Reddit reviews Python Pro-Clean Gravel Washer and Siphon Kit for Aquarium, Large

7. Fishless cycling is very simple:
   
   

• Do not change the water throughout the process
  
  
• I will address post-cycle water changes in the next #.
  
  
• Go to your local hardware store (Ace hardware here carries it) and get some pure Ammonia. You need to make sure it has no surfactants. The best way to test for this is to vigorously shake the bottle of ammonia and see if any " soapy bubbles" form. Bubbles should form from the trapped air, but they should dissapate immediately.
  
  
• SO, get your tank ready, substrate etc, filter, heater etc. and turn the heater up to 82° (bacteria love the heat). Add ammonia until it is registering between 2ppm and 4ppm using your API master test kit. If you are wondering how much you need to add to get there, use this. Then, just keep the ammonia steadily at 2ppm-4ppm until you start to see Nitrites present in your tests (usually takes a week or two at least). Once you see nitrites, continue adding ammonia to keep it at 2ppm to 4ppm until you begin to see the nitrites fall and nitrates are present. Unfortunately the API master test kit, while pretty much the best out there for hobbyists, doesn't really provide too accurate of readings for nitrate but does a great job of letting you know whether or not they are present. Once nitrates are present, stop adding ammonia and wait until your readings are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and some amount of nitrates. At that point you are cycled! Then perform a 50-75% water change to remove the majority of your nitrates and start tossing plants and fish in the tank :). It is totally safe to add the plants at the very beginning of cycling the tank, but they will eat up a lot of the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, thus making it more difficult for your beneficial bacteria to eat. The most important part of the fish-in cycle is making sure at ALL TIMES that there is ammonia present for the bacteria to eat. If there is no source of ammonia, there is no source of food and the beneficial bacteria will die off.
  
  

8. Water changes! If you choose EI dosing for fertilization it is simply 50% water changes once a week on a set schedule. If you don't choose EI dosing, a recommended water change schedule on a cycled 5 gallon would be ~30% once a week. Always avoid 100% water changes unless your tank is infested with an uncurable disease. 100% water changes will shock your fish very badly as it causes a dramatic shift in PH, temperature, and water hardness.
   
   
9. Moving a full fluval spec 5, while difficult, is doable. If the tank is established and good to go you just absolutely need to make sure that your filter media stays wet during the whole trip or the beneficial bacteria will die. I would suggest just taking all the media out and placing in a ziplock bag with some tank water in it.
   
   
10. Don't stress about the quarantine tank. While I know this isn't the best practice, I only use them when a fish gets sick. I keep one running because it is packed with live plants but otherwise I wouldn't run it unless I had sick fish. As long as you trust the source of your incoming fish/plants they aren't necessary. I have forgone quarantine with all of my new community fish that I have been adding to my tanks and have yet to have any issues. That being said, it is always safer to quarantine new additions. For a quarantine tank all you will need is some form of filtration and a heater. A light isn't necessary and to boot, keeping fish in the dark when you first get them significantly helps reduce the stress from a new environment.
    
    
11. Finally, some tips!
    
    

• Get some Seachem Prime It is head and shoulders above any other water conditioner on the market. It neutralizes ammonia without removing it, allowing your beneficial bacteria to still have something to eat (Patented formula) and does everything any other water conditioner does on top of that. To boot, while expensive up front, it is the cheapest water conditioner out there as it literally takes 1ml/10 gallons to condition your water. It should be noted that you can safely dose it up to 5x the recommended amount with no worries so dont worry about measuring out minute amounts too much. That being said, see the next bullet :).
  
  
• Go to your local drugstore and ask for some free syringes. They are incredibly useful in dosing everything you need to put in your tank. If you don't want to do that, you can find them very cheap on Amazon. Make sure you get a 1ml and like a 5ml.
  
  
• Get a stainless steel aquascaping kit. They are invaluable for trimming plants and smoothing out your tank.
  
  
• I'm sure you already have considered this but in case you haven't make sure you get a siphon for tank cleaning. This one is not only cheap but is freaking awesome. If you want to go big you can get one of these setups as they allow you to hook up to a sink and not have to fuss around with buckets of water.
  
  
• When you plant the tank, you will want to plant at least 40-50% of the ground surface with plants. The reason for this is that if there is not enough competition for algae, with all the nutrients, light, and co2, the algae will take over. This will be particularly difficult with a java moss carpet as they usually come in small clumps and take some time to get established but it can be done.
  
  
• Find something that your betta can take refuge in. A cave, coconut shell, or something of the like so he/she has a place to escape the light when they feel like it. I personally build these out of slate tile from the hardware store. The tile is $1.98/sq. ft. and you can use aquarium silicone to piece them together.
  
  
• Finally, consider some taller, broad-leaf plants like Amazon Swords or larger varieties of Aubias. They will provide shelter from light, and a great place for your fish-friend to rest near the surface.
  
  
  And that should do it! I really hope this helped. Last but not least, here are some shots of my tanks :) :
  
  
• http://i.imgur.com/lYu70ZW.jpg
  
  
• http://i.imgur.com/qP7LmqU.jpg
  
  
• http://i.imgur.com/lL2M7xw.jpg
  
  
• http://i.imgur.com/Gkkywcv.jpg
  
  
• Squeeks!!!
  
  
• Squeeks!!!
  
  
  
  My hands are tired =D.

I use one of these bad boys.

Just put a gallon jug or bucket on the floor and start the siphon. Then just mix up the top 1/2 inch or so of the sand with the wide end and all of the crap down there gets sucked up. First though, I clean off the glass really well, and use a turkey baster to blow all the detritus and other junk off of (and out of) the rock in my tank, then give it 10 minutes or so to settle with all pumps off. THEN I do the siphoning. Helps get a LOT of gunk out in a pretty efficient way.

It can take 15 minutes total if you want to be quick about it, or two hours if you want a really deep clean of your tank (mine is 9 gallon, so YMMV)....which I recommend every couple months if your inhabitants aren't the kind to stress out over it too badly.

I also use a motorized pump version of a siphon to clean out the water more thoroughly and save a little time:

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Gravel-Cleaner-Sludge-Extractor/dp/B003C5U2SU/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1473442810&sr=1-1-fkmr1&keywords=eheim+electric+siphon

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Pro-Clean-Gravel-Washer-Aquarium/dp/B001V6Y3LY/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=fish+tank+siphone&qid=1574057375&sr=8-6

Not sure to be honest because I don't use one, but here are [the Amazon reviews on it.] (https://www.amazon.com/Python-Pro-Clean-Gravel-Washer-Aquarium/dp/B001V6Y3LY)

I've been doing my research. :) Ordered the Aqua Clear 50 as you suggested and I am buying ammonium chloride and a testing kit off Amazon. Also signed up for aquabid. :)

I considered Dr. Tim's bacteria but I decided to do it the slow way instead, because why not.

I found out the type of fish tank I wanted to do is the low light low-tech tank, so I'm reading up on them right now. I read about this scientist who makes fishtanks where you don't have to change water for months at a time when I was a kid. Apparently she writes books on the subject.

Going to do some more research and try to get this right.

In terms of how I siphon water out of the fish tank, will something like this work? http://smile.amazon.com/Python-Pro-Clean-Gravel-Washer-Aquarium/dp/B001V6Y3LY/

I decided to use Miracle Gro topped with some kind of sand for my substrate. Will this suck out all of my substrate?