Tank update for F8's!

[My HD PVR]

Parameters.
Nitrates- around 20 PPM
Nitrites- 0 PPM
Ammonia- Almost 0 PPM- has lowered a bunch

Today list o things I got
2 gallon fish tank with-
Crap bubble filter
Light
So, what should i put in it? I have squidwords house from sponge bob square pants and some gravel... should i put those in? also what should i do to establish it?

ALSO i made the big move...
i bought 15 pounds of Aragonite sand!! I know 15 pounds may not be enough, but we shall see.... What should i do? Clean it in a bucket? Put it in the tank? also, how do you "clean" the sand when its in the tank?

[My HD PVR]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... catid=1601

is this a recommended site for puffers/fish in general? Much cheaper than the LFS, also at the LFS the F8's are at a 1.020 =/ also at 25 bucks a pop

[xrayjeeper83]

for a 2g tank, id make it a bare bottom snail tank with a cheap sponge filter.

[My HD PVR]

so how should i cycle? also what should i do with the sand?

[xrayjeeper83]

wash the sand well before putting it in your new tank is about all you have to do.

Ive never really cycled a snail tank. They can breed in a 5g bucket lol. Just do water changes on it often

[My HD PVR]

how long you wash it? do a wc on it for cleaner water?

[J-P]

wc because the poop a lot

[My HD PVR]

I just took it outside, dumped water out, put hose in at bottom dumped it out put hose in.. Etc etc.... but its still foggy? i dont want it in the tank, the black guck stopped coming out so... now what?

[J-P]

rinse once more ... and add it to the tank make sure you use dechlor and give the sand a good stir before adding to the tank.

[My HD PVR]

bring it outside AGAIN?? bleh..... my dad isnt gonna be too happy...

[xrayjeeper83]

just keep washing it till the water is clear after you stir up the sand

[My HD PVR]

Due to just having flooding problems i can only clean it so much, and now my dad says your done... the best ive gotten outta it as of now is a really light colored milky thing.... so, i just added de-clor and now im just gonna let it sit... over night...

[Pufferpunk]

Then you're done. It'll cloud the water a bit. You can add filter floss to the filter to clear it out of the water column.

[My HD PVR]

gonna let it sit over night... =P im tired did enough lifting for the day, im gonna add the sand with a wc so its easier to add at a 50% level

[My HD PVR]

Update today!!
Accomplished
Gravel is no longer at the bottom of my tank
No tigerbarbs for good!
Now my barbs are gone, non foaming ammonia vs fish food? which should i use?

My tank is a HUGE mess, im letting it sit until it is clear, since there are no fish in there it doesnt really matter, re heating it and re filtering
When should i start adding ammonia?

Also, once the tank clears how should i put in the sand?