a few questions?

[gatormike]

OK, a friend gave me a 29 gallon tank that has not been used for a while, should I fill it up and let it sit on garage floor for a week to see if it leaks before bringing in house? How should I clean tank ? Can I reuse gravel and big rocks ? She (friend) also gave me a Magnum 350 filter, but I am not sure of how to set it up. The Boss says I cannot have the tank inside unless it is totaly quiet, like the one at the lawyers office ( no bubbling sounds) . She (the boss) does want me to set up the tank and I told her that it may take a little while once the tank is in the house for the environment to get correct for habitation. Thanx for any info y'all may be able to provide. gatormike

 

[OrionGirl]

If the tank has been sitting dry for a while, I would inspect the seals, and then fill it for a test. Leave it full, on a level surface for 2-4 days. If nothing leaks, you should be good to go. Otherwise, silicon can be stripped off and re-applied fairly easily.

Cleaning the tank--what are you cleaning out? If it's dust, rinse it with water. Hard water stains can be removed with vinegar and a little elbow grease, or a wetted razor. If the gravel has dried, I'd rinse it well to remove bio-waste left over from it's last occupancy. If you use bleach (I wouldn't) you'll need to rinse very well and apply a chlorine neutralizer (Amquel, etc).

Bubbling sounds can be avoiding by keeping the water level up to the return. Most tanksa re noisy only because of falling water, but it's not needed. I can't hear anything on my 5 here at work. I can't help you with the Magnum setup, but I am sure someone here will be able to, and you might check their website--you may be able to download instructions from them (hey--it worked for a tent I bought a few years back!).

Check out the stickies at the top of this forum. Fishless cycling is the way to go--means you'll start out with an understanding of what's going on in your tank, rather than learning it all the hard way.

Welcome aboard!

 

[wetmanNY]

Get a book too. You need a pulled-together overview of what's happening and why you're doing what.

...though you'll get good guidance here at AC on individual issues.

The book I like best now is David Boruchowitz, Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums.

 

[val]

Welcome...

to Aquaria Central, gatormike We're glad you're here.

You got good advice from OrionGirl. I always use salt when cleaning old tanks. Salt has no disinfectant properties, but it does provide a bit of abrasion. I would not use bleach at all, and all other soaps and such are a definite no-no.

I found Magnums to be fussy. I got one on a tank that was given to a friend. This is just anecdotal, but it seems to me that a lot of people who get out of this hobby had magnums... So, I would just save it until you get a little experience under your belt. For now, get an Aqua Clear 150 or 200. Quiet, cheap, very reliable. You can get them at BigAls.com for $15 or so.

My other standard equipment recommendation for newbies is the Ebo Jager line for your heater. Get a 100w heater for your 29g tank.

Good luck with your set up.

Val

 

[gatormike]

thanx

Thanx for the quick response. Sounds like a good project to start on this weekend, if the honeydew list isn't too long.

thanx again all of y'all