Few Questions About Setting Up A Tank

[Barb82]

Hi I just have a few questions, help appreciated.
I'm gettng a tank given next week 24in long 8in deep and 9ins high

I want to put sand in the bottom - how on earth do I wash it??
Where will I get a light from and what sort do I need?
I got an API master test kit coming to do my cycle - it was £15 am I going to need to keep buying these and do they last long?

I really want a plec.. am I going to get one in a tank that size or am I going to have to wait 'til I get bigger {which I will lol}
What would you put in a tank that size?

Sorry about all the questions but I don't want to get it wrong

 

[bobross]

Hi I just have a few questions, help appreciated.
I'm gettng a tank given next week 24in long 8in deep and 9ins high

I want to put sand in the bottom - how on earth do I wash it??
Where will I get a light from and what sort do I need?
I got an API master test kit coming to do my cycle - it was £15 am I going to need to keep buying these and do they last long?

I really want a plec.. am I going to get one in a tank that size or am I going to have to wait 'til I get bigger {which I will lol}
What would you put in a tank that size?

Sorry about all the questions but I don't want to get it wrong

you should be able to wash it like any other substrate. I usually put some paper towels in a strainer and use them as a 'liner' when washing gravel so no little pieces go down the drain. a couple of things i've read with sand is 1) you have to stir it around or run your fingers through it every so often so 'gas pockets' don't form in the bottom of the tank. 2) when you use a gravel vac, don't have the gravel vac on the gravel directly, but let it hover over the gravel so it doesn't suck up the gravel into the vacuum.

i'm assuming this tank didn't come with a hood and light included?

I'm still a beginner myself so sorrry I couldn't answer any of the other questions - but from reading around on this forum, there are plenty of people capable of answering your questions....

 

[dwarfgourami]

Are you sure you got those dimensions right, it's a bit of an unusual shape? I make that only 7 gallons, so really small but long.
If those are the dimensions, I would go for a school of something really tiny, like small tetras, endlers, pygmy corydoras.
Can't think of a plec that would fit in there.
You put a bit of sand in a bucket, pour over water, swish it around vigorously, let sand settle, pour water away, add more water, keep swishing and changing water until water comes clear, then a bit more sand etc.
The API test kit lasts a long time IME, and you can replace individual bottles without having to buy a whole new kit.

 

[Torrean]

you can make a hood pretty easily. I've used lexan type stuff I bought from Lowes (a hardware store) You'll want to get a tool designed to cut the stuff...it's available from the same area of the store that you get the "lexan" from. I want to say it's plexiglass but I think i'd be wrong if I did. Ah maybe it's acrylic that's the word I was looking for anyway. dwarf gourami is right about how to rinse the sand. There are a few other methods that I haven't tried but sound plausible. Try putting the sand in a pillow case and spraying it with a water hose. Try putting it in a bucket and running water in the bucket until it runs clean. Dwarf's method sounds best to me.

You don't have to stir the sand if you get a critter to do it for you. The most common suggestion I have heard is MTS. That's malaysian trumpet snails. You can get them free from most lfs (local fish store)

 

[Barb82]

Thanks for the replies

I did wonder about the dimensions myself, I'm getting it off Freecycle and the guy said 'about' this size, and then looking about I've noticed most 2ft are 24in by 12in so hoping he guessed wrong

i couldn't get snail.. they freak me out


It's not coming with a hood or anything, was waiting til Ive checked for leaks etc before I go and pick up heater, filter, condenstion tray and hood or overhead light


Do I need an air pump? is it a necessity when setting up.

 

[Torrean]

no not necessary in most cases just pretty. It is helpful if your treating for a disease that requires high temps or when the meds decrease oxygen content. But you can increase airation by simply lowering the water level and letting the water fall farther from the filter before hitting the water.

 

[Barb82]

Thanks torrean

 

[Torrean]

once you figure out your tank dimensions you can determine what other critters would stir your sand. khuli loaches and cories are known for shifting sand. BTW you hardly even see the snails. They spend all day in your sand.