New to the aquarium hobby and would like some feedback

Haha, sorry - I love talking about them

No, that 10 gallon's mostly fake plants, except for the java moss and a moss ball. We plan on redoing it eventually but haven't figured out how to grow money trees yet.

The 20 is fully live planted. It could be the age of the snails or other factors, but the two in the more natural environment seem to be a lot more active than the ones in the plastic jungle. That red plant is silk, and came attached to the resin log from Walmart.

You may not need a full cycle for mystery snails... They can breathe air, and any leftover food, plus snail waste may actually speed up the cycling process slightly. Some people use fish flakes to cycle, and snails can eat that... Just a theory/thought you might want to look into.

 

You seem to enjoy your fish and snails keep on talking, lol don't worry about me il have my own soon hopefully.

I too want to add a moss ball but I don't think I can do a planted tank, I like that silk plant, as I was looking at something similar at petsmart the other day, I have most of my decor already. I hope its other factors, I don't want my snail to be miserable lol.

as for cycling with snails, won't ammonia and nitrite still be bad for them ? would something like TSS be worth looking into, I think I will still do a fishliss cycle though to be on the safe side as this is my first tank, il just have to be patient in the meantime, plus you can just share stories and pics of urs

and il have my moss ball entertain me while I'm cycling!

 

Good news...
Just got an email reply from my dad, who knows a lot more than I do. (He's been a fish nut for years, but we only recently got in touch) He said you can put the snails in whenever you want. They'll be fine and will help it cycle.

 

ya!? I can have the snails in using the ammonia method or I have to then use the fish / snail food to get the ammonia going ? and some tetra safe start maybe ?

 

I've never done the ammonia method... the idea scares me, lol.

If it were me, I'd just set it up, treat the water with stress coat, add the snail or two and let the tank do its thing with fish food.

According to my dad, its all moot for the snails... plus, waiting a few weeks or a month for the betta won't be nearly as bad if you've got snails to watch.

If the tank's not set up, rinse that gravel like you're looking for gold... then rinse it again and again. Seriously. I used a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket I bought for water changes, since they're heavy duty and cheap. Took about 10 good rinses, stirring it up like crazy in the water, and that was after I rinsed it in a strainer in the sink. Repeat until it's crystal clear. I added stress coat to the last rinse to remove any leftover chlorine. The tank gets cloudy enough with the bacteria bloom.. gravel dust will just make it worse.

 

I would highly recommend doing a fishless cycle before adding your snail, they can be sensitive to water conditions (ammonia/nitrite)

 

I would highly recommend doing a fishless cycle before adding your snail, they can be sensitive to water conditions (ammonia/nitrite)

'bout time someone chimed in

Also, keep in mind that not all chemicals/treatments are snail friendly - forgot to mention that... make sure you read the bottles.

 

Also, keep in mind that not all chemicals/treatments are snail friendly - forgot to mention that... make sure you read the bottles.

Very good point!

 

hey guys thanks for all the input, I think that I will be going the fishless or rather snail-less cycle. I know that this method may take long and will be boring but probably best for someone new like me with their first tank

@dingo - thanks for that rinsing advice ive read that elsewhere as well that rinsing the substrate multiple times is a must.

I do have a question though can I use stress coat AND prime or is it an either or situation

 

I do have a question though can I use stress coat AND prime or is it an either or situation

They're basically the same, though a lot of people here swear by prime. I think it does have some extra ingredient in it, but I use stress coat because that's what I used years ago.

I also rinse anything that goes in my tanks. Things get dusty sitting on store shelves, plus you never know if some chemical or fertilizer or something leaked onto it in a warehouse.

 

ahh ok I think what I may do is use prime most/ all of the time for regular water changes, use stress coat for the initial fish/snail move and then keep stress coat around as I heard it can repair damaged fins and such

good point - yes I will rinse / boil all my decor and subtrate before it goes in the tank just to be on the safe side as well

you guys have been awesome with the advice and information, now all that's left is for me to get a move on and start my cycle

 

good point - yes I will rinse / boil all my decor and subtrate before it goes in the tank just to be on the safe side as well
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I wouldn't boil it... Just a good rinse should do it. Boiling silk plants may remove color (?), and mine are hot glued to the resin log - boiling would soften the glue. Usually you boil to kill live things when taking from one tank to another, or if it might have things living on it, like driftwood or found rocks.

 

I had read somewhere to boil it to kill external germs before putting in a tank and ya I think I have a bamboo type plant where the leaves are glued on as well hmm, maybe just rinse then some prime to help

will keep in mind about the boiling thanks!

 

I'm almost ready to cycle my tank, as I only have a few things left to buy. I just had some quick questions before I get started which will be in a day or two at most. Pretty excited .
I am still planning on doing a fishless cycle and one of the things I still need to get is the 'pure' ammonia. Now I live in Canada and I can't seem to find that ACE stuff everyone one on this forum is talking about
I did however find something called old country at the home hardware store. If any other memebers could vouch for it before I buy it that would be great
My other question was if I would be able to do a fishless cycle WITH the help of TSS. Now I know that TSS is mostly used for cycling by adding fish within 2 hours of adding that. By I was wondering if I substituted some ground up fish food and about 2ppm ammonia as a substitute for the fish, would this work and help me cycle faster? or am I wasting my time.
The thing is have left to buy, incase someone was wondering:
- pure ammonire
- crushed coral ( to put in my filter)
- liquid syringes or droppers to use for different things
- and some 15 watt light bulbs for my hood

My third and last question concerns my marimo moss ball, I picked it up and today I'm wondering if it will be ok in its container for about two days before I add it to the tank when I start to cycle. I bought it from petsmart and it came in a little container filled with water.

Thanks in advance for all the help and sorry if some of my questions were kinda silly sounding.

 

I can't say anything about the ammonia cycling, but yes, the moss ball will be fine in a cup for a few days. I'd just use room temperature bottled water, so you don't risk adding too much prime or whatever to such a small amount of water.

 

sounds good dingo thanks it seems ok I keep rolling it in its cup, I'm actually adding it to the tank soon as I'm starting my cycle sometime today

 

sounds good dingo thanks it seems ok I keep rolling it in its cup, I'm actually adding it to the tank soon as I'm starting my cycle sometime today

Congrats! And take some pictures once it's all set up! I'm setting up a new 10 gallon right now, lol.

 

Thanks! wonderful timing! I just had a power outage for about 3-4 hours. how does this affect my cycle. I know this is just day one but the filter was off for awhile, at the same time though the AC was off too so the heat might have helped ? I'm hoping and dingo I will definitely share pics when done

and NICE! what kind of tank are you setting up ?

 

Thanks! wonderful timing! I just had a power outage for about 3-4 hours. how does this affect my cycle. I know this is just day one but the filter was off for awhile, at the same time though the AC was off too so the heat might have helped ? I'm hoping and dingo I will definitely share pics when done

and NICE! what kind of tank are you setting up ?

It'll probably be fine if it was only for a couple of hours and there's no fish, since the cycle could take weeks.

As for mine, I don't want to steal your thread, so I'll send you a link when I make a post. I'm still not even sure what to do next... just know it will be planted.

 

tank set up picture as requested




The tank isn't setup quite like id want it finally but its close. Some stuff is messed up and out of place as I forgot to place a small bowl or something to aI'm at when dumping my water in for the water change.
The camera isn't the greatest either, just hope u can see the pic

@dingo - I thought it should be ok since cycle really hasnt started yet just wanted to make sure and definitely send me a link when u post as for planted that awesome I'm new to everything so il just stick with my moss ball for now, but let me know how it goes

 

Looks great! Is that where you're going to keep the water level? If so, your snails may lay eggs up there.

For water changes I use a 5 gallon paint bucket. I marked it (since I have several) and use it only for water changes. I siphon into the bucket, dump, quick rinse, fill, add stress coat, then siphon back into the tank. Siphoning helps to keep it from destroying your decor, though you have to be careful where you aI'm the end of the hose. I use 1/2" tubing, which will suck the water out of a 10 gallon pretty dang fast, so you've got to watch it. I started with airline hose, but that took forever.

Some people add new water to the tank, then add stress coat or whatever... I do it like I do so the fish aren't breathing chlorine at all... It's dechlorinated before it goes in.

I also throw something that floats (stray leaf from the tank, etc) into the bucket. Sometimes its hard for me to see exactly where the waterline is when siphoning into the bucket from the 20 gallon tank.

Edit: I can't see your heater in the photo, but for thermometer placement this is what I do: if heater is in right rear corner, put thermometer on left side of the tank. (On the side glass, near the back.) It keeps it at the farthest side from the heater, which you want, but its not blocking your view or staring at you. You simply look around the side of the tank to check it.

Great job though, I'm digging it!

 

(Had to do a second reply because tapatalk won't let me upload a photo when editing a post)

When WCing the 10g, I stick a filter intake sponge on the end of the siphon hose, so I don't suck up the curious betta if I look away for a second. They cost about $1.69:

 

hey dingo thanks for the response and the advice as well as the pictures
I think I'm going to get a second siphon thing, I already have a medium one for vacumming which works well, but I think il get another one for refilling the 25% water, they cost about $10, I already have that filter sponge thing that I'm going to add to the filter becase I heard sometimes small snails can't escape the filter flow as well as betta since they hate the flow lol can I use the same one for the hose ?

yes its really hard to watch the water line ive noticed that in the few water changes ive done lol is there any way to keep a marker on the tank to know.

as for the waterline no its just like that for now I do plan on filling it up a bit more but I think il still leave a gap, some water splahes onto my hood from the filter flow as well as condensate that forms on the underside of my hood. My hood has bulb covers but they only cover about half the bulb which is weird might need to look into getting a new hood @.@

Also I completely forgot to get stress coat, I do have prime for regular water changes but I was going to buy it an just keep it thanks for the reminder!

for the heater I don't have one yet as itl be awhile before I add my betta I think, I WILL get one then for sure, I heard snails live longer in cooler water so I didnt get one at the moment

 

@zombimaru

To mark the bucket, you could put a deep scratch on the inside with a nail or cut a gash with a razor... just don't go all the way through, lol. Since mine's a Home Depot bucket with junk printed on the outside, I just go until I hit the top of the child safety warning. The bucket is orange, so I can see through it enough. If you can see light through yours, you can also just use a sharpie on the outside.

To mark the outside of the tank, just put a sharpie mark or grease pencil line on a rear corner. I just eyeball 50% every Sunday... As long as you keep it a weekly ritual you don't have to be perfect with the percent. Also, after 3-4 times you'll just know. If you mark the bucket you don't have to mark the tank at all. That also helps you put the same amount back in, so you're not carrying extra water back to the sink.

 

cool thanks for the tip I think il sharpie a small section at the back of the tank so its out of sigh at least till I can eyeball it like u said and ya doesn't have to be perfect

 

@zombimaru I was going to send you a PM, but you have it disabled.

 

I have no idea how to 'enable' it thought it was automatically enabled o.0 lol

 

I have no idea how to 'enable' it thought it was automatically enabled o.0 lol

Account > General Settings > Messaging

 

thanks, should be changed

 

thanks, should be changed

Nope - send me one and I'll see if I can reply.

 

hmm well I went to Messages tried to send new message and got this lol

"zombimaru, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation."

I did enable all three in genral settings > messages

Receive Email from Administrators
Receive Email from Other Members
Receive Friendship Request Email

 

Maybe you have to reach 50 posts first?

...though I don't think I had 50 before PMing someone else on here. Might want to ask a mod what's up. Maybe it's a Canadian thing

 

50 posts ? really do u get to do more stuff after 50 posts ?

and canadian thing ...that's funny I honestly wouldnt be surprised if it is

 

50 posts ? really do u get to do more stuff after 50 posts ?

After 50 posts you can participate in the buy/sell/trade section... it's to help control spam accounts.

 

ahh I see makes sense

 

You need 50 posts to use the Primate Messages your close though!

 

Just argue with CoryCats - that'll get you 50

 

thanks for the clarification corycats and dingo I don't really want to argue with anyone since I'm new here and all

I also just noticed corycats said 'primate messages', I didnt know I'm not considered a primate yet till I reach 50 posts

 

Tank looks good!! Can't wait to see inhabitants after cylcing!!(sure you can't wait either:!) Lol primate messages... hehehe that made me laugh alright.. let's get you to 50 posts so you to can join in on the primate messaging! Lol jk you just need 10, not bad!

 

thanks! scoutfish I'm literally dying to get my snail and betta fish in there but cycling must be complete for the good of the fish
I can't wait to get in on this primate messaging either