Another Newbie With a New Tank - Few Questions

[SeannyBoy84]

How's it going? First off, I love the water. From surfing to snorkeling to sailing and everything else. I live in Vegas, so I try to hit San Diego, Maui, Fiji, etc. as much as possible, but I usually get to San Diego more than the others. So it's only natural that I have an aquarium of some sort, but I am only just beginning now. I've researched a bit online as I always do when tackling something new. My aunt had a hexagon acrylic 30 gallon tank and fluorescent hood that she wasn't using, and I thought I'd use it to start off. I've decided to buy most of the supplies I need from PetSmart, but buy the fish at a little store here called PetLand. It just seems like they receive more attention there and they also have more to choose from. Most of the equipment I bought were the Top Fin brand made for PetSmart.

-Power Filter 30
-Air Pump 30
-Air Check Valve
-25 lbs. of Brown Gravel
-25ft. Clear Tubing
-Tubing Organizers
-Several Plastic Plants
-Several Roman/Greek Decorations
-Tetramin AquaSafe
-Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Frshwater Master Test Kit
-5 in. Donut Air Stone
-Fish Net
-Glass Thermometer
-Acrylic Sponge Scrub

I have yet to buy a Python Kit or a heater. It's pretty much summer here in Vegas, and I'm not sure if it was necessary right away. I have just finished setting the tank up and it looks really nice. It's been running with the filter and the air stone for about a day, water has stayed clear. I know I have to cycle the aquarium and make sure there is enough good bacteria to break the Ammonia and Nitrite down before I get some fish. The water temp is at 72 degrees and I haven't added Ammonia to the water yet. I did a test with the kit:

pH: 7.6
High pH: 7.8
Ammonia: .25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0

Now the questions. How is everything? Should I add the Ammonia now? Would it be as good and faster if I bought some Spira? Do I do a large water change after the aquarium has successfully cycled? How much? When should the filter media be changed out? Should I get a heater? I'm sure the water temp will stay around the mid 70s once summer really hits in a week or two. Any supplements I should add to the water when fish have been put in? What is a good brand and what kind of fish food should I get?

Whew. I think's that's all for now. I took a quick glance at the fish today and the ones that caught my eye were Danios, Angelfish, different types of cats and sharks, etc. I'll worry about that a little later. What do you guys say? Thanks in advance.

[leveldrummer]

bio-spira is supposed to cycle the tank instantly, you HAVE to add fish after using it, just follow the directions and test your water every day after you add fish, i would like to say welcome, and you did a great job researching, its nice to see some one take it upon themselves to do the right thing, and your doing great, if you decide to do a fishless cycle, there are many threads on here devoted to it. you can get all your answers there, if you have more questions, dont be shy.

[Georgia Peach]

tank looks great! As stated above, its great to see people do some research first! If you can find Bio Spira it should instantly cycle your tank - its pretty hard to find though.

[dwool36]

1Should I add the Ammonia now? 2Would it be as good and faster if I bought some Spira? 3Do I do a large water change after the aquarium has successfully cycled? 4How much? 5When should the filter media be changed out? 6Should I get a heater? I'm sure the water temp will stay around the mid 70s once summer really hits in a week or two. 7Any supplements I should add to the water when fish have been put in? 8What is a good brand and what kind of fish food should I get?

1 You can add ammonia now if you choose to cycle that way.

2 Bio Spira works great as does Seachem Stability. Add these when you add your fish.

3 If cycling with ammonia...yes

4 With ammonia, at least 80%. With Bio Spira or Stablity just do your normal 25% weekly water changes.

5 I never change my media. I rinse it with aquarium water monthly. Don't worry about the charcoal...it is not needed.

6 I would go ahead and get a heater just to maintain a stable temperature.

7 Not really unless you have a black water tank...but your water is too hard for that. Simply use some dechlor. Make sure you stay away from South American cichlids. Your water is way too hard.

8 I use "New Life Spectrum" community fish formula. I haven't had any complaints yet. . Whatever you use, try to make sure the main ingredient is not fish meal.

Good Luck.

[ron v]

Dead on 36. Good post.

[meyerhaus]

That is a very effective use of those column decorations. Usually it looks tacky...I think that you did a great job.

Go for the Bio-Spira if you can. Like people said above, just follow the directions very well.

As far as the fish meal thing goes, I have had success with both. New Life is a great food, but most of my fish prefer a mix of TetraColor flakes, freeze-dried bloodworms and freeze-dried brine shrimp.

[SeannyBoy84]

Thanks for all the info guys. Great stuff dwool36 and everyone else. Let's see, I have my house set to 69 degrees. I've been monitoring the thermometer in the tank and it seems to be hovering around 75, day and night. If it begins to fluctuate too much, I'll run out and buy a 100/150 watt heater.

I was at PetLand today and decided to grab 1 fl. oz. of BioSpira for $10 which is good for aquariums up to 30 gallons. The aquariums were grouped by region and the guy suggested I buy fish mostly from the same one. Is this right? I'm looking at getting Cichlids, apparently not S. American, although I do have a water softener for the house, but I might want to mix a few sharks/cats in there if it's possible. I will be reading up closer on which fish to get later tonight.

leveldrummer, I was going to buy fish, food, and possibly supplements this weekend, but you've said I have to buy some fish as soon as possible? And also, so do I only change the filter once it looks like it's physically falling to pieces? I know it depends, but typically how long does one last? I'm sure it's past the recommended monthly change. Oh and thanks for the comments of the tank. It was harder than I thought working with the tall hex tank. I will probably upgrade to something around a normal 50 gallon tank by the year's end once I get the hang of things like you pros. I will test the water again tonight. I'll keep you posted.

[Sprite42]

You will need to put the BioSpira and fish in at the same time. WIthout an ammonia source, the bacteria in BioSpira will die.

On the filter cartridge, just rinse in the tank water you siphon/change out. I use mine on a rotation basis. The first set I use until they won't rinse/swoosh clean anymore. I then put in the second set. I then wash the first set, thoroughly, under hot running water...set them out to dry and they are ready when the second set is full. I usually swap them out about once a month or so depending on how fast they gunk up. When they completely fall apart from repeated swaps, I get new ones. The current sets have lasted me nearly a year....so far! Oh, and I don't use the carbon. I remove it before using the cartridges/bags the first time.

[SeannyBoy84]

I did not know this. I just grabbed a 2 in. goldfish from my neighbor's smaller tank. I will stop by PetSmart tonight after work if I get a chance. How many fish do I have to put in there with the BioSpira? I've read fish flakes will work also for the time being? Thanks.

[Sprite42]

Your bacteria will adjust to the load of the fish.

I would not completely stock the tank. What kind of fish were you thinking of? You will want to stock somewhat lightly to begin with and then add the others gradually...maybe a fish or two every other week....just so that your bacteria can adjust and keep up with the fish load.

[SeannyBoy84]

Well, I got out of work a little later than I thought today. All the pet stores were just closing. I borrowed a couple more goldfish from my neighbor and now have 3 of them swimming around in the tank and they seem "happy". I think I will be buying a few Cichlids tomorrow and giving back the fish I borrowed. And I did another water test today:

pH: 7.8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 3.0 (it's in between the first(0) and second(5.0) shades, I'd guess 3.0)

[SeannyBoy84]

Alright I bought 3 Cichlids. 2 Jack Dempsey's and a Pink Marble I believe. I also bought a Silvertip Shark. The guy said they would be fine. The goldies are back to their original tank. The Cichlids started off shy, but are now slowly coming out into the open. The Silvertip is absolutely crazy. It's been going around in circles on the front of the tank for hours like it's stuck in a donut or something. Which brand of food is good? HBH, Hakari? I bought a small pack of shrimp pellets for now. My water has gotten a bit cloudy. I have some water clarifier, should I put it in? This was before I added the new fish. My recent water test looks normal. Nitrate is slowly going up.

pH: 7.8
Ammonia: between 0 and 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5.0

[emc7]

I like OSI but cichlids will eat anything. I would wait a few days and see if the water clears up by itself.

[SeannyBoy84]

Sorry emc7. I put it in, but the good news is that it worked. It's some new product from Tetra, and it's supposedly safe, doesn't effect pH levels, and clears the water by "causing small, suspended particles to quickly clump together and be picked up by the power filter or settle into gravel." But now my filter has become fairly dirty. How do I go about cleaning this. Rinse it out in a pitcher of dechlorinated water? Or do I just leave it for now since my tank is still trying to cycle properly?

[OhSoFLY]

WOW, that is a gorgeous tank! I was never a fan of octagon tanks but you changed me!

[meyerhaus]

When you get a bigger tank, I would go bigger than a 50 with the Jacks in there. They will get big and you will say bye-bye to the shark...your Jacks will eat him fo-sho.

[JustOneMore20]

You will definitely have to upgrade the tank soon. Jack Dempsey's can get up to 10 inches and 2 of them probably won't fit in a 30g hex. Hex tanks are usually taller than they are long, so the jack's won't fit. By silvertip shark, do you mean a bala or silver shark. I searched for silver tip and got a saltwater shark. Balas or silver sharks get up to 14 inches or bigger. They like to school and are very active. They need a 90g tank minimum. Just to let you know.

I'm also not sure what you mean by pink marble. I've never heard of that one, so I can't comment on it.

[SeannyBoy84]

Thanks for the compliment ohsofly! I will be upgrading my tank to a regular long horizontal 50 gallon, at least, right after summer, but I'm thinking of taking the fish I've bought back. Especially the Silvertip, which is most likely the Silver that you are talking about, justonemore. It's definately not a Bala. And apparently the Jack will get too big also. Are there any Cichlids that I'll be able to keep a school of in the 50 gallon? For the hex, I'm thinking of just a couple Angelfish and some schooling fish. What do you guys suggest?

Current Water Results
pH: 7.8
Ammonia: 1.0
Nitrite: .25
Nitrate: 5.0

[dwool36]

I don't belive cichlids are "schooling" fish. If you want more than a pair of the same cichlid, try dwarfs. Rams, keyholes, checkerboards (if you can find them) and apistogrammas should all work.

[JustOneMore20]

Like dwool said, cichlids aren't really schooling fish. You could have a pair of the cichlids mentioned above, but I wouldn't add any more bottom fish with them because if they breed, they may get aggressive. Another paired fish is a Kribenesis. They are very colorful.

I would stick to only one angelfish. How tall is the tank? If its not taller than 18 inches, I would wait on the angel. They need a tall tank. Maybe a good stocking would be one angel, a pair of cichlids, and a school of small peaceful tetras. But, if you want the jacks or bigger cichlids, I would leave the rams and angel in the 30g. They may get bullied around by the bigger fish.