Entry #4 - 1st Fish in 29-Gallon!

[Katie B.]

Entry #1 (29-Gallon Set-Up) | Entry #2 (Establishing My Tank) | Entry #3 (New Fish!)

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The 29-Gallon is finally cycled! 🥳

I know my biology/science teachers would be so proud at how far I have come in the world of... well... literal life! I loathed all of those classes from elementary school and on and yet HERE I AM collecting data, researching the nitrogen cycle, making hypotheses, testing water and making observations! 

It finally dawned on me that my other two tanks, the 5- and 10- gallons were consistently reading "0" for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates while my 29-gallon had readings out-the-wahzoo. I decided this had to be the result of the substrate since I had high readings before I added hardscape. After watching Cory's video on ammonia spikes (embedded at the end) I decided my next course of action should be to perform daily 50% water changes until my nitrites were significantly lower and ammonia reached 0.

*** Below is a video of the tool that saved my pregnant self a lot of time and strain, from having to carry buckets upon buckets to empty/refill my 29 gallon to letting a 50-foot hose do the work 😅

This tool allowed the process of daily 50% water changes to be a breeze. Below is the data I have been collecting since near the beginning on the 29-gallon using mostly test strips from ACO. I have circled the dates I used the API Master Test Kit. 

 

So, I decided it was time to introduce...

• Ruby, the betta who has been in the 5-gallon, and
• Sherlock and Watson, my two mystery snails (don't ask me who is who 😜)

... to the 29-gallon! 

*** Below is a video of the transition taking place 👏

If you missed my last journal entry, my poor corydoras couldn't handle the stress of the med trio and I couldn't remove it in time to save one of the little guys 😢 so five out of the six have survived isolation so far. The experience was a learning experience for me and has left me deciding to not medicate my new fish but isolate them and observe until/unless something apparent is wrong that I will then treat. Sherlock and Watson have done great and I, obviously, decided it was not necessary to isolate them further. 

The corydoras love their Hikari Tropical Sinking Wafers and decided to try frozen blood worms since Ruby rejects them. The end of April marks when I should be able to add my corydoras to the 29-gallon; however, I am going out of town at the end of April and I don't want my husband responsible for keeping up with the transition! 😬

So, the corydoras will stay in isolation until I return at the beginning of May when I can be home to monitor them closely 😉

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Entry #4 Summary

• 29-gallon tank is cycled 
• I purchased the 50-foot python siphon which has been a game-changer!
• I added my betta & two mystery snails to the 29-gallon
• Corydoras are still in isolation and are doing well!
• Disinfected & stored my 5-gallon (not sure when to use it again)

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[Katie B.]

Ruby is so much happier in the 29-gallon, planted tank! There is so much more for him to explore and do, which includes picking on the snails when they come out to eat 🙄

His favorite pellets have a longer way to sink so he has a lot of fun hunting for them in the open water. He spends most his time at the bottom around the plants or "pacing" back and forth along the substrate from one end of the tank to the other.

I did a 25% water change yesterday but this morning I noticed the parameters were still not where they needed to be. They aren't dangerous but could be if I don't perform more water changes. I will perform a 50% water change today and see how long it takes till I need to do another one to keep things stable. 

My only qualm with the 50-foot python siphon is that I can only attach it to the outside hose and not my kitchen sink. The issue with this is that I cannot control the temperature that goes back into the tank so the temperature has to build back up and I don't want that to be a struggle for my fish...

[AndreaW]

Often you can find adaptors if your faucet doesn't work with it, and sometimes if your faucet has a larger head, you can unscrew that to hook up the python. I also use mine on a bathroom faucet.

[CornAndCrawlers]

Your entries are so thorough and organized.. it's incredibly impressive. Looking forward to more entries!