TripleB

I've decided that I'm going to purchase this freshwater tank http://www.petco.com/product/2398/Ma...ystem-Six.aspx this afternoon (for $50).

I know that I need to pick up a heater ( 50 watt? ), gravel, plants, "scenery" hiding places for the bottom, and no fish.

What else do I need to purchase to get the aqarium set up and start the cycling process?

Thanks for all your help with my posts over the past several days. I know I've thrown a lot of questions out there but you have responding with exactly the information I was needing and with a lot of patience.

TripleB

armadillo

This should be enough info. It's a lot of small stuff, but you'll be grateful not to have to go back and forth to the shops a million times when you realise you need it.

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/fr...-own-know.html

capekate

Congratulations on getting a tank and set up! Its so much fun. I see you are planning on getting a 6g tank. What are your plans for fish stock?

~ kate

Neville

That's a cool tank! i think a betta will look nice in that tank.

COBettaCouple

That's an excellent aquarium.

One thing that you can do with that system to save money (and not be forced to run carbon when it's not needed) is to pick up a pack of: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113808
I've not seen it at petco, but i have at petsmart. We use it for all our filters, we just cut it to fit the filters and save a ton on the filter cartridge/bag replacements.

Other things you might need.. hmm.. you'll want a thermometer. I'd recommend a strip thermometer that is removable. They cost a little more, but it's very nice to be able to move it without ruining it. The regular strips are "stick it and it stays here". A digital thermometer with a probe is the most accurate, but a little more money and as much as i like them, the removable strips are more cost effective.

An air pump with air stone/wand would be good and would help cycling some.

For cycling fishless, any fish food will do so I'd get a can of some general flakes and use it for the cycling. The tank can get a bit smelly during the earlier stages of cycling, you'll be glad for the lid.

When the tank is cycled, you'll want to clean out all the leftover food. The way we do that is to take a big container and fill it up with enough clean treated tap water to easily cover the substrata (gravel in your tank) and filter media. Move the gravel and filter media to that container (decor and plants to another container with some treated clean tap water), then you can empty the tank, cleaning it out to get rid of old food in the filter and tank. Then you can just put everything back in the tank and fill it with clean treated tap water (put enough water in first so the gravel is never left dry).

TripleB

COBettaCouple

yea, the filter is in the top part of the tank, the eclipses use cartridges that have carbon in them. We were paying about $6 for 3 cartridges in the 5g hex tanks.

50w is good for a 6g.. even a 10g would be good with a 50w heater.

A standard air stone (cheapest way) or maybe a 6" air wand (or even the smallest flexible bubble wand - more ) would be fine and walmart has a little airpump for under $10 that we've found to be pretty good and the first one is running great after almost a year. You could put it anywhere really, just best to avoid direct contact with the heater is all.

TripleB

capekate

Heaters can run a lot of money. You can get away with a 25w just as well as a 50w. A 25w will be more than enough to heat a 6g tank. Also, be careful if the tank is an acrylic tank and not glass. A higher wattage heater next to acrylic can melt it.

~ kate

jsalemi

Filter cartridges need to be changed every 3-4 weeks, though you can extend that a bit if you rinse them in used tank water when you do a water change. I wouldn't go much beyond 6 weeks between changes, though.

As for your list of what you need, you're fine. There only other thing we'd suggest is an API Master Freshwater Testing kit to keep an eye on your cycle.

0morrokh

I have a hob on my betta tank (the rest run on sponge filters) and probably haven't changed the media in a year.

Necessary items...
the tank (duh )
hood w/ light
filter
heater
decor...gravel, fake or real plants, wood/rocks/caves etc
fish food
thermometer (I'd get an extra one cause they're easy to break)
test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate
water conditioner
siphon
2 fish-only buckets, one for dirty water and one for clean water (for water changes)
you may also want a small jug to pour the water back into the tank

You won't need all of this right away but might as well get it in one trip.

I personally would choose pure ammonia over fish food to cycle the tank. It's faster, not messy, and you run a risk of building up high levels of chemicals like phosphates by dumping a lot of flakes into the tank.

JMatt1983

i agree, 3-4 weeks is the manufacturers suggestion, so you have to buy their cartridges more often, use your media until it will no longer hold together, then change it, the media is where a lot of the benficial bacteria builds up. i've had mine in for over a year, and my tank is crystal clear, with no chemical problems.

the only thing i haven't seen mentioned is not to put your tank in an area with high foot traffic, the vibrations of people walking by will stress the fish, and also not to put the tank near a window, all sorts of algae problems with that one!

0morrokh

Also not right next to vents or drafty windows, etc.


Oh I guess I should clarify that if you are using carbon in the filter, that needs to be replaced pretty often (maybe once a month?), or else it will start leaching the chemicals back into the water. Carbon isn't usually considered necessary and it can be a problem if the filter media is built in with carbon, which means you have to change all of the media to change the carbon (which means you chuck a lot of the beneficial bacteria). If you just use the media without carbon then it can last pretty much forever.

COBettaCouple

They say 2-4 weeks on the box for replacing the cartridges. The carbon in them is why I would replace them like that instead of swishing them around in clean treated water and putting them back in the filter.

If you do go with cut filter floss like that, you can also buy sponges that you can cut to size. They're good to put under the floss in the filter and both can be kept in the tank until they fall apart. The sponge is the best part of the filter media for the good bacteria colonies.

TripleB

capekate

Ohh thats too bad... Maybe they will be ordering more soon tho, and you can wait a week or two? I believe that Petsmart will honor the lower price. they are pretty good about things like that. One time they actually replaced a 55g set up tank for me, mine had a crack in it and leaked all over the place. The strange thing is, is that I didnt even buy the original tank from them. I brought the tank back to the other store that I had bought it from and they were rude and wouldnt replace it or give me the time of day, then when we stopped by Petsmart for the first time, checking out their tanks, I told the worker what had happened. She asked me if I had the tank with us and I said yes. So she said bring it in and she would replace it with one of theirs,and they gave me a free tank and hood.
WOW.. they have a long time customer in me now. Tho most of the fish there, do not last too long in my tanks. grrrr....Except for the bettas and the Angel fish I have lost more small fish from there than I can count!

It would be a good time to re-think the possibility of going with a 10g tank instead of a six gal tank. At least you would be able to have a few more fish in the 10 than the six gal. Unless you had planned on getting one Betta for your 6g? Just a suggestion...

~ kate

COBettaCouple

yea, i'd try petsmart then order if it they didn't take walmart's price.. unless you do want to go with a bigger tank as Kate mentioned.

Nessie!!!

A PH tester. Two of my fish have died because I didnt know about the cycling process, so today well I bought more fish( To replace the ones that died) I got a PH tester.