Newly Aquired As Of Like 30 Secs Ago

[dixiedawn]

A close friend of mine has an unused 4 foot tank..i don't know the dimentions or the litres as of yet..shes gonna get the dimentions and hopefully i should be able to work out the capacity from there right??

would i be getting in over my head with this..or will it be easier than the 10 gallon one i have?

I've read up on the cycling..so i feel confident i won't bugger this one up...however..being as the tank is SO huge..is it longer to cycle than smaller ones...sounds like a dumb question but hey don't ask don't get!
She's not sure what it has with it..but she's gonna check...if the filter/pump hasn't been used for a while, it should still be good right?? Esp being as its used im concerned about that....i've read that used filters are much better than the new ones because it has bacteria...is this true and will the amount of non use time affect this?

ta

 

[chishnfips]

Generally speaking a larger tank is easier to run as it is more forgiving with the water parameters than a small tank. If the tank or filter have'nt been used then the filter wont have any bacteria in it and will need to be recycled, I think the beneficial bacteria will only last about 24 hrs max out of the water. I have a 4ft tank when I set it up it took about 2-3 weeks to fully cycle and make ready for fish putting in it. Just make sure you clean the tank and filter thoroughly before setting up. when I bought my 4ft tank it had been stored in a garage and was a mess inside.

what type of filter came with it? was it an external one or an internal one? Generally speaking when you buy a filter you should really get one that is capable of filtering a tank double the capacity of the one you have or more, to make sure you are getting the best possibly filtration for your fish.

The is a volume calculator on the homepage of this site, so once you get the dimensions you can work out the volume. My 4ft is 48x12x15 (26 uk gallons) I run a fluval 4 internal and a sera 1100 external filter on it, perhaps thats overkill but worth it. It all depends on what you stock the tank with too.

cheers chish

 

[ox5477]

A close friend of mine has an unused 4 foot tank..i don't know the dimentions or the litres as of yet..shes gonna get the dimentions and hopefully i should be able to work out the capacity from there right??

would i be getting in over my head with this..or will it be easier than the 10 gallon one i have?

I've read up on the cycling..so i feel confident i won't bugger this one up...however..being as the tank is SO huge..is it longer to cycle than smaller ones...sounds like a dumb question but hey don't ask don't get!
She's not sure what it has with it..but she's gonna check...if the filter/pump hasn't been used for a while, it should still be good right?? Esp being as its used im concerned about that....i've read that used filters are much better than the new ones because it has bacteria...is this true and will the amount of non use time affect this?

ta

Yes, you can easily get the volume from the dimensions, there are alot of gui programs on the internet that can help you convert it... here is one from garf: GARF

No, its no more difficult than a 10G and its actually easier in the respect that stocking options are much greater and its much easier to keep tank chemistry balanced.

It won't take any longer to cycle a tank of this size. Do a fishless cycle and add enough ammonia to make it so you have around 4 to 5 ppm until the cycle is done. This will give your bacteria all the nutrition they need to grow.. Fishless Cycling

You can use mature filter media as it will help the entire filter mature. I would still cycle for atleast a week to make sure die off won't be too much to cause a mini cycle that could hurt your stocking.

 

[dixiedawn]

Thanks for the info!!
When I clean the tank..what's best used? Would I be able to clean it with dishwashing liquid..rinse very well and then set it over night with salt solution to kill anything (a tip a friend gave me) then rinse again well before setting up...also if i set the filter in that ..would it help kill anything in that as well?

I'm waiting on all the details from my mate as to what is with it still..she's cleaning her shed out and offered it to me..so i should know more details before the end of the day! At latest tomorrow morning!

Can i get the bio filter thingies at the lps?? which sort do you reccommend..and if all goes well..do ppl prefer live plants or artificial?

 

[chishnfips]

Thanks for the info!!
When I clean the tank..what's best used? Would I be able to clean it with dishwashing liquid..rinse very well and then set it over night with salt solution to kill anything (a tip a friend gave me) then rinse again well before setting up...also if i set the filter in that ..would it help kill anything in that as well?

I'm waiting on all the details from my mate as to what is with it still..she's cleaning her shed out and offered it to me..so i should know more details before the end of the day! At latest tomorrow morning!

Can i get the bio filter thingies at the lps?? which sort do you reccommend..and if all goes well..do ppl prefer live plants or artificial?

Thats sounds fine to clean the tank with, just rinse it thoroughly and you'll be good, you could just use boiling water for the filter, I would get new filter pads though. I am not sure if an lfs will donate you matured filter media (is that what you mean), I doubt it, do you have a friend with a setup you could sponge some off (scuse the pun lol). You can get filters anywhere, better prices on the net though or find a good lfs.

As for plants its totally up to you, live plants look a million times better IMO, you can just get ferts for them and good lighting bulbs, unless you want to go the whole hog and get C02 but thats a whole different ball game.

 

[dixiedawn]

CO2?? fill me in or do you have a link???

I want to get as much information for as many different options as possible so i don't screw this up again!

also..assuming the tank is 2 foot tall (not a def measurement just an eyeball look as well as width..) and roughly around 2 1/2 foot tall...will get exact measurments soon...that's massive!! What's recommended for that size tank (fish i mean) and also how many heaters would i need..obviously dependant on power...

 

[chishnfips]

CO2?? fill me in or do you have a link???

I want to get as much information for as many different options as possible so i don't screw this up again!

also..assuming the tank is 2 foot tall (not a def measurement just an eyeball look as well as width..) and roughly around 2 1/2 foot tall...will get exact measurments soon...that's massive!! What's recommended for that size tank (fish i mean) and also how many heaters would i need..obviously dependant on power...

By the sounds of it roughly speaking the tank could be around the 70 gallon mark (Uk gallons), so a 200w heater should do it, as for fish your options are massive, it all depends if you want a massive community tank with lots of small fish or if you would like some odd ball fish for it, IMO an lake malawi mbuna tank that size would be stunning (but I am biased on them lol). once you are set up and cycling start researching the fish you can put in it, stick a post on the forum and everyone will give you ideas on stocking.

there is a section in the planted tanks part of this forum explaining co2, I dont know a great deal about it so I wont even try lol. I tried to post the link but It didney work typical.

 

[dixiedawn]

thanks will have a deeper nose around in the forum!!

 

[Biulu]

The filter media you can use depend upon the filter that comes with it. Normally it has some filter pads for mechanical filtering (course pads and polishing), and then you can have some activated carbon, and I personally recommend the ceramic rings or bio balls for biofiltering, but like I said, it all depends upon the possibilities your filter offers.

 

[dixiedawn]

Another question....I don't want to keep creating new topics...so gonna try to keep it in here if i can. I really do love the look that sand gives...it doesn't seem as artificial as some gravel does (i don't have anything against gravel!!! to each their own) How do you go about preparing it for a tank and more importantly how do you clean it (i assume you have to just like you do gravel)

 

[chishnfips]

best sand to use is play sand, it has no chemicals in it like builders sand would, I bought silver sand from howdens garden centre, you can get play sand from argos too, its about £5 or less for a bag. But yeah you just rinse it in a bucket thoroughly till the water is clear and you get no scummy froth on the top.

I think once its in the tank its way easier to clean than gravel, the fish waste and what not sits on the top of it, unlike gravel where it can sink through. Just buy a gravel vac about £5 again. and syphon the bottom of the tank. And yeah it looks much more natural.

chish

 

[dixiedawn]

Ok the measurements to the BIG tank..which i know ain't THAT big..but it's mahoossive to me..is 3'(L)x1'(w)x 1 1/2 (d) Comes with the lid and light but no filters as she said she thought..no big deal i just bought another filter the other day...but may need another one and an aerator and a heater as well. Still with that size i hope to have a fair few fish in it within the next couple of months. I don't want to set it up as yet because possibility of us moving soonish isn't far off. Hate to set it all up and get it running just to have to start all over again. Smaller tanks i don't mind..but i have invisions of this being my pride and joy.

I've set up the small tank and all that good stuff....hoping im doing the right thing..but im starting to cycle..taking my first readings now...and following the directions in the API master kit...wish me luck!

 

[chishnfips]

Ok the measurements to the BIG tank..which i know ain't THAT big..but it's mahoossive to me..is 3'(L)x1'(w)x 1 1/2 (d) Comes with the lid and light but no filters as she said she thought..no big deal i just bought another filter the other day...but may need another one and an aerator and a heater as well. Still with that size i hope to have a fair few fish in it within the next couple of months. I don't want to set it up as yet because possibility of us moving soonish isn't far off. Hate to set it all up and get it running just to have to start all over again. Smaller tanks i don't mind..but i have invisions of this being my pride and joy.

I've set up the small tank and all that good stuff....hoping im doing the right thing..but im starting to cycle..taking my first readings now...and following the directions in the API master kit...wish me luck!

cool, sounds like the tank is actually 24 gallons uk gallons more like 30 in US gallons or there abouts, still can get good stocking options for that, and for that size you only need about a 150 watt heater.

Good luck with the wee tank, I am sure you'll d o great, get some pics for us all to drool over lol.