Hi! I'm new here, and even though I've been keeping a 12 gallon tank for three years, I'm posting in the newbie section, because it's been three years since I set up a new tank, and I'm sure there's new stuff to know.
I've just moved into a bigger place suited for a larger tank, and I've ordered a 50 gallon tank from Dr. Foster and Smith. ( this is the tank) I'm going to move the current occupants of my 12 gallon tank into the 50 gallon and use the 12 for quarantine purposes. (Currently I just have 2 zebra danio, 2 small clown loaches, and 1 mystery algae eater that I have yet to identify. The LFS told me it was a pleco, but it hasn't grown much in three years, and is sort of a plain reddish sand color.)
I've been reading about fishless cycling, but I understand from what I've read that fishless cycling doesn't work with planted tanks? Since I have an active tank going, I figure I can get a good supply of bacteria from my existing filter media, and I am thinking about using Eco-complete for the substrate, so between the two I figure cycling shouldn't be too much of an issue. I am planning a fairly densely planted tank, and it seems so much easier to do the aquascaping before there are any fish in the tank, so I'd like to start with plants- some Jungle Val, and java fern, with a couple of pieces of driftwood, and probably some dwarf saggitaria.
My questions:
1. Is eco-complete really as good as I hear? How many bags would I need to get 3.5 to 4 inches of substrate in a 36x15 tank? I called Drs. F&S and they said that I would need 50 pounds, or 2.5 bags, but googling I found a website calculator that said I would need 90 pounds of eco-complete! (ouch, that gets expensive.)
2. once the tank is fully cycled, any tips on transitioning the fish from the 12 gallon to the 50 gallon? All at once? In batches? Does it make a difference if I am going to get more of the same kind of fish (I'm planning to add, eventually, more zebra danios and more clown loaches, I think they'd be happier that way.)
3. How many fish can I reasonably add to this tank? Let's say I'll wind up with a total of 7 or 9 zebra danio, and maybe 5 clown loaches. Would there be room for anything else? I'm thinking about rainbowfish- any other suggestions?
4. The tap water in the new place is *very* soft, almost too soft, with a fairly high pH. Any tips on how best to deal with this? Are there any different fish I should consider based on the soft water?
5. I have a water test kit but the little bottles of test drops are starting to run out and I need more. Are the testing dip-strips any good? It seems so much easier, I'm sure I'd test more frequently if it wasn't as involved as a high school chemistry lab project.
Sorry this is so long-winded.
Thanks for your advice!
I've just moved into a bigger place suited for a larger tank, and I've ordered a 50 gallon tank from Dr. Foster and Smith. ( this is the tank) I'm going to move the current occupants of my 12 gallon tank into the 50 gallon and use the 12 for quarantine purposes. (Currently I just have 2 zebra danio, 2 small clown loaches, and 1 mystery algae eater that I have yet to identify. The LFS told me it was a pleco, but it hasn't grown much in three years, and is sort of a plain reddish sand color.)
I've been reading about fishless cycling, but I understand from what I've read that fishless cycling doesn't work with planted tanks? Since I have an active tank going, I figure I can get a good supply of bacteria from my existing filter media, and I am thinking about using Eco-complete for the substrate, so between the two I figure cycling shouldn't be too much of an issue. I am planning a fairly densely planted tank, and it seems so much easier to do the aquascaping before there are any fish in the tank, so I'd like to start with plants- some Jungle Val, and java fern, with a couple of pieces of driftwood, and probably some dwarf saggitaria.
My questions:
1. Is eco-complete really as good as I hear? How many bags would I need to get 3.5 to 4 inches of substrate in a 36x15 tank? I called Drs. F&S and they said that I would need 50 pounds, or 2.5 bags, but googling I found a website calculator that said I would need 90 pounds of eco-complete! (ouch, that gets expensive.)
2. once the tank is fully cycled, any tips on transitioning the fish from the 12 gallon to the 50 gallon? All at once? In batches? Does it make a difference if I am going to get more of the same kind of fish (I'm planning to add, eventually, more zebra danios and more clown loaches, I think they'd be happier that way.)
3. How many fish can I reasonably add to this tank? Let's say I'll wind up with a total of 7 or 9 zebra danio, and maybe 5 clown loaches. Would there be room for anything else? I'm thinking about rainbowfish- any other suggestions?
4. The tap water in the new place is *very* soft, almost too soft, with a fairly high pH. Any tips on how best to deal with this? Are there any different fish I should consider based on the soft water?
5. I have a water test kit but the little bottles of test drops are starting to run out and I need more. Are the testing dip-strips any good? It seems so much easier, I'm sure I'd test more frequently if it wasn't as involved as a high school chemistry lab project.
Sorry this is so long-winded.
Thanks for your advice!