|  |  | 
July 6th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| New 29 Gallon Tank
Hey Everyone! I just got a 29 Gallon starter kit and I had a few questions before setting it up.
First of all, a little background. I've had a 10 gallon tank for about 2 years. Right now it's fish only, stocked with a cory catfish, 4 guppies, and a white tetra.
Now that I have the new aquarium, I was hoping to take the leap to a planted aquarium. The kit that I received is a Top Fin Starter Kit, complete with a 100 W Neptune Submersible Heater (which says it's only good for a 25 gallon tank...I love cheap starter kits  But hey, it was a present, what can you do?); a Top Fin 30 filter; an Aquarium Equipment Model 30 RFH light hood that's rated at 120 VAC, 60 Hz, and 20 W; and the light bulb which is a Marineland F18T8 Natural Daylight, which from what I understand is only an 18 W bulb.
Are you with me so far?
Basically what I'm looking for is information on what to do next. I'm leaning towards a gravel substrate with either a laterite or fluorite base. I know I need to upgrade the light as soon as possible, but I'm also on a budget. What would be more beneficial, upgrading the hood and light or adding a CO2 reactor?
For fish, I'm planning on moving the occupants of my current 10 gallon system over, as well as adding a few more of the guppies, at least 2 more cory catfish, but other than that I'm open to suggestions.
As for plant life (which I'm hoping will be the backbone of this endeavor), I'm thinking about Java fern, maybe hairgrass or something similar for a field effect in the foreground, and 2-3 species of taller plants in the background.
Any suggestions on fish, beginner plantlife, and equipment would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!! | 
| | |
July 6th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| Welcome to Fish Lore
Congrats on the new tank, pretty cool.
May I suggest that you fish-less cycle your new tank before adding any fish?
Here's a link to read in case you don't know about the nitrogen cycle
Increasing the amount of cories is a good idea, they like to be in groups. It would also be a good idea to get your white tetra some friends, they do best in schools.
I'm no good with plants but several members are and they'll be able to help you. | |
| | |
July 6th, 2009
|
| | Fish Helper
| I'd just put the filter from the old tank in the new one, and presto! instant cycle | |
| | |
July 6th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by ifixoldhouses  I'd just put the filter from the old tank in the new one, and presto! instant cycle |  | |
| | |
July 6th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Well the filter on my 10 gallon tank is an Aquaclear 20. I was contemplating running both the 20 and 30 on the one tank, but now I'm thinking that might cause too much aeration and I could lose CO2 in the process. Also, I was toying with the idea of keeping the 10 gallon running and maybe setting up a one-species tank or something like that. (I've caught the aquarium bug bad!) | |
| | |
July 7th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| Welcome to Fish Lore. What you could do rp is to take the filter media from the new filter and add it to your 10g (inside the tank itself or in the filter if there is room) for 2 to 4 weeks. This will seed the new media with the good bacteria that the new tank will need to keep the nitrogen cycle going (this is called "seeding"). Too, take a hand full of gravel from your 10g tank and add it to the new tank as well when you're ready to move the fish over. You can put it in a mesh bag if you like. Once you've seeded the new filter media you can switch it to the new filter, add a couple of fish (but not too many at one time) and you should be fine. Just keep an eye on your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels for a while when starting a new tank.
Best of luck!
Last edited by aquarist48; July 7th, 2009 at 04:14 AM.
| |
| | |
July 7th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Welcome to Fishlore! I run two filters on all of my tanks except for my 5 gallon betta tanks. As long as you can adjust the flow you'll be fine. It also gives your bacteria more space to grow on and you always have a backup in case one of your filters breaks down. In addition, if you have to change out a filter cartridge, you won't send your tank into a mini-cycle.
Just something to think about.
Good luck on your tank and please post pictures when you get it up and running! | |
| | |
July 7th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| So I've updated my stocking plans a little bit. Here's the new idea:
5 Green Cory
4-5 Guppies
5 White Tetra.
I'm working off of the inch-per-gallon rule and I'm a little worried about overcrowding, but I know that philosophy doesn't always hold. Ideally, I'd like the schooling fish and maybe one or two show fish to catch the eye, but I'm not sure if that'll work with this size tank and the fish I already have. I do plan on using the 10 gallon, so maybe that can showcase something special? Or I could keep the white tetra I already have in there and give it a few friends?
Thanks for all the ideas about cycling. I'm definitely going to go fishless for a couple weeks so the plants can start to grow in and so I can try to prohibit as much algae growth as possible. | |
| | |
July 7th, 2009
|
| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by rpete88 So I've updated my stocking plans a little bit. Here's the new idea:
5 Green Cory
4-5 Guppies
5 White Tetra.
I'm working off of the inch-per-gallon rule and I'm a little worried about overcrowding, but I know that philosophy doesn't always hold. Ideally, I'd like the schooling fish and maybe one or two show fish to catch the eye, but I'm not sure if that'll work with this size tank and the fish I already have. I do plan on using the 10 gallon, so maybe that can showcase something special? Or I could keep the white tetra I already have in there and give it a few friends?
Thanks for all the ideas about cycling. I'm definitely going to go fishless for a couple weeks so the plants can start to grow in and so I can try to prohibit as much algae growth as possible. | Lighting is an issue. As of right now you only have 0.68 watts per gal. That is not going to be enough to grow most plants. Consider looking to upgrade that system as well as the proper substrate.
Also the fishless will work great with the old filter technique, but still takes a few days. My 20g took about a week and a half (still a lot better than the 2 months my 29g took with a fish cycle, stupid me).
As for overstocking, I dont really follow the rules and have good results just watching my water closely. I have an API freshwater master kit and use it weekly and keep my water well below the limit of nitrate for the fish I keep. My 29g is almost always overstocked by the inch rule. I have no problems with waste, but am more concerned with swimming room and crowded living quarters. Just another perspective.
(keep in mind I do weekly changes, some times more) | |
| | |
July 8th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Just a quick update. Regarding the lighting, a friend of mine might actually be lending me his compact fluorescent lights, which I think are 55 W each. I'm not sure if they'll fit with the kit's lid or not, but that will be a huge step up in terms of wattage. | |
| | |
July 8th, 2009
|
| | Fish Keeper
| Yes it will. You can get a cheap all glass canopy for around 12$. If the new setup will just sit on top of the glass your set. (Hock the old light on ebay/craigslist to pay for the new canopy maybe?). | |
| | |
July 9th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| I just discovered a new LFS in my area and I couldn't be happier. I've been doing most of my shopping at PetSmart and it was great to find out that a dedicated fish store is nearby.
I'll be buying a wrought iron stand within the week. I'll probably hold off getting a new filter at first (money's tight), but I saw an AquaClear filter for a 50 gallon tank at $40 that I'll probably get. I use this brand of filter on my 10 gallon and I'm a fan. | |
| | |
July 12th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| I just bought a stand, two pieces of driftwood, a 20 lb bag of Eco-Complete and 10 lbs of small brown gravel. Hopefully I'll pick up my friend's lights and hood by tonight and have the tank set up by tomorrow. Ideally, I'll be planting by tomorrow night. Pictures will be up as soon as I can get them! | |
| | |
July 12th, 2009
|
| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by rpete88 Hey Everyone! I just got a 29 Gallon starter kit and I had a few questions before setting it up.
First of all, a little background. I've had a 10 gallon tank for about 2 years. Right now it's fish only, stocked with a cory catfish, 4 guppies, and a white tetra.
Now that I have the new aquarium, I was hoping to take the leap to a planted aquarium. The kit that I received is a Top Fin Starter Kit, complete with a 100 W Neptune Submersible Heater (which says it's only good for a 25 gallon tank...I love cheap starter kits But hey, it was a present, what can you do?); a Top Fin 30 filter; an Aquarium Equipment Model 30 RFH light hood that's rated at 120 VAC, 60 Hz, and 20 W; and the light bulb which is a Marineland F18T8 Natural Daylight, which from what I understand is only an 18 W bulb.
Are you with me so far?
Basically what I'm looking for is information on what to do next. I'm leaning towards a gravel substrate with either a laterite or fluorite base. I know I need to upgrade the light as soon as possible, but I'm also on a budget. What would be more beneficial, upgrading the hood and light or adding a CO2 reactor?
For fish, I'm planning on moving the occupants of my current 10 gallon system over, as well as adding a few more of the guppies, at least 2 more cory catfish, but other than that I'm open to suggestions.
As for plant life (which I'm hoping will be the backbone of this endeavor), I'm thinking about Java fern, maybe hairgrass or something similar for a field effect in the foreground, and 2-3 species of taller plants in the background.
Any suggestions on fish, beginner plantlife, and equipment would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!! |  hi ..I also purchased a top-fin 29G starter kit. ( got rid of the topfin filter way to loud) replaced it with an aqua-clear filter. The heater, which is the same as yours, is actually keeping the tank the temperature as needed. It being warmer months is probably making up the difference. And the hood was a quite adequate for my Amazon Sword and Anubias plants. Depending on where you set up your tank. I have mine by a window and there is plenty of added light for my plants, and hood light can stay off until late afternoon.
a great plant and hardy plant ( looks great too ) is the amazon sword, and also I like the anubias for a nice deep greenery.
Sounds like you'l have great fun setting up your tank. Hope I helped out as far as the priority items go..  | |
| | |
July 30th, 2009
|
| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Here are pics of my now up-and-running planted tank! No fish yet, since I'm running it for a few weeks fishless. A couple questions, though. One of the pictures is sideways. In this one I have strange strands running from the plant node. I don't think it's algae since it was about that long a day after I planted. Is this typical plant growth or should I do some pruning? It looks like there is some leaf growth on the end of one of the strands. Also, I have a few brown spots on the Java fern. Is that indicative of poor plant growth? What can I do? Thanks!
PS I planted a couple bulbs in the background on the left, so in a couple weeks that should fill out that empty space. | |
| | |
July 30th, 2009
|
| | Moderator
| Nice job. Your tank looks really good! I just love the drift wood.
What's your source of ammonia to get it cycled? | |
| | |
July 30th, 2009
|
| | Fish Master
| Your tank looks wonderful! | |
| | | |
Similar Aquarium Fish Forum Threads 
