Cadd’s First Community Tank
- Thread starter cadd
- Start date
No timer. I tested it over the past 2 days by allowing it to stay on for 8 hours and off for 16 hours.
I felt like a lot has happened over the past week. So here goes…
Update with Beamswork: I contacted the Amazon seller and they sent me another power supply. I haven’t had time to swap it out yet. I’ll do that this weekend and hopefully that’ll solve the heat problem.
First question: Do you guys think these can be arranged to look good in the tank with BDBS? They’re pretty large…size of a small potato. Funny how I never noticed them, even though I walk right pass them daily on my way into the office. But now that the aquarium bug has bitten me, everything I see, I question “hmmm I wonder how that’ll look in the tank” =)
I know I should’ve done this a month ago when I picked up the 55g tank. But I finally water tested it for leaks. I know some people here mentioned they let the tank sit for a week filled with water just to be sure. I left it overnight and that was good enough for me.
The next day, I drained the water while taping up the edges to get it ready for painting (rattle can plasti dip).
For those that don’t know, plasti dip is very popular in the automotive world. A lot of folks use it on their wheels/rims or other parts of their cars. It sprays on like paint and when it dries, it’s becomes a rubbery substance that coats the surface. It can be easily peeled off when you want to remove it. I decided to use it because I wasn’t sure I would like to stay with black “forever”. Or if I ever want to upgrade to a larger tank and sell the 55g, I can easily peel it off in under 3 minutes.
While I let it dry for a few hours, I decided to pick up more substrate.
50lbs bag of 20/40 grit BDBS ($8 Tractor Supply)
I also read about DIY lids, so I ran to Lowes to pick up glass and corner moulding trim.
I asked them to cut the glass into 4 pieces of 6” x 23”
Glass 3/32” x 24” x 26” ($11 Lowes)
Corner moulding trim ($3 Lowes)
To be continued…..forum limiting the amount of pictures per post.
Update with Beamswork: I contacted the Amazon seller and they sent me another power supply. I haven’t had time to swap it out yet. I’ll do that this weekend and hopefully that’ll solve the heat problem.
First question: Do you guys think these can be arranged to look good in the tank with BDBS? They’re pretty large…size of a small potato. Funny how I never noticed them, even though I walk right pass them daily on my way into the office. But now that the aquarium bug has bitten me, everything I see, I question “hmmm I wonder how that’ll look in the tank” =)
I know I should’ve done this a month ago when I picked up the 55g tank. But I finally water tested it for leaks. I know some people here mentioned they let the tank sit for a week filled with water just to be sure. I left it overnight and that was good enough for me.
The next day, I drained the water while taping up the edges to get it ready for painting (rattle can plasti dip).
For those that don’t know, plasti dip is very popular in the automotive world. A lot of folks use it on their wheels/rims or other parts of their cars. It sprays on like paint and when it dries, it’s becomes a rubbery substance that coats the surface. It can be easily peeled off when you want to remove it. I decided to use it because I wasn’t sure I would like to stay with black “forever”. Or if I ever want to upgrade to a larger tank and sell the 55g, I can easily peel it off in under 3 minutes.
While I let it dry for a few hours, I decided to pick up more substrate.
50lbs bag of 20/40 grit BDBS ($8 Tractor Supply)
I also read about DIY lids, so I ran to Lowes to pick up glass and corner moulding trim.
I asked them to cut the glass into 4 pieces of 6” x 23”
Glass 3/32” x 24” x 26” ($11 Lowes)
Corner moulding trim ($3 Lowes)
To be continued…..forum limiting the amount of pictures per post.
I found some cabinet/drawer knobs in the garage and decided to use them for my sliding lid. I’ll be painting them black as well.
Ok, it’s time to rinse out the BDBS. Man, it was filthy! I don’t know if it shows in the photo, but there’s definitely an oily/slimy substance floating on top of the water.
While the BDBS was soaking, I peeled off the painter’s tape. Some of the plasti dip peeled off as well. Boooo =( Hopefully the substrate will be able to cover it since it’s at the bottom.
During my search for hardscape, I found these on Craigslist:
Three pieces of driftwood ($20 Craigslist)
A colosseum and a plastic driftwood thing ($20 Craigslist)
I’m not too crazy about the colosseum, but since I don’t have any plants, I figure the fish can use that as a temporary shelter. I guess I can always put it up for sale if I decide not to use it.
Once the smell of paint/plastidip dissipated, I moved the stand and tank into the living room.
I also caved in and picked up a bottle of ammonia ($1 Dollar Tree). I was shaking it at the store to make sure there was no bubbles. Has anyone used this brand before for cycling?
Original Budget: $500
Running Total: $511
Went over budget by: $11
Ok, it’s time to rinse out the BDBS. Man, it was filthy! I don’t know if it shows in the photo, but there’s definitely an oily/slimy substance floating on top of the water.
While the BDBS was soaking, I peeled off the painter’s tape. Some of the plasti dip peeled off as well. Boooo =( Hopefully the substrate will be able to cover it since it’s at the bottom.
During my search for hardscape, I found these on Craigslist:
Three pieces of driftwood ($20 Craigslist)
A colosseum and a plastic driftwood thing ($20 Craigslist)
I’m not too crazy about the colosseum, but since I don’t have any plants, I figure the fish can use that as a temporary shelter. I guess I can always put it up for sale if I decide not to use it.
Once the smell of paint/plastidip dissipated, I moved the stand and tank into the living room.
I also caved in and picked up a bottle of ammonia ($1 Dollar Tree). I was shaking it at the store to make sure there was no bubbles. Has anyone used this brand before for cycling?
Original Budget: $500
Running Total: $511
Went over budget by: $11
Took a ride to Home Depot looking for slate. No luck. I recall seeing landscaping places on a back road I used to ride, so I headed over. Unfortunately, they were closed. Can anyone tell me if this is slate? And would it be safe to use in the tank?
I was being a bad boy, I took 2 tiny and flat pieces to test out (3” x 6” and less than 1/8” thick). I did leave them a note in their mailbox with my name and phone number.
I was being a bad boy, I took 2 tiny and flat pieces to test out (3” x 6” and less than 1/8” thick). I did leave them a note in their mailbox with my name and phone number.
I don’t know what I got myself into...
I just adopted 4 goldfish and 1 betta. And my tank is not even cycled yet! As a matter of fact, I just started dosing it with ammonia yesterday! Got it to 3ppm!
Story: College kid. Won 2 goldfish at some social event around Thanksgiving last year. His roommate won 2 goldfish as well. They each got a 1 gal bowl to house 2 goldfish. Another friend of theirs won a betta. He got a little betta bowl. At the end of this semester, no one wanted their fish anymore. The fish are probably 7 or 8 months old and lived in a 1 gal bowl all their lives.
He took all the fish back home. Five fish. 3 bowls.
He asked if I wanted to take them, if not, he’s going to eventually flush them down the toilet. It made me very sad to see 2 goldfish in a small bowl that’s half full of dirty water. When I asked him when the last time he did a water change, he says maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago.
Warning: hard to watch. This was the condition they were in when I saw them
So, I figured even though my tank isn’t cycled yet, I can probably provide a better life for them. So I took them. I got home and did a 100% water change since I dosed it with ammonia just the day before (and this was my first time adding ammonia to the tank). Then I tossed all the driftwood and other stuff I purchased from Craigslist into the 29g tank and put them in. They seem to be doing OK so far. Everyone’s getting along.
So now the question is: What do I do with them? I don’t plan on keeping them. They’re in the 29g tank (this is the tank I’ve been using to cycle the canister and sponge filter). If I bring them to Petco, Petsmart or Walmart, I’m sure they’ll end up in the “feeder” tanks. Sigh…
I just adopted 4 goldfish and 1 betta. And my tank is not even cycled yet! As a matter of fact, I just started dosing it with ammonia yesterday! Got it to 3ppm!
Story: College kid. Won 2 goldfish at some social event around Thanksgiving last year. His roommate won 2 goldfish as well. They each got a 1 gal bowl to house 2 goldfish. Another friend of theirs won a betta. He got a little betta bowl. At the end of this semester, no one wanted their fish anymore. The fish are probably 7 or 8 months old and lived in a 1 gal bowl all their lives.
He took all the fish back home. Five fish. 3 bowls.
He asked if I wanted to take them, if not, he’s going to eventually flush them down the toilet. It made me very sad to see 2 goldfish in a small bowl that’s half full of dirty water. When I asked him when the last time he did a water change, he says maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago.
Warning: hard to watch. This was the condition they were in when I saw them
So, I figured even though my tank isn’t cycled yet, I can probably provide a better life for them. So I took them. I got home and did a 100% water change since I dosed it with ammonia just the day before (and this was my first time adding ammonia to the tank). Then I tossed all the driftwood and other stuff I purchased from Craigslist into the 29g tank and put them in. They seem to be doing OK so far. Everyone’s getting along.
So now the question is: What do I do with them? I don’t plan on keeping them. They’re in the 29g tank (this is the tank I’ve been using to cycle the canister and sponge filter). If I bring them to Petco, Petsmart or Walmart, I’m sure they’ll end up in the “feeder” tanks. Sigh…
The betta & goldfish cannot live together long term. Sizes & temp needs are quite different. Sorry, sometimes fishy rescues can cause more headaches than you can fix 
Although I'm not sure, those look like comets, 1 of the bigger, faster golds often sold as feeders...do you know anyone with a pond that may take them?
Although I'm not sure, those look like comets, 1 of the bigger, faster golds often sold as feeders...do you know anyone with a pond that may take them?
