# Starting a 29 gallon freshwater tank



## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

Whats up everyone im going to be purchasing a tank later this evening used from craigslist but basically brand new, come with the light , filter, heater, hood. Ive been reading up on starting a tank for a while but i figured if i started my own thread it would just be easier. I originally had a 55 gallon but sold it cuz i just didnt have the money to put into it. 

So im thinking im gonna go with crushed coral for the bottom? I also will be purchasing a powerhead so im hoping to have it all set up tonight. Does anyone know how many bags of crushed coral i will need for this size tank? 

As for the fish im not to sure what im getting yet id like to get an eel though eventually. Right now my main concern is just cycling the tank and getting it going

Any tips or suggestions are welcome! hopefully i can get some pics up of my set up later on


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Why did you settle on crushed coral? Crushed coral will increase the pH and hardness of your water substantially, so in freshwater tanks it's usually only used with African Rift Lake cichlids that prefer those conditions. Most tropical fish (tetras, barbs, loaches, dwarf cichlids, etc etc) generally prefer softer water and a lower pH.

Also, if you're looking to get some sort of eel, they'd really prefer a soft sand substrate rather than that jagged coral. Keep in mind that you're somewhat limited when it comes to eels, especially in a tank that size. 

Why the powerhead? Generally powerheads used just for water movement purposes are reserved for saltwater tanks. For freshwater, you don't need to add water movement unless you're keeping river fish or something. Usually the filtration you'll have in the tank provides enough water movement to keep the fish happy.


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

hmm lol ok these were things just recommended to me at of course petco id rather not have to deal with sand so what would you suggest?

also can someone explain then purpose of the things at the bottom of the tank that creat bubbles? sorrry for the noob questions i just wanna do everything right the first time


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

anyonee????????


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

I would look at natural colored gravel as opposed to colored gravel. Some of the painted gravel over time can leach out into your water.I have used river pebbles in a couple aquariums. If you think you may want live plants at some point it might be wise to consider a substrate designed for planted aquariums. You can cover it with a layer of gravel or not. But it is difficult to add this type of substrate after you have already went with gravel. DrsFosterSmith.com is a good place to explore and perhaps help you to decide what you may like in substrates, lights, plants, and even fish. The first thing I would purchase would probably be a test kit such as API freswater master kit. It will help you monitor your water quality and is an important tool for setting up a new aquarium and preparing it for fish. I am not sure what bubble things you are referring to except for possibly air stones which help bring more oxygen to the fishes. Hope some of this helps.


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

yea ok that sounds good i will be picking up a test kit today and the air stones are what i was thinking of as well.


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

heres some pics just got done setting it up !!!


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

I like!


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

I love the ship decoration, where'd you get it? LFS?

Gravels a bit to bright for me, you may or may not notice your fish being jumpier with the white.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I've seen that ship decoration for sale before. I think it was at a LFS in Pittsburgh. I don't normally go for the artificial decorations but I really liked that one. I almost bought it myself!


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

haha i actually got it at petco, there was a seperate back part to the ship also but my tank is too small i think for both. It cost 50 dollars but theres a lot of hiding room which i really liked and it didnt look to tacky to me. I still would like to get something else to provide more hiding spaces just in case one fish claims the ship but im worries about overcrowding it


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi
nice to see you and the tank :wink: 
perhaps a slate cave ?


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

yea i was thinking about something like that , i currently have that tiny cave but i might take it out


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

i need to find a better local fish shop, the petco here is brand new and has a good selection but lately theyve been low on supplies


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

don't forget craigs list,ebay,places like that,sometimes
there are bargains to be had.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

I actually really like that ship.

I like slate caves myself, you can make some nice looking ones with some patience and aquarium silicone.
http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=18506


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Gunney87 said:


> i need to find a better local fish shop, the petco here is brand new and has a good selection but lately theyve been low on supplies


I've found this to be a great resource:

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/pet_shop.html

Just click on your state, and it will give a listing of fish stores people have added to their database along with comments. I've found a bunch of really good fish stores I had no clue existed from this directory.


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

nice that really helped me out thanks!


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

so its been u a week and 2 days since i set my tank up. I opted to cycle my tank with fish, i got 2 albino tiger barbs and a blood parrot. During the middle of the week my tank started to get cloudy. Thursday morning i woke up to find my 2 barbs had died  but my blood parrot has been doing very well. Ive done 3 small water changes and have been testing my water. My ammonia level has been at 0, ph 7.0, and both nitrite and nitrate at 0. My tank still remains cloudy so im just trying to remain patient. Anybody have any suggestions / advice ?


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

well,who ever told you to cycle your tank with those fish
is a wally. !!
you are having a bacteria bloom in the tank at the moment,
it will clear.
in my honest opinion take the fish back to the pet store,
and if you really wish to cycle the tank with fish,then pick
black widow tetra,platys,danios.


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

hmm yea i though bout bringin the blood parrot back after the others went but hes been swimming around a lot and seems to be doing alright but maybe il take him back tomorrow. Since ive had this bacterial bloom since last sunday is there any time frame as to when i can expect things to spike?


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

well the cycle can take anything up to 5-6 weeks.
do you have any friends with a fish tank ?
if you do ask them if they would donate some of their filter media
to you,that would help otherwise it's a case of waiting. 
sometimes i've heard people say that the LFS has given them some sqeezes from there filters,you never know unless you ask. 
don't have your light on for too long either.


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

oh ok i usually have my light on from 10 am to 11 pm, also i got everything as a kit, but im afraid that maybe my light i too bright for the fish combined with the white gravel. Do you think i should be worried or just let it be


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi
not worried exactly however you only need the lights on for
about 8 hours.


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## SolaceTiger (Oct 4, 2008)

*drools* so pretty. I hope to be picking up a 30 gallon or more tank from craigslist sooooon! Want to give my tetras and otto cats more room! Good luck and may you have some really delighted fishes!


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

Craigslist is the place to get a tank in my opinion. I was just looking yesterday and there have been almost a dozen tanks offered up on there in the last week.


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

heres an update with some of my fish, the tank has done very well, there was a bacteria bloom which then subsided followed by a spike in ammonia which then dropped the next day, my fish are doing pretty good :-D


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

oh yea i have 2 jack dempseys, 1 blood parrot, 1 irridecent shark, and a dinosaur eel


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Not to sound like a jerk, but those fish are not going to work out long-term. The iridescent shark gets three feet or more in length and prefers to be in a school, so it's really not a suitable aquarium fish at all. I'm assuming the dinosaur eel is some sort of bichir, in which case it will eventually need a bigger home (55g should be good). The Dempseys and blood parrot will also outgrow the tank, but the more immediate problem is that as they get some size on them, they will very likely decide that they don't like each other. Watch out for aggression between the parrot and Dempseys and remove any fish that are getting picked on. If the Dempseys are a male/female pair and start to breed, then your other fish will definitely be killed. In the event that all of your fish get along, I would eventually want at least a 90g tank for the bichir, Dempseys and blood parrot, and you would need something on the order of 1000g if you keep the shark.


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## Gunney87 (Aug 27, 2008)

yea i dont intend on keeping the shark at all and will be upgrading to a bigger tank maybe 55-75 gallon in the near future, as of right now though all the fish are getting along, every time i introduce a new fish the blood parrot feels the need to give it a couple nudges but then backs off i think cuz maybe he realizes they mean no harm ... for now anyways


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