All under one thread redoing my 26 flatback

[KribensisLover1]

Hello!

Finally I decided to do one thread.
Tank: 26 gallon flatback hex acrylic (relevant for the bracing around the sides)
Substrate: Amazonia ADA version 2
Lighting: suspended Chihiros B light accidentally ordered a much smaller size but kept it bc I think it’ll be ok as it’s suspended
Filter: Sicce Whale 120 my first canister. Needed a size that would fit in the cabinet and this was the one!
Plants: as many as possible!
Heater: Fluval glass 200 watts
Stocking: as many cardinal tetras as possible, hopefully 4 or so Cories also.

Here’s where I am currently for those who have been SO KIND to help me so much.

I’ve hung the light (it’s DEF uneven but I can raise and lower each side individually and I will when I bring a level over there) and the Sicce canister is set up! I ordered a glass heater that’s silvery as I plan to get stainless steel Lilly pipes at some point.
I plan to put my Amazonia and the plants at the same time BUT to jumpstart my cycle should I:
A.) bring over seeded media from my LONG established 64.8 gallon tank with two HOB’s and put it in the Sicce?
B.) bring media from the Sicce and stick it in my HOB’s on the established tank?
I’m likely to do A bc I want to keep all my new stuff together but just making sure I’m not making some huge mistake that will delay the cycling. My friend seems to think I’m crazy to think the seeded media will jumpstart the cycle but I have done it numerous times and the new tank has always been cycled the same day (truly). I won’t mess around and I won’t put fish in at the beginning and of course I’ll test but I don’t think I’ll need to wait too long! Fingers crossed.

 

[A201]

Nothing wrong with doing an instant cycle using seeded filter media.

Depending on the size & amount of seeded media added, a reasonably sized group of fish can also be added.

 

[KribensisLover1]

Nothing wrong with doing an instant cycle using seeded filter media.

Depending on the size & amount of seeded media added, a reasonably sized group of fish can also be added.

Thank you!!

 

[Fishfur]

My all time favourite method to kick start a cycle is to use filter squeezings ( or rinsings if you prefer that term).

If I need to seed a new tank, I take the media out of an established filter that hasn’t been cleaned recently and treat the media badly .

We’re supposed to be fairly gentle with rinsing media so as not to knock off nitrifiers but in this case e want to knock some off!

So I whack, twist & squeeze sponge hard to knock some solid waste & nitrifiers it of it and give ceramic a harsh rubbing.

If there’s floss, which there usually is, I give that a beating too but I use the smallest possible amount of water to clean the media.

By the end the water usually looks absolutely filthy & disgusting and probably rather lumpy. Perfect !!!

I pour the horrible looking squeezings into the new filter or possibly directly into the tank, which is messier but just as effective. But you’ll have some settled grunge to siphon out a day or so later.

Even when it goes into a filter you are likely to get rather clouded water but it is temporary and will clear up on its own on a day or so at most, in my experience anyway.

I have put one or two small fish in the same day I use the squeezings and had no problems but no more than that.

I find this method is quicker than others that use a piece of media to seed with or something like that.

If it is possible to transfer enough well seasoned media directly from an established filter to a new one, then you get what amounts to an instant cycle that will support the same load in a new tank as it did in the old one,

 

[KribensisLover1]

My all time favourite method to kick start a cycle is to use filter squeezings ( or rinsings if you prefer that term).

If I need to seed a new tank, I take the media out of an established filter that hasn’t been cleaned recently and treat the media badly .

We’re supposed to be fairly gentle with rinsing media so as not to knock off nitrifiers but in this case e want to knock some off!

So I whack, twist & squeeze sponge hard to knock some solid waste & nitrifiers it of it and give ceramic a harsh rubbing.

If there’s floss, which there usually is, I give that a beating too but I use the smallest possible amount of water to clean the media.

By the end the water usually looks absolutely filthy & disgusting and probably rather lumpy. Perfect !!!

I pour the horrible looking squeezings into the new filter or possibly directly into the tank, which is messier but just as effective. But you’ll have some settled grunge to siphon out a day or so later.

Even when it goes into a filter you are likely to get rather clouded water but it is temporary and will clear up on its own on a day or so at most, in my experience anyway.

I have put one or two small fish in the same day I use the squeezings and had no problems but no more than that.

I find this method is quicker than others that use a piece of media to seed with or something like that.

If it is possible to transfer enough well seasoned media directly from an established filter to a new one, then you get what amounts to an instant cycle that will support the same load in a new tank as it did in the old one,

Oh wow THANK YOU! I almost rinsed my media yesterday in my established tank when I did my water change and I didn’t and now I’m happy!! Ty!!

Also is this set up in pics okay for the two hoses and the heater? I can swap the heater and the hose (on our left) so it’s hose heater hose but I kind of like the symmetry how it is. Eventually I’ll get stainless steel pipes to match the heater but that’s later.

ALSO I’m cleaning the walls of the tank with Vinegar—I used the Novus system to clean the Acrylic & buff—but it leaves a residue so Vinegar helps. I’ve done the outside, HOWEVER, do I have to rinse out the tank if I clean the inside with vinegar or can I just stick the substrate in and the plants and start the filter running?

 

[KribensisLover1]

Hello!!
got these plants at Tom’s Tropicals in Maryland. I don’t even know what they are but will they do okay in low lighting (or medium?) with a Chihiros b?

Ty!!

 

[Fishfur]

There are two that are not aquatic & thus won’t last very long but the rest should do ok.

1st pic - Vallisneria - not sure just which one

2nd pic - Vallisneria nana - Australian native & very attractive- can get quite tall.

3rd & 4th pics - Pilea cadierei - aka Aluminum plant.

Good for some paludariums or terrariums but not aquatic & will die if left underwater, though not immediately.

5th pic - Strobilanthes alternata formerly Hemigraphis alternata or H.exotica aka Purple Waffle plant.

Not aquatic but is a good larger terrarium plant. Will die if left underwater though not immediately.

6th pic - Shinnersia rivularis aka Mexican Oak Leaf plant. Fast growing aquatic that’s quite attractive.

 

[KribensisLover1]

There are two that are not aquatic & thus won’t last very long but the rest should do ok.

1st pic - Vallisneria - not sure just which one

2nd pic - Vallisneria nana - Australian native & very attractive- can get quite tall.

3rd & 4th pics - Pilea cadierei - aka Aluminum plant.

Good for some paludariums or terrariums but not aquatic & will die if left underwater, though not immediately.

5th pic - Strobilanthes alternata formerly Hemigraphis alternata or H.exotica aka Purple Waffle plant.

Not aquatic but is a good larger terrarium plant. Will die if left underwater though not immediately.

6th pic - Shinnersia rivularis aka Mexican Oak Leaf plant. Fast growing aquatic that’s quite attractive.

Oh lovely. They were all in tanks at the store but they’re new to the store so like you said they would still look fine bc they do not die immediately (like they wouldn’t have died in the week they had them). How soon will they die bc maybe I should return them. They were expensive!! I got a pleco there (bristle nose) for $29.99 and that’s soooo much more than anywhere around here. Like more than triple.

how long do you think the plants might live? Like a month? Or a year?

also the real question is this;
The substrate is in the tank already. (See photos—and the light will be much lower but I need space to aquasacpe and plant today).

The woman at the plants store said to fill the tank with water and then plant. IS THIS CORRECT? Seems way easier to put in decor and then plants and THEN fill so I’m not arm deep in water trying to get plants to stay rooted.

(She also said I was a fool to get Amazonia ADA bc it’s going to be so cloudy but it’s too late (it’s in the tank).

AND I’ll start running my canister filter today!! Exciting!!

 

[Fishfur]

Oh lovely. They were all in tanks at the store but they’re new to the store so like you said they would still look fine bc they do not die immediately (like they wouldn’t have died in the week they had them). How soon will they die bc maybe I should return them. They were expensive!! I got a pleco there (bristle nose) for $29.99 and that’s soooo much more than anywhere around here. Like more than triple.

how long do you think the plants might live? Like a month? Or a year?

also the real question is this;
The substrate is in the tank already. (See photos—and the light will be much lower but I need space to aquasacpe and plant today).

The woman at the plants store said to fill the tank with water and then plant. IS THIS CORRECT? Seems way easier to put in decor and then plants and THEN fill so I’m not arm deep in water trying to get plants to stay rooted.

(She also said I was a fool to get Amazonia ADA bc it’s going to be so cloudy but it’s too late (it’s in the tank).

AND I’ll start running my canister filter today!! Exciting!!View attachment 928747View attachment 928748View attachment 928749

If you can return those two plants, I would do so.

They might look ok for a few weeks or possibly a little longer before they really start to show the effects of submersion, but they are absolutely not aquatic and shouldn’t have been sold as such.

The store might not know that but if they don’t it’s time they learned. Some commercial vendors sell packs of ‘assorted’ plants and these tend to be in those assortments. Still no excuse though.

As for planting, I find it easiest in a new tank if it’s only got a few inches of water over the substrate. Once planted, then I fill it the rest of the way

When you add water, have a large flat plate or wide & shallow plastic container resting on the substrate and pour water directly onto or into this ‘baffle’ very slowly.

This will prevent a lot of the disturbance that causes the clouding.

Remove the baffle to decorate & plant, then hold it or even just the your palm under the stream of new water as you fill, so the forces get spread out in all directions.

You’ll be amazed how much difference a baffle like that makes to the level of disturbance on the bottom.

 

[KribensisLover1]

If you can return those two plants, I would do so.

They might look ok for a few weeks or possibly a little longer before they really start to show the effects of submersion, but they are absolutely not aquatic and shouldn’t have been sold as such.

The store might not know that but if they don’t it’s time they learned. Some commercial vendors sell packs of ‘assorted’ plants and these tend to be in those assortments. Still no excuse though.

As for planting, I find it easiest in a new tank if it’s only got a few inches of water over the substrate. Once planted, then I fill it the rest of the way

When you add water, have a large flat plate or wide & shallow plastic container resting on the substrate and pour water directly onto or into this ‘baffle’ very slowly.

This will prevent a lot of the disturbance that causes the clouding.

Remove the baffle to decorate & plant, then hold it or even just the your palm under the stream of new water as you fill, so the forces get spread out in all directions.

You’ll be amazed how much difference a baffle like that makes to the level of disturbance on the bottom.

Thank you! Yea I used a glass large measuring cup as a baffle and even after filling and turning my canister on, and even after scaping and setting up the filter the Amazonia substrate didn’t get too cloudy! I had my friend (who is on here fish things) scape my tank and I love it! The canister has a faint sound but it’s better with a towel under. I wish I could post videos to hear it!! I didn’t read your reply until after I planted so the non aquatic plants are already in the tank (it’s at my mom’s house so I can’t take them out until the next time I’m there). Of course it’s my two favorite plants lol!

Okay so I ordered two 15 lb bags of substrate. I was always told one pound to one gallon to get an inch and two pounds to one gallon for two inches etc etc

So….let me preface by saying I like the look of the substrate a lot. Yet I got 30 lbs of Amazonia ADA version 2 for my 26 gallon tank AND LOOK HOW DEEP IT IS! Def more than 2 inches! Is rhat ok? I’m planning to add seeded media and hope to jumpstart the cycle yet I’m sure more substrate rhat leaches ammonia will slow the cycle down. That is fine, the real question is if that’s too much substrate long term. Yes it makes for less water so I can’t get as many fish which STINKS but is it bad in any other ways? I hope to get up to 20 or more cardinal tetras (and maybe 4–5–6 small Cories down the road) yet I want as many many many cardinals as I can have.
YetI hate to remove any substrate and make the water cloudy and again I like how it looks a lot—I do though want to make sure it’s safe.

FishThings

 

[Fishfur]

Deeper substrate isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it provides more root room for plants. I’d be inclined to leave it as it is.

 

[Mudminnow]

The deeper substrate is a good thing. It makes planting easier, you can burry root tabs deeper when the time comes, and the plants can really root well. I've got a couple tanks where the substrate's over 8" deep in the back. The plants love it.

Also, be wary of any advice from a shop owner that sells you terrestrial plants for your aquarium and says you're a fool to use Aqua Soil because it makes the water cloudy....

 

[KribensisLover1]

The deeper substrate is a good thing. It makes planting easier, you can burry root tabs deeper when the time comes, and the plants can really root well. I've got a couple tanks where the substrate's over 8" deep in the back. The plants love it.

Also, be wary of any advice from a shop owner that sells you terrestrial plants for your aquarium and says you're a fool to use Aqua Soil because it makes the water cloudy....

Hahahaha AGREED! TY! Last thing: so I put two large bags of ADA Amazonia in the tank but did NOT mix in the additional small bags of pellets that also come with the Amazonia so now I have those two small bags of unused pellets.
I didn’t use them bc somebody told “I I wouldn't add those pellets in the beginning. Amazonia already has loads of nutrients to start off with. Adding the pellets in a new set up usually causes loads of hair algae. Save it months down the road” when the tank has less nutrients.
BUT I just read those small pellet bags make the Amazonia soil extra rich and I should use them now or it’s a waste to have even purchased Amazonia (and it’s way more $$ than fluval and I got it bc it’s more nutrients!).

Silly me. It’s clearly too late to put them under the main soil as instructed but should I mix them in with the main soil now? Or drop them around the root of the plants?

 

[Mudminnow]

I'd recommend burying the fertilizer pellets as deep as you can. I think the person that said Amazonia already has loads of nutrients was likely confusing version 1 with version 2.

 

[KribensisLover1]

I'd recommend burying the fertilizer pellets as deep as you can. I think the person that said Amazonia already has loads of nutrients was likely confusing version 1 with version 2.

Oh crud ok! I’ll get right on that thank you!!

 

[KribensisLover1]

Updates: went to the house yesterday with a bag of ceramic media from the AC 50 running on the 64.8 gallon (I have two filters on there).I’ll also do sponge stuff and use the water from the dirty sponges as suggested but this was a first step. I haven’t buried the pellets yet and I need to replant a plant that is floating but this story is so wild to me:

In the prior 26 gallon I used the AC 50 and about 8 months ago moved it to my 64.8 gallon at another house. It’s been running since.
In the old 26 gallon I had a ton of MTSnails. In the 64.8 I have a lot of snails but NO MTS NOT ONE.
I took the bag of ceramic media from the AC to the newly set up 26 flatback and cut the bag open to spread ceramic in the canister and there were TONS AND TONS of MTS. They had been living in the filter bag of media for 6 months BUT NONE had moved into the tank. I just think it’s crazy bc those snails SPECIFICALLY spread so quickly and easily and they are born as tiny snails that don’t need a partner to reproduce and not one washed through into my tank?

INSANE.

 

[Fishfur]

Updates: went to the house yesterday with a bag of ceramic media from the AC 50 running on the 64.8 gallon (I have two filters on there).I’ll also do sponge stuff and use the water from the dirty sponges as suggested but this was a first step. I haven’t buried the pellets yet and I need to replant a plant that is floating but this story is so wild to me:

Wait ‘til you discover a filter sponge has been colonized! They will burrow into sponges and when you remove such a sponge & maybe you just put it down for a minute, then you may be startled when it suddenly starts moving by itself. .

 

[DaveKS]

Updates: went to the house yesterday with a bag of ceramic media from the AC 50 running on the 64.8 gallon (I have two filters on there).I’ll also do sponge stuff and use the water from the dirty sponges as suggested but this was a first step. I haven’t buried the pellets yet and I need to replant a plant that is floating but this story is so wild to me:

This would be my immediate response. Lower light to 1/2 its current height. Move filter output to right and point it downward a bit so it sweeps around tank bottom.

 

[KribensisLover1]

This would be my immediate response. Lower light to 1/2 its current height. Move filter output to right and point it downward a bit so it sweeps around tank bottom.

Sadly the filter output has to go over the tank bracing and the tank isn’t brand new (I am the first owner but it’s not new) so it’s swelled a little where the HOB wasn’t so the far right is wider and the output only fits there. I’ll try again to push it over! But I raised the light so the bamboo would have more light but next time I go there (tomorrow) I’ll lower it, added more plants, and bought an airstone bar! I did this yesterday so I don’t have a new photo of it but I will turn the output down too!! Also I can get a shade for the light to concentrate it bc I messed up the length but I think it’s ok??