Hello! I am a bit of a noob here...I used to own a bunch of fish in a little ten gallon tank I had back when I was in high school that I filled with some tetras, bala sharks, a pleco, and some other fish I got at my local Walmart. Looking back now I realize it was probably over filled, but the fish lived a long time until I went to boot camp and my family didn't care for them properly.
Anyway, I won my daughter a couple of comet goldfish at the carnival 3 weeks ago and taking care of them over the last few weeks has reminded me how much I enjoyed owning fish as a hobby. I did some research and realized my goldfish needed a much bigger tank, and my local Petsmart was having a big sale on a 125 gallon TopFin tank. The reviews on TopFin seem mixed but it has a lifetime warranty so I figured I didn't have much to lose. Since I wanted to have more than the two goldfish and I had read that a bigger tank is easier to maintain, I pulled the trigger and bought it. The only thing I don't like its the fluorescent lights...but the LED's at Petsmart seem ridiculous in price. Any ideas on a good place to buy some LEDs?
I have a lot of questions about the best way to cycle this new tank, fish compatibility, places to find stuff for initial setup, etc. To give you an idea of what I want- money isn't necessarily an issue. I don't want to spend a fortune on things I don't need but I am willing to buy whatever I need to make my life easier and the fish happier. My plan is to buy a single Fluval FX6 filter as I have heard great things and it seems idiot-proof. I will likely add something else to help circulate the water if it seems necessary when I get it filled up.
I currently have a single "live" aquatic plant that I bought from Petsmart in my 10 gallon tank. There isn't a lot of selection for plants at my Petsmart, so I am curious if anyone knows of a good place to get some live aquatic plants for the fish to hide in. I've seen so many options I don't know what to look into. I don't want too much, just some variety and decoration. On that note, I noticed Petsmart had a million different kinds of "aquatic plant food" and C02 regulators for aquatic plants. I skipped it for now and the plant has been fine so far for the last 3 weeks. Not sure if this stuff is really necessary??
As for substrate- my 10 gallon tank has some mixed colorful gravel that I bought at Walmart- but it was kind of pricey...I can't imagine buying 12 times that for the new tank. Does anyone know a good place to get more gravel for the 125 gal tank? Is it bad to mix it with sand? As in put sand on the bottom and then just enough gravel on top for aesthetics? What are some other options or pros/cons of each?
Aside from a filter, a water testing kit (which I already own), gravel/sand, some more live plants and decorations- what else do I need to consider? I plan to get a gravel vacuum. Also, what is the best/easiest way to do water changes on a tank this size? Do I need to be doing 50% changes initially? I was planning to fill it with a "good" hose from the outside faucet to start with but this might be too cold for refilling the tank after I have fish in it...I am also not sure of the easiest way to get the dirty water out. Carrying bucket after bucket from the tank to the tub seems like a pain....and I am not sure about the sump pumps or how exactly they help.
How often should I be checking the water initially? My plan is to set the tank up with some real plants and let them all sit in there for a few weeks and then move the two goldfish in when things have cycled after a month or however long it takes (on that note, are they okay in the 10 gallon tank for that long?). I heard that using dirty filter media from the tank they are currently living in is a good idea to get the new tank cycled....but how does this work? Obviously my little 10 gallon filter won't go in the Fluval- do I just drop it right in the tank and let it sit there?
Also, I know the plants can help regulate the tank somewhat- are there any other animals I can add that will help maintain the tank like a pleco or snails without adding work?
I've read the tank will weigh around 1,400 lbs when full and I don't know if that includes substrate.... I was planning to put it in my "living room" when you come into the house which has a finished basement under it. The room already has a pretty heavy piano in it and the floor is hardwood. Should I consider putting it somewhere else? Is there a way to find out how much weight my floor can hold?
Finally, I read this today. "Generally filter media does not need to be replaced until it is literally falling apart (which can be years) and if you do need to replace some filter media replace a small portion at a time."
Is this true? I'd hate to buy a $400 filter and have it ruined because I didn't change the filter...
I am nowhere near done in my research (and have found a TON of good info in the forums already, some that answer some of my questions here to some degree) so sorry if some of this seems like common knowledge that I don't possess. Just looking for a starting point and some more info to digest before I spend more money.
Thanks for any advice!
Anyway, I won my daughter a couple of comet goldfish at the carnival 3 weeks ago and taking care of them over the last few weeks has reminded me how much I enjoyed owning fish as a hobby. I did some research and realized my goldfish needed a much bigger tank, and my local Petsmart was having a big sale on a 125 gallon TopFin tank. The reviews on TopFin seem mixed but it has a lifetime warranty so I figured I didn't have much to lose. Since I wanted to have more than the two goldfish and I had read that a bigger tank is easier to maintain, I pulled the trigger and bought it. The only thing I don't like its the fluorescent lights...but the LED's at Petsmart seem ridiculous in price. Any ideas on a good place to buy some LEDs?
I have a lot of questions about the best way to cycle this new tank, fish compatibility, places to find stuff for initial setup, etc. To give you an idea of what I want- money isn't necessarily an issue. I don't want to spend a fortune on things I don't need but I am willing to buy whatever I need to make my life easier and the fish happier. My plan is to buy a single Fluval FX6 filter as I have heard great things and it seems idiot-proof. I will likely add something else to help circulate the water if it seems necessary when I get it filled up.
I currently have a single "live" aquatic plant that I bought from Petsmart in my 10 gallon tank. There isn't a lot of selection for plants at my Petsmart, so I am curious if anyone knows of a good place to get some live aquatic plants for the fish to hide in. I've seen so many options I don't know what to look into. I don't want too much, just some variety and decoration. On that note, I noticed Petsmart had a million different kinds of "aquatic plant food" and C02 regulators for aquatic plants. I skipped it for now and the plant has been fine so far for the last 3 weeks. Not sure if this stuff is really necessary??
As for substrate- my 10 gallon tank has some mixed colorful gravel that I bought at Walmart- but it was kind of pricey...I can't imagine buying 12 times that for the new tank. Does anyone know a good place to get more gravel for the 125 gal tank? Is it bad to mix it with sand? As in put sand on the bottom and then just enough gravel on top for aesthetics? What are some other options or pros/cons of each?
Aside from a filter, a water testing kit (which I already own), gravel/sand, some more live plants and decorations- what else do I need to consider? I plan to get a gravel vacuum. Also, what is the best/easiest way to do water changes on a tank this size? Do I need to be doing 50% changes initially? I was planning to fill it with a "good" hose from the outside faucet to start with but this might be too cold for refilling the tank after I have fish in it...I am also not sure of the easiest way to get the dirty water out. Carrying bucket after bucket from the tank to the tub seems like a pain....and I am not sure about the sump pumps or how exactly they help.
How often should I be checking the water initially? My plan is to set the tank up with some real plants and let them all sit in there for a few weeks and then move the two goldfish in when things have cycled after a month or however long it takes (on that note, are they okay in the 10 gallon tank for that long?). I heard that using dirty filter media from the tank they are currently living in is a good idea to get the new tank cycled....but how does this work? Obviously my little 10 gallon filter won't go in the Fluval- do I just drop it right in the tank and let it sit there?
Also, I know the plants can help regulate the tank somewhat- are there any other animals I can add that will help maintain the tank like a pleco or snails without adding work?
I've read the tank will weigh around 1,400 lbs when full and I don't know if that includes substrate.... I was planning to put it in my "living room" when you come into the house which has a finished basement under it. The room already has a pretty heavy piano in it and the floor is hardwood. Should I consider putting it somewhere else? Is there a way to find out how much weight my floor can hold?
Finally, I read this today. "Generally filter media does not need to be replaced until it is literally falling apart (which can be years) and if you do need to replace some filter media replace a small portion at a time."
Is this true? I'd hate to buy a $400 filter and have it ruined because I didn't change the filter...
I am nowhere near done in my research (and have found a TON of good info in the forums already, some that answer some of my questions here to some degree) so sorry if some of this seems like common knowledge that I don't possess. Just looking for a starting point and some more info to digest before I spend more money.
Thanks for any advice!
