I need help with a new 20 Long I am setting up...

[JakeH]

crushed coral in filter bags? I assume so, since your substrate is black sand... Consider the larger AC's if you're going to fit a filter bag in there...

 

[Texs]

I was planning on adding some giant danios or little tiger barbs to cycle the tank before adding the yellow labs.

What do you think?

 

[tcarswell]

So two sponges and the bag of biomax isn't enough?

My water in the 14 gallon is crystal clear running like that.

Thinking about your planned stocking the bio max should be plenty. I have a tendency to try to max things out understock and overfilter etc but since your not overstocking the least bit the bio max will be good.

 

[tcarswell]

With just 3 fish in there, cycling may not be a big issue. Dont take the bag's word for it though. 90% of the products on the shelf say no cycling is required or they help/reduce/prevent new tank syndrome. Always cycle your tank before adding fish. Also, with just 3 small cichlids, I would add the fish all at once & be ready to do a few WC's during cycling.
The biomedia that comes with the AC's will work, but tcarswell may know of something better.

The substrate pro is better but he is overfiltering and has little bio load he is all good forget I said that. As for seachem products they always perform 100% their stability cycled a tank of mine in a week and saved my fry tank from destruction I stand behind seachem prime and stability and their bio media and ofcourse their matrix carbon and purigen I use all these products with real success.

PS Texs! I use Giant danio's to cycle all of my tanks and have never lost one I highly reccomend them as cycling fish. And they are pretty neat too!

 

[JakeH]

I've never had Giant Danio's, but it sounds like they will work for you. Your water will be too hard & basic for T-barbs. I agree with tcarswell, keep the stock low in this tank & start figuring out what you're gonna do with those monster Oscars & Pacu! I would start saving your pennies cuz you're gonna need like a 180G or bigger for them MUCH sooner than you think. This Cichlid tank you're putting together wont help(water too hard/basic again).

 

[Texs]

Sadly I don't need to worry about the Pacus because they died a couple weeks ago(some type of bacterial infection).

My O's were gonna die too but I started treating them just in time with melafix and treating the ich so now they are very active and very healthy.

Im looking into getting them a 120 or 150 soon. If I can't get the funds together then I will just get a 75 for the time being.

They are still not past 3" so I got a little bit of time.

 

[JakeH]

Yeah. A little bit. Not much, though. Have you considered swapping your tanks? Use the small tank for the small hardwater Africans & put your Oscars in the 20long? It would buy you even a small bit more time... BTW, I forgot you already had a cycled tank! Throw 2 fresh clean pieces of sponge in that tank's filter for a couple days, then put one in each of your new AC30's or 50's to seed them. Use Stability on top of that & it will cycle in no time. Just watch your Nitrites & keep up WC's.

 

[Texs]

But won't taking the sponges out put a strain on the current tank's bio filtration?

 

[JakeH]

Dont transfer/remove your big media sponge from the filter, use a brand new one cut in half or smaller. Stash it somewhere in your cycled filter so it gets colonized. Your current filter doesn't lose anything when you move the small piece.

 

[Texs]

I did think about using the 20 long for the oscars but I don't plan on keeping them in the current 14 gallon much longer so I don't think it would be worth it.

I really just want to bite the bullet and get a 150 or even a 120 so I won't have to buy upgrade from a 75 later but if I can't get it soon enough then I will just get a 75 gallon setup for them.