The Beginning!

[zackish]

Well.....just so happens that today I sold one of my old BMX's bikes for $300 dollars so I decided to buy my first larger tank. (mediocre compared to some of yours) Anyways, I got the TopFin 29 Gallon kit which I wasn't planning on getting it for a few weeks anyways but hey what the hell I had the money. So for $150 I picked me up the kit and a master test kit and plan to add water and start cycling tomorow.

[cocoa_pleco]

congrats.

Just for the heck of it, what kinda bmx was it?

[gm72]

Go with fishless cycling. Please refer to the sticky post on the subject. Not hard to do and well worth the effort!

[cocoa_pleco]

fishless cycling is best, but with tanks 29g and over using a few danios or platys doesnt stress the fish much. Only when in smaller tanks like 10g's does it hurt them

[gm72]

...but fishless cycling is above all the best option.

[zackish]

I plan on fishless cycling and I am gunna start tomorow. You guys think I should wait till my tank is cycled to add plants?



And it was a Eastern Ace of Spades but it was a 2003, not the $700 new one.

[Chrona]

fishless cycling is best, but with tanks 29g and over using a few danios or platys doesnt stress the fish much. Only when in smaller tanks like 10g's does it hurt them

And besides, if you add only a few fish in a larger tank, you may not get as much of an ammonia spike, but you also won't be getting much bacteria, so you'll have a mini cycle each time you add fish (which will be slowly). With fishless, you can just drop in the whole tankful afterwards.

I would wait until after fishless cycling to add plants, and keep the tank dark, as light + ammonia will get you green water.

[cocoa_pleco]

thats a cool bike. I have enough dam bmx's that i dont need more


You can add live plants during cycling, but they eat up ammonia. If you really heavily plant it, you can maybe skip the cycle and add fish right away. however, just wait i guess

[gm72]

I think always best to wait, just IMO.

[Lady Hobbs]

Me too gm. And it's over with in 2 weeks instead of using fish and taking 6 weeks.