Joined
·
11,082 Posts
Looking good! Your ex had the right idea - a blue damsel would be a great alternative for a 30g tank to "Dori" who needs a HUGE tank - just a little later. 
The ammonia during the cycle can hurt a fish, that's why the others are suggesting removing him until it's ready. Well, that and fact they can be mean little brats! If your daughter likes the damsel though, I'd just do as the others suggested and have the LFS hold it for a bit. Also, you should stock from least aggressive to most - so if other more peaceful fish are on your list to get I'd add them first and the damsel last.
For siphoning your sand - depending on the grade of the sand and the newness of it you could suck up a little to a lot. Sand gets heavier as the tank ages. Also the size of the siphon seems to make a difference (to me anyway) my larger siphon sucks up more detritus than sand, but my smaller one sucks up more sand. When you stick your siphon in the sand you'll see a little cloud rise up - it's lighter than the sand so should get sucked up faster. If you find yourself sucking up a lot of sand you can either A) pinch the tube (like a garden hose) to reduce suction B) just go ahead and suck up the sand then rinse and return it or C) just toss it - you can always add more down the road if it starts getting low.
The ammonia during the cycle can hurt a fish, that's why the others are suggesting removing him until it's ready. Well, that and fact they can be mean little brats! If your daughter likes the damsel though, I'd just do as the others suggested and have the LFS hold it for a bit. Also, you should stock from least aggressive to most - so if other more peaceful fish are on your list to get I'd add them first and the damsel last. For siphoning your sand - depending on the grade of the sand and the newness of it you could suck up a little to a lot. Sand gets heavier as the tank ages. Also the size of the siphon seems to make a difference (to me anyway) my larger siphon sucks up more detritus than sand, but my smaller one sucks up more sand. When you stick your siphon in the sand you'll see a little cloud rise up - it's lighter than the sand so should get sucked up faster. If you find yourself sucking up a lot of sand you can either A) pinch the tube (like a garden hose) to reduce suction B) just go ahead and suck up the sand then rinse and return it or C) just toss it - you can always add more down the road if it starts getting low.
