10g Rebuild

[tori.lock]

Just for personal records I'm going to be posting updates on a ten gallon aquarium. I picked it up today, May 28th and pay $20. I had posted a wanted ad on craigslist and a woman responded. I really had no idea what to expect, but I got a 10 gallon tank, a filter, an under gravel heater, a hang on heater, and a hood with lighting. It is dirty, full of leaves, and I have no idea if it even runs. While I was out I went and got some parts, including some new filter sponges, bio media, carbon, thermometer, plant food, water conditioner, a drift wood stump and a few plants. For the time being the plants are living in my 3g.

Now that I'm home I started to see what I had to work with. Already I know the lights wont work, but I'll be able to get those later. Not sure if the filter or heater works, or if the tank doesn't leak. It is now time to scrub, scrub, scrub.

I'll also be posting my plans, and see how they change over time. Currently I want this tank to be a peaceful community tank, black sand substrate, two pieces of drift wood and a variety of low-light plants. Plants eventually included will be anubias, crypts, anacharids, vals and a moss wall. For stocking, I'm considering a school of pygmy cories or glass cats, a centerpiece fish (betta, gourami, etc) and a school of a micro schooling fish.

[Katarine]

Good luck! I'm excited to hear your progress as you set up this tank :)

[Northernguy]

That will make for great before and after pics!lol
Great deal.Looking forward to seeing the progress you make with it.
Make sure you water test it for a few days if the silicone looks rough.

[tori.lock]

So far I've only had bad luck with this thing. I'm dedicated, though! I got to look at the lights, and they are unfortunately incandescent, two 15W bulbs, both burned out. Fortunately they're cheap, but I'd rather get a florescent set-up eventually. The heater turns on, but I'm a little wary of it. It might get too hot and fry my fish. The filter is a whole ordeal in and of itself. It's some ancient brand, and I plugged it in and it runs, and I got some bio media, carbon and custom cut sponges, so I got it all filled up, but when I put it in a bucket to run it was purring and whirling away, but it can't suck up the water. And last but not least, I cracked the tank. the undergravel heater's plug in chord got under it when I set it down to hose off and crack! I'm hoping that because the cracks are clean, and it's on the bottom so it doesn't need to be pretty, I can just get some aquarium silicone and line the crap out of it. So... my cheap little project has turned into quite the expensive fix.

[tori.lock]

With the filter problems I've been having, I'm thinking about just investing in a 10 gallon kit, and using the cracked tank as part of a rat cage by installing another level or two on top of it. If I can get the filter working I'll just buy a tank+lighting set up, if I can't, I'll get the whole shin-dig. Depending on the price different I might just do that, since in the long run it would probably save me money. Unfortuantely I'll have to wait to do that until after I'm employed.

[hockeyhead019]

sorry to hear about your misfortune :(

fyi there are 10 gallon tanks at petsmart and the like for only about 15 bucks a piece, so you could scoop one of them up

and with your filter have you checked the impeller to see if it's damaged/spinning the right way? i know with the older filters (i had one about 4 years ago) and if i unplugged it sometimes the impeller would spin the wrong way so you have to stop it while plugged in and spin it the other way so that it suck water up as opposed to trying to push it out

best of luck getting things together and working!

[tori.lock]

Thanks for the positive notes. I was having serious trouble getting the filter to run, and I was worried even if I could finally get it going, I'd only get problems with it, so I bought a cheap Aqueon filter. I also got a new 10g.

And a new betta. I was just applying for a job and going with my friend and saw the most stunning male crowntail. He's an extremely dark color, hard to tell what exactly, with bright, but subtle turquoise, white and a deep red. Impulse buy to the max, I bought the tank and filter just to make sure I got him.

I'm going to be posting pictures as soon as I get him all settled in. Unfortunately, the impulse means I'll have to do a fish-in cycle, but I'm hoping that shouldn't be too stressful on him, since I'm going to seed it with my other tank.

[tori.lock]

I got it all set up, sans lighting. I need to pick up some incandescent bulbs for the set up I have now until I can indulge in a florescent hood. It's still cloudy, so once it clears up I'll post some pictures.

Current plants:
Anacharis
Java moss
Crypts
Anubias nana

Current stock:
Crowntail male betta

Planned stock:
School of corries

[tori.lock]

I got a few pictures, but without the tank lighting they didn't turn out too amazingly. You can still see what it's doing, though.

On the left side of the aquarium I'm going to add a big hunk of african root wood that I got, but is still soaking. The anubias will be fixed onto that. Other plans I have will probably be to make a moss wall for the back, and add more plants as I go. I'd love to get a big amazon sword eventually, but all with time.

I'm getting a little more settled with my stocking plans. I'm probably going to go with 7-9 c.habrosus, and then a school of microrasbora. Depending on how stocking goes, I might also like to find another sort of centerpiece type fish.

[tori.lock]

No major changes yet. I'm having some trouble finding lights that will fit my hood, and I can't yet afford a new set-up.

I did make plans for a background, though. My folk's are re-doing the front stairs to our house, so I stole a few slate tiles, broke those up and will be putting them on the back with a good deal of open space for me to put in a moss wall.

Oh, there is an addition to my tank: a bubble nest! Vincent is working on quite the masterpiece. He doesn't quite have it down to a science just yet, some of his bubbles are still a little too small to stay long enough, and he doesn't understand the guarding concept, but it's a pretty little nest, and I believe his first one.

EDIT:

Stocking plans have changed a bit. Instead of the chili rasboras, I'm going to get a school of lampeye killifish. I might also get a akysis catfish, if it won't make things too crowded.