My 33 Gal beginnings

[Tazzy_toon]

I just got the tank and I'm waiting on the stand so that I can start cycling. So to kill the time, i thought I would get the journal started. And hopefully get some tips and advice as I go.

Here is what I have, it came with an undergravel (which I was going to use) but since I'd like to have some live plants and I have livebearers, I figured that sponge filters would be the way to go.

So here's the tank as I got it.





I have 2 6 gallon tanks that i'm going to add to this one.

3 guppies, with 2 fry
1 oto cat
7 dwarf livebearers
7 cherry shrimps

I'm thinking of adding as a main feature 4 to 6 dwarf gaurami's.

I'm probably going to sell the fluval edge (that got me started) and keep the Eclipse 6 for my 2 frogs and maybe even some of the dwarf livebearers.

The anticipation to get started is killing me. lol

[TomC]

If you hook the 33 gallon filter up to a tank that is already running, it will cycle while you wait for the stand.

[Tazzy_toon]

That's a good idea, unfortunatley, I'm getting the sponges from the same person that is building the stand, so I still have to wait, but I suppose that would still work if I had the sponge in the little tank for a week or so before putting it in the bigger one.

Wouldn't that cut down the cycle time?

[effox]

As long as the sponge is running in the currently established tank your right Tazzy toon, its same idea that TomC had.

[Tazzy_toon]

That's what I thought, but it's only a 6 gallon, so not sure how much bacteria will get on the sponge.

If I run it for a week, how much time would it take off the cycling of the 33 gal??

[Ladayen]

That's what I thought, but it's only a 6 gallon, so not sure how much bacteria will get on the sponge.

If I run it for a week, how much time would it take off the cycling of the 33 gal??

Cant really say exactly, it would be something at least I would caution with having that many gouramis in the tank. It would be easy for a pair to take over the tank entirely, even if they are just dwarfs.

[BelieveInBlue]

4-6 dwarf gouramis with livebearers, hmm.... probably a bad idea; that much activity at the surface probably wont turn out very well. I say a trio (1m 2f) at MOST, or some apistogrammas, although they may bug the cherry shrimp...
As for the cycling, I try to keep 2-3 filters on EVERY tank I have, so that I can switch them over to the new tanks (one at a time of course), and as long as I don't add too many fish at once, I don't have to cycle the tank at all =]

Also, think of it this way: if the filter on the 6 gallon is able to support all those fish in that 6 gallon, then it should be able to support the same fish in a bigger tank. You have a proper filter for the 33 I assume? If so, you may experience mini-cycles, but they don't last very long and should not affect your fish at all, if they're healthy.

PS: try this site; it's quite useful for stocking tanks.
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

[Tazzy_toon]

Well, I don't have ALL those fish in the 6 gallon, I have 2 different 6 gallons that I want to put into one. So the 3 guppies, 1 oto, 7 livebearers and 7 shimp.

I did use the site you suggested and it didn't have any warnings about the gouramis with livebearers or about the quantity of gouramis. I even had 5 cory cats in the stock and it was at 90% stocking with a full 6 gouramis. (but trust me I didnt' plan on throwing all the fish in at once. lol)

I have heard about gouramis being territorial, that's why I wondered about it. I was going to try to break up the line of site.

I just want a few bigger/colored fish that are easy to spot that arent going to eat the cherry shrimp or other fish. Don't mind if they eat some of the fry/shrimp, but would be nice if some survived to pass on.

[Luke78]

You start off this hobby on a smaller scale,and before you know it your going bigger and bigger I would say 90 % or more of the members here will likely agree with me,myself being one of them.A nice scale tank to work with, and in fairly good shape.Something i always did before i setup an aquarium, was to look at the glass,the glue connecting all ends,and the black trim through out.Try filling it with water also to make sure you dont have any leaks,and see if there are any deep sctraches on the glass.Better to be safe than sorry long term.There's nothing wrong with waiting it out and being patient.Trying to find all the pieces(equipment/plants/substrate/rocks/stock) will take time and the costs will slightly go up depending on what you seek.

With my last setup(100G) it took some time to pick up the right stuff,and find a suitable place to set it all up.In your case,let the cycling take place and finish properly before adding any stock.Its very tempting to fill up a larger tank,but must be done in moderation.Good luck , and keep us updated!We all like photos!

[BelieveInBlue]

Oh right the shrimp... blah =/
The line of site breaks will help a lot; also, what is the footprint of your tank? (L*W), that may have been why it didnt warn about aggression. A 33 long (48*13) should provide enough room for 4-6 dwarf gouramis. And are you going to be switching both filters from both 6 gallons to the 33 in addition to the filter that the 33 already has? If so, then you should not have a problem as long as you don't rush things.

PS: the 1 inch of fish per gallon thing really only applies to small fish like livebrearers and tetras, and even then only in a small aquarium; it's a good guideline for a beginner, but not really for the more experienced/specialized hobbyist.