I have a new 35-gallon tank. It's used, but it has been sitting outside in a lady's yard for a while, so I had to wash it well.
So here's what I did, and I'd like the pros' opinions on the situation to ensure that I'm going about it smartly.
I set it up, filled it, dropped in AquaSafe and aquarium salt, and then turned on the old junky Tetra filter that came with it with new filter media (floss with carbon inside). I ran it for 24 hours with the filter and under-gravel filter, as well as the heaters.
Then I purchased 50 lbs of gravel, put about 3/4 of that in the tank, bought a hood with flourescent light and a new Marineland Emperor 280 filter. I replaced the Tetra with the Emperor-I'm not running both..
I took the bio wheel from other Emperor that's on a tank that's been up and running for a few years, as well as the filter cartridge, which is about a week old, and I put them in the Emperor that's haning on the new aquarium and put the new filter and bio wheel in the old Emperor on the established tank.. I also installed two new carbon filled heads at the tops of the two riser tubes for the under-gravel filter..
Next I added 4 Tetras and let the cycling begin.. The water went from gorgeous clear to milky white with bubbles all over the surface of the water in 24 hours.. It also looks like rolling dry-ice steam at the top of the tank in the water.. Is this just tiny bubbles?
Any advice, or is everything going as it should? When I set up my other aquarium I didn't know a thing about cycling, and I got the green opaque algae blossom and the tank cycled itself just by accident and at the cost of the lives of several fish.. I'm trying to go about this one the right way and patiently.
Thanks for any comments.
So here's what I did, and I'd like the pros' opinions on the situation to ensure that I'm going about it smartly.
I set it up, filled it, dropped in AquaSafe and aquarium salt, and then turned on the old junky Tetra filter that came with it with new filter media (floss with carbon inside). I ran it for 24 hours with the filter and under-gravel filter, as well as the heaters.
Then I purchased 50 lbs of gravel, put about 3/4 of that in the tank, bought a hood with flourescent light and a new Marineland Emperor 280 filter. I replaced the Tetra with the Emperor-I'm not running both..
I took the bio wheel from other Emperor that's on a tank that's been up and running for a few years, as well as the filter cartridge, which is about a week old, and I put them in the Emperor that's haning on the new aquarium and put the new filter and bio wheel in the old Emperor on the established tank.. I also installed two new carbon filled heads at the tops of the two riser tubes for the under-gravel filter..
Next I added 4 Tetras and let the cycling begin.. The water went from gorgeous clear to milky white with bubbles all over the surface of the water in 24 hours.. It also looks like rolling dry-ice steam at the top of the tank in the water.. Is this just tiny bubbles?
Any advice, or is everything going as it should? When I set up my other aquarium I didn't know a thing about cycling, and I got the green opaque algae blossom and the tank cycled itself just by accident and at the cost of the lives of several fish.. I'm trying to go about this one the right way and patiently.
Thanks for any comments.
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