Morning!

[Tombugler]

Hi all, new member from Weymouth, Dorset here. Been away from tropical fishkeeping for a long time but I picked up a cracking little 60x30x45cm tank at a carboot sale yesterday and spent yesterday cleaning it out and filling it with sand and water ready for a new setup. I won't be putting anything living into it for a week or so yet but am looking forwards to having a nice colourful little setup!

Here it is as it stands at the moment:

Pic was taken yesterday, minutes after the water went in. Has cleared up now!

I need an airpump and heater (100w) if anyone's selling at a reasonable price!

 

[Curiosity101]

Welcome to TFF

It's a nice starter tank to get you back into the hobby.

And I don't want to be 'teaching grandma to suck eggs' but just incase...

Please read the links in my signature to re familiarise yourself with cycling. Personally I would always recommend a fishless cycle. But if you want to do a fish-in

I won't be putting anything living into it for a week or so yet

Then please get yourself properly prepared with at the very least a full liquid based test kit such as an API Master Test Kit.
And if possible see if you can get hold of some mature media or filter gunk from a cycled tank to boost your cycle for when you get fish.

Oo, also just a note. You don't actually need an airpump for aeration. Fair enough if you want it for the bubbles/decoration, but if you want one for aeration then it really isn't neccesary. A well placed, correctly sized, filter can do the job fine. You just need to place it so that it ripples the surface of the water, this agitation is enough to keep the water oxygenated.

 

[Tombugler]

Thanks for the links. I have some filter gunk from my cousin's mature tank, which is also where approx 30% of the water came from. I'll be taking a couple of swordtails off his hands too to run through for a couple of weeks, and the next water change will be 50% new and 50% from his tank. Oh half the gravel is his too as are all the stones!

Now I have NO IDEA if this is the correct way to do things, but apparantly this is how he set his tank up and had no problems.

As for the air pump, it's just for the Mrs, she wants to see some bubbles.

Please let me know if I've done this all wrong!

 

[Curiosity101]

You've not done anything wrong, but your cycling plan isn't the best/easiest.

Are you particularly set on fish-in cycling or could you be persuaded to do fishless?

Just a note on what you've done so far...

Filter gunk - great but there is no nitrogen source for the bacteria to feed from. As such they will practically all have died off by the end of the week.

Water from a cycled tank - the bacteria in our tank live on filter media, it's a negligible number that are in the water. As such the water never does anything to help speed up a cycle, so it's not worth messing about with.

Gravel + stones from a cycled tank - fair enough, but they also wont help you boost a cycle unless the tank they came from had an UGF and therefore the gravel/stones were the filter media.

 

[Tombugler]

I'm quite happy to go fishless.. I'll go fetch the stuff I need tomorrow and get it set properly before anything goes in.

Is it worth popping some plants in in the meantime?

 

[Curiosity101]

Fishless cycling is easier to do without plants tbh. You can set it going and then keep the tank lights off to avoid the free ammonia + light resulting in algae.

Do you know what you need for fishless cycling? Just incase you don't...
Liquid test kit
Bottled ammonia (make sure it's clear of perfumes and such... it's wants to just be pure ammonia + water)

Also if you can get another load of filter gunk you can super speed your cycle.
Hopefully even have it ready before christmas.

 

[Carlovel1]

Hi all, new member from Weymouth, Dorset here. Been away from tropical fishkeeping for a long time but I picked up a cracking little 60x30x45cm tank at a carboot sale yesterday and spent yesterday cleaning it out and filling it with sand and water ready for a new setup. I won't be putting anything living into it for a week or so yet but am looking forwards to having a nice colourful little setup!

Here it is as it stands at the moment:

Pic was taken yesterday, minutes after the water went in. Has cleared up now!

I need an airpump and heater (100w) if anyone's selling at a reasonable price!

Welcome, nice tank you've got.
Im intrigued as to why the title is 'morning' when both you and me are in the UK and its night time.

 

[Tombugler]

I have some ammonia already, and a test kit somewhere.. as for filter gunk I can get tonnes of the stuff... a mate of mine has a 6ftx4ftx3ft tank with a 1200 litre sump tank!