Tank Being Delivered Today

[kporteo]

Hi all, Im new to tropical fish and have decided to treat myself to a tank, its getting delivered today between 10 & 2 (dontcha just hate ambiguous delivery times!!??). Hubby will be building cabinet when he gets in from work tonight so il be filling it tomorrow and starting fishless cycling.

So, do i buy my plants and rocks tomorrow before i start cycling and put them in as i fill it or is it better to just put rocks in for cycling (I understand the idea of bacteria growth on the rocks, surely they wont flourish on plants??)

Another question is, do you have to have special rocks for an aquarium? Or can i literally pop down to the local beach and just give them a really good wash?

Please be gentle!!!

Kxx

 

[bae1994]

the rocks from the beach i wouldnt use as the chances of salt

you can get rocks from gardens and river and such but you have to put a bit of vinegar on them if they fizz theyre no good if they dont fizz it should be fine people say boil them but apparently they can explode if you boil them so give them a really good wash and soak them in water not the tank or get some from your fish shop

you can put rocks in for the fishless cycle as long as the plants arnt real (un sure on that) if you want real plants then put them after the cycle

 

[kporteo]

Thanks, think il just be buying some rocks, cant be doing with fizzing/exploding rocks in my kitchen!!!

Whats the general concensus on using lava rock in tanks? I want a black look in my tank and black lava rock would be an easy way to get this, but if its thought to be naff for your tank/fish then il not use it.

I want real plants, so il just cycle with my gravel and rock

Kxx

 

[OldMan47]

Lava rock that has been well rinsed should be fine in a tank. The material itself is usually a glassy structure formed in the heat of the volcano so it is nearly inert. The only disadvantage that I can see is that it sometimes has an abrasive surface on the rock.
There are advantages and disadvantages to doing a fishless cycle with plants in the tank. The main disadvantage is being able to understand where the ammonia is going. Some of the ammonia we add will be adsorbed by the plants and used as fertilizer. The required light for the plants can lead to algae problems while you have lots of ammonia present to feed the bacterial colonies. The advantage is that it gives you a chance to get the plants established before you have any fish. another advantage is that the tank looks better with plants in it than when it is empty.
You may have misunderstood some basics about the cycle, it does not happen much on rocks but is more concentrated in the filter media itself. Since plants, rocks and even the aquarium glass present a surface, bacteria will indeed grow on all of them.

 

[kporteo]

Thanks for that, think il put a bit of lava in but not too much.

Tank's here..........OMG its massive!!!!
Off out to get buckets, ammonia and test kit..... think im gonna have a look about for rock and buy it gradually as i see pieces i like.

Kxx

 

[OldMan47]

That is a tank we would call a 55 in the US and I find that a nice utilitarian size. It is big enough that I can use it for almost any of the small fish that I like but is small enough to fit in almost any room if you are a bit creative. If you decide you would like a larger fish like angels or even small cichlids, it can accommodate those too. A wonderful size for a beginner since you won't find yourself outgrowing it for at least a year. It will exhibit nice stable chemistry during and after your cycle. Congrats on getting off to a great start KPorteo.