New cycling project

[baylee767]

Neons 2.5 gallon tank is just sitting there collecting dust.

So, I'll cycle it and get a girl who has been stuck in horrible conditions at petco for many months. And I've really been wanting her...

My dad once, before I got into Bettas, used my 1 gal kritter keeper to house some sick saltwater fish. He bought a filter rated for 10 gallons and used it, and now it is also collecting dust. This means I get to use it for my tank (=

I'll collect some dry sand from the beach (Hey, I can't find it to buy anywhere, so I'll just collect some and clean it REALLY well) for a nice substrate. Then I'll try to somehow hook a light up to this kritter keeper (ideas anyone? Other than putting a lamp next to it?) and make it filled with live plants. And since my filter is rated for 10 gallons, I may get a few shrmp or a snail?? (please?)

So for now I'm soaking the filter in boiling hot water to clean it ^.^ And tommorrow we'll probably go to the beach (we do EVERY sunday ) and I'll collect some sand, and I'll begin shrimp cycling the tank (and I'll seed it). Soon I'll adopt a lovely girl (or maybe instead a little guy) (=

[CrowntailxKing]

Hah I WISH I had room to have a spare 2.5 gallon tank to be collecting dust somewhere to be able to start a new project :) I love decorating the tanks ^_^

[baylee767]

I know, right?

I decided regular old sand is waaay too risky, so my dad is taking my to the hardware store to look for pool filter sand or play sand or something.

What are those lights people have that go over the tank on highly planted tanks? Not hoods, but those silver ones that rimless tanks have... Because I'll probably get one of those for my tank. If only I knew what it was called.

Also, instead of a cartridge, I'm just going to be placing a filter sponge in the filter. Hey, the cartridge is to catch all the loose things in the tank and house bacteria, a sponge can also do both of these.

[Lion Mom]

"Also, instead of a cartridge, I'm just going to be placing a filter sponge in the filter. Hey, the cartridge is to catch all the loose things in the tank and house bacteria, a sponge can also do both of these."

YUP - that's what I do and it is SO much cheaper!!! I haven't had to replace a sponge in YEARS! :) Just swish it out in used tank water a couple times a month and you're good to go!

[baylee767]

Great! (=

Sad to say they just don't sell white sand on Oahu or something >.< I just put in some of my old light/dark blue and green gravel mix. Now I have a question that I want someone to please answer.

Last time I tried to cycle my 10g with a raw shrimp, and the smell madde my dadactually have to force me to get rid of it on the second day. That time the shrimp was in a sock that was floating on the surface.

This time I put a shrimp in a sock, but stuck it in a terra cotta pot at the bottom of my tank. Do you think this will keep off the smell? (OH, and I put in a heater and set it to 86 to help speed up the bacteria growth)

[baylee767]

Oh goddd... My tank smelled oddly like sprite. WHY must it smell?!??!!?

[CrowntailxKing]

I have seen a bottle of some liquid stuff that is supposed to instantly cycle your tank. I have no experience with it. I just have my tank cycle while I had my Betta in it and it has been cycled for a while.

[JackisLost]

10gal filter on a 2.5 might be much to handle. Try the red sea deco art filter, I am using it on my 6 gal and it's rated for 3 gal