getting started

[Bear]

ok well now my 40 gal tank is clean and full of water. I have my new heater, filter, thermometer, and light all hooked up. I have an air pump, but am not exactly sure how to do it, i have the piping and suction cups and it is all in, but am i supposed to have something at the end of the piping or do i just let the bubbles come outta the tube.

Soon I am taking a trip to a trustworthy store to buy some gravel fish and food.

Is there anything that I am missing? How many fish should I get to cycle, and of what kind of fish? (I plan on doing an african cichlid tank). As of now the water is at 79 deg and the ph is 8.

I am also still a little confused w/ the cycle. Please correct ne If im wrong: From here do i just add the gravel and other equipment that i need (if i need any more) then slowly introduce the fish to the water then take the fish outta its bag and put it in the aquarium, then wait for it to cycle? When and how often do i do water changes during and after the cycle? How often and how much should i clean after the cycle? How many fish should i use to cycle?
Thanks for the help!

[Durbkat]

Ok, with the air pump you need something called an air stone, it looks like this http://www.fishandfins.co.uk/images/air-stone.jpg they may come in different colors, and then it will make bubbles.

You shouldn't use fish to cycle the tank espically since your going to get african cichlids. If you can get a product called "bio-spera" and this instantly cycles your tank, and if you get it I'd get about 3-4 fish to help it along, then after about 2 weeks have your water tested at the pet store or even better get your own test kit so you can test it anytime you want to. And if the water stats are good e.g ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0 and nitrate is somewhere between 15-20 or somewhat close to it. And if they are good you can get around 3-4 more fish depending on how many cichlids can be kept in a 40g. Also don't let them try to sell you anything else that says it instantly cycles your tank as there isn't any other kind of chemical that cycles your tank.

Have you dechlornated the water to make it safe for fish?

[Bear]

yes the water is dechlorinated and i have a test kit

[northfacehiker]

Durbkat nailed the airstone question. I put my airstone in the gravel and let the bubbles come up that way. I use a bubble wand (long looking thing you can get at your LFS or at petsmart) so that it creates a "wall" of bubbles. I like the 6" ones personally.

As for the fish and cycle, you should put the gravel in and decide how you want to cycle the tank. There's 3 major methods:

1) Fish cycle. Some people think this is bad. I've done it and all fish were a-ok.
2) Use pure ammonia (make sure no soap in it... read the label). Don't recall the amount to use (something like 1 tsp per 5 gallons).
3) Bio-spira. This is a packet of live bacteria you can buy at your local fish store (if they carry it). You toss in your fish, pour in the bio-spira, and then make sure to not overfeed over the next 7-10 days while the bacteria get settled in.

The purpose of the cycle is to estabilsh healthy bacteria in the tank. The cycle works something like this:

1) Fish eat. Uneaten food sinks to the bottom and decays. Fish also poop a lot. This results in ammonia buildup in the water. Ammonia is poisious to fish.
2) Good bacteria "eat" ammonia and convert it to nitrite. Nitrite is also poisionous to fish.
3) More good bacteria "eat" nitrite and convert it to nitrate (note the I vs. the A). Nitrate isn't poisionus to fish, but can be toxic at high concentrations.
4) Nitrate at low levels isn't bad. Live plants thrive off the stuff as the use the nutrients in the photosynthetic process. Water changes also remove nitrates from the water.

This "cycle" is what you are aiming to establish in your tank. The buildup of these different good bacteria is what will help to keep your fish healthy and looking good. As the good bacteria first start to grow, your water will get a cloudy, white look to it. This is the bacterial bloom and is a good thing. As the water begins to clear up, this is good as it means the bacteria are settling in. The other end of this cycle is that it needs a source of ammonia to stay alive. In short, it needs either fish poop or more pure ammonia once it begins. That is where you have to decide on the fish vs. fishless cycle. The reason people suggest fishless cycles is because during the beginng part of this cycle, ammonia levels get very high. This makes it very hard for fish to breathe and can actually cause gill damage in weak or sensitive fish. It also means you have to keep up with the ammonia additions and test the tank daily to see if you need to add more. I have never done a fishless cycle, so I cannot offer you full details on it. I may get yelled at for this, but I use zebra danios to cycle tanks with. They are hardy fish, live through the tank cycle (generally), and are actually cool to have in a tank (although you wont want them in with your cichlids). Don't forget the biospira option. The bacteria that you normally have to wait for to "bloom" are part of what's in the package when you pour it in.

So there's the 3 basic options and the purpose of the all-glorious "cycle" in a nutshell. It will be up to you which option you choose. Fishless requires a lot of water testing and takes 2 weeks (generally... just an estimate... it's different for every tank). A fish cycle takes about the same amount of time, but then you have the being humane to fish issue. Biospira is nearly instaneous cycling, but is very expensive (usually about $13 for enough to cycle a 30 gallon, so probably $16-$18 to cycle a 40 gallon).

One last thing: For your water conditioner, what brand are you using? Does it treat only chlorine or does it also breakdown/detoxify chloramine? This is very important depending on what your local city cleans their water with.

I know you will have more questions, so please keep posting. We're glad you're asking ahead of time instead of after having a bunch of dead fish!

[Durbkat]

Also I strongly recommend that you don't take the easy way out and fish cycle the tank because I fish cycled my 10g (I started it with 4 black widow tetras and 1 common plec) and those fish have not grown very much at all and I've had them almost 3 years! The plec is supposed to be bigger than 4" long and mine is only 4" long, I think it should be at least 8" long by now. So if you fish cycle it shortens the life of your fish and it most likely stunts their growth. Oh BTW thats my plec in the advertisment of my forum and thats about the size he was when I got him 3 years ago.

[Bear]

what about water changes and cleaning? During the cycle do I do any water changes? and after? How often? How Much? Oh and for water conditioner I am using prime (i aked here in the chat room here and it was highly recommended)

what should i do when it comes to tank algae eating fish? Snails?

[Durbkat]

You should do vacuum cleanings about every 2 weeks. If you use bio spera you don't need to do any vacuum cleanings. You don't need to get algae eatings fish until you get algae and its always better to figure out the cause and solve it instead of buying a fish to get rid of it.

[JustOneMore20]

During the cycle, don't gravel vac the tank.

Read up on Fishless Cycling and decide if thats for you. Go to your local grocery store and look for pure ammonia with no surfactants or scents. Shake the bottle and if it foams, put it back on the shelf. If it doesn't, pay for it. Usually stores sell some off brand types of ammonia.
More Fishless Cycling
Even more That site also has the Nitrogen cycle.
Nitrogen Cycle reading
More nitrogen cycle.

Make sure you know what's occuring in your tank when it cycles.

If you decide you don't want to go fishless, you can either get some hardy fish, like danios and then return them at the end of the cycle. Or you can get some cichlids that are hardier (if there is a such thing). Or you can go with the Bio-Spira if you can find it.

I'd go buy some gravel first off. It is easier to put gravel in when the tank is empty, but I suppose you can add it in with water. Your pH is already high, so any regular gravel will work. No special cichlid substrate needed.

Then you should buy a test kit for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte, if you don't already have one. Get a liquid kit. Aquarium pharmaceuticals master kit is great and contains the tests I listed above.

Then decide which fish you want for the tank. For a 40g, stocking is limited for Africans. I'd go with a group of yellow labs, about 5 females and 1 male or a group of red zebras. Or...what were you thinking of? I would research more and figure out a semi-permanent stocking list before adding any fish.

[Bear]

I planned on having a nice little variety of cichlids. What do i do about water changes?

...Now after checking the ph again, this morning, it seems that the ph is at 7.5...Perhaps i didnt let everything settle enough before testing yetsterday. Any ways, Is it possible to have a peaceful community tank of cichlids? I'm thinking that perhaps I should go another route because of the new ph reading

[Bear]

I was told that this stuff http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Prod...lyID_4134.aspx
works pretty well w/ holding the ph...what's you take?

and what about an undergravel filter? I have also heard that the undergravel filter can be a big help, but when i go look at them on the online shops the just look like a plastic container (meaning i dont see a chord or anything producing power to make it work, if that makes sense). If i have the aquaclear 50 gal filter do i need the extra undergravel one?

[JustOneMore20]

I wouldn't add any chemicals to the tank. If you plan to keep Africans, I'd go with an African Cichlid substrate, like This.

Here is a list of beginner Africans. Most need a tank larger than yours though.
THIS is a cookie cutter setup for a 40g.

I would just get a more powerful Aquaclear filter. Cichlids are a bit messy and most are bigger than other tropical fish, so I'd get an AC70 instead. You could use a undergravel filter, but I personally don't like them. Some people swear by them though. If you don't install it correctly, mulm can get trapped under it and keep your nitrAtes up.

[Durbkat]

Under gravel filters or UGF's are pretty much worthless and most people don't even sell them anymore. All they do it suck the poop under the plates which is only moving the poop from the gravel to the bottom of the tank where it can't be reached.

[Bear]

with the lower ph now, will it be ok for the cichlids? or should i change some of the water for some with a higher ph?

[JustOneMore20]

If you go with Malawi cichlids, a pH of 7.5-8.8 is good.

I would go to Cichlid Forum and browse their library so you will know how to set the tank up and what fish will be good for your tank.

If you don't want to go African, you can do peaceful South American cichlids like an angel, a pair of rams, and some tetras. There are a good many cichlids that will do well in a community tank.

Make sure you know which fish you can get so you will know your options. Decide on the type and make sure they are compatible. Go to the cichlid forum here for some advice from people who keep various types of cichlids. Do your research now, so you will properly setup your tank for whatever you choose. Not all cichlids are suitable for a 40g tank. Many are pretty aggressive, so a bigger tank is needed. For Mbuna like Yellow labs and Red Zebras, one male to several females is needed.

[Bear]

how about for a final set up:

2 Congo "Black Fin" Altolamprologus calvus
2 Neolamprologus leleupi (Orange)
1 Julidochromis marlieri (Burundi)
1 Chalinochromis brichardi
1 Telmatochromis brichardi (Chituta)
1 Bushy Nose Pleco
3 Zebra Nerita Snails

All on a dark or black fine gravel, with some rocks and a black bkg.

What should I do about lighting?

[Durbkat]

I don't suppose you know those fish's common names versus their scientific name as some members like myself don't know what those fish are.

[Bear]

I only know the common names for the first two which are Congo "Black Fin Calvus", and Firecrackers.

[Bear]

2


2


1


1


1


1


3

[JustOneMore20]

I'd post the list on the cichlid board...here on FF. I don't keep them (Africans)...I just know a little about them...not about the individual types though.

They can tell you about aggression between any.

[Bear]

ok, well than i will take it there, thanks for all the help!