A Newbie's Jump Into Aquaria! 29G Journal

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

FlakeyBiscuit3.14

Mostly New Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
Location
US
This thread will be for me to track and share my journey through my first* fish tank!! 
welcomeani.gif

 
I'm actually fairly well into my journey already... as of this post, my tank is cycled, and I've started to add livestock. But the more I do the more I want to look back and remember, so I figured I had better just start a journal! Below I will show from where I started till now. 
yes.gif

 
I started with the Tetra 29G kit...:
-29G aquarium 30x12x18 inch I believe?
-hood with LED lights
-Whisper 30 filter
-Heater
 
...and a clearance stand for 20GL/29G.
 
From there I bought some very fine aquarium sand, CaribSea Super Naturals with neutral pH, and started to shop around for driftwood. The one piece of decor that is in the pic below was stolen from my 10G, and then later put back lol I added water from my tap, a small amount of Aqua Safe water conditioner (I have well water with 0 chlorine, so no real need for it), and half a bottle of the Tetra Safe Start on start-up.
 
10176129_10152429788490309_1221508907841610970_n.jpg

 
It stayed like that, with me trying get the temp stable where I wanted it (the darn heater is way touchier than I expected) and getting started with the cycling, for about a week. From there I found some good deals on driftwood and a couple plants, and got started adding those. Thanks for the advice from the forum on plants, but my LFS does not label the plants, and just sells them as either "Assorted potted plants" or "assorted loose plants" ..... I ended up just getting what I liked and adding root tabs as suggested.Also, just as a note, at this point I was very determined to use driftwood as decor to help lower my pH (from my tap it is about 8.0-8.2), but the pieces I added below never helped a bit!
sad.png

 
Also to be noted, at the time this pic was taken these plants and wood had already been in the tank a few days, my tank practically fully cycled (in only a few weeks!! I'm thinking that the Safe Start must have really helped!) and if you notice there are two little ghost shrimp at the bottom
smile.png
I bought them hoping they would help clean the fungus growing on my driftwood before I put fish in. Umm...no luck there.
sad.png

 
10356348_10152429788370309_7179268358631364694_n.jpg

 
I let the ghost shrimp have the run of the tank for a few days, again, still hopeful that would clean my driftwood which kept getting worse and worse.... Did a 50% water change at this point as well, trying to clean off the driftwood a bit but with very little success. But I eventually couldn't take the waiting any longer and bought some more plants to help fill in the tank, along with a couple more pieces of decor, a black background sheet, and a "mystery" snail (reading that the snails like the fungus. HA!). The next day after adding the snail, I have not seen him. I'm not sure if he crawled out, or is just hiding somewhere, I don't know! But what I do know, is that he did not do his job lol
 
The next day I decided to finally get some fish, and went to my LFS and bought 3 bloodfin tetra. I had hoped to buy more at once, but that was all that they had at the moment. I should hopefully be getting some more this Saturday. I am also hoping that they will start coming out more once I increase the group size, as right now they have been hiding in the plants most of the day. Also, since adding all of that, my female ghost shrimp has died. 
sad.png
Found the tetras eating her... Not sure if they killed her, or if she died first and then was scavenged... They haven't messed with the other shrimp, even when he is in the open and they swim right past him.
 
10307236_10152429788250309_166892959978838859_n.jpg

 
SO! This is the beginning of my journey!!! I'm super excited and so far I'm loving how the tank is looking!! 
good.gif
(minus the fungus lol)
 
Any advice or comments are much appreciated
smile.png

 
thanks.gif

 
*I jumped into the hobby with a 10G tank, no cycling, no knowledge what so ever about fish, and quickly realized I could do very little with it! Now it holds my guppies, who I love dearly, but was not fulfilled with. Then, within about a few weeks I had invested in this 29G, now armed with much more aquarium knowledge
smile.png

 
Also, just wanted to share this pic, cause it's my favorite so far!
 
10257041_10152429788130309_8366248423679064228_n.jpg
 
Looks great really good job you have done on the aquascapeing :)
 
Looks lovely! I have this kit as well, can't wait to set it up. That fungus should go away on it's own eventually.
If it really bothers you then you can take it out and scrub it off but it will probably come back until it's done doing whatever it does.
 
The bloodfins likely ate the shrimp, most fish will I think. Did you cycle the tank using ammonia? How did you acclimate the bloodfins?
 
That decoration you had from your 10g, where'd you get it? I like it ^.^
 
RRaquariums said:
Looks great really good job you have done on the aquascapeing
smile.png
Thanks!! xD I'm surprised myself... just hoping the plants survive :)
 
Ninjouzata said:
Looks lovely! I have this kit as well, can't wait to set it up. That fungus should go away on it's own eventually.
If it really bothers you then you can take it out and scrub it off but it will probably come back until it's done doing whatever it does.
 
The bloodfins likely ate the shrimp, most fish will I think. Did you cycle the tank using ammonia? How did you acclimate the bloodfins?
 
That decoration you had from your 10g, where'd you get it? I like it ^.^
Yeah, I used ammonia, but I didn't go exactly by the guide posted here on TFF. Like I had said, the tank was cycling faster than I had expected, I'm assuming due to the Safe Start I added in the beginning. The ammonia levels were going down to practically 0 overnight, so I figured I could start adding stuff xD
For the bloodfins, I let the bag sit for 15 min, then emptied half the water in the bag and refilled with tank water, let sit for 20 min, then emptied half and refilled half again and let sit for another 20 min. So all in all about an hour of acclimation before being released in to the tank.
 
And the decoration I got from PetSmart xD It was in the reptile section, but I have had it in water for over a month now with no paint chipping, deterioration, or changes to my water chemistry. I did give it a good rinse and scrubbing first though.
 
Just want to check that you made sure your nitrites were processing too. Do you use liquid tests?
 
Also, really like the driftwood in there. One of my pieces got all covered in fungus for the first few weeks, and it eventually sort of settled. One part of it still gets fuzzy from time to time and I have had it since August! :p
 
Oh golly, its beautiful! I am super jealous, your tank looks so pretty!
 
Thanks for the compliments everyone 
biggrin.png

 
attibones said:
Just want to check that you made sure your nitrites were processing too. Do you use liquid tests?
No, no liquid tests yet... >_> Just using the test strips. Which I know are not as sensitive, but they show the 3 biggies, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Honestly, I know I probably should have been a little more patient, and invested in the liquid tests ~before~ all of my decorations.... 
whistling.gif
 But my readings, even if not exact, were following the correct pattern. Do you think I should still lend towards caution and not fill my tank up too quickly, just in case?
 
Definitely only add a few fish every couple of weeks. If you can get those liquid tests, I would definitely do so. You just want to be totally sure before you stock your tank.
 
Okay, thanks for the advice. I'll probably still add just a couple more of the bloodfins tonight and then I'll hold off for a couple of weeks and monitor my water closely. I guess too I'll have to get the liquid testers... it's just so expensive! I haven't been able to find any good deals for them yet :(
 
They really are worth it, particularly if you're new to fish keeping.
 
Check amazon, ebay etc. They normally have decent deals. Beautiful setup by the way!
 
Okay.. so I went to the LFS today and purchased a liquid test kit, 2 more ghost shrimp (I'm loving these guys way more than I expected), and 3 more bloodfin tetras to round out my group to 6. So glad that I did!!! All of the tetras are now being very active and happily swimming about, not hiding nearly as much as with just 3.
 
And based off of the liquid test kit, my ammonia is 0ppm, nitrites 0ppm, nitrates 2.5ppm, and pH is 8.3.......
blink.png
 
Eeekk!! Its great that the ammonia and nitrites are so low!! And the same with the nitrates!! Mine always hang around the 10ppm area...

The ph is really worrying me. Tetras need acidic water and whilst bloodfins are probably one of the toughest tetras, they do still need a ph of 7 or under ideally. I'm not sure the best and most natural way to change ph.. But in pretty sure it has to be gradual so you don't send them into shock!!
um... I feel like im forgetting something lol

Edit; Just incase you didnt know, the bloodfins are one of the hardiest tetras that can adapt to the widest range of water conditions. Ph can probably range from 6-8, the temperature... Well id say they can take 18-28, as in some lfs around my areas they are kept with cold water fish!!!
So, as your ph is only 0.3 over their preferred range, it shouldn't be THAT much of a problem. Just try lowering it 0.5
 
Yeah I had been doing research for a while and that was why I selected the bloodfins for my tank. I have been having a hard time finding fish (other than ciclids) which are happy in my high pH. If need be I can start mixing in distilled water during water changes... But everything I read says stable pH is be better than a changing pH... So so far I have left it be. My guppies have been quite happy in it! Although I will say, that because my pH is so high that is why I do the hour long acclimation.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Back
Top