Just starting out, New tank!

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And the vac is key. You.want to.be able.to.remove any extra food or waste..
 
Oh plants... I recommend wistria or money worth or java fern. These are easy lowlights. These will help break waste too... But do research before any plant of fish imo.
 
joejeff said:
The chems that claim to speed cycle are a waste of money and do not wrk! Patience and seeding are only two cycle tools... I have been doin this nine yrs... Nvr owned a python. Gravel vac siphon is fine... Even w five tanks... Five gallon buckets from lowes are my friends.
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Three gallon buckets are better friends for my back, haha! Four tanks, one 3 gallon bucket, and a gravel vac and it still takes me less than an hour to do all my water changes. Well, one tank is a 1.5 gal that just gets dumped out, rinsed, and refilled for my betta, but still, I am siphoning and bucketing roughly 35 gallons of water between the other tanks. Just be patient with your cycle and keep testing that water and changing your water, and your fish should come out of this experience just fine.
 
Alyxx said:
Three gallon buckets are better friends for my back, haha! Four tanks, one 3 gallon bucket, and a gravel vac and it still takes me less than an hour to do all my water changes. Well, one tank is a 1.5 gal that just gets dumped out, rinsed, and refilled for my betta, but still, I am siphoning and bucketing roughly 35 gallons of water between the other tanks. Just be patient with your cycle and keep testing that water and changing your water, and your fish should come out of this experience just fine.
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Ya mine is about 40 gallons for all tanks. My roommates role their eyes at the buckets in the bathtub.
 
joejeff said:
Ya mine is about 40 gallons for all tanks. My roommates role their eyes at the buckets in the bathtub.
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I know our friends have probably wondered how black sand has gotten into our shower and toilet...
 
Thank you!!

Thank you again for all the help guys!!!!, Honestly every single one of you offers a new opinion or suggestion. :D its awesome!!:thanks:


So, i just did another 50% wc. One thing that no one ever suggest is TOWELS!!!! Im sorry but if your new to water changes be ready to make a mess! (well at least im messy, ill get the hang of it) Just 4 days away from my check!! Cant wait to get a gravelvac!!, i might be able to get the test kit. If not im going to search around for someone to test my water..I still am looking for some used media for the filter. (so getting media speeds up the process, but by how much is it sped up?)
It really feels good taking care of these guys. Its a really difficult process. difficult because i have to wait!!! i hate waiting!!>.<!!
But i am really starting to get a feel for this stuff. I cant even begin to thank you guys enough for all the help and advice!!
All of the fish are doing well at the moment.:D
 
Glad to help!!!! Getting some established media can speed things up from months to weeks, weeks to days, days to hours depending on how much you are able to obtain & how well-established it is. Any amount will help the the cycling process though! One suggestion would be to purchase a 'live' filter from Angelfish. Many members have successfully (and fairly quickly) cycled their tanks using their live filters. But, its more important right now to get a test kit first so you can see whats happening in your tank & act accordingly! :)
 
jlk said:
Glad to help!!!! Getting some established media can speed things up from months to weeks, weeks to days, days to hours depending on how much you are able to obtain & how well-established it is. Any amount will help the the cycling process though! One suggestion would be to purchase a 'live' filter from Angelfish. Many members have successfully (and fairly quickly) cycled their tanks using their live filters. But, its more important right now to get a test kit first so you can see whats happening in your tank & act accordingly! :)
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Hey thanks for the advice!!, Im going to go see my friend that owns a shop again. He has tanks at his house. Ill just try to invite myself over:DD (kiddingg)
So, i know this is a noob question but...once you cycle..whats next? haha Like now do i have the freedom to put whatever i want in the tank? how does that work. Also when could i rearrange the substrate and the decor. i have sand with gravel so how would that be done? Just looking towards the future.:D
I like my design but now theres gravel where the sand is. It doesnt bother me right now, (thats the least of my worries) But i do in the future want the tank to look SPIFFY!. Any comments on that.

Im looking for knowledge!! I love asking questions. Im glad you guys like answering:DD
 
Once it is cycled add fish slowly, maybe 1-3 at a time. This allows your beneficial bacteria to adjust and expand their population to deal with the increase in ammonia in the tank from the new inhabitants. You could really rearrange at any time. It is easiest to redecorate during a pwc so that you don't have to reach down through so much water. Also, rearranging things and redecorating can be a good way to keep those pwc's fun and it gives you something to do while the tank cycles.
 
tertatorres said:
Hey thanks for the advice!!, Im going to go see my friend that owns a shop again. He has tanks at his house. Ill just try to invite myself over:DD (kiddingg)
So, i know this is a noob question but...once you cycle..whats next? haha Like now do i have the freedom to put whatever i want in the tank? how does that work. Also when could i rearrange the substrate and the decor. i have sand with gravel so how would that be done? Just looking towards the future.:D
I like my design but now theres gravel where the sand is. It doesnt bother me right now, (thats the least of my worries) But i do in the future want the tank to look SPIFFY!. Any comments on that.

Im looking for knowledge!! I love asking questions. Im glad you guys like answering:DD
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Lol! I hope you friend can help you out! Once your tank is cycled, you are free to stock what you want BUT it must be fish suitable to your tank size (that wont grow 2ft) and that are compatible with each other! While your tank is cycling, do your research on fish you are considering & ask questions on stocking your tank here as well. If you plan on redecorating or rearranging or changing things around, its best to do this while your tank is cycling before you have fish. If your considering plants, this is great time to start researching them & start stocking them (cycling wont hurt them & they can help cycling as well).
If you fully cycle your tank to 4ppm ammonia, you can stock it almost immediately with pretty much all the fish this size tank can handle without an issue as long as your not overstocked. The only thing left will be weekly (or biweekly) water changes to remove nitrates & dissolved solids. And feeding the fish, of course! Hope this helps & keep asking questions! :)
 
jlk said:
If you fully cycle your tank to 4ppm ammonia, you can stock it almost immediately with pretty much all the fish this size tank can handle without an issue as long as your not overstocked. The only thing left will be weekly (or biweekly) water changes to remove nitrates & dissolved solids. And feeding the fish, of course! Hope this helps & keep asking questions! :)
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I think he's doing a fish-in cycle so he'll have to stock slowly.
 
I.have had media instant cycle ly tank... Bc I moved media from.a very established tank. But as u add fish Do it slow ... This also gives u a chance to find extremely awesome fish! So ur picking and choosing.
 
So, update!
Just did another 50%wc. Things are looking well so far. Fish seem to be enjoying themselves. Still looking for some live media. (I wish i knew more people with tanks!!) Thanks for all the help again!
 
Im thinking of having a terta tank. Just for now, so i can get the hang of caring for a tank. Whats the max amount of tertas im allowed with my setup.
IM thinking of, neons,glowlights,gold,green fire?....isnt doesnt really matter. I just look schooling fish:D
 
Sorry to jump in late but I've been reading your thread cuz I'm cycling my first 20 gallon right now! I'm doing a fish less cycle though so I've been dosing my ammonia to 4ppm as it drops. IMO as a new person too your test kit is going to be more important than the vac but I could be wrong. I just know I bought the test kit first it was $32 at the local petsmart (petco didn't have the master kit just the pieces) I had a 55 gallon when I was a kid that my dad and I took care of and all we used to water change was a big bucket and a syphon. I understand being strapped for cash! I'm in the same boat!
 
tertatorres said:
Also jus thought about this, When i do my 50% change, do i treat the new water too. Do i always treat whenever i put new water in. I only have the stress coat right now, wouldnt treating the water everyday add to much stresscoat to the tank?
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Haha, I felt that way at first too. Your answer is "Absolutely Not!" If you do NOT treat the new water you're adding, then you're essentially adding water riddled with chemicals, heavy metals, ammonia, etc. Think of it like aquarium salt that you add to the tank. If you add 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons of water...wait bad analogy because you don't want to add more salt after evaporation...

Ok, so anyway. When you do a partial water change (and we're assuming that stress coat stays in the tank) you're removing the waste and that stress coat, so you'll want to readd it when you add water back. Also, you'll do well to let your water "age" a day-say, in jugs-so that some of the harmful chemicals disperse naturally. That's not required, and I do something else entirely. Call it superstitious, but after getting my water treated, I like to let it sit for a half hour so it settles.

Moral of the story, no you don't need to stop adding the stress coat. Keep on treating it according to the label. (I use aquasafe by tetra, 10ml per 10 gal).

Since I mentioned salt (aquarium salt, not table salt), which is great for helping prevent illness and making your fish happier, whenever you add water due to natural evaporation, you will NOT want to add salt to the water, otherwise you're increasing the salinity in your tank. When you do water changes, you are pulling salt out so it's ok to readd that salt. Complicated? At first, but all in all, it's a simple rule of thumb. Evaporated H20, add no more salt. PWC, it's a good idea to put some back in.

Again, best of luck to you, and keep us posted!

Wow, didn't realize I wasn't on the right page...either way, good luck!
 
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tertatorres said:
Im thinking of having a terta tank. Just for now, so i can get the hang of caring for a tank. Whats the max amount of tertas im allowed with my setup.
IM thinking of, neons,glowlights,gold,green fire?....isnt doesnt really matter. I just look schooling fish:D
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I would check your hardness and ph, since most tetras seem to prefer soft, neutral-slightly acidic water...of course fish are adaptable, but giving them optimum conditions is always a good goal.

My personal opinion, I would go with some black skirt tetras (absolutely gorgeous), neons are good, and if they have them at your LFS, I would definitely get some rummy nosed tetras.

Other good shoaling fish are Scissortail Rasbora and Harlequin Rasbora, both of which (like some tetras) aren't too demanding.

As for stocking capacity, tetras aren't super wasteful (same for rasbora) so you could probably get away with maybe 10 of each, but definitely be sure to start with maybe half of your maximum capacity so you can watch the parameters and keep them in check just in case. I've got a 30 gallon with about thirty fish in it, Molly's and Guppy's (granted, about 26 of those are the young that have survived to be large enough not to get eaten, and thus are smaller.) But if you're willing to do the necessary PWC's to keep the ammonia, nitrite and nitrates down, you will be good.

Good luck again!
 
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