# Finally setting up a new tank!



## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

It has been about 2 years since i have had the time, the money or the space to keep cichlids. This will be the first time i have been able to plan everything in advance and actually have some idea of what i am doing as opposed to my previous tanks which were a learn as you go process. This is a smaller tank as far as cichlids go but i wi be keeping dwarf cichlids to make up for the size of the tank. I will also be doing my first try at fishless cycling. I will be buying new parts as they are needed since i do not have the money to buy everything at once. I already had the tank, the stand and the filters from a previous set up. Here goes! I just finished cutting and installing eggcrate for the first time alone with a glass top. I will be replacing the light with Marineland Double Brite LED once i get some more money. And i have ordered a slimline 3D background from Design's By Nature. I am very excited about the background. I have never had a 3D background before either!

Accomplished today:


















background ordered:









Planned Equipment:
29 Gallon Tank
Design's By Nature Slimline 3D Background
Eco Complete Cichlid Sand (black/white speck)?
Large granite landscape rocks
Glass Top
2 AquaClear 30gal Filters
MarineLand Double Bright LED System
Marineland 100w heater with thermostat
Eheim Everyday Fish feeder
Rubber mat under tank to protect carpet

Planned Stock:
Pseudotropheus Saulosi


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

hmmmm pictures didn't work...%^&$# How do i make it work on Flicker? i tried right clicking on the picture but "properties" is not one of the options?


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

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## CMN (Mar 24, 2011)

Nice, you got the same BG that I have - I love it


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

Very well planned out for the tank you have, look forward to seeing this updated as you move forward! :thumb:


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

i located a landscape rock yard in my area to pick up the granite. now all i have to do is wait on the background in the mail. i'm so excited! :dancing:


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

So what type of dwarf's are you getting?


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

It looks like he is going for a species only Ps. saulosi tank.


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

yep. single species for this tank. its not a very big tank so i don't want to add more problems by throwing in another species and Ps. Saulosi has blue males and yellow/orange females so i will still have some nice colour :thumb:

I did have a question about fishes cycling if anyone knows the answer:
Do i have to have a heater to start my cycle or will it still cycle in cold water? It would, wouldn't it? Goldfish tanks cycle and they are cold. I just don't have the money to get a heater yet but i would still like to start the cycle soon


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

A heater is not necessary, but higher temperatures accelerate the process.


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

background came today!  the overall colour is a little darker than i was expecting but it still looks good. makes me think for sure that i will go with a lighter colour sand though. all i need to do next is take my scraps with me to the landscaping yard to pick out some rocks that will match. i didn't even end up having ti silicone in on. After i cut off the excess the fit was so good that with the egg crate wedged against the bottom and after i get the rocks and the sand on the egg crate that thing won't be going anywhere :thumb:

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and i barely had to cut off anything
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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

:thumb: opcorn:

Keep it up!


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

going to pick to sand today but i have a question. I HAD planned on getting cichlid mix by seachem to help raise the PH but i just got my water testing kit in the mail and the PH is 7.5 out of the tap. if the fish i am getting need a 7.8, is it close enough that i could i just use pool filter sand and add a little buffer? because the pool filter sand is much cheaper...


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

Go with PFS. Buffering substrate really doesn't do that noticeable of a job anyways. :thumb:


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

IMHO PFS aka Pool Filter Sand will be fine. Also IMO your PH is fine a few points off isn't bad.

My PH is naturally 7.8 I need it lower though. LOL! If u feel that u NEED to higher the PH you can use crushed coral.


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

great! thanks! u just saved me a lot of money :thumb:


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

YOUR WELCOME!


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

got pool filter sand today. not happy. it is too dark and a kind of odd grey colour. guess i will be forking over the money for the expensive cichlid mix. I am wasting a lot of money on things that i don't end up liking. I bought 100 pounds of granite stones and did not like the way they looked. They were too light compared to the background. So, today i bought $50 worth of black lava rock figuring it would match the background better and the lava rock is too red compared to the background and add on top of that the pool filter sand i bought today....i am NOT a happy camper!


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## dillon0990 (Jun 11, 2011)

I hope you maybe can get your money back for at least some of the stuff lol I used pfs and it is really bright white. maybe you should look at another brand at different pool stores.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Why buy so much when you could buy one stone and see how it matches? But yeah PFS varies based on where you get it, mine is basically white


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> But yeah PFS varies based on where you get it, mine is basically white


+1 My PFS is white and has some pieces of granite in it.


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

i read that the colour of PFS varies depending on where u live and apparently here it is kind of a gross colour, not white. and as for buying one rock at a time, the store is NOT close and i didn't want to have to go back again even though i ended up making the trip twice... now i am thinking maybe doing something totally different and getting malaysian driftwood and white sand


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

driftwood and sand is a fantastic combination...


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

well, its a little cloudy still but it's up and cycling. I still plan on adding a few more plants and maybe another piece of wood. Still deciding on what decor i may add but i am pretty happy so far. i Will post another pic once it clears up so you can see the background a little better


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Ok IDK if you would want this but look at this! 









It's called DWARF BABY TEAR'S. It will grow on your driftwood and it look's awesome!

As for under the driftwood look at some DWARF HAIR GRASS.

LOOKING GOOD!


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

oh! i like that! Maybe i will look for those to grow on my wood. I agree about the grass also. I was planning on picking some up next week once i get some more cash. I got a good amount of time to play with plants and decor while it is cycling. Do i need to get a special plant bulb? I AM still planning on getting LED lighting but it will be a while before i have the money but i was wondering if a plant bulb would help for now?


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## Jimring (Jan 30, 2011)

Did you get the rock situation resolved yet.

Instead of trying to match the background, you could contrast it, or use a variety of rocks, sort of randomly.

I think random is more natural. I can't imagine seeing a lake or river with all the same kind/color of rock.

Still, it's your tank, just my 2 cents.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Yes! you need special lights! To me the plant you have now seem's like a sword plant? 
Do you know what type of plant's you have?

For a lightly planted tank i recommend MEDIUM lighting as this will just do what you need! http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=230934&highlight=

When you are buying plant's make sure they say MEDIUM lighting or else they will DIE!

Another thing that plant's need are fertilizer's. The two fert's I use are API "Leaf Zone", CLICK HERE, and API "Root Tab's", CLICK HERE.

With all 3 of these thing's you will have one *AWESOME* tank!


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

Jimring: I decided to just forget about rocks for the most part and use drift wood and lots of plants.

Aulonocara_Freak: Thanks for the info. I did already put the fertilizer root tabs in but i unfortunately do not know exactly what type of plant i have already. I will try the "Leaf Zone." I am actually wanting to do a medium-heavily planted tank


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Does the plant you have now look like this?









Check this website and see if you can find out what it is. http://plantgeek.net/plantguide_search.php?search=sword&type=Search

GOOD LUCK!


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

yes, that looks about right. what is it?


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

TailorJay said:


> yes, that looks about right. what is it?


It's called an AMAZON SWORD. They have been known to grow larger than a 10g TANK!!!

1 thing i learned with this plant is that if you cut the dead leaves off that plan't new leaves will grow skinny and long and the plant will stay short, not round and tall like the plant is now.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Here is a TANK that you can build your's off of.


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## sunny231 (Aug 21, 2010)

wow. how much was the background. i also got a 29 gallon. and im thinking of this.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

*sunny231*, Is that a question for me?


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## sunny231 (Aug 21, 2010)

obviously


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

IDK how much it is.

*IT'S NOT MY TANK* D'uhhh


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

you guys are funny! :lol: i think i paid about $40 or something like that for the background

Aulonocara_Freak: i like that one. i have been looking at the tanks on "Low Tech Forum - The Planted Tank" http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/low-tech-forum/ and seen a TON that i like and what is nice about that page is that it is a focus on Low Tech which means less costly equipment!


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

was also wondering if i could add any non-cichlid dither fish to this set up. 29gal tanks are pretty tall so a fish that would like to be near the top would be nice. I will be getting a place but it will be a while before i can afford to buy all my Pseudotropheus Saulosi but i was thinking i could maybe get a few non cichlids for now that would be ok with the Saulosi once i can get them. I would love to get Neons but i know they would be killed pretty quick. Any suggestions of some schooling fish that has some colour that would work with the Saulosi?


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Serpae tetra, Black Skirt Tetra's, and afew other's get big enough so they MAY not be killed.


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## Mikecacho (Jul 9, 2011)

sunny231 said:


> wow. how much was the background. i also got a 29 gallon. and im thinking of this.


Lol, that background is blue spray paint.


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## TailorJay (Jul 13, 2010)

was thinking maybe some tiger barbs. How many do you think i could get?


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