New gravel in 30 gal tank

Question
QUESTION: I bought the product called Cycle and put 3 capfuls in my 30 gal tank. Fish are swimming and appear not to be stressed, maybe I should take a couple of capfuls of that stuff myself.
When I inherited the tank, it had been up and running for over a year. My friend bought those goldfish at Walmart, and the tank at Pet Smart. In the box of stuff I received, it had food; pellets, hose to syphon water out, plastic plants (lots), underwater rocks (ornamental), gravel, Clear Water by Jungle, filter replacement with the carbon packs. Thats about it. I dismantled the whole thing and brought them to my home. I put the fish in a new bucket and got the tank up and going and they settled in just fine. I add a gal of water every week, treated with Tetra Easy Balance. I probably overfeed them, but I've cut back on their food.
On the new 20 gal tank, can I just use tap water and use the Tetra Easy Balance, or the Cycle stuff and let it run for a week before putting the other fish in?
I'm new at this stuff, probably becuz I just made the assumption it would be easy. The fish bring alot of joy to me, and I hope I can with YOUR help save them.


ANSWER: yes you can... I would use either ... tetra easy balance which I think is the new bio spira (great stuff) or cycle... which is 1/4 the cost and gets the job done... feed the fish tank every morning like there are fish in there otherwise the bacteria will not grow... one pinch in the morning on day four, five and seven... two pinches... dave

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QUESTION: This morning the fish looked better, more swimming around and more lively. Water is still cloudy but I will wait the week you recommended. I don't know if this is relevant or not. But I thought I better let you know. On Labor Day weekend I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon & out, I'm a rock pickerupper and I brought back some new rocks. Small not large. I scrubbed them, put them in hot water and rescrubbed them, and let them sit in water for about 2 days. I then put them in my tank. That's about the time all this cloudiness came about. I have since removed all rocks. Talking to my geology friend, he told me the rocks I've picked on the bottom of the canyon probably has alot of iron in it, which gives them that reddish color. I don't know if that is important, but since I'm trying to locate the problem I thought I should tell you that. Thank you for your help. I'm starting to feel a bit better about the whole thing.

ANSWER: Metallic rocks can offset the pH in tanks and some can leach color into the water... this may be part of the problem... dave

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QUESTION: Metallic rocks??? are those just rocks you find while walking??? or hiking??? I hike all the time and when I find something particularly interesting I take it home. Since I've had the tank I tend to put them in, after CLEANING & SITTING for awhile.
Let me know if this is a problem. I've had some of them since I've had the tank. My friend just had garish/ornamental junk, since I'm in the Southwest I put southwest rocks in.
Put new gravel in the 30 gal tank. Fish seem to be ok, not sitting at the bottom. Tank is still cloudy but they seem better. As opposed to sitting at the bottom. I've always been a dog/bird person and inheriting fish was a big thing for me. I actually think the family would've put the fish down the drain if I hadn't said something. They have done so well with me for 17.6 mos, its a mystery. But I'm learning alot. A great thanks to you.
Put the new 20 gal tank up, the pump looks a bit cheesy, but I will have to wait for awhile to see how it goes. Put the new stuff that came with the 20 gal. tank "AquaSafe" by Tetra. Put new gravel in, and it all going good.  
I worry. Thank you Dave so much. I'm very grateful.

Answer
A metallic rock is any rock that is made up of metals such as iron.  Fools gold is also a metallic rock and it should never be put into a tank.  Rocks that contain lime... such as limestone will also raise the pH.  Keep your eye on the water chemistry... most any fish store will test your water for your and it is usually free.... dave