First tank 30Gal build picture heavy

I am going to try and post regular updates on here of my first tank Iv been doing research on here for a while now and have gained so much information on just about anything I put in a thread that I need answers too.

I have wanted a very specific set up for this tank mainly low maintenance due to the nature of my job as I am away 5 days a week.

The set up will be
Fluval 307 canister filter
2 75w Ehiem Heaters
Sand substrate
1 java fern plant (I will introduce more when my cycle has finished and I have thought about positions of rocks etc.

I’m going to do a fish less cycle I am hoping to water in the tank tomorrow as this is when my unit the tank is going on is arriving.

A few pics to keep you all interested

I purchased to 10kg bags of sand which requires very little cleaning shown in the picture is 1 bag of the substrate which is just below 1 inch of the bottom of the tank so I may not use the additional bag just yet.

Any recommendations of swapping out filter media in the fluval 307 and also positions of the trays, Iv heard a few people are a bit antI carbon in their filters.

 

Look forward to seeing it progress, ask as many questions as you need to we’re all here to help

 

Updates for you guys my unit arrived today and I got the tank ontop and soon was drilling holes for cables and hoses etc. and umm well it bowed in the middle I think the tank filled with water is around 120-135kg so I have put some additional supports underneath the unit. Fluval 307 fits nicely And is fairly quiet water is still a bit cloudy, my light is arriving tomorrow so will post a picture when I have that up and running.

I forgot to add photos sorry

 

Hey there! I've got a 30 gal rimless running with a Sunsun 304a, also with sand substrate. Looking forward to seeing what you do with yours!

 

Good luck!

 

I like the white stand a lot. Should look good once everything is done!

 

Nice looking tank! You're from UK, I suppose. The sand packaging seems like its from Maidenhead Aquatics?

 

Sprinkle yes it is from Maidenhead aquatics they do have a good reputation some of their stores not so good, I would highly recommend a visit to Shirley aquatics in Birmingham (out skirts of Birmingham) amazing place more like an aquarium than an aquatics shop!

Not sure if anyone has seen my post in the beginners forum but I had some trouble with my unit sagging in the middle it isn’t a unit designed for a fish tank and with a lot of comments telling me to get a new stand for a tank I have chosen to ignore this. I am a carpenter and have just spend my evening modifying my sideboard. Pics below. I took a trip to a hardware store and brought some 80L bins for my newly/mid cycled water I was not going to loose that water. I will also now be sitting the tank on 12mm ply and a bed of 25mm polystyrene.

Little bit of help should the tank sit on the polystyrene then the ply under or the other way round???

Pics

 

First test results from master test kit.

Nitrate - 40ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Ammonia - 0.25ppm
PH - 7.6
High PH - 7.4

Am I on a good track here tank has been cycling for 3 days now. Shall I stop putting aqua care bio boost in on the directions it only tells you to add half a cap every 10L up to three days after setting it up. Also should I be doing a water change any time soon? My tank isn’t quite filled to the top and I am wanting to fill it up before adding fish.

I have some aqua one fish food that came in a pack of bio boost, and tap conditioner is it worth adding this while doing my fish less cycle.

Got my led today here’s some pictures of it set up on blue and blue and white.

 

Update I purchased some rocks today and plants java fern, amazon sword. I’m still mid cycle so not sure how these plants will effect the levels I will do a check on them tomorrow I have just added dr Tim’s ammonia.

I keep forgetting to upload photos and do text only.

 

What rocks did you get? I just ordered dragonstone and grey mountain stone for my new aquarium

 

Looking good! Love these types of threads!

 

I’m trying to put as much info and pictures as possible as that’s what I look for in a build to get good ideas. As for the rocks I honestly don’t know they come in small packs that were unlabelled from my local fish shop.

I’m still contemplating a nice piece of wood for the centre but I can’t find what I want/like

 

I’m still contemplating a nice piece of wood for the centre but I can’t find what I want/like

Maybe manzanita, or if you live near a heavily wooded area you can get wood for free

 

I am wanting to put some slate in there to make a small enclosure is this okay to put in also for finding wood in a forest do I can to strip bark what is the way to do this?

I don’t want it effecting the water ***

 

Just done my second API water test, I have done this test after adding 120 Drops of Dr Tim's ammonia to my tank.

Ammonia: between 4-8 ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
NitrAte: between 5-10ppm

My last results can be seen above in the thread, should I be doing a water change or adding anything at this stage?


I'm having trouble with my cycle so will be leaving it for a week now I have a high ammonia reading, my tank wasn't quite filled to the top so rather than do a water change I have added dechlorinated tap water and added some bio boost to the tank so will be leaving it as it is for a week and doing a test in the next 4-5 days.

 

Just done my second API water test, I have done this test after adding 120 Drops of Dr Tim's ammonia to my tank.

Ammonia: between 4-8 ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
NitrAte: between 5-10ppm

My last results can be seen above in the thread, should I be doing a water change or adding anything at this stage?View attachment 677961

You don't want to have your Ammonia go above 5ppm because that will introduce a different set of bacteria that you don't want or need.

Ideally I would get it to 4ppm and then allow the bacs to work through that amount and convert all of it to nitrate... At 4ppm I would only test the PH and make sure that's stable. At a certain point the excessive amount of converted nitrate will cause the PH to crash. At that point do a 100% or as close to it as you can and get the ammonia back up to 4ppm.

One pro tip I read about many moons ago is that once your ammonia is converted through to Nitrate leave 12 hours before adding more ammonia. This is on the premise that the bacs will go about multiplying faster after a good feed and with nothing left to consume.

To be clear the bacs multiply regardless but the 12 hour gap between fully converting the ammonia through to nitrate and the next dosing of ammonia, in my own experience, shortened my last fishless cycle by several weeks. Cutting the entire process in half or there abouts.

Good luck!

 

You don't want to have your Ammonia go above 5ppm because that will introduce a different set of bacteria that you don't want or need.

Ideally I would get it to 4ppm and then allow the bacs to work through that amount and convert all of it to nitrate... At 4ppm I would only test the PH and make sure that's stable. At a certain point the excessive amount of converted nitrate will cause the PH to crash. At that point do a 100% or as close to it as you can and get the ammonia back up to 4ppm.

One pro tip I read about many moons ago is that once your ammonia is converted through to Nitrate leave 12 hours before adding more ammonia. This is on the premise that the bacs will go about multiplying faster after a good feed and with nothing left to consume.

To be clear the bacs multiply regardless but the 12 hour gap between fully converting the ammonia through to nitrate and the next dosing of ammonia, in my own experience, shortened my last fishless cycle by several weeks. Cutting the entire process in half or there abouts.

Good luck!

Thank you I can’t do anything until Thursday now so I will re test all levels and may end up doing a water change to bring the ammonia levels down and go from there.

Rollpear if I test my water on Thursday and ammonia is still high do I need to WC to bring it down and just add tap safe to The new water and then add some bio boost bacteria And no ammonia?

 

Rollpear if I test my water on Thursday and ammonia is still high do I need to WC to bring it down and just add tap safe to The new water and then add some bio boost bacteria And no ammonia?

Ok this may be slightly controversial because I don't believe in bottled bacteria. The living organisms/bacteria that we need in our filters need oxygen and susitnance and so I'm not sure how they survive being bottled and placed on a shelf for months on end. That's my take on it.

In your position I would first test your parameters and record all readings. If ammonia and nitrite are reading 0ppm and your PH is still normal. Add ammonia and wait a day. Don't add bio boost. Don't keep your lights on for any prolonged period of time, only minutes if need be. Raise your temp to 28C and just wait for the Ammonia to convert.

Test once a day

Use seachem prime as it more concentrated to dechlorinate your water. 1ml covers 50L.

 

Rollapear I have just done a test I managed to get home which I am now for the due to Coronavirus. The results seem to be improving.

Nitrate 10ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Ammonia 1-2ppm
PH - 7.6

These were my results after adding dr Tim’s ammonia. (Tested after 24hours)
(This was on Sunday)

Ammonia: between 4-8 ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
NitrAte: between 5-10ppm

 

Rollapear I have just done a test I managed to get home which I am now for the due to Coronavirus. The results seem to be improving.

Nitrate 10ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Ammonia 1-2ppm
PH - 7.6

These were my results after adding dr Tim’s ammonia. (Tested after 24hours)
(This was on Sunday)

Ammonia: between 4-8 ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
NitrAte: between 5-10ppm

The ammonia being between 4-8ppm is still an issue. Beyond 5ppm you introduce a different set of bacteria that is of no use to the cycle. There are a few calculators you could use to stay on the safe side of dosing such as
Fishless Cycle Ammonia Calculator

I'm in the UK also but have never heard of doctor tim's ammonia so did a google search and he also stresses not going above 5ppm of ammonia on the bottle.

I would test the tap water itself just to keep a baseline reading of your parameters. But with Nitrate reading 5-10ppm I'd say you're just getting started.

I hope some of the above helps.

 

This build is at its final stage however I will update it when I make changes to the tank etc I have no finished my fishless cycling and have no added fish I have 6 neon tetras and 6 cherry barbs I will be adding tiger barbs next i had a lot of trouble with my cycle and levels my tap water is high on nitrates and after countless water changes I wasn't able to get them below 40 I have made certain changes to filter media and added moss balls to control this pics below

 

What a great thread! I loved seeing the progress so far

 

I got a bit sloppy after my cycle crashed multiple times but I will try and be active now

 

Stocked the tank i now have 6 danios 6 neon tetras and 6 cherry barbs they seem to produce a lot of fish waste is this normal I have been feeding them small pellets how much they can consume in 2 minutes 1-2 times a day