new to aquariums

[harmy4993]

Ok i probably did what alot of people do. i went to the pet store, got a fish tank kit and got it home and filled it with water figuring the next day i would get the fish and the plants.

what i know:
i have a 30 gallon tank kit with gravel, filter, heater and air pump. luckly i decided to jump on the good old internet and so i dont currently own any plants or fish yet.

i know i want live plants and live fish

what i dont know:
everything.

my experiance with fish comes from getting gold fish at the carnival when i was little. 20-25 years ago. that involves winning fish, taking them home and putting them in a bowl and hoping they are still alive in the morning.

and so here i am lost as to what to do now.

i got the tank on july 10th its now july 14th. this is what i have done so far. i got the tank kit, got it home filled it with water and turned on the filter. soon there after reliezing i forgot gravel. i went back to petco the next day and got 35 pounds of gravel, airpump and 18 inch bubble bar. Got the gravel put in after cleanign it off and got the bubble bar set up and running.

so the 10th,11th,12th and 13th i had crystal clear water. today the 14th the water was lightly cloudy.(petco says thats a good thing)which is good cause i was panicing. i havent added anything to the water. i havent changed the water. i am just kinda letting it run for now untill i find out what my next step is.

so my questions are:
what is my next step lol.
is the light that came with the tank good enough for live plants or do i have to get a diffrent light.
when can i add plants.
at this time i dont plan on using co2 so what should i plan on doing to keep the plants healthy.

i know i have a million more questions but i think and hope this will get me to my next step. so until then ill continue to read everythign i can on these forums.

opps forgot. the tank is the 29 gallon top fin kit. i couldnt find it online to give more info so if you need any more details ask and ill try and answer.

 

[Sum22]

If it is a kit, then the lights probably won't work for plants.

You should get a liquid test kit to test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrate.

Also, what do you know about cycling a tank? Typically, there are a couple of ways to cycle.
1. add 2-3 fish and wait 6-8 weeks for the "good" bacteria to grow in your tank. You would have to check the ammonia and nitrites every day or two as it is toxic in high levels to fish and change the water, 30-50%, as needed.
2. You could fishless cycle, which involved adding pure ammonia to your tank until good bacteria grows.
3. silent cycle, where you add plants and some fish. Since you want plants, it might be a good idea. I'll find the link to the thread and post it for you. Here is the link http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/cycle-your-tank-w-fish-plants-easy-way-103949.html

 

[Sum22]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/light-examples-104247.html

There is a link to the type of lighting you need to run a planted tank. I'm not sure if the one you have has the two bulbs or if is had the single long fluorescent bulb. If you have the two bulbs, like the ones shown in the thread above, then you are in luck. If not, I'm not sure what your lighting options are. I'm sure someone else could give you better advice, especially since I don't have a planted tank.
And finally, a link to the thread with all the planted tank information for your reading pleasure.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/read-first-resources-references-83826.html

BTW, welcome to the site! I hope everyone here can answer your questions and get your tank looking spectacular.

 

[harmy4993]

first thanks for replying. i gotta admitt this forum is alot more polite then my other hobby forums are.

as to my light its one single light. for cycling i honestly dont understand to much about it but am trying to read everythign i can about it. i get lost with all the abbrivations but im reading and reading and reading.

i know that its a process to get the tank ready to accept the full life load that will be in the tank. but i dont know all the steps needed to complete the process. thats why i have just been letting the tank run for now while i learn. figured i couldnt hurt anything at this point if i dont do anything.

the good news for me is im not in any hurry. id rather attempt to do it right the first time. i know im going to make mistakes just hoping they arent major ones. even thou when i got the tank i was ready to put fish in it right away cause i didnt know any better, now im glad i didnt because one its bad for this fish and two im not even sure what i want the tank to end up looking like.

 

[Sum22]

fishless cycling seems to be the most recommended method around here.

I just broke down my tank when I moved and acquired a 30g once I arrived at my destination, so I'm trying out the fishless thing right now. I have a Quarantine Tank (QT) tank set up, it is running 2 filters and a heater. I'm moving again in about 2 weeks into a permanent place and I didn't want to have to break down 2 full tanks to move.

Anyways, here is a link to a thread on this forum that had helped me with the fishless thing. I'm pretty sure you can do it with plants too. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/fishless-cycling-dummies-103339.html

I picked up my ammonia from Ace Hardware on the recommendation of someone here. It was their janitorial ammonia cleaner. Just an FYI in case you decide to go that route.

 

[harmy4993]

the last link you posted was actually great. very easy to understand. now i know what to go do tomorrow. go get some ammonia and some kinda of test kit. i also need to find the local fish store. i been going to petco or petsmart i forget what the name of it is lol. the guy there is great and his answers for the most part follow what i have found here.i just need to start researching plants and fish.

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

you may be able to grow some plants w/ the stock light, look more into the wattage of it.


Also do you have a 30 gallon or a 29 gallon, b/c there is a noticable difference in the tank size. 29 gallon tanks are more common AFAIK and are 30" long, while a 30gallon is 36" long.

You came to a great place. I'm glad you came here before getting fish, it should make it a little easier and less stresfull. I just ended up with fish a couple months ago and then did some reading

 

[CatatonicBug]

As far as test kits go, get the API Master Test Kit. Don't waste your time or money on the test strips.

I congratulate you for actually researching before buying fish! That will have saved you time, money and a lot of heartache. Start with the Ammonia from Ace Hardware, and the Master Test Kit. There is a link in my signature that talks more about cycling as well. Do you have any pictures of your tank? You will find it is very satisfying to see the progress of your tank when you take pictures at each step. Besides, we all love to see pictures around here!

 

[harmy4993]

you may be able to grow some plants w/ the stock light, look more into the wattage of it.


Also do you have a 30 gallon or a 29 gallon, b/c there is a noticable difference in the tank size. 29 gallon tanks are more common AFAIK and are 30" long, while a 30gallon is 36" long.

You came to a great place. I'm glad you came here before getting fish, it should make it a little easier and less stresfull. I just ended up with fish a couple months ago and then did some reading

oppsy =) it is a 29 gallon tank.

ill look and see if i can figure out the wattage of the light when i get home from work tongiht.

 

[harmy4993]

i do own a nikon d50 but it is with my parents right now who borrowed it for vacation. so i will get pictures when i get my camera back.

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

If the light bulb is 18" long then its 15w, many kits have this light even though the hood is 30" long.

There are a couple options for better lighting, some DIY and other with great new fixtures($$). Its best to plan things out as much as possible(with the help of the forum) as it will save you time/money/troubles in the future and you will have what you really desire.

 

[harmy4993]

i think if it comes to gettign a new light, id like to prolly get a new hood. i will have to look at pricing and everything first but if i can get something that looks a little better then the current hood i would not complain.

 

[CatatonicBug]

I had the same 18" long setup on my 47g Tall. Rather than spend the money on a new hood, I made a new DIY one that holds 4 spiral CF bulbs (100w equivalent each). I lined it with foil, and it works perfecly!

 

[haykay]

you will almost undoubably need a new hood (i have the same tank im sure (kit and everything))

For equipment your petsmart/co will probably have the best prices buti refuse to by my stock from there anymore, I still go there for all my equipment (quite a price difference from the LFS)

Hang in there it can be confusing adn a bit over whelming at first but I commend you for doing the right thing and researching!

Welcome and have fun!

 

[spilzer]

When I decided to go planted I upgraded the lights on my 29 gallon but instead of a new hood I got a 30" twin-tube versa-top which is basically just a hinged piece of glass that sits on top of the aquarium. There is a gap between the back of the top and the aquarium edge so that filters and other equipment can still hang on the back of the tank.

I then got the Nova Extreme T5 30" 48 Watt light fixture. It just sits on top of the versa-top and I'm pretty happy with it. I sometimes wish the light wasn't so close to the tank so I might eventually make a DIY mounting leg/stand but overall it's a good deal.

I hope this information isn't too overwhelming. I know I must have read all the articles on this site and many others before even beginning to understand most of the stuff here. Don't worry though, with a little perserverence it'll become clear in no time!

Oh and welcome to AA!
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3790

 

[harmy4993]

ok so i had my first bad experiance today but i actually laughed about it. i went to my local fish store to look and ask some questions. as soon as i mentioned putting ammonia in the tank to cycle it, the owner told me if i put any ammonia in my tank for any reason he would refuse to sell me any fish ever. lol i tried to explain to him the reason for the ammonia and what it did but he refused to listen.

after stressing out the last 2 days and reading till 4am last night im actually feeling better. not that i have much of a clue but i am startign to understand things better. and i have come to the conclusion that until the time comes that i put plants and fish in the tank i dont have to hurry. i can take as much time as i need to get everything ready.

as for the light kit so far no one around here has any they all have to be special ordered so any good articles or tips on diy lighting.

and ty everyone for the kind words. im really glad i didnt go out and just buy the fish like i planned. i know now none of them would have survived and that would have been a bad bad thing.

 

[catmel]

Sounds like your LFS needs to do a little research first! hah. Everyone here is very helpful, you've found a good place!

welcome and good luck!

 

[Sum22]

LOL sounds like the lfs guy is old school. It is funny too considering how many articles you can find if you google fishless cycling.

 

[haykay]

dude do you live in B-ham washing ton sounds like your LFS owner is like the jerk off of an the only private LFS around here! lol i kbnow exactly how you feel

 

[new2betas]

Sounds like your LFS needs to do a little research first! hah. Everyone here is very helpful, you've found a good place!

welcome and good luck!

Very much!! I bought a 10g start up kit and started doing research, research, research and found this forum and what a difference it has made for me (and I am sure my fish)! I did the fishless cycling and really enjoyed the process. I am now doing another fishless cycle on another 10g I bought mainly to be used as a red cherry shrimp tank.

You're in the right place! Enjoy! And.....not sure if I would go to your lfs anymore....what a jerk!