35 Gallon Planning

[Zbbal]

I have a 35 gallon aquarium -previously thought to be 45 gallons-. It's dimensions are roughly 36 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 16 inches high. I've been planning for this tank for a few days, and I was hoping to run it by everyone here to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

I have washed out the tank with distilled white vinegar. I've rinsed it well, so there isn't any residue left. I will be cleaning the filter and other accessories later today.

Substrate:

Because I don't have a lot of money, I was thinking pool filter sand would be my best bet. I've read that you should wash it about 5 or 6 times.

Decor:

Next is a piece of driftwood, because I really like the look of it. My dad might have a piece I can use. I don't know much about driftwood, but I plan to use this site as a reference: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2250&aid=3319

Plants:

Next would be plants. I'm still in the process of choosing plants, though I know they will be low light. My current lighting system is broken, but if it can be fixed it houses a 36" 40 watt bulb. Should I have to buy a new light, I was thinking about this 30" Freshwater light with 48 watts: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+16770&pcatid=16770
The tank won't have any Co2.

Cycling:

I want to do a fish-less cycle, because doing a fishy cycle on my 10 gallon was very stressful on both me and my fish. I'm not keen on the idea of adding ammonia to my tank, but it looks like my best bet. I plan to follow the Fishless Cycle found on the Sticky: Freshwater cycling by Rbishop in the Freshwater Newbie Forum.

Q: Do I put the driftwood and plants in before or after cycling?

Fish:

Currently in my 10 gallon I have one Red Eye Tetra. I was planning on moving him to the 35 gallon once it's done cycling. Of course, with him being a Tetra, he will need a few other Red Eyes to school with. I was thinking 7 more would make a nice, small school.

Q: Should I keep my current Red Eye and the 7 new ones separate until I am sure of the newcomers heath, or should I just put all of them into the 35 gallon once it's done cycling? And if I keep them separate for a few weeks, should I put them in the 35 gallon and leave my current Red Eye in the 10 gallon?

I am also hoping to have a few other species of fish in the tank. Since this tank is in our living room, my mom is going to be involved. She has mentioned she wants to have fish of varying sizes. Of course, it's not best to put a large fish in with little fish, because the smaller ones will get eaten by the larger ones.

The Red Eyes get to be about 2 1/2 inches long, so they will take up quite a lot of the tanks stocking capacity. I don't want to overstock the tank.

Q: What fish do you recommend? Would it be unwise to add any other fish?


So that's all I can think of at the moment. If I forgot something, feel free to tell me. Also, if anything I have said is wrong or you think there is a better solution, tell me. Any advice is welcome.

 

[clb2196]

Your tank is almost identical to my 36.

If you did want to do medium light plants, I did a DIY upgrade to 4x 20 watt CFL bulbs for $25. Just an idea.

You can buy alread-cured driftwood on here, or try aqubid. Shipping's a little expensive, though.

As far as stock, you could do something like a pair or tri or rams or apistos, or something like that. Then some cories for the bottom, 2 different kinds maybe, or one kind and a BN or similar sized pleco. That'd give you some diversity. I've found that non-fish people seem to be instantly charmed by my albino cories, so maybe your mom would like them?

Or you could do a school or smaller tetras like neons, and a centerpiece fish like a single dwarf gourami, or betta, or ram, or whatever. Lots of combinations!

ETA: Or you could do kuhlis for the bottom. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my kuhlis?

 

[andyjs]

Pool filter sand is a nice substrate. I actually didn't wash mine at all when I added it to my tank, but I'd still recommend rinsing it a little. PLAY sand on the other hand you can wash for hours and it will still probably cloud your water.

-For some easy low-light plants, I would stick with the 40w fixture if you can get it working. I did a pretty densely planted low-light 20 gallon with a 20w fixture. The plants did great.

-As far as the driftwood and plants for the cycle-the driftwood will be fine during the cycle. Sensitive plants might not take the cycle very well, so you might want to hold off on the plants until after the cycle.

-It would be a good idea to wait 2-3 weeks after you get your new tetras (and whatever other fish you get, you might as well just get them all at once and just quarantine them together) to introduce your current fish.

-For stocking, since you already plan on 8 red-eyes, I would just add a little group of bottom dwellers and then maybe a couple centerpiece fish. I really like cories as bottom dwellers and you could have about 6 of them in the tank. For some centerpiece fish, you could do a couple dwarf cichlids like rams or apistos or a pair of smaller gouramis (I really like pearls, they get around 4" and are pretty peaceful)

 

[lateinningmagic]

I have a 35 gallon aquarium -previously thought to be 45 gallons-. It's dimensions are roughly 36 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 16 inches high. I've been planning for this tank for a few days, and I was hoping to run it by everyone here to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

I have washed out the tank with distilled white vinegar. I've rinsed it well, so there isn't any residue left. I will be cleaning the filter and other accessories later today.

Substrate:

Because I don't have a lot of money, I was thinking pool filter sand would be my best bet. I've read that you should wash it about 5 or 6 times.

Sounds good. You could get a 50lb bag of Pool Filter Sand for $10 or less. It's what I use in 2 of my 4 tanks. But one of the tanks is going to be a QT Tank, so its really 2 of 3.

Decor:

Next is a piece of driftwood, because I really like the look of it. My dad might have a piece I can use. I don't know much about driftwood, but I plan to use this site as a reference: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2250&aid=3319

I would leave the Driftwood soaking in a bucket and empty the water every couple of days to see how much tannins leaches out while you cycle the tank. If you still have too much, and it bothers you then I'd boil it for a while before putting it in the tank. If the color doesn't bother you then just give it a good scrubbing with hot water to get the dirt off but keep some of the good bacteria and such in the wood.

Plants:

Next would be plants. I'm still in the process of choosing plants, though I know they will be low light. My current lighting system is broken, but if it can be fixed it houses a 36" 40 watt bulb. Should I have to buy a new light, I was thinking about this 30" Freshwater light with 48 watts: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+16770&pcatid=16770
The tank won't have any Co2.

If you don't mind spending the $$ then go for it.

Cycling:

I want to do a fish-less cycle, because doing a fishy cycle on my 10 gallon was very stressful on both me and my fish. I'm not keen on the idea of adding ammonia to my tank, but it looks like my best bet. I plan to follow the Fishless Cycle found on the Sticky: Freshwater cycling by Rbishop in the Freshwater Newbie Forum.

There's nothing wrong with adding Ammonia into your tank when doing a fishless cycle. Using fish food, a piece of shrimp or w/e as a source of Ammonia isn't a good idea, since it's very hard to control the Ammonia levels this way. With Liquid Ammonia you add a capful into the tank, wait an hour, test the Ammonia, and then you know how much a capful raises the Ammonia levels by. That way, when you have to do daily doses to keep it at 2-3ppm during the cycling process, you know exactly how much to add.

Q: Do I put the driftwood and plants in before or after cycling?

Not sure about Driftwood, the high levels of Ammonia may kill beneficial bacteria and stuff on the driftwood. Someone correct me here. Plants can be added in at any time. Ammonia is actually a fertilizer for them, so they'll be perfectly fine in the tank while it's cycling.

Fish:

Currently in my 10 gallon I have one Red Eye Tetra. I was planning on moving him to the 35 gallon once it's done cycling. Of course, with him being a Tetra, he will need a few other Red Eyes to school with. I was thinking 7 more would make a nice, small school.

One of my favorite types of Tetras, go for it.

Q: Should I keep my current Red Eye and the 7 new ones separate until I am sure of the newcomers heath, or should I just put all of them into the 35 gallon once it's done cycling? And if I keep them separate for a few weeks, should I put them in the 35 gallon and leave my current Red Eye in the 10 gallon?

It's always good to QT your fish, but it can be very hard to resist adding fish to your tank as soon as it's ready. If the single Tetra has been fine in the 10g for awhile now, then keep him there while you QT the new ones. I would add the 7 new Tetras to the 35g tank and just keep them there while you QT. That way you are QTing them, but you still have fish in your new tank. Once the 4-6 weeks of QTing has passed, you can put in the the other Tetra and start QTing other fish in your other 10g tank(s).

I am also hoping to have a few other species of fish in the tank. Since this tank is in our living room, my mom is going to be involved. She has mentioned she wants to have fish of varying sizes. Of course, it's not best to put a large fish in with little fish, because the smaller ones will get eaten by the larger ones.

The Red Eyes get to be about 2 1/2 inches long, so they will take up quite a lot of the tanks stocking capacity. I don't want to overstock the tank.

Q: What fish do you recommend? Would it be unwise to add any other fish?

There's a lot of options to pick from, nothing wrong with adding other species. Make a nice community tank, it'll look great. You could look into Rams, Gouramis, Danios, Rasboras, Barbs, etc. I suggest you see what you like and then find out if they are compatible. I suggest looking a nice Centerpiece fish and then build around it/them

So that's all I can think of at the moment. If I forgot something, feel free to tell me. Also, if anything I have said is wrong or you think there is a better solution, tell me. Any advice is welcome.

I don't see anything wrong with what your are doing. Just make sure you understand the cycling process and research each fish you want to add carefully. Good luck!

 

[clb2196]

As a comment, I know you'll be stocking the 10 too, but it might be a good idea to leave it empty at first, to QT fish for the 35, then when the 35 is stocked, stock the 10. That's what I did, and I'm glad I did.

 

[Zbbal]

As a comment, I know you'll be stocking the 10 too, but it might be a good idea to leave it empty at first, to QT fish for the 35, then when the 35 is stocked, stock the 10. That's what I did, and I'm glad I did.

Oh, that's what I plan to do. Sorry I wasn't clear.

I like to plan things way ahead of time, that way I know what I'm doing.

 

[corrieberry]

I don't know what your thoughts are on plants, but I have really low light and have anubias and java ferns in my tanks. They do great. I also got some plastic plants which I don't love, but they are a good low maintenance space filler. Just make sure you take them out and rinse them every so often cos they catch dirt like anything! I'm using mine to fill in the spaces where I can't afford to get real plants yet. Also, the sooner you get them in the more time they will have to grow into the tank and the more established it will look.

If you want to skip on substrate, you can make tanks look really good without. If you check out this thread, page 10, a post by goldies88, he has decorated his tank amazingly without substrate. I know lots of people are starting to do this now - I'm giving it a go myself using some spare old mugs that were at the back of the cupboard. It will also make maintenance a ton easier - you know exactly where the dirt is, and can easily take plants out to clean them. I suppose this is all down to your personal taste, though!

I can't say much on the stocking cos I'm not really into tropical, but I've only heard good things about bettas - lots of personality etc. I know they can complicate what else you can get though, so ask someone who knows!

 

[clb2196]

Oh, that's what I plan to do. Sorry I wasn't clear.

I like to plan things way ahead of time, that way I know what I'm doing.

Ok, good, gotcha.

And I love my betta, and he's quite happy in the community tank. He even gets food with the smaller fast fish in there, which was my main concern. But then you're limited to one, whereas with something like rams I think you could do a pair (or 1m 2f, can never remember what's better with rams).

 

[Zbbal]

Your tank is almost identical to my 36.

If you did want to do medium light plants, I did a DIY upgrade to 4x 20 watt CFL bulbs for $25. Just an idea.

You can buy alread-cured driftwood on here, or try aqubid. Shipping's a little expensive, though.

As far as stock, you could do something like a pair or tri or rams or apistos, or something like that. Then some cories for the bottom, 2 different kinds maybe, or one kind and a BN or similar sized pleco. That'd give you some diversity. I've found that non-fish people seem to be instantly charmed by my albino cories, so maybe your mom would like them?

Or you could do a school or smaller tetras like neons, and a centerpiece fish like a single dwarf gourami, or betta, or ram, or whatever. Lots of combinations!

ETA: Or you could do kuhlis for the bottom. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my kuhlis?

I had an albino cory, and my mom thought he was wonderful. So yeah, she would definitely like a small school of them.

As for the Kuhlis, they look amazing.

That's such a hard decision between the Dwarf Gourami, Betta, or Ram. Those are some of my favorite fish.

 

[lateinningmagic]

I had an albino cory, and my mom thought he was wonderful. So yeah, she would definitely like a small school of them.

As for the Kuhlis, they look amazing.

That's such a hard decision between the Dwarf Gourami, Betta, or Ram. Those are some of my favorite fish.

Bettas are really restricting because of their long fin and aggressiveness, but I love mine in my 20g community tank. I always get his attention (usually opening the hood suffices) and then he follows my finger into his feeding corner. I drop his Betta flake in there with my right hand and drop the Tropical flakes for the Neons and Zebras with my left on the opposite side of the tank. No problems yet. He never flared at any of his tank mates and has never been nipped at. YMMV.

For a bigger tank like your 35gal (and my 37g, see siggy), I'd do Rams as a Centerpiece. They are compatible with Dwarf Gouramis, so you can have 2 of the 3. Part of my Stocklist for my37g is: 2 German Blue Rams, Dwarf Gourami, Kuhli Loaches, Bristlenose Pleco, and Black Neon Tetras.

If you still want a Betta then you can do a Betta tank in your 10g once its available. Betta + 6 Harlies + Pygmy Cories or Juli Cories would work nicely for a 10g tank.