Flying_Diamond you are my hero! I don't know what I woulda done without your help and all of the others that posted help in my threads. Thank you all so so soooooooo much. I truly appreciate it!
Starting a 40 Gallon Tank
- Thread starter DieselJunki
- Start date
Ok wicked good news and then wicked bad news!!
Got my package today and I got a couple heaters(visitherm stealth), some in tank thermometers, and a penguin bio wheel emperor 400, and also a 6 gallon tank for my betta fish(but thats besides the point lol) . . Oh and I didn't know snails were illegal in my state! That's crazy. So it looks like I'm going to have to smuggle them in from New Hampshire if I want them.
Anyways I was stoked to get my stuff (a full 4 days earlier then expected!) so I get the sand all rinsed out and the water in the tank. I go and set up my filter and plugged it in. All of a sudden water started to shoot out onto the floor :22_yikes:!!!! So I unplug it quickly and try to asses the situation. I figured it was cuz I didn't put the cover on it so I put the cover on and tried her again with the same result! UGH! So I go and look around . . . low and behold what do I find but a defect with the sprayer bar . . Here are some pics. I tried to rig it up so it would work(which is why you see a pen stuck in there) but there is more then 1 thing wrong with the sprayer bar.
There should be a cap on the end of that. I know I didn't loose it because if you look at the other side of it there is no way in hell it could have fallen out when it's bent in place. I put a pen in there to see if I could rig it up to still work. No luck though as the water slowly seeps around the pen.
This is what it should actually look like.
There's the other side of the same sprayer bar. It's like it doesn't have anything to keep the water from seeping out of the cracks. The other sprayer bar does not do this at all.
The worst part is I bought 2 platys before testing to see if my equipment worked :duh:. I so see the need to test equipment before you get the fish . . . Luckily I have a 10 gallon I can plop them into for the time being but my rainbow shark isn't to happy to have more visitors since I moved the betta fish. . .
I bought them online at petmountain and will be giving them a call tomorrow in hopes they can send me a new one. The bad thing is I had to cut a piece of plastic (and no there isn't a way I could have damaged the unit when cutting because I hadn't even installed the piece yet) so the sucker up part of the filter could actually fit in my tank (it was much much to long). I have no idea what there policy is on that so I hope I'm not SOL :irked:
Got my package today and I got a couple heaters(visitherm stealth), some in tank thermometers, and a penguin bio wheel emperor 400, and also a 6 gallon tank for my betta fish(but thats besides the point lol) . . Oh and I didn't know snails were illegal in my state! That's crazy. So it looks like I'm going to have to smuggle them in from New Hampshire if I want them.
Anyways I was stoked to get my stuff (a full 4 days earlier then expected!) so I get the sand all rinsed out and the water in the tank. I go and set up my filter and plugged it in. All of a sudden water started to shoot out onto the floor :22_yikes:!!!! So I unplug it quickly and try to asses the situation. I figured it was cuz I didn't put the cover on it so I put the cover on and tried her again with the same result! UGH! So I go and look around . . . low and behold what do I find but a defect with the sprayer bar . . Here are some pics. I tried to rig it up so it would work(which is why you see a pen stuck in there) but there is more then 1 thing wrong with the sprayer bar.
There should be a cap on the end of that. I know I didn't loose it because if you look at the other side of it there is no way in hell it could have fallen out when it's bent in place. I put a pen in there to see if I could rig it up to still work. No luck though as the water slowly seeps around the pen.
This is what it should actually look like.
There's the other side of the same sprayer bar. It's like it doesn't have anything to keep the water from seeping out of the cracks. The other sprayer bar does not do this at all.
The worst part is I bought 2 platys before testing to see if my equipment worked :duh:. I so see the need to test equipment before you get the fish . . . Luckily I have a 10 gallon I can plop them into for the time being but my rainbow shark isn't to happy to have more visitors since I moved the betta fish. . .
I bought them online at petmountain and will be giving them a call tomorrow in hopes they can send me a new one. The bad thing is I had to cut a piece of plastic (and no there isn't a way I could have damaged the unit when cutting because I hadn't even installed the piece yet) so the sucker up part of the filter could actually fit in my tank (it was much much to long). I have no idea what there policy is on that so I hope I'm not SOL :irked:
you're very welcome! 
i hope you get a hold of the place and get everything straightened out, that really sucks that it was messed up!
i hope you get a hold of the place and get everything straightened out, that really sucks that it was messed up!
I know alot of people on here go for the natural looking habitat for their fish but I want to do like a deserted wild west theme. With a big buffalo skull in there and a little western town. I'd of course incorporate some live plants also.
FSM - I am going to get the canister filter someday . . . When I have the moolah :grinyes:. So I just got a hang on back filter for like $20 cheaper online then it is in my stores. I figure by the time I get the canister filter I'll already want a bigger tank but also want to keep my 40 gallon hehe.
I looked everywhere for the 3M sand and no dice. So I just got some all purpose sand (kinda like playsand but it seemed to have a better look to it atleast in my eyes lol).
FSM - I am going to get the canister filter someday . . . When I have the moolah :grinyes:. So I just got a hang on back filter for like $20 cheaper online then it is in my stores. I figure by the time I get the canister filter I'll already want a bigger tank but also want to keep my 40 gallon hehe.
I looked everywhere for the 3M sand and no dice. So I just got some all purpose sand (kinda like playsand but it seemed to have a better look to it atleast in my eyes lol).
God, can I just say that PetMountain has excellent customer service. I called and told them about my filter problem and the girl was like "No problem! I'll schedule you a pickup for the old one so all you have to do is throw it back in a box and I'll get you the same filter shipped out to you today and it should arrive in a couple of days." I was like you guys totally freakin rock! So I should have a good filter soooooooon then I can finally add my 2 platys!!
I finally got my new filter so after letting it filter for 24 hours by itself I decided instead of putting my poor little platys threw anymore stress that I would stick my big rainbow shark in the 40gal tank to cycle it. I acclimated him for about an hour, adding in more of the 40gal tank water every 5 mins or so. Well he seemed fine and didn't panic he just kind of sat in his log on the bottom. So I went to sleep. Woke up the next morning . . . No rainbow shark :uhoh:. I looked everywhere in the tank. I mean the tank doesn't have anything in it besides his log so it wasn't very hard to look. My thoughts are he jumped ship and my cats ate him. So now I know before I get anymore fish in that tank I absolutely NEED a top. I really want a glass top but I highly doubt I can get my own glass cut for me so I can rig it up that way. These are times when I really wish my tank had that ugly center bar so I could just order on the internet.
Anyone have any ideas on a top for my aquarium? Even if it's just temporary and ugly until I can find a way to get a glass top. I have loads of cardboard but we all know that cardboard and water don't mix lol. I don't think I have any wood that I can put over it either. Maybe I should go buy some plexiglass have it cut to the size of my aquarium cut it in half and buy some hinges? I know that it scratches easily but hey atleast it will get the ball rolling!
Anyone have any ideas on a top for my aquarium? Even if it's just temporary and ugly until I can find a way to get a glass top. I have loads of cardboard but we all know that cardboard and water don't mix lol. I don't think I have any wood that I can put over it either. Maybe I should go buy some plexiglass have it cut to the size of my aquarium cut it in half and buy some hinges? I know that it scratches easily but hey atleast it will get the ball rolling!
Total change in plans for this tank! I have decided it will be a Figure 8 Puffer Fish tank.
I do know they are brackish so I will go out and get a Hydrometer and some Sea Salt and start practicing on that whole Salinity thing before I bring any Figure 8's home.
The tank is 40 gallons so do you think I could have 1 male and 2 female Figure 8's? Or would that be overdoing it? I guess they are hard to sex or nearly impossible to sex. If I happened to get 3 males or even 2 males do you think they would become extremely aggressive toward each other?
I am filtering with a Penguin Emperor Bio Wheel 400 so I know I'm over filtering by alot haha. Which I suppose would be good for these guys since I hear they are messy.
I also hear they like alot of plants so I'll be getting alot of silk plants.
Now I Just have to figure out how I'm going to get me some snails. Preferably snails that reproduce fast so I can stick them in my 10 gallon and have an unlimited supply (or atleast a fast spawning supply).
I do know they are brackish so I will go out and get a Hydrometer and some Sea Salt and start practicing on that whole Salinity thing before I bring any Figure 8's home.
The tank is 40 gallons so do you think I could have 1 male and 2 female Figure 8's? Or would that be overdoing it? I guess they are hard to sex or nearly impossible to sex. If I happened to get 3 males or even 2 males do you think they would become extremely aggressive toward each other?
I am filtering with a Penguin Emperor Bio Wheel 400 so I know I'm over filtering by alot haha. Which I suppose would be good for these guys since I hear they are messy.
I also hear they like alot of plants so I'll be getting alot of silk plants.
Now I Just have to figure out how I'm going to get me some snails. Preferably snails that reproduce fast so I can stick them in my 10 gallon and have an unlimited supply (or atleast a fast spawning supply).
