Trev's Freshwater Story

[Trev_Miester]

20gal deep cleaned. Much brighter and crystal clear.
 

 

[Trev_Miester]

It's fun when you get others interested in the fish hobby. Got the lady to start her first tank. All decor is to her liking and this is just the start. More stuff on order. Will start the cycle in about a week, then she wants to get a dwarf gourami.
 

 

[looking-glass]

Very nice im sure he will love his new home

 

[Trev_Miester]

Very nice im sure he will love his new home

Thank you very much. Just banging my head waiting for this cycle. Been two weeks and still haven't seen level changes yet. The water did bust out hazy in the last day though. So possible bacteria? I hope so.

 

[looking-glass]

possibly could be, it will be worth the wait though

 

[Trev_Miester]

Alright, my friends. I've got a simple question I believe. When I get Hootie out of the 20 gal, I'm thinking of getting a single GBR. With the GBR I'm thinking of going with the cardinal tetras. How many cardinals would work for the 20g?
 
Also, any suggestions for stocking around the GBR is welcome.
 
Thanks!

 

[Trev_Miester]

Update on the ladies new 20gal: She found a white pot, and put the black background on.
 

 

[addey411]

Love both the tanks and the Cichlid, it is a cichlid, right?  Especially the 75 gal tank, it's quite a beauty. They both have a very natural layout to them that makes them look as if you cut out a section of a mangrove and plopped it into a tank. For the driftwood, how exactly does the prep work? I'd imagine you do the cleaning and then boil it, but is that all there is to it?

 

[Trev_Miester]

Thank you! Much appreciated. I really like the more natural looking layouts.

As far as the driftwood goes, how much you boil it is really deoendent on what type you get, how much you want your water to change color, and ultimately how patient you are. I've heard of people soaking and boiling for months to make sure their water won't change. Me, I boiled them for about 4 hours a piece. Scrubbing the dirt or loose pieces is good as well. It's really simple, just extensive if you want to get out all of the tannins.

 

[Trev_Miester]

A couple frames pulled out of the iphone this morning.
 
I will eat your fingers!(he really will try)
 

 

 

[Trev_Miester]

Ok, lots of action out of nowhere. Three days ago there was nothing. Tonight, lots of nitrites and already signs of nitrates. Either way, I'm glad we're rolling now. Re dosed tonight. We'll see where we're at in a couple more days.

This is actually my first fish-less cycle too. If anyone has any input please feel free to chime in. Thanks in advance!

Day 25

 

[Trev_Miester]

Did a water change last night to bring down the nitrite and nitrate spike. ~43 gallons was changed out and the nitrites were still off the chart. Just waiting for nitrite to dissapear now.

SO CLOSE!!
 

 

[Trev_Miester]

Hootie finally in his new home

 

[sawickib]

How does he like it?

 

[Trev_Miester]

I think he likes it a lot. Kinda just hiding and slowly checking it out right now. Leaving the light off helps him move about.