gravel, and 100w heater. It's all up and running right now letting it cycle. I don't know how long until the cycle is over because I don't have a test kit yet because I am a college student and funds are low right now haha. I had it running for 3 days now and the water is looking cloudy...is this normal?

I also just bought an AquaClear 30 filter off ebay, but I'm thinking that maybe I should got the 50 or 70?

Anyways, what else do I need? I don't' have any fish yet..what kind of fish would you reccomend for a beginner? I want something pretty hardy since this is my first tank.

Thanks!

 

[flvol77]

Read this link, it will help a lot - If you have an ACE hardware buy Ammonia there.

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice

From everything I have read, under gravel filters aren't that great.

This board has been awesome for me and i have learned a lot. Get a test kit off ebay or Amazon.

API Freshwater Master Test Kit UPC 317163010341 | eBay

 

[TXaggie]

I got a 29 gallon as my first tank about a year ago, and it's a great size! You really have a lot of options for community fish, and the size isn't too overwhelming.

I also just bought an AquaClear 30 filter off ebay, but I'm thinking that maybe I should got the 50 or 70?

I run an AC 70 on my tank, gives pretty strong flow but does a great job filtering. I'm sure either the 50 or 70 would be fine, but you might be right that the 30 will be smaller than you want.

Anyways, what else do I need? I don't' have any fish yet..what kind of fish would you reccomend for a beginner? I want something pretty hardy since this is my first tank.

Thanks!

I second the test kit. It's invaluable during your cycling process; way easier than having to take samples to a fish store for testing. Also, it's your first go-to if you do have an issue with your tank down the road. It's money well spent.

Not sure about the cloudy water, was the tank clean and empty when you got it? Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in.

But I can give you some ideas of easy to keep fish! I had great luck with my danios, if you want something more active. They can be less colorful but they come in a lot of different varieties, including things like leopard and longfin. Platies and guppies are brightly colored livebearers that are pretty easy -although you can end up with a lot of fry if you keep both sexes. Dwarf gouramis, white cloud minnows, corydoras (dwarf and smaller varieties), some tetra varieties all come to mind. This page has a good listing of fish suitable for smaller tanks:
Stocking 5, 10 and 20 Gallon FW Aquariums

Good luck with your tank! I've gotten tons of good advice from this forum that helped me get my tank up and running.

 

[Mebbid]

I started with a 29g as my first tank as well! I had lots of fun stocking it, personally some of my favs are Aphyosemion Australe (Lyretail Killifish) and Harlequin Rasboras. They are both fairly hardy fish and fun to look at as well. The Killifish can be a bit hard to find and run a little high in price though. Other fish you might want to take a look at are Fancy swordtails, Guppies, Red Cherry Shrimp, Mollies, and Platies. A 29g can also hold a single bristlenose pleco which is a neat fish although you need to feed them algae wafers and give them a source of driftwood.

Some fish that are touted as beginner fish that I would probably avoid are both tetras and Danios as every experience I've had with them has been negative because of both aggression and fin nipping. But other people love theirs and have never had a problem, so it's probably just bad luck on my part.

I ran an Eheim Ecco 2234 on my 29 because I had it seriously overstocked when it was running but that filter helped keep the levels in check. As far as affordable filters go, you might want to check into a sponge filter I've always had a lot of luck using them.

I find tank size rating on filters to be complete junk, so I would try to find a filter for about a 50g tank or so on a 29 but it depends completely on what you are stocking the aquarium with.

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

This is a good site to get a general idea of what numbers of fish to stock in your aquarium as well as a filter that is strong enough to support the bio load.

What are you using as an ammonia source for cycling? Cloudiness is very very common in new tanks, it is usually just a bacterial bloom. They are almost always completely harmless to fish (Cyanobacteria blooms can be dangerous but that's not what you have) I find they will run their course over a week or so and then go away.

Finally, Welcome to the fun of fish keeping