New DP Aquarium Setup/Suggestions

[SRDudez]

Hey there everyone, I'm new to everything about puffers. Sure, I've done my research (including this site), but I'm still a newbie for the most part, so please bear with me

Yesterday, I bought my tank and all of its equipment. It's a 5 gallon Fluval Chi, and even though I would have preferred a Fluval Spec V, they were all sold out everywhere I went, so this will do just fine. It has sand with a little bit larger grains as substrate, fake plants, a little pagoda, the filter that came with the tank, an underpowered 10W heater (which I will upgrade later this week because now it maxes out at about 74 degrees XD), and a simple, old-school suction cup thermometer. (Pictures of the tank are down below) I plan on getting my dwarf puffer after cycling the tank.
Now on to the questions:

1. How does the setup look? I like the pagoda, but I think that's the only "artificial" thing I want in the tank. All the plants are fake, and look fine in my opinion, but is the setup a bit too open? I really want to see the little guy, but I realize DPs love their hiding places and plants. As you can see, I do have a smaller fake plant outside of the tank to the right that I could definitely add, but I'm just not sure. I'm open to any kinds of suggestions

2. THE BIG QUESTION- What about cycling? I know how it works and all, but I've heard such variable lengths of time. Like I'm sure you all can understand, I just wanna get my DP in the tank as soon as possible, but I know they can be very sensitive to chemical/pH/temperature changes, so I'll take my time. As of now, I'm scheduled to go back to Petco with a water sample in two days, and the guy there said if the nutrient levels check out, he'll get me a puffer. I specifically asked about waiting for the cycle, and he said 3 days it plenty. Hold up. I've checked so many websites, each saying that cycling your tank the first time is one of the most important things to do, and that it's the main reason fish die the first couple weeks, so I think I'm going to stall on the fish, and do it fishless. I've added a bacterial supplement (Fluval Biological Enhancer) to get the cycle going, but I don't know where to go from there. I've heard it's best to just add straight ammonia at the beginning (3-4 ppm) and let the first, then the second set of bacteria run its course until ammonia and nitrite are at 0, and nitrate is less than 10 (Correct me if I'm wrong on those measurements). From there, am I free to add my DP? Thanks.

3. Water changes- what's the best way to do it? Also, how often for a 5 gallon? I'm on well water here at my house, so the quality isn't exactly ideal for a fresh tank. I used distilled water from Safeway this first time, which I heard is a good place to start. Lastly, ideas on siphon tubes? Are they the only way to go, or just handy? Keep in mind my tank is in my room, next door to a bathroom but not immediately next to a water source.

4. How often should I change the filter? I know it has the primary one, to take care of any contamination, and the second one to house the bacteria, but how often are they switched (if at all)?

5. When I finally finish cycling the tank and I'm bringing the puffer home in a plastic bag (sounds really fun for him), what's the best way to transfer him into the tank (assuming I have the tank set up and ready at home)? I've heard they can puff up under stress, and if they do so out of water, it's usually a death sentence. Again, how should I do it (because I know you can't just pour the bag water in and call it a day)?

6. Sort of related to #3, but how often do I do full water changes or tank cleanings (are those a thing?) versus partial ones?

7. What kind of treatments need to be added to the water after it is in the tank (assuming it is distilled), if any? Also, opinions on solutions that "calm the fish down"?

Pretty sure that's it for now, and help is greatly appreciated

Tank from the front: https://gyazo.com/a692c78d023c0466c26391a679b6b00a
Tank from the top: https://gyazo.com/e162032e8ade1395315555d1972778e8
Tank from the left: https://gyazo.com/8b19abda9a04fca4a4556dde43fc85e4
Tank from the right: https://gyazo.com/1d34f860ba3ff0d84fd0ea1c3133f382
Tank from the frontish: https://gyazo.com/cd027a57ebe2b5771f745dc79984b6c7

[Iliveinazoo]

Hey there everyone, I'm new to everything about puffers. Sure, I've done my research (including this site), but I'm still a newbie for the most part, so please bear with me

Yesterday, I bought my tank and all of its equipment. It's a 5 gallon Fluval Chi, and even though I would have preferred a Fluval Spec V, they were all sold out everywhere I went, so this will do just fine. It has sand with a little bit larger grains as substrate, fake plants, a little pagoda, the filter that came with the tank, an underpowered 10W heater (which I will upgrade later this week because now it maxes out at about 74 degrees XD), and a simple, old-school suction cup thermometer. (Pictures of the tank are down below) I plan on getting my dwarf puffer after cycling the tank.
Now on to the questions:

1. How does the setup look? I like the pagoda, but I think that's the only "artificial" thing I want in the tank. All the plants are fake, and look fine in my opinion, but is the setup a bit too open? I really want to see the little guy, but I realize DPs love their hiding places and plants. As you can see, I do have a smaller fake plant outside of the tank to the right that I could definitely add, but I'm just not sure. I'm open to any kinds of suggestions

2. THE BIG QUESTION- What about cycling? I know how it works and all, but I've heard such variable lengths of time. Like I'm sure you all can understand, I just wanna get my DP in the tank as soon as possible, but I know they can be very sensitive to chemical/pH/temperature changes, so I'll take my time. As of now, I'm scheduled to go back to Petco with a water sample in two days, and the guy there said if the nutrient levels check out, he'll get me a puffer. I specifically asked about waiting for the cycle, and he said 3 days it plenty. Hold up. I've checked so many websites, each saying that cycling your tank the first time is one of the most important things to do, and that it's the main reason fish die the first couple weeks, so I think I'm going to stall on the fish, and do it fishless. I've added a bacterial supplement (Fluval Biological Enhancer) to get the cycle going, but I don't know where to go from there. I've heard it's best to just add straight ammonia at the beginning (3-4 ppm) and let the first, then the second set of bacteria run its course until ammonia and nitrite are at 0, and nitrate is less than 10 (Correct me if I'm wrong on those measurements). From there, am I free to add my DP? Thanks.

3. Water changes- what's the best way to do it? Also, how often for a 5 gallon? I'm on well water here at my house, so the quality isn't exactly ideal for a fresh tank. I used distilled water from Safeway this first time, which I heard is a good place to start. Lastly, ideas on siphon tubes? Are they the only way to go, or just handy? Keep in mind my tank is in my room, next door to a bathroom but not immediately next to a water source.

4. How often should I change the filter? I know it has the primary one, to take care of any contamination, and the second one to house the bacteria, but how often are they switched (if at all)?

5. When I finally finish cycling the tank and I'm bringing the puffer home in a plastic bag (sounds really fun for him), what's the best way to transfer him into the tank (assuming I have the tank set up and ready at home)? I've heard they can puff up under stress, and if they do so out of water, it's usually a death sentence. Again, how should I do it (because I know you can't just pour the bag water in and call it a day)?

6. Sort of related to #3, but how often do I do full water changes or tank cleanings (are those a thing?) versus partial ones?

7. What kind of treatments need to be added to the water after it is in the tank (assuming it is distilled), if any? Also, opinions on solutions that "calm the fish down"?

Pretty sure that's it for now, and help is greatly appreciated

Tank from the front: https://gyazo.com/a692c78d023c0466c26391a679b6b00a
Tank from the top: https://gyazo.com/e162032e8ade1395315555d1972778e8
Tank from the left: https://gyazo.com/8b19abda9a04fca4a4556dde43fc85e4
Tank from the right: https://gyazo.com/1d34f860ba3ff0d84fd0ea1c3133f382
Tank from the frontish: https://gyazo.com/cd027a57ebe2b5771f745dc79984b6c7

1. I think it'll be a great home for a DP, the extra plant will provide more 'interest' for your puffer but only add it if you are happy with the look of it in your tank.

2. You are right to be sceptical. I've never used the fluval product but because it adds nitrification bacteria into your aquarium then you need an ammonia source to feed them, basically it is marketed as an instant cycling product so that you can add your fish after the 3rd day of adding it to your aquarium. as said i have never used it so can't say if it works but you could either jump straight in and add your fish or add an ammonia source for the first week to make sure that the bacteria is doing its job before adding the fish. If you do add your fish straight away it would be great if you could post your water test results daily for a couple of weeks so others can feel confident that it works. I note that you are letting the LFS test the water for you but i highly recommend getting your own test kit so that you can monitor every day for the first month.
There is a thread on this forum somewhere about cycling with straight ammonia but I've not cycled a tank in this way so i can't help you there i'm afraid, but please note that while nitrification bacteria will work to reduce ammonia and nitrite to zero they will not reduce nitrate. Nitrate is the waste product of nitrification bacteria and the only way to reduce it is through water changes.

3. Prepare to do 50% water changes weekly. By siphon tube do you mean just a hose or a full blown 'python' style kit? Either way you could get away with a gravel vac and a bucket.

4. It depends on the type of filter that you have and its media, if it is a removeable cartridge then you may not be able to clean it very well and it will need changing once it becomes clogged but if you have simple sponges and/or ceramic-type media then they can just be cleaned in the old tank water when they start to get dirty.
I don't know what you mean by primary and secondary media but there are generally 3 types of media:
CHEMICAL: like activated carbon which will need to be changed every couple of weeks once it has depleted itself, if left it will just become biological media.
Biological: like ceramic-type media or sponges that house the greatest numbers of nitrification bacteria.
MECHAINICAL: like sponges that are there to trap particles in the filter to keep the tank water clear.

5. You are right not to want to expose your puffer to the air. I would recommend placing the bag on top of the water for 10 mins or so so that the temperature of the bag water is brought closer tot the temperature of the tank water then slowly add a small amount of tank water into the bag in intervals to slowly make the bag water chemistry closer to the tank water, then use a small cup to capture the fish so that it can be transferred from bag to water with minimal contamination and zero air exposure. Once transferred try to leave your tank lights off for a few hours to let your puffer settle into his new home with less stress.

6. Weekly 50% water change with a good algae scrape and gravel vac at the same time should do the trick.

7. The only 'treatment' that i add to my tank is a combined heavy metal and dechlorinator solution and plant fertilisers. If you follow a good maintenance regime and track your water parameters then you shouldn't need a solution to calm your fish.

Enjoy your puffer