sorry lots of questions

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hiya,

well ive found a tank for sale for £80, its a Jewul 125ltr tank with cabinet, and is only about 15 mins drive from where i live. The tank includes fish (which i have to take) and everything i need i.e filter/heater

Im not a complete noobv with fish but ive got problems about moving a tank.

1) since the trip is short, can i just grab some of those bags from a lfs and bag up the fish and place them in a container, like a box?

2) I want to keep the bacteria on the filter media, can i just take the media out and place it in another bag filled with tank water?

When i gewt the tank home, im going to take the fish straight to the lfs as im going to remove the current gravel and place in sand, meaning ill have to recycle the tank.

3) will a fishless cycle take long with new sand, live plants and already grown bacteria on filter media take long?

4) the add also states that "no top filter media is included" when i phoned the persont ehy stated that its filter media that needs to be changed weekly, but she has run out of it. are they basically on about charcoal media? (sounds like it to me) and is it nescary?

5) are jewul rio tanks any good?

6) whats good stocking options for that size? (its about 31 gallons) i like german rams, clown fish, cories, plecos and smaller fish like kullyfish. Any ideas what i can stock?

thanks for all your help

 

[CFC]

1) since the trip is short, can i just grab some of those bags from a lfs and bag up the fish and place them in a container, like a box?

Bagging fish is the best way to transport them. Bag them at one medium or large sized fish or 5 small fish (tetras etc) per bag with a 1/4 water to air ratio.

2) I want to keep the bacteria on the filter media, can i just take the media out and place it in another bag filled with tank water?

This is the best way to store media when transporting. Bag the media at one sponge per bag and if possible add a few oxygen tablets to each bag before you seal it.

3) will a fishless cycle take long with new sand, live plants and already grown bacteria on filter media take long?

Provided you supply a ammonia source then you will not need to cycle the tank but remember the bacteria on the media will only last a few hours so you must add fish or pure ammonia to the tank as soon as it is set up.

4) the add also states that "no top filter media is included" when i phoned the persont ehy stated that its filter media that needs to be changed weekly, but she has run out of it. are they basically on about charcoal media? (sounds like it to me) and is it nescary?

Sounds like they are talking about the floss pads which juwel state should be changed weekly but can just be washed clean under a tap, this are not totally nessasary but do help to keep finer particals out of the water column.

5) are jewul rio tanks any good?

Personally i dont think so and would rather spend the extra cash setting a tank up to my own specs but some people swear by them, i own 2 juwels which i bought years ago but neither run on their original filter any more.

6) whats good stocking options for that size? (its about 31 gallons) i like german rams, clown fish, cories, plecos and smaller fish like kullyfish. Any ideas what i can stock?

Thats a choice only you can make but a tank that size cant really be used for any fish with a maximum length above 8 inches.

 

[sylvia]

"QUOTE
4) the add also states that "no top filter media is included" when i phoned the persont ehy stated that its filter media that needs to be changed weekly, but she has run out of it. are they basically on about charcoal media? (sounds like it to me) and is it nescary?

Sounds like they are talking about the floss pads which juwel state should be changed weekly but can just be washed clean under a tap, this are not totally nessasary but do help to keep finer particals out of the water column."

I agree with everything said except I wouldn't wash these under the tap - that'll kill off any beneficial bacteria.

 

[CFC]

Since the floss pad is mechanical non biological media and if not cleaned would be discarded and replaced with new then keeping the small ammount of bacteria present in the floss pad is not a priority. Cleaning under a running tap cleans the floss more efficiently and makes it last longer. I have been rinsing mechanical non biological filter media under the tap for years with no adverse effects on any of my tanks.

However you are right in that biological medias (sponges, spintered glass etc) should only be rinsed in tank water and never under the tap.

 

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thanks for all your help people,
i really appriciate you taking your time to answer my questions.

If i get this tank i will set it up as soon as i get home, in reagrds about the bacteria on the filter media not being able to thrive longer than a few horus...but i got smoe more questions

1) If i set the tank up as soon as i get home.. and i use sand, dont you have to leave it for a while to let the sand settle (otherwise ittl be misty) so can i or cant i put fish in there while there is sand floating aorund in the water?

2)if the case is you cant put fish in a tank with sand unsettled....can i place the filter media inside my 5 gallon tank that is fully cylced that has fish in, so it can continue living untill i buy plants and the sand settles down in the bigger tank?
or will me fish eat all the bacteria of the sponge? lol

3) If i can place filter media in my 5 gallon and let the sand settle over a couple of days, what can i do with the fish that come with the tank? do lfs look after them??

 

[sylvia]

Rinse your sand realy well. Put the filter in and then put in the fish and do several water changes to get rid of some of the dust. The fish should be ok even if there is dust everywhere.

If you want to do it otherwise, run the whole filter w/ media in your established tank until you are ready to put fish in the new tank. Otherwise you can squeeze the extra media into your old filter in your established tank...

 

[CFC]

There is a way to start a new tank with a sand substrate without ever having cloudy water or having to clean the sand.

What i do is wet the sand thoroughly so that all the particals stick together before adding it to the tank, then with the wet sand covering the bottom of the tank to the desired depth (no more than 1" unless the tank will be heavily planted) place a large flat dinner plate onto the sand. Then when you begin filling the tank make sure that the water flows slowly onto the plate so as not to unsettle the sand at all, if all goes well you should have a relatively clear ready to use aquarium within a couple of hours.

 

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THANKS ALL!!! great help!!!!

im def thinking of getting this tank now

thanks alL!