I finally did it!?

Question

I bought a 29 gallon tank from petsmart! I rinsed out the tank, rinsed off the gravel, put the gravel in the tank, added 1/2 of teh water, placed heater in, 2 plants, an airstone, and the filter in or on the tank, finished filling all the way and applied the hood. I added the correct dosege of stress zyme, as well as squarium salt. I did not add a declorinator, as i am letting it run for about a week before adding fish. I waited an hour before plugging in the heater, and now it is running fine!!

Did I do everything okay?

Oh, the lady at petsmart said I should pour a few cupfulls of my 10 gallons water into the new 29. The 10's been established for nearly 4 years. What do you all think about that?

Answer 1

Sounds OK to me. The water transfer is fine. Maybe even more. If you are going to stop using the 10, use the gravel from it to kick start the cycle.

Answer 2

Rather than putting water from the established tank I would recommend putting some gravel in something water flows through easily, or some filter media (that can be safely taken out without disrupting the tank) from your established tank. This will help beneficial bacteria grow and speed up the cycling process. To know for certain if your tank is done cycling, you'll need ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kits.

I would recommend more plants and maybe some decorations and/or hidey spots. Lots of fishes like heavily planted tanks and places to hide, and this can cut down on bullying, fighting, and fin nipping. It's not NEEDED, but can make for happier fish :)

Answer 3

It sounds like you did everything right. The salt may be an issue, depending on what kind of fish you get. Some fish need a little bit and some fish can't tolerate any at all...

Make sure that you've left drip loops in your cords...where the cords hang down a little bit before they go up to the wall outlet.

The carbon in your filter will remove the chlorine from the water. You probably don't need to wait an entire week to add fish...a day or two would be right...just make sure the temp is right before you add the fish. It can take a day for the temp to change when you adjust the heater.

Answer 4

It sounds good so far - although you probably don't need the StressZyme seeing as how there's nothing to BE stressed yet!

Since you see to be taking your time with setting up this tank (a GOOD thing), I'd encourage you to consider doing a fishless cycle. Any fish you put in even a week from now, their wastes will contain ammonia, which is toxic to fish. This is the #1 killer of fish in new tanks. Normally the ammonia will be broken down by bacteria, but your tank is too new to have as much as you'll need. Here's a link to a website that will explain what cycling is in more detail and how to do it: http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm - Lots of other good information as well.

And here's one that tells you what to look for if you do get your fish so you can recognize the signs and know what to do if your fish start to show symptoms: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm

A 29 gallon is a nice size for a tank - big enough that your less limited in what you can keep, but not overly big either.

Good luck with your tank!

Answer 5

water conditioner will also reduce metals and minerals found in water wich can harm fish if theyre too high. ive had fishtanks for decades and highly recommend it. also add a product called Tetra Nitraban or similiar, it will help with the cycling process..i swear by this stuff. . and also if you do use salt, stay away from catfish and plecos and any other scaless fish as the salt can harm them or be fatal. youre definaltey on the right track but mistakes can be made very eaisly.

Answer 6

Sounds very good

Just one recommendation, put in "Aqua Safe" it really makes the water ready for the fish
Congrats on your tank
Good luck

Any questions, feel free to email me

Answer 7

hey you did great! i hope you enjoy your new bigger tank.... it must look so much bigger compared to ur 10. my 30 does!