okay.. I'm probably getting annoying.. but..

[Platymaniac]

My acrylic tank arrived early.. Wooo Hoooo! So this may seem a bit silly but I am so anxious to get started. I want to go ahead and get things set up now, but some of the fake plants I ordered won't be in for at least another week. If I have everything I need to set the tank up except a few plants, would it be a huge mistake not to wait until everything gets here? In other words.. if I set things up now with what I have, how big of a pain will it be to add the extra plants when they arrive? Will it disturb the tank too much too soon? Patience is not one of my virtues, unfortunately.

Thanks again,

Kathi

[theotheragentm]

Well you have to cycle the tank, right? Your stuff should arrive while it's cycling. Problem solved! Patience.

[Leader of Men]

I move things around in my tank from time to time. In fact, I did a major move around yesterday and it was no big deal.

Seeing as everything in my tank (so far) is fake, it was just a minor annoyance because a good chunk of my arm got wet. Other than that it's no worries. In fact, setting up all the plants before putting water in is kinda silly anyway since dumping water in can move them around a bit and they won't exactly sit right unless they're underwater like they're made to be.

[Zagz]

I agree the stuff will arrive while doing a fishless cycle. It's natural to be excited when setting up a new tank.

[Platymaniac]

Hi all, thanks again for the advice.

I guess I wasn't too clear on my initial post, as I didn't intend on putting the fish in yet. Just getting the tank set up for cycling!

I have another question about setting the tank up. We got a bunch of colored glass chunks a few years ago. Can these be used to decorate the tank? Is there any danger of the fish cutting themselves on it?

Thanks again,

Kathi

[Fishyfanatic]

If they are sharp, don't add them to the tank. Are you sure they don't have a finish to them? If they have a finish or have been treated with any kind of chemicals, I wouldn't risk it.

[Platymaniac]

They haven't been treated with anything and have no coating. Just colored glass pieces. Some of them do have some sharp edges though. Maybe I could sand them down a bit or something? I'm looking for some way to fill up some empty space. My tank is 25 g tall and I don't want to spend a fortune on the decorations in the pet stores!

[Fishyfanatic]

You could go to a landscaping store and purchase rock. It's quite a bit cheaper than the lfs. When we purchased the texas holey rock for out 150, we would have paid 10 x the price if we would have went to the lfs. Just make sure it hasn't been treated with any chemicals.

The rounded ones would probably be ok as long as it's just glass. Clean them thoroughly with hot water before adding to the tank.

[Platymaniac]

Thanks Fishyfanatic!

Wow, great pictures Zagz!