Kevin

okay, i went out and bought a 29 gallon tank today (instead of 20), i really want some cichlids or angelfish, along with some barbs and catfish...what should i do?

p.s.- i also bought some live plants and should be getting some driftwood tomorrow, what do i need to do to keep the plants healthy? also, how long should i wait to get some fish? (i got the filter and heater started around 9 last night)...i think this is the last thing, what are good neutral temperature and pH levels for these species?
-thanks for all the help!

sgould

First, cycle the tank before you actually add the new fish. This link will give you lots of information on cycling, including methods for doing it without fish in the tank. To properly cycle the tank, it will likely be 4-6 weeks before you are ready to add fish. http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

29 gallons is a decent size. As you choose your fish, research how big they get as adults, and plan on keeping no more than 1" of adult fish per gallon of water, or 29" of fish in your case. Be careful keeping barbs with angels...many barbs are nippy, and could destroy the fins on the angels. To control nipping, keep barbs in groups of 6 or more, and choose tankmates who are fast so they can get away if chased. Most cats should get along fine with angels.

Keep the temp constant somewhere between 75 - 80 degrees. pH is not a major concern. Test it to be sure it is not at an extreme on either end of the scale. If not, do not try to change it...fish adapt to pH and are much happier with it staying stable, rather than with it bouncing up and down which is what frequently happens if you try to alter it artificially.

Good luck!

Kevin

ok, i think i'm gonna try to find some bio-spira. do you know if Petsmart carries it? or would i have to order it online?

sgould

I'm not sure if Petsmart carries it, though it seems like others have posted that they could not find it there. Might be worth a quick phone call to find out for sure, though. Beyond ordering it online, it is hit and miss...I have an LFS that does carry it, but many on the site have reported being unable to find it anywhere locally. If you can't find it at any of your local pet/fish shops, then you can order it online. The shipping is going to double the price, though, as it has to be overnighted and kept refrigerated.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+112990

Kevin

some guy mentioned "Septo-Bac" does this work? and are there any others similar to bio-spira?
p.s.- i just noticed a lot of bubbles floating around the top of my tank, and they dont look like they were made by the filter...any ideas...or is that normal, and im just retarded

Kevin

im gonna try to get a couple of pics for u by the end of the night...thanks for all your help!

sgould

Bio-Spira is the only product I am aware of that gets consistently positive feed back on its effectiveness. There are many other products out there that claim to cycle your tank, but those who try them tend to end up disappointed.

Pics would be good. I don't know you well enough to evaluate any potential retardation/chromasome issues.

jayfl234

With bio-spira and ammonia i cycled my 29 gallon tank in 23 days. I have also used it in my ten gallon works really well i have not had any problems with it.

Kevin

where did u get ur bio-spira?

Kevin

i cant figure out how to put a pic on here, i could email them to you...or something else, just let me know

JMatt1983

to post a pic you have to use a site like photobucket and post the link in the reply box

as for your bubbles, they were most likely caused by the return flow from your filter, try raising and lowering your water depth a couple of inches to find the right depth for your filter return to get rid of them

with bio spira there is no need for ammonia, add the bag, wait 24 hours, add fish, its that quick, do some calling around to fish stores, petsmart does not carry it, neither does big al's unfortunately, so the dr foster site is the only place that i have found it

for your fish, if you want angels, make sure you get a mated pair, easiest way to do that is to buy 5 or 6, wait until 2 of them pair off, and return the rest, mos tplaces will let you return or exchange your fish, if you want barbs, make sure you do your research as there are a few of them that are considered game fish in some countries and get quite large, an example of this is the tinfoil barb

Kevin

where did you get your german rams? i wouldnt mind having a pair of those

COBettaCouple

You can attach photos to your post by clicking on "Additional Options" when entering a post. I've never seen a petsmart carrying BioSpira and the only other product to be of any use that i know of is zymbac by Kordon. If you can keep the water very warm and find a bottle of pure ammonia, you could do a fishless cycle that might be the fastest way to cycle the tank, other than biospira.

check the Nitrogen Cycle article on the main page of Fishlore for a good heads up on the cycle itself and fishless cycling. If it's possible, that's better - mainly so you don't put extra stress on new fish.

JMatt1983

they're actually called german blue rams, very colourful fish, (blue, yellow, green, black) i got them from big al's fish supply store, they're nice because they only grow to be around 3 inches

Kevin

wel, everything in my aquarium looks great, i asked the fish expert at my local pet store what fish i should get, he recommended the blue paradise gouramis, so i got two 2.5" paradises, and one blue gourami about the same size, let me know if there are certain things i should know about these!

Kevin

also, what else could i add? (i was thinking 3 corys and and a bala shark) and if my other 3 do really well, when should i add them, i was thinking i could get the next 2-3 in about 3 or 4 weeks...
-kevin

mlinden84

I know PetLAND has the bio-spira...but I don't think they are really common. I know there is only one in iowa (luckily only 10 miles from me!) You can find local stores by going to www.petland.com and searching for a store.

Kevin

the only one in N.C. is in charlotte...and i live 2 hrs away from there...but i do go down there for baseball tournaments every now and then. do they have REALLY good selections of freshwater fish? if they do, i might try to find it...also, would they fish be ok in a plastic bag for 2 hrs