New Tank!

[KraKen]

I just got a 20 gal(US) tank and I have a bunch of questions.

I want to put a zebra spiny eel and some sort of transparent fish in it, any ideas on what else to put in?

The tank came with free bacteria starter stuff, would it do any harm to put this in when I'm cycling the tank?

How would I go about cleaning the sand?

Would have to condition the first water I put in the tank in a separate bucket or could I just do it in the tank?

Those are all the questions I can think of now but I'll probably have more later.

 

[jollysue]

I just got a 20 gal(US) tank and I have a bunch of questions.

I want to put a zebra spiny eel and some sort of transparent fish in it, any ideas on what else to put in?

The tank came with free bacteria starter stuff, would it do any harm to put this in when I'm cycling the tank?

How would I go about cleaning the sand?

Would have to condition the first water I put in the tank in a separate bucket or could I just do it in the tank?

Those are all the questions I can think of now but I'll probably have more later.

Bacteria starter goes in when the fish do, but follow the directions. If you know someone with an established tank that is desease free, have them cycle the filter for you a month or so before you set up or have them give you cycled media from their filter and some of their substrate to seed your tank. It will quick start the tank. With a test kit and extra water changes you can have a stress free tank up and running quickly.

You can condition the water either way. When you condition the water in the bucket, just add conditioner for the amount of water in the bucket. When conditioning the whole tank, turn off the filter when you add the new water and add enough conditioner for the whole tank.

Get a syphon to change water and vacum the substrate. It is not expensive and you will be glad you did and so will your back.

I have no opinion on the fish.

 

[bever_lee]

For your fish I really recomend getting a bulldog pleco. They stay reletively small (mine only grew to about 3in.), they help clean your tank, and personally I think that they are really cute. Just make sure that you've cycled your tank properly, and that you are willing to keep it really clean. Because they are stuck on the bottom of your tank where all the crap collects, plecos are pretty vulnerable to disease and faulty water conditions.
About the sand, I would suggest that you just fill the bottom of your tank with the tiny stones that you can find at your LFS. Firstly its much easier to clean (can be done with a simple aquarium vaccume) and if you do decide to get a pleco, they perfer it.

 

[LennyMansfield]

Maybe some Glass Catfish. I've seen these available at several LFS.


http/images.google.com/images?q=glass+ca...es&ct=title

This will give you info & price on the species.

http/www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...id=2519&N=3

 

[KraKen]

Thanks for the advice

I used the bucket method of cleaning sand and also found another way to do it, put sand in the bucket without water and the n shake it so that all the lighter contaminants blow away, I did this by running around my house with the bucket of sand and looked like a complete idiot.

Also, it says to change the filter cartridge in the instruction manual for my filter but wouldn't that get rid of all the beneficial bacteria

What sort of rocks could I put in my aquarium? I know any sort of limestone wouldn't work.

These are the fish I want to put in it so far

2 zebra spiny eels

5 pygmy hatchetfish

2 pitbull plecos

3 sparkling gouramis

 

[backley420]

If your not using Gravel clean sand about 1000 times with water .

 

[KraKen]

I probably did that, it took me like 3 hours to clean 20 lbs of sand

 

[vinylman]

No, never change the filter cartridge until it's falling to pieces; when you do a water change, just squeeze it out (as best you can) in the old tank water. The manufacturer would LOVE you to buy a new one every month. BTW, fishless cycling is the best way to go for your fish. 99% of bottled bacteria is a waste of money.

 

[KraKen]

I had a feeling it was some kind of marketing scam...

I'm planning on doing a fishless cycle, I was just wondering if the bacteria stuff would speed it along.