Cycle

JBJ 6 Gallon Nano Cube

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Here’s a photo of what I have so far. I haven’t moved Mal (my betta, Captain Malcolm Reynolds) over just yet. He is currently still in his Current Solo 5 Gallon.

Unfortunately I ordered the wrong lights (they’re an inch too long) so the lights that are in there are for saltwater setups. I have to reorder tomorrow from somewhere else and then wait to get them.  UGGG. I’m trying to get an 18 watt 6500K 2G11 4 pin (9″) light.

I purchased another water pump because the one that was in there was designed for a higher flow rate, so I put an AquaScape 90 GPH Water Pump in there, and the flow is adjustable so I was able to set that up just right. Luckily Mal is so easy going that he doesn’t mind a small amount of flow in his tank.

Even though I have an extra 50 watt heater I went ahead and bought a Hydor 50 watt for the tank. Since I am using RO/DI water I need a heater to put in the bucket because the water coming from the RO/DI unit is ice cold. A heater in the bucket of water the night before a water change should warm things right up!
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Cycle is complete!

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Tank is finally cycled, finished up with a few more decorations and added the Malaysian driftwood. 10 Serpae Tetra, 3 Panda Garra and 2 Marimo. Decided to do the Neons last as they are the ones that will stress the most during the ride home. Plus I’m going to get them from a place a bit closer to home so that the drive isn’t as long.

PetSmart has the cleanest and nicest tanks that I’ve seen thus far. Plus I like the stickers with the fish info on them, which let you know if they’re community fish, semi aggressive, minimum tank size, foods they eat etc. etc. etc. Most of the non-chain/privately owned LFS that I’ve gone to have tanks that are borderline nasty, and the fish do not look healthy at all. Stickers have no information about the fish either, so I’ve added a saved link on my cell phone to The Aquarium Wiki for quick references.

Had to go 20 minutes out for the Panda Garra due to no one close having them (much less heard of them). They’re SO adorable, too!! A bit on the spastic side, but they’re still cute as hell. You can’t really see them as they’re small, but they should grow to roughly 4 inches or so. Trying to get a picture of them is going to be painful I think!

More fish coming soon! Click on images for larger view.

30G

Completed cycle

30G

Completed cycle

Fishless Cycling While Aquascaping

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New 30G tank is still cycling, so it will be a tad bit longer till I get fish to put in the tank. Right now I’m focusing on getting things aquascaped. The very center is kept open for a large piece of Malaysian driftwood that is being soaked in a bucket so I can remove some of the tannins. Bought another 25lb bag of Este’s Spectrastone Gravel to finish off the aquascaping, but I haven’t added it yet. The idea is to make a hill going upwards to the right side of the tank (perhaps just half of the new bag). This should raise the cute little pagoda up a bit. I think it will look awesome. Not sure yet if the center back part will need more plants. Will have to wait and see. I’m also still unsure of what kind of background to stick on the back of the tank. Doug thinks a nice solid color would look good, but I’m leaning more towards a background picture of plants for a more natural look. Again, will have to wait and see. ;)

One of my stocking ideas (not definitive):
6 Harlequin Rasbora
7 Neon Tetra
6 Rosy Tetra
10 Serpae Tetra
3 Panda Garra

Check the Aquatics page for more info on this 30G setup! Click on the picture for a larger view.

Aquascaping while fishless cycling

Aquascaping while fishless cycling

Fluval C3 Power Filter

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Received my packages from Amazon today, but was disappointed to find that the filter was cracked. Doug filled out the online paperwork needed for the return, printed the return packing slip and we’ve got the box ready for UPS to pick it up tomorrow. UPS will pick up packages right from your house to be sent out. How cool is that?

I also received the Dr Tim’s One and Only Live Nitrifying Bacteria along with the Ammonium Chloride. Extensive research and reading tons of reviews shows the One and Only to be some seriously good stuff for fishless cycling. Should take less than a month with this method (7 to 8 days). Much better than waiting 6 to 8 weeks.