romaric, here are a few random thoughts. Obvious, maybe, but sometimes overlooked.
Be sure to rinse everything well with tap water...no soap of any kind. You can use a mild bleach solution..like 1 tablespoon bleach per 5 gallons of water...but then rinse like crazy until you no longer smell any bleach. Frankly, unless it's used or from the lake or yard, I just rinse well with tap water.
Rinse the tank several times. Take the tank outside, put it on a flat surface and fill with water. Let it sit for a few hours and check for leaks. The chance of a leak on a new tank is very rare, but you need to rinse it anyway, and it gives you some peace of mind. You would hate to set the whole thing up and then find some manufacturer's flaw.
Go buy a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot/Lowes/hardware and mark it for fish use only!. Use it for rinsing substrate, decorations, rocks, even a temporary fish holding tank if necessary in the future. You can also use it for water changes, if you're going the bucket route. Rinse it before use as well.
If you want to use rocks from your backyard or stone supply, first check them with a few drops of vinegar. If you see any fizzing, there's some mineral in the rock not suitable for the fish tank. If no fizzing, then scrub, and scrub (I have a brush for fish stuff only), then rinse and rinse. Do not boil rocks...a brief dip in hot water is fine...but boiling could cause some internal air pocket to explode. My wife would be very upset if I sent rock chips flying around her kitchen!
Get a power strip. It makes it easy to turn off the filters/heater, etc., when doing water changes. I only keep the lights in a separate plug, so I can see better when doing gravel vacs. You want to be sure to unplug the heater when doing water changes...they can malfunction if left on out of the water.
Do follow the manufacturers warning about leaving a drip loop on the cords (should water somehow run down the cord, it won't go directly into the outlet). I find it easiest to mount the power strip a foot or so up the wall or stand and let the cords loop from the floor.
If you decide to get an air pump for an air stone, be sure to purchase the cheap little anti siphon valve (should there be a pump failure, it keeps water from siphoning out of the tank through the air tubing, into your pump, and all over your floor).
Hope all is going well.
Be sure to rinse everything well with tap water...no soap of any kind. You can use a mild bleach solution..like 1 tablespoon bleach per 5 gallons of water...but then rinse like crazy until you no longer smell any bleach. Frankly, unless it's used or from the lake or yard, I just rinse well with tap water.
Rinse the tank several times. Take the tank outside, put it on a flat surface and fill with water. Let it sit for a few hours and check for leaks. The chance of a leak on a new tank is very rare, but you need to rinse it anyway, and it gives you some peace of mind. You would hate to set the whole thing up and then find some manufacturer's flaw.
Go buy a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot/Lowes/hardware and mark it for fish use only!. Use it for rinsing substrate, decorations, rocks, even a temporary fish holding tank if necessary in the future. You can also use it for water changes, if you're going the bucket route. Rinse it before use as well.
If you want to use rocks from your backyard or stone supply, first check them with a few drops of vinegar. If you see any fizzing, there's some mineral in the rock not suitable for the fish tank. If no fizzing, then scrub, and scrub (I have a brush for fish stuff only), then rinse and rinse. Do not boil rocks...a brief dip in hot water is fine...but boiling could cause some internal air pocket to explode. My wife would be very upset if I sent rock chips flying around her kitchen!
Get a power strip. It makes it easy to turn off the filters/heater, etc., when doing water changes. I only keep the lights in a separate plug, so I can see better when doing gravel vacs. You want to be sure to unplug the heater when doing water changes...they can malfunction if left on out of the water.
Do follow the manufacturers warning about leaving a drip loop on the cords (should water somehow run down the cord, it won't go directly into the outlet). I find it easiest to mount the power strip a foot or so up the wall or stand and let the cords loop from the floor.
If you decide to get an air pump for an air stone, be sure to purchase the cheap little anti siphon valve (should there be a pump failure, it keeps water from siphoning out of the tank through the air tubing, into your pump, and all over your floor).
Hope all is going well.
