Very nice looking tank!
First Tank Ever, Let me know how Im doing
Hi, This is my first Post and my First ever tank. I want to take you through the quick story of my aquarium hobby and ask for every ones advice, comments, suggestions.
I have been wanting to start an aquarium for a very long time, but since moving into a bigger apartment recently I now had the room to play. I started doing my research and soon found someone willing to basically give away his old stuff. I got a full set up, more than enough to get started. Tank, stand, filter, media, heater, hood, light, enough gravel to cover the bottom and some fake plants and some rocks. The Tank is a 30 G Long.
So I brought it home and set it up and let it run for a week with just water and all the gravel and decorations and everything.
I was now ready to start my cycle. After waiting so long to finally get a tank and set it up I was not about to wait for a fish less cycle so I went out to my LFS and bought a half a dozen neon tetras.
All was well, I was doing constant water changes was the ammonia started spiking. Then the Nitrites and more water changes. It felt like it was never ending.
Finally the day came, about 6 weeks later when the Nirites finally dropped and there was just a tiny amount of Nitrates. I knew the my cycle had finally come to an end, and my probably still very unstable aquarium was ready for its next step.
The next day I went to the fish store and got a bunch more Neons (i may have neglected to mention that I lost a couple along the way).
The next two weeks I did a little rearranging in the tank, I lost the sunset and planes background I did at paint night and went back to the plain blue background and I got a little cave decoration.
Now I was ready for MORE FISH. I went to LFS and in my limited knowledge got two Cupid cichlids. I liked them and they were a nice change to the tank. unfortunately I somehow managed to get two males and they fought like crazy. I was advised to put in as many decorations as I could to give them more territory. The only things I could really put in where glass things. My tank ended up a graveyard for wine glasses and bottles and any other odds and ends. Soon one of them kicked the bucket as to say and I no longer had the two cichlid problem.
After cleaning out all the stuff and rethinking things, I was ready for some new fish. I was passing by a place in brooklyn and decided to stop in. I got my hands on 6 beautiful Rummy Nose Tetras.
I brought them home and they were awesome. They schooled. They were active. They brought some new color and dimensions to the tank.
Things where going well. I finally had a bunch of fish. The tank was awesome. I was doing my water changes. It felt like I finally had things under control.
Then, a couple days after I brought home the Rummy Nose. I came home to the tank to find ICH!!!! I had no idea what it was, but I fled to the LFS and I came home with some Ich medicine, a new heater and some aquarium salt. My Tank had been running at about 76 degrees with the heater I got everything with originally at full blast so if I was going to be able to turn up the heat and also for the future, I needed a new heater.
I beat the Ich eventually but it was slow going. I lost 4 rummy nose tetras and the other cupid cichlid. I knew that I kinda need a bit of a refresh and that I needed to take things slow for a while. My neighbor, also a fish guy, gave me some of his plant trimmings to try and grow. This was the beginning of a whole new world for me. I loved the look of the little plant over everything. I knew that I wanted to get more and start planting my aquarium.
I also got some driftwood, which ended up turning my tank brown because I had no where to boil this big piece of wood. I got some more trimmings from my neighbor and long sword I think.
I have since done a couple more rearangings and gotten lots more trimmings from my neighbor. I then really wanted to grow plants. That has been my new obsession.
I also got a couple angel fish and 4 Mollies.
I recently finally upgraded that old hood and light. I got a Finnex fugeray Planted Plus. The Tank looks AMAZING. I hope it grows these plants as well as it looks. I am looking into C02 and Ferts.
Thanks for reading. any comments and advice is welcome.
Thanks!
I have been wanting to start an aquarium for a very long time, but since moving into a bigger apartment recently I now had the room to play. I started doing my research and soon found someone willing to basically give away his old stuff. I got a full set up, more than enough to get started. Tank, stand, filter, media, heater, hood, light, enough gravel to cover the bottom and some fake plants and some rocks. The Tank is a 30 G Long.
So I brought it home and set it up and let it run for a week with just water and all the gravel and decorations and everything.
I was now ready to start my cycle. After waiting so long to finally get a tank and set it up I was not about to wait for a fish less cycle so I went out to my LFS and bought a half a dozen neon tetras.
All was well, I was doing constant water changes was the ammonia started spiking. Then the Nitrites and more water changes. It felt like it was never ending.
Finally the day came, about 6 weeks later when the Nirites finally dropped and there was just a tiny amount of Nitrates. I knew the my cycle had finally come to an end, and my probably still very unstable aquarium was ready for its next step.
The next day I went to the fish store and got a bunch more Neons (i may have neglected to mention that I lost a couple along the way).
The next two weeks I did a little rearranging in the tank, I lost the sunset and planes background I did at paint night and went back to the plain blue background and I got a little cave decoration.
Now I was ready for MORE FISH. I went to LFS and in my limited knowledge got two Cupid cichlids. I liked them and they were a nice change to the tank. unfortunately I somehow managed to get two males and they fought like crazy. I was advised to put in as many decorations as I could to give them more territory. The only things I could really put in where glass things. My tank ended up a graveyard for wine glasses and bottles and any other odds and ends. Soon one of them kicked the bucket as to say and I no longer had the two cichlid problem.
After cleaning out all the stuff and rethinking things, I was ready for some new fish. I was passing by a place in brooklyn and decided to stop in. I got my hands on 6 beautiful Rummy Nose Tetras.
I brought them home and they were awesome. They schooled. They were active. They brought some new color and dimensions to the tank.
Things where going well. I finally had a bunch of fish. The tank was awesome. I was doing my water changes. It felt like I finally had things under control.
Then, a couple days after I brought home the Rummy Nose. I came home to the tank to find ICH!!!! I had no idea what it was, but I fled to the LFS and I came home with some Ich medicine, a new heater and some aquarium salt. My Tank had been running at about 76 degrees with the heater I got everything with originally at full blast so if I was going to be able to turn up the heat and also for the future, I needed a new heater.
I beat the Ich eventually but it was slow going. I lost 4 rummy nose tetras and the other cupid cichlid. I knew that I kinda need a bit of a refresh and that I needed to take things slow for a while. My neighbor, also a fish guy, gave me some of his plant trimmings to try and grow. This was the beginning of a whole new world for me. I loved the look of the little plant over everything. I knew that I wanted to get more and start planting my aquarium.
I also got some driftwood, which ended up turning my tank brown because I had no where to boil this big piece of wood. I got some more trimmings from my neighbor and long sword I think.
I have since done a couple more rearangings and gotten lots more trimmings from my neighbor. I then really wanted to grow plants. That has been my new obsession.
I also got a couple angel fish and 4 Mollies.
I recently finally upgraded that old hood and light. I got a Finnex fugeray Planted Plus. The Tank looks AMAZING. I hope it grows these plants as well as it looks. I am looking into C02 and Ferts.
Thanks for reading. any comments and advice is welcome.
Thanks!
