New QT Tank

Ok, so my original QT tank was set up right at the beginning of November last year. That rubbermaid tub served as an ad hoc fish tank for nearly a year. I never did get around to spray painting the back black. Oh well. Anyways I've wanted a real tank for a while to replace it, it was never meant to be anything but a stop gap on the way to a real tank.


So I finally got one, and a proper filter. With a little bit of outage money I splurged on my fish. I have to say, the "saving money" idea with the sponge filter and rubbermaid... not so much. The rubbermaid is about $15, the ten gallon tank was $13 at Petsmart. The sponge filter was $12 and the Penguin 100 was $18 at Petsmart. So the all told my old setup cost $27 and my new one cost $31. I can't say there's any monetary savings involved unless you've got a suitable container just sitting around. Still, it works and I'm a touch nostalgic for the old makeshift rig.

Anyways, I'm kicking off the new tank with four long fin serpaes and another platy. Three days in everyone is looking good and healthy. I've got the sponge filter running concurrently with the Penguin for the moment to help get the cycle rolling on the biowheel. I'll let it go for two or three weeks then yank it. Once it's out I'll put in a few more of the old plants in.

Oh, this is also my first non-sand tank. I decided to go with gravel because it's easier to deal with if I actually have to use it to treat a fish. I can either disinfect the gravel or just put in new. It took about fifteen minutes to rinse out the whole tank's worth. I like sand better for show tanks but this works.