Well to make a long story short a month ago I decided I wanted to get a betta and went to Wal Mart and dropped afew bucks on a small bowl and fish. So uhm now I have a fish near death with little hope of recovery and a real good understanding of where I went wrong in the whole process. Now I want to do this right,but before I go through the whole process of starting out a tank and applying what I've learned. I have afew questions and hopefully you guys can help me out. Where I went wrong this past month is pretty clear to me now ,I didn't take the time to compleatly figure out what I had to do to start out a tank before I was already ancle deep in it. So here's where I sit at the moment. I have one retired ten gallon tank that I figure I can at least use in the future to treat any problems such as illness or keeping new fish in before adding them to the main tank and a new 29 gallon tank that's yet to be filled and started out. I've read into the fishless cycling of a new tank with ammonia and think this is the best way to go about starting my tank out via the opinion here and the stress cycling a tank with fish can create. What I need to know is, do I need a culture of the bactiria to get the cycle going or will the tank devolope on it's own if I just start the cycle? I'm sure I could find a pet store in my area that I could get something to jump start the cycle with, but if I don't have to I figure I can save a drive since the stores I concider reputable aren't in my home town. Also is there any software out there that can help me plot out my tank chemistry while I establish it? Free ware would be ideal but if you think it's worth paying for that's fine. Once the tank has cycled compleatly how many fish do you think I should put in? I want to go with a heated tank arround 78 degrees so I can have a betta in there and tropical fish. Pretty much, I like colorfull fish, but I'm not sure if bettas are a good fish to center my attention on as an amature. Let's just say I'd like to have a betta in the mix unless the general opinion is to start out else where with the tank. You guys really have this down and I value any opinions you guys have on what I should start with. Last of all I'd like to use some of the stuff from my old tank, but my betta had fin rot and ich. I can't see any reason to buy new decorations and equipment that is compatable with the new tank if I alreay have it. So should I sanatize it before putting it in the new tank? I'm sure I'll have to, but is there a better way then boiling them? Not sure they'll hold up to high temps is all.
Thanks for bearing with me folks I'm new at this but I'd love to keep an aqaurium.
-Neo Sithlord
Thanks for bearing with me folks I'm new at this but I'd love to keep an aqaurium.
-Neo Sithlord
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