All About: Tanks And How To Clean Them

[drsoda007]

Hi,

I'm new to the whole fish keeping thing kay, so any questions that might soundsimple to you are puzzling to me.

I've just bought a 30 Gallon Tank,stand,filter,gravel, gravel siphon, net, AMTRITE DOWN and WATER AGER GN.

I rinsed the gravel in plain water and are now drying it in the sun.

How do I clean the tank. Do I just rinse with water, or can I bleach it?

ALso What else do I need (Apart from fish and food)

HELP ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS THANKS THANKS!!!!

 

[kj23502]

First you need to read some things.

fishless cycling

And read these too!

Then ask questions on specifics after you read the basics!! Thank you for being proactive for your fish. That says a lot of good about you !!

 

[waterdrop]

Hi Dr. Soda detective and welcome to the forum!

Is the tank new? If its new you can just rinse it out thoroughly with tap water, dry the outside and place it carefully on the stand. Be sure to check that it has a very even surface to sit on all around and level it carefully. If its used you can use a very mild bleach in water (somewhere on here it tells the percent, sorry I can't remember) and then rinse as before. You've already done well with the gravel.

What you do next depends on your plans. Do you plan to fishless cycle? Have you finished reading the articles pinned at the top of the "New to the Hobby" forum here? If not, I suggest starting with the Beginners Resource Center, Cycling Resource Center links and looking for the AlienAnna article and the Miss Wiggle article. Study the Nitrogen Cycle in those articles and then look at Nitrogen Cycle charts on Wikipedia. If you decide to fishless cycle (and I strongly recommend that you do) then the rdd1952 article will be what you work with and you should study it carefully.

I know this sounds like a lot but in hindsight you will be so glad you stumbled on this information - multiple new fishtank owners per day arrive here -after- their fish have started dying from ammonia and nitrite poisoning. If you study up first, you can keep this from happening to you.

Good luck and be sure to keep your thread going, asking as many questions as you like. There are many friendly members here who will enjoy adding their perspective to help you get up to speed on this fun hobby.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[drsoda007]

Hi Dr. Soda detective and welcome to the forum!

Is the tank new? If its new you can just rinse it out thoroughly with tap water, dry the outside and place it carefully on the stand. Be sure to check that it has a very even surface to sit on all around and level it carefully. If its used you can use a very mild bleach in water (somewhere on here it tells the percent, sorry I can't remember) and then rinse as before. You've already done well with the gravel.

What you do next depends on your plans. Do you plan to fishless cycle? Have you finished reading the articles pinned at the top of the "New to the Hobby" forum here? If not, I suggest starting with the Beginners Resource Center, Cycling Resource Center links and looking for the AlienAnna article and the Miss Wiggle article. Study the Nitrogen Cycle in those articles and then look at Nitrogen Cycle charts on Wikipedia. If you decide to fishless cycle (and I strongly recommend that you do) then the rdd1952 article will be what you work with and you should study it carefully.

I know this sounds like a lot but in hindsight you will be so glad you stumbled on this information - multiple new fishtank owners per day arrive here -after- their fish have started dying from ammonia and nitrite poisoning. If you study up first, you can keep this from happening to you.

Good luck and be sure to keep your thread going, asking as many questions as you like. There are many friendly members here who will enjoy adding their perspective to help you get up to speed on this fun hobby.

~~waterdrop~~

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THANKS FOR REPLING!!!

The tank is very much new (yesterday new) and i will just rinse it with water (although not until WED because my arm is currently covered in plaster)

I am planning on fishless cycling and as soon as I finish typing this I'll read the articles you mentioned

Can i PM you some time soon with more questions?

THANKS AGAIN

drsoda007

P.S You're the only person who knows what 007 means!!

 

[drsoda007]

First you need to read some things.

fishless cycling

And read these too!

Then ask questions on specifics after you read the basics!! Thank you for being proactive for your fish. That says a lot of good about you !!

THANKS FOR THE COMPLIMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now for the questions-

WOuld it be possible for you to come up with a daily/weekly/monthly chart for me of things to do?

I would REALLY apprieciate it and i'm sure others would to, and since you know SO MUCH! about fish who better than you or waterdrop?

 

[drsoda007]

BTW Is this a good idea?

I have my gravel drying out in the sun

The gravel is in large cardboard boxes lined with newspaper LOL

Will this work?

WIll I have to wash it again?

How long SHOULD it take to dry?

 

[waterdrop]

Doesn't really matter if it dries, its going to stay wet the rest of its life! lol, seriously, besides choosing the right gravel, the only really important thing is patiently running your (rubber-gloved-so-it-won't-hurt-your-fingernails etc) fingers through the gravel as tap water flows over it in a bucket -- you do this until you feel all the dust has cleared away (or until you're just sick of it and don't care anymore!

If you spend more time here you will eventually notice that there are discussions about sand vs. gravel and there are special gravels for plants and other sorts of little details to be discovered, but as a beginner who already has gravel, I would ignore this and enjoy my gravel for a while and worry about more important things!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[kj23502]

Step by step weekly maintance guide

Already on here! There's good info all over this place and some on the net(believe it or not)! I trust people on here more than the regular net.

 

[drsoda007]

Step by step weekly maintance guide

Already on here! There's good info all over this place and some on the net(believe it or not)! I trust people on here more than the regular net.

THANKS

 

[drsoda007]

Because I'm new and have printed many different versions of 'How to CHoose healthy fish' does that mean that I don't need a quarrentine tank, as i'm only 10 and my parents are making me pay for this and i've already spent $335 .

This doesn't mean i won't eventually get one it just means i need to save the money before i go on another fishing spree!

So do i need one straight away?

 

[OldMan47]

For your initial stocking there is no need for a quaratine tank. The idea is to keep new fish away from the fish you already have until you know the new fish are healthy. The first fish in a tank are in the position of not being able to infect healthy fish in the tank because there aren't any fish in there. Once you have established your fish population and everything is going well, a quarantine tank becomes more desirable.

 

[drsoda007]

For your initial stocking there is no need for a quaratine tank. The idea is to keep new fish away from the fish you already have until you know the new fish are healthy. The first fish in a tank are in the position of not being able to infect healthy fish in the tank because there aren't any fish in there. Once you have established your fish population and everything is going well, a quarantine tank becomes more desirable.

TA

 

[ALW]

No you dont need a Qtank as they would be your first fish, however it is advisable to get a Qtank for any further fish you may want

 

[drsoda007]

Have Started Cycling Today

What to do now ?