Setting up my old tank

[fastfly]

I used to have the aquarium set up when I was young and dumb. I'd say about 8 years ago.

It was a working community in a 10gallon tank but I will admit it was pretty overpopulated with even amphibians.

Since then I have gained a wealth of knowledge (still have plenty to learn).

I plan on to start cycling the tank soon so it is ready for when finals are up 2-3weeks maybe longer.

My plan:
I'll start out the tank with a small school of Zebra Danios. After a month or so I'll be getting and working in a couple Otocinclus Catfish (I'll have plans to give them away if they get too big) and a couple Balloon Mollies.

I also have plans to get a Grow-A-frog and work him into the community after it reaches full maturity and I ensure it's health.

If I made a mistake, just let me know. I am extremely willing to learn.

NOTE: I have read the ebook, some things I am confused about even though they might have been stated in it.

Now my questions:
1) Should I work in plants during cycling or after, how about driftwood?

2) I need a new power filter as the one I had was outdated and was on its last legs (the motor was going out and this was years ago). Any recommendations?

Well, I think that is all I have for now. I am a veteren on another forum and understand how draining it can be when you have n00bs asking the same questions over and over, but hopefully I am a bit different than the normal newbie.

Thanks for any help guys!
Mark

[MandyL]

It is certainly not draining when the noobs actually take the advice and learn from it. :) Questions are good!

I'm similar to you, I am back to the hobby after 5 years of having no tanks... The main thing that has changed is they are recommending "fishless cycling" now. It involves adding pure ammonia to a tank until it is cycled, before adding any fish. Honestly it's up to you which way you go, but fishless cycling is certainly easier because you are not stressing or losing fish. That being said, I still did a fish cycle on this tank and had no fatalities so it can be done.

Oto cats do not get big - unless you end up buying something that looks like them but are actually SAE or CAE. Otos will stay small enough for your tank.

I've never heard of grow-a-frog... You can just buy african dwarf frogs from your LFS that stay small and are fully aquatic.

As for the driftwood and plants, add them right away. The plants will help you cycle quicker and safer for the fish (if you choose to cycle with fish).

For the filter, AquaClear is generally the most recommended HOB. Get one rated for twice the size of your tank. Or, if you want the best for your plants, you can get a small Canister filter which won't cause CO2 loss by surface agitation.

[fastfly]

Hey Mandy, thanks for the quick reply.

What does HOB stand for?

Are filters with bio-wheels recommended?

[MandyL]

Sorry! HOB= Hang on Back

You will find very strong opinions on both sides of the bio-wheel discussion on here. ;) They are very good biological filtration but easy to have problems with them breaking down, etc.

[cocoa_pleco]

Are filters with bio-wheels recommended?

biowheels themselves are awesome, but ive had tons of trouble with penguin brand biowheel filters

[fastfly]

Well, that makes sense I guess, there always is two sides to one story.

Before this thread I was looking at this guy, [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] . The 100. (EDIT: Just read your post, cocoa, what brand bio-wheel do you recommend)

Is this the guy you are talking about? [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, i went through 5 fricken biowheel 100's, each one died on me within 24hrs for no reason. either they stopped working, or lost 80% of their flow

as for the second link, the aquaclear, theyre awesome filters

[MandyL]

Yep... Personally out of the 2 I would go with the AquaClear. I would also replace the carbon with either another sponge or another BioMax.

[Minderella83]

I have bio wheels on 2 of my 3 tanks and never have had a problem with them.

[fastfly]

I have been looking at dr. fosters and smith for aquarium supplies. Is this a recommended website? Any other sites you guys and gals like?

Additional Question: Can I use a house hold ammonia to fishless cycle? What ammonia can I use?

[cocoa_pleco]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.] is good too

you need pure ammonia to cycle, it cant have additives. if youre unsure, shake it, there should be no bubbles

[fastfly]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.] is good too

you need pure ammonia to cycle, it cant have additives. if youre unsure, shake it, there should be no bubbles

Where can I buy a pure ammonia/water mixture? Local fish shop or can I also find it at department stores?

[smoochxoxo]

You should be able to find it either at a local store like walmart or grocery, maybe even a place like home depot??

Dr.fosters and smith, They have decent prices. What I ended up doing is taking my catalog with me and was able to buy at petsmart with the catalog prices. I saved about 15$ total when I bought my heater, hood, and filter.
I just purchased an AC 20 filter and so far so good. I am use to the easy filters like top fin where you plunk in a cartridge. I like the AC because you have different media options as most just have a carbon cartridge you put in and thats it.
GL

[pinsonpa]

WELCOME BACK TO THE HOBBY!:19:

Hardware stores are a good place to look for the ammonia. I know doug z recommends a brand called "Goldex" but I'm not sure if it's available everywhere. As Cocoa_Pleco said, just make sure it's PURE ammonia with no soaps or additives. These additives/soaps will can cause all kinds of problems for your tank and can make it unliveable for fish.

Research your filter, etc. online but If you can avoid buying online and paying shipping charges you'll save loads of money. I'm not sure why, but the shipping and handling charges for aquarium supplies are outragious (even if you are buying stuff that doesn't weigh alot). If you have to buy online, you should get it all from the same place and all at one time so you're only paying for shipping once.

For what it's worth...I have a Penguin Bio-Wheel 125 that I purchased used and I've not had any throuble with it. That being said, I've never heard anyone complain about the Aquaclear, unfortunately the same can't be said for the Penguin. You'll be looking at an extra $20 to make the jump from Pengiun to a comperable size aquaclear, but it sounds like it's worth it. Your filter is very important (if not THE MOST important) investment you'll make with this hobby. As MandyL said, get one that's rated for twice the size of tank you have (they are pretty generous on the tank ratings). Plus, if you have a filter that's big enough you'll have the option of upgrading to a bit bigger tank some day without having to replace the filter.

[fastfly]

Well, after a little research and a trip to the store to take a look at the filter options, I think the biowheel is a little marketing scheme.

I think I will go with a AC. A lot of people don't use the carbon. Why would someone not want to use the carbon in the filter?

[Mvjnz]

I'd skip the balloon mollies if I were you. They are deliberately bred to be deformed, and I don't think we should support that kinda thing. That's like buying a breed of dog which is bred to have crippled legs or be unable to breathe properly. No animal loving person would buy these, so why should it be different with fish? This also goes for all the deformed variaties of goldfish.

[Mvjnz]

You don't need carbon in the filter if you can drink your tap water. Also carbon needs replacing about once a month, or it will turn into slimey gooey stuff which will release toxins into the water. I've taken the carbon out of both my filter, I just use filter wool instead.

[fastfly]

How about Black Mollys? Would these be a better choice?

[Mvjnz]

Yeah, any other molly is good:)

[fastfly]

Back to a filter question, Does anyone use filter media that remove ammonia? Would this decrease the promotion of the natural biological filters?