First Post! My 29gal Setup Details

[chadbt]

Hello All,

Forums are so darn cool! Imagine life without them...only a few years ago! B)

Twenty-ish years ago I spent a year working in a very nice pet shop specializing in fish, so I learned a lot, but I've forgotten much, I'm sure.

Here's my new setup;

29 Gal US. Standard undergravel filter, Aquatech HOB filter, full spectrum light hood.

Four small live plants, three Powder Blue Dwarf Gouramies, Six small (!? can't remember the name !?) Tetras. The Tetras have yellow, black, and white fins and an orange-ish tails. Also several pieces of flagstone to create valleys.

Borrowed about five pounds of gravel from my son's tank to seed the tank and avoid a terrible cycle problem.

The fish are happy! Eating well, no signs of stress, water is clear.

Am I missing anything? Looking forward to all replies.

 

[shang hi]

gravel doesn't hold much filter bactetria, it hold almost none.... its the media in the filter that does that. you need to cycle you media. keep monitering the levels of ammonia and nitrite, if they do rise then a good 50% water change should keep it under control.

PS. is the gravel like a gravel in my biorb, does it hold the bacteria (is it the media), becuase if it does (and it is ment too) then disregard what i said, but a water change never hurt anyone.

 

[n3ont3tra]

First off, do you have a heater??

About the bacteria:
If the tank the gravel was from had an undergravel filter then it will have a lot of bacteria in it.... however, undergravel filters are somewhat outdated now. There is very little benefit of having an undergravel filter and there are a few downsides... For one, you have to break the whole tank down once a year to clean it....

About the fish:
Sounds like silver tip tetras to me:
http/www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Di...cfm?pCatId=1581

 

[chadbt]

Thank you for the nice welcome!

Heater? Yes. Temperature set at 78.

As a precaution I'm doing 10-20% water changes daily. The fish are behaving as if all is well.

Sorry I don't know what a Biord is, but the gravel is from a well seasoned tank with undergravel filter I helped set up a number of years ago. Home to a HUGE plecy, an original resident. My son's hob filter died a while back, otherwise I'd have preferred to borrow the media from it. I don't have a testing kit (omg!!!) but will get one straight away, just to be on the safe side. Also planning to borrow some more gravel over the weekend for a little more peace of mind.

The idea that an undergravel filter may not be so necessary these days intrigues me. I'll do some searching and asking around to find out more, so I'm not expecting a reply. You've got my curiosity piqued.

I dug out the receipt, and I've got six Pristella maxillaris, Pristella Tetra, "sometimes called the X-Ray because of their nearly transparent body", thanks fishlore dot com. An additional note, the smallest one is absolutely fearless around the much larger Gouramies. The Gouramies never give a second glance to the littler fish, but their size really intimidates the Tetras...all but the runt. Amusing.

I should have posted a picture, but the plastic mesh container with the borrowed gravel is quite an eyesore. Half the aquarium looks pretty nice, and I'll post when I can plant the other half the way I want.

Pictures and other posts soon. Really!

 

[n3ont3tra]

Sounds great. I would leave the gravel in there for about two weeks, and make sure your water is testing fine.