# My first "big" aquarium



## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

Finally got around to buying my first big aquarium! I'm sure 40 gallons is small by many of your standards but my previous biggest is a 10 gallon. I bought it today but sadly can't pick it until this weekend. Too bad I'm working that afternoon so I can't even set it up then, maybe I'll have to take a sick day :twisted:










It's the same as there with stand, but all black. Can't come soon enough because I noticed the platys in my 10 gallon have really outgrown the ones in the 6.5 gallons, so they obviously need more space. I did put the biggest in there, but they have gotten bigger fast while the others haven't. So I'll have my 18 platy "babies" in there, sadly I lost their mum a few months ago and today I lost my last old fish, my little white cloud. I'm sad he couldn't see the new tank  So I think I'll keep it just at that, with some kind of "cleaner" fish for variety once the tank is well established. I don't want to stock it more because I want to keep water changes to 1/4 a week.

So excited! :fish: And then my betta can have a 10 gallon all to himself.


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## locojay (May 22, 2006)

Congrats on the new tank! That's a nice setup. Hopefully you have access to some BioSpira so you can get it started real quick.

Hopefully you don't mind me asking...How much did that cost you?


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

I use Seachem stability, I'll be using all the old water from my other four platy tanks anyway so that should be almost enough to fill it 2/3 of the way up.

It was $600 AUD in total ($450 for tank and $150 for stand), I called around, another place nearby quoted $1900 for the same setup! Unbelievable.

The next step up was 215L and would have set me back $850 so I'm quite happy with this.

It still being the tail end of summer I've got a 100w heater that should suffice until I buy the 200w that it will need in winter.


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Why pay $$$ for Seachem stability, when you have the best instant-cycler already available? Just take some filter media from one of your platy tanks and put it in the new filter. That will have loads of beneficial bacteria and will have your tank up and running immediately. Just put a few of your platys in right away, so they will be able to feed the bacteria to keep them alive.


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

I was going to use all the water (filtered through a strainer though) and put all the platys straight in anyway. The "media" is a slide in cotton/carbon cartridge, but my 40L has a sponge that I can probably stick in. Damn! I wish I had that tank NOW!


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

The water won't help you with cycling, since it has almost no beneficial bacteria in it. It still may be a good idea to put some of your old water in the new tank anyway, since your water chemistry may have drifted from the tap water over time. But if you acclimatize the fish to the new tank using exactly the same method as you would when you brought them home from the fish shop, then you could use 100% new water (dechlorinated, of course, and heated to the right temp) in the new tank without any problems.

Putting in some sponge from your 40L would definitely be the right thing to do to get your new tank up and running quickly. Just remember to only put a few fish in at first, since the bacteria from the sponge need to colonize the rest of the media in your new filter before it can support a full load. (Also don't remove all the old sponge from your old tank, take maybe half only; you'll need some sponge left behind to colonize the new sponge you put in to replace the stuff you're taking out.)

I understand your excitement about the new tank! Just last week I set up my first big tank. My previous biggest one was 20g, and this one is 58g. Right now I've only got my barb family in it (2 female rosy barbs, 1 male Odessa barb, 1 young male half-breed). I moved them over from the 20g and they are really enjoying the extra swimming space!


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Even better than the old filter pads is the mulm from the substrate. The gunk you are supposed to vacuum out. A dusting of peat and then the mulm followed by susbtrate will jump start any cycle.


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Via a roundabout route, mulm is actually what I have used to jump start my new tank.

The old tank (20g, 15" tall) had some crypt balansae that was growing out of control. I figured it would look better in the new, 27" tall tank. So I removed it all. Well, with my soil & gravel substrate, and well established crypts, that meant alot of soil got into the water (one of the downsides of soil & gravel substrates). When it finally cleared, my filter was full of muck and pretty much clogged up. So I rinsed out the filter pads in the new tank! I did this Sunday afternoon, when I added my barb family, and by Monday morning the new tank had cleared. Now the bacteria-infested mud is mostly in the new filter, but with a little bit of it collected on top of the gravel. Did an ammonia test today and 0. So far, so good.


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

I heard "squeezings" from your old sponge is good. Anway, the platys are still quite small for the most part, they won't have too much bio-load in a 165 litre. So that and the stability and I don't think there will be a problem. I've never had any ammonia issues with much smaller tanks. Platys are hardy I've heard anyway! It'll be well cycled before I add anything else (which will probably just be a catfish of some kind, maybe a trio of white clouds because I love those little guys).


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

Here's a better picture of what mine will look like (without the plants and silver sharks, I love those guys!)










Three days to go


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

MyraVan said:


> Via a roundabout route, mulm is actually what I have used to jump start my new tank. ... Did an ammonia test today and 0. So far, so good.


Ha, I think I was a bit overconfident... The fish were acting very jumpy last night and this morning so I did another test. Ammonia still 0, but nitrite is .25! Not terrible, but definitely not good. I've ordered some Seachem Prime to help me through the cycle (it should arrive tomorrow).

OK, so maybe the Stability isn't such a bad idea after all!


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2007)

I agree seachem prime is good but i never do fishless cycling EVER and have only lost about 3 fish in 4 years..crazy huh! i still have my black skirt tetras i got when i was wee little 5th grader!!


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

I picked it up today. Boy what a trial getting it home, but it's worth it. Took ages to put together the cabinet too.

Here's my 40L tank with all my platys in it









Here's the new tank all setup









And here's a comparison









Water is still a bit brown as the gravel was new, I rinsed it but there was still quite a lot of dirt left. So I'll let it run for 24 hours before I put any fish in, and do a water change and put in the water from the 40L when I do that. Gotta go buy some silk plants and stuff tomorrow morning first anyway.

Glad it's all home, a lot of cleaning up to do now though (of the old tanks, and packaging etc.)


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

Here they are! Still need a background, a fake rock, some bigger plants (maybe real plants once I am more confident) but they are loving it.


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

That looks like a great work in progress! You will have fun fixing up that puppy. lol
Keep us posted with pics as you go!


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

Here it is now. I bought taller plants but I didn't like how they looked, so I've got the shorter ones in instead.


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## Kyoberr (Dec 6, 2006)

That is so excititing!!! I'm happy for you. My only tank is a 10 gallon. Good job!


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## denial727 (Mar 4, 2007)

very nice tank! now I'm pumped to get me a big tank.


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## goldseverum109 (Mar 7, 2007)

congrats on ur new setup, the stand has a very finished look


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