Want A New Tank

[Jonas104]

OK, so my eyes are about to blow up from reading so much from the beginner resource center. Just about everyone here seems to be the most knowledgeable people in regards to this hobby that I've ever seen, kudos to you all. So please bare with me while I give a little bit of info without boring you all Please be gentle.

Started with a 10 gallon with some silly tetras years ago... fast forward to about a year ago and I bought my first cichlid (JD I believe) and albino pleco. I introduced my cichlid when the tank (30 gallon bow face) had already been set up for a while (want to say atleast 3 months). All of this I've accomplished without even thinking about cycling or anything IMPORTANT hehe. But I'd like to "start fresh". Either use some Xmas/Bday money for a new tank or to completely overhaul my tank. I want to be prouder of my fish and the set up.

Water Question - I've read the cycling articles, then I read a post about how much of a booster "cycled" water for a new tank can be. Could someone please clarify this for me?

Sand Inquiry - I would really love to have sand for my cichlid, but will they really uproot any live plants? Also any tips on sand would be great.

Filtration - The tank is in my room and I was wondering if a powerhead, if I'm not mistaken, is louder than a standard filter. But most importantly if there are any pro's or con's compared to the standard filter.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I'm trusting you guys on these forums because from the stuff I've read, it seems like I'm in the right place. Also, sorry if some of this was in the beginners guide, my eyes could barely handle much monitor reading. Here's my main man by the way.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Hey Jonas104!

Water Question - I've read the cycling articles, then I read a post about how much of a booster "cycled" water for a new tank can be. Could someone please clarify this for me?

It's the media within your filter that becomes 'cycled' rather than the water. The BEST possible step for you to take is to get hold of some 'mature media' which is basically a small handful of sponge out of someone else's filter that is already cycled. Failing this, even a squeeze of the water from their sponge directly onto yours. You need this to be from someone local to you really, as their water should be very similar to yours (PH and hardness etc). Maybe ask at your lfs? I also believe there are mature media donors on this forum

Sand Inquiry - I would really love to have sand for my cichlid, but will they really uproot any live plants? Also any tips on sand would be great.

I have a sand substrate and I am also 'light/medium' planted. The only cichlid I have (well, a dwarf cichlid really..) is my Bolivian Ram. Who doesnt touch any plants. So I can't really comment on any other cichlid sorry. Sand is great for earth-eaters however, you can watch them take a mouth-full of sand and seive through it for the food If you are considering having plants, you can always tether them to rocks, driftwood, or have them in clay pots.

Filtration wise. I can only comment on my Fluval 4 plus. Which is an internal filter. It's great on my 125 litre (33 gallon) and it is very quite.

Good luck with it all, its good to hear someone planning and researching before buying

 

[james_fish]

Hi mate.

Nice looking JD you got yourself there. If you upgrade, you'll need a decent sized tank for him as he could reach a potential 9"
If you just want him and a Catfish or something your looking around 55gal but if you want more fish, like dithers of some sort, you'll want a tank 4' in lenght and 2' in width

James.

 

[waterdrop]

If you want to be proud of your tank and fish then you've found a good place to interact and learn, we've got a great bunch of members here and they make it fun!

Learn all the basics of what test kits can help you and how to use them. Learn all about best practice for doing gravel-clean-water-changes and do them often. Learn best practices for maintaining your filter and put it into practice on a frequent basis. Be patient, have an aquarium notebook and review what you learn, improving your understanding of it.

Great advice up there about water and cycling.

Beginners typically face three major types of filter design: Internals, HOBs(Hang On Backs) and ECs (External Cannister filters.) Internals are completely or mostly underwater inside the tank. HOBs are generally fairly open-topped and hang on the back edge of the tank, with most of the filter being outside the tank. External cannisters are sealed containers that typically sit in the cabinet below the tank and transfer water in and out of the tank via hoses.

All filters have the potential to make hum and vibration from the action of their pump against the materials they are made of and potentially the tank. They also have the potential to make water noises. In an Internal design is completely below the surface, it can be very quiet, but might transmit hum or surface water noise. External cannister designs are also potentially extremely quiet but can make a little of both those same things. HOBs nearly always make a bit more water noise. Internals and HOBs are generally (not always) less expensive and may have been designed with less attention to noise issues. ECs are often more expensive and in some cases are very low noise designs.

Separate powerheads (little underwater fans to circulate water) are generally very quiet but can develop slightly louder hum (vibrating the glass of the wall they are attached to) and so can sometimes benefit from a lamp timer, just like those used for aquarium lights.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Jonas104]

Hey Jonas104!

Water Question - I've read the cycling articles, then I read a post about how much of a booster "cycled" water for a new tank can be. Could someone please clarify this for me?

It's the media within your filter that becomes 'cycled' rather than the water. The BEST possible step for you to take is to get hold of some 'mature media' which is basically a small handful of sponge out of someone else's filter that is already cycled. Failing this, even a squeeze of the water from their sponge directly onto yours. You need this to be from someone local to you really, as their water should be very similar to yours (PH and hardness etc). Maybe ask at your lfs? I also believe there are mature media donors on this forum

Sand Inquiry - I would really love to have sand for my cichlid, but will they really uproot any live plants? Also any tips on sand would be great.

I have a sand substrate and I am also 'light/medium' planted. The only cichlid I have (well, a dwarf cichlid really..) is my Bolivian Ram. Who doesnt touch any plants. So I can't really comment on any other cichlid sorry. Sand is great for earth-eaters however, you can watch them take a mouth-full of sand and seive through it for the food If you are considering having plants, you can always tether them to rocks, driftwood, or have them in clay pots.

Filtration wise. I can only comment on my Fluval 4 plus. Which is an internal filter. It's great on my 125 litre (33 gallon) and it is very quite.

Good luck with it all, its good to hear someone planning and researching before buying

Awesome thank you very much. Do you have any tips on sand material, or do you only have experience with one type of sand?

Oh, and would an HOB filter serve as a good source of mature filter?

 

[Jonas104]

james_fish - Thank you for confirming I have a JD. So is there a difference between a JD and a Green Terror? And I really love you're tank set up, it's close to what I've been wanting to do.

waterdrop - Thanks for summarizing the pro's and con's, really helps.

I currently have black gravel, can I lower the level to go below the black base and then fill it with sand to help avoid this aneorobic bacteria(I hope I mean the right thing)?

Oh, one other thing. I can hardly remember what it's like to have a standard boxy tank. I've had the bowface tank for a couple years. Do you guys prefer either, or is it truly a personal preference.

 

[mbsqw1d]

I have had gravel and then I changed over to sand. Whether you want to use a combination of the two is personal preference. If you try and position gravel in certain areas (such as around the base of plants etc... most people will tell you that eventually the gravel will move around and it will start to look a bit of a mess. So.. if you want sand, I would use sand only and no gravel. Plants are fine in sand. There are plant subtrates that are designed to lie underneath the sand.

The sand I currently have is play sand from argos. (as in the stuff used for children's sand pits!) Once washed (thoroughly!) it's fine. Again, its personal preference depending on whether you want coloured sand etc. Some people use Coral sand as it helps to maintain a high PH (required for some fish).

If you have read about dangers regarding anaerobic bacteria lurking beneath sand substrates Then don't be overly alarmed as you will be keeping earth-eaters then your fish will do most of the maintenance for you. A few snails will help to turn the sand over too

Jeez how many times have I said sand in all that!

 

[Jonas104]

Awesome thanks a lot guys. You've answered so many questions and tied so many loose ends. Hopefully I'll have picture up in the next couple days of my new setup. Seeing as how I'm unemployed and all, I have plenty of time for this hobby

 

[Aqua Tom]

I have had gravel and then I changed over to sand. Whether you want to use a combination of the two is personal preference. If you try and position gravel in certain areas (such as around the base of plants etc... most people will tell you that eventually the gravel will move around and it will start to look a bit of a mess. So.. if you want sand, I would use sand only and no gravel. Plants are fine in sand. There are plant subtrates that are designed to lie underneath the sand.

The sand I currently have is play sand from argos. (as in the stuff used for children's sand pits!) Once washed (thoroughly!) it's fine. Again, its personal preference depending on whether you want coloured sand etc. Some people use Coral sand as it helps to maintain a high PH (required for some fish).

If you have read about dangers regarding anaerobic bacteria lurking beneath sand substrates Then don't be overly alarmed as you will be keeping earth-eaters then your fish will do most of the maintenance for you. A few snails will help to turn the sand over too

Jeez how many times have I said sand in all that!

Reminds me of the old Spam Monty Python sketch, but with "Sand" substituted for "Spam"

 

[Jonas104]

Well I decided just to do a slight overhaul of the tank. Took out some of the black gravel and added a layer of sand, and yes I'm having fun waiting for the water to clear up. My JD seems to really enjoy it , he's swimming around a lot more and digging around. A few bits of black gravel ended up on top of the sand somehow but for some reason it actually looks neat. No luck on finding a new filtration system but it's not a big deal. And deciding to go with live plants instead of the nasty fake ones.

 

[Fraoch]

i have a fluval U2 in my tank in my bedroom, and that makes next to no noise.

 

[hensonc4098]

With regards to filtration etc., powerheads don't filtrate. They're just like underwater "fans," pushing the water around and causing a bit more circulation. I haven't seen them widely used in freshwater tanks as there generally isn't a need for them. They're very common in marine tanks though to help push food around to the corals and things.
As far as filter media goes, the media (ie. sponges etc) will be mature now. This basically means that the bacteria which converts Ammonia [harmful] to Nitrite [also harmful] to Nitrate [not harmful in small-medium quantities] is there and living in your filter, which is precisely what you want it to be doing. [Note small amounts of bacteria will also live in your gravel/sand, but these are minimal and not really significant in quantity]. If you do decide to get a new filter due to your old one being noisy or whatever, you can simply transfer the sponge from your old filter into your new one and this will transfer the bacteria. Therefore your new filter will be "mature" even though it's new!

Hope that helps and is understandable!!

C

 

[mbsqw1d]

powerheads are usually found in freshwater tanks that are heavily planted. They ensure good flow so that nutrients and CO2 are distributed.

 

[waterdrop]

powerheads are usually found in freshwater tanks that are heavily planted. They ensure good flow so that nutrients and CO2 are distributed.

well said. that's why I have a powerhead in -my- freshwater tank, I'm a planted tank wanna-be

 

[mbsqw1d]

powerheads are usually found in freshwater tanks that are heavily planted. They ensure good flow so that nutrients and CO2 are distributed.

well said. that's why I have a powerhead in -my- freshwater tank, I'm a planted tank wanna-be

aren't we all lol