im starting all over with my 29 gal

[zigzag131]

i will be paying close attention to my other tank to make sure nothign goes wrong with it but im starting completely over with my 29 gallon tank



ok so this is what ive got so far an empty tank lol.

my first step is to either just put tap water in it and the chemical that makes it safe for fish. or see if i can use my neighbors filter bag thing?

which would be the best?

after that ill wait till i know for sure the tank is cycled by reading the threads about cycling. and i think i want some type of live bearer fish in it

 

[BlueStraggler]

I believe the chemical you're referring to is called prime. But look into that.

Livebearers...yay! *celebrate

ok so if you decide to use your neighbors filter pad...make sure you add ammonia otherwise the bacteria will die off. Then keep testing to monitor the levels so you know when it is safe to add fish.

 

[midmichman80]

I would use filter media from an established tank if available. It will save you money and create an almost instant cycle. It took my 90g two days to read 0,0,10 because I seeded the new tank with filter media from my four other tanks and it didn't cost me anything. If you were going to spend your money though, spend it on the bio-spira, from what I have heard it is the next best thing to existing filter media. Good luck with all your new tanks.

 

[zigzag131]

my neighbor has had hi55 gal up for almost 3 years

 

[BlueStraggler]

Well thats what you call "established" media.
But still, the beneficial bacteria will quickly die off in the absence of a food source.
Like midmichman80 said, it should instantly cycle.
So you will be able to add a few fish almost right away.
Thats the benefit of using established media. Ask him if you can borrow some of his gravel/substrate as well.

 

[zigzag131]

will do and when you say add ammonia you dont mean literally put ammonia in the water do you?

 

[BlueStraggler]

Yes pure ammonia and thats if you decide to not add fish right away.

 

[midmichman80]

Pure ammonia is used to give the bacteria a food source, without the food source they will die and you are back at square one again. Now, if you decide to introduce some fish shortly after the bacteria, then the fish will supply the bacteria with food. You can grab some substrate from your neighbor and hang it in your tank with a filter sock or pantyhose. This way the beneficial bacteria can get into your tank, but the substrate doesn't have to. If you do decide to add fish right away, you won't want to stock your tank to max capacity in the first shot. It is best to add a few fish at a time, giving your tank and the bacteria a chance to keep up with the added waste and build a bigger, stronger, more able colony. If you don't plan on adding fish right away and plan on using ammonia, make sure it is 100% ammonia and start with little bits and test your water. I would imagine any small amount of ammonia will keep the bacteria happy, so don't over dose the ammonia. Also if you choose ammonia, test the water and make sure there is no ammonia present before you add any fish. Ammonia is toxic to fish and it wouldn't make a good start to the fishes acclimation.

 

[zigzag131]

ok so as of today i put water, some substrate, and some shake stuff from my neighbors tank in my 29 gallon. and i added fish right away just to start for now i bought two baloon mollies kand two fancy guppies. then i put a puffer in it cause i didnt wanna see him die in a friends tank ( hopefully i can give him away soon )

and everything looks fine as of now.

i was told that i need to use aquarium salt for the mollies and the guppies will be ok with it too. is this true?