My Dry Start 20l....

Petco's 1$ gallon sale is ending soon so I picked up a 20 long today. I want to try my hand at a dry start planted tank (on a BUDGET!)

What black paint works best for the back glass?

Finnex planted+ or shop lights? Something different all together? looking for med/high light. Definitely want a lush carpeting plant!

Canister or HOB?

DIY co2 or a whole kit because I'm a co2 newbie? Got any good tutorial links for beginners?

What type of substrate?

And when the time comes....maybe a school of rummynose tetras! Maybe cardinals! Who knows!!

Thoughts? Tips? Suggestions?

Updates to follow as they happen!

 

I just picked up 2 10 gallon and a 20 gallon long a couple of weeks ago at the sale. I'm trying latex paint. Seems to work fine but you have to clean the glass very well. I've used acrylic paint and plastidip spray as well. Make sure the acrylic paint is water resistant when dry as some are not. I bought some cheap 50¢ paint brushes so I can throw them out after painting rather than cleaning up but the latex is water based and rinsed off easily. I put 3 coats with about 3-6 hrs between coats. You can also use a 2-3" roller.

I would recommend a Beamswork DA light or 2 if you need high light. I don't think the Finnex is high light but it might work in a 20 gallon long.



If you're going for a carpeting plant, you might want to do a dirted, capped substrate. Miracle Gro organic potting mix (not soil) capped with your choice of inert substrate. PFS if you want white sand or BDBS if you want black.

Can't help with co2 but DIY is a lot of work and expensive long term.

Make sure you test the water before adding fish as there can be an ammonia or nitrate spike.

Good luck!

 

I just picked up 2 10 gallon and a 20 gallon long a couple of weeks ago at the sale. I'm trying latex paint. Seems to work fine but you have to clean the glass very well. I've used acrylic paint and plastidip spray as well. Make sure the acrylic paint is water resistant when dry as some are not. I bought some cheap 50¢ paint brushes so I can throw them out after painting rather than cleaning up but the latex is water based and rinsed off easily. I put 3 coats with about 3-6 hrs between coats. You can also use a 2-3" roller.

I would recommend a Beamswork DA light or 2 if you need high light. I don't think the Finnex is high light but it might work in a 20 gallon long.



If you're going for a carpeting plant, you might want to do a dirted, capped substrate. Miracle Gro organic potting mix (not soil) capped with your choice of inert substrate. PFS if you want white sand or BDBS if you want black.

Can't help with co2 but DIY is a lot of work and expensive long term.

Make sure you test the water before adding fish as there can be an ammonia or nitrate spike.

Good luck!

thank you for all this info! I was considering ada amazonia soil but it is SO expensive! I'm going to do a lot of research on regular organic soils. I like to use petco black sand in all my tanks because I find it easiest to clean. I'll probably cap with that. I tried bdbs once and it was a greasy mess! I threw it out. I guess I got a bad batch.

I don't think I'll be adding fish for at least a couple of months, since I would like to dry start the tank for a long time before I fill it. I rush with all my tanks and I'd like to take this one slow and steady.

do you have any knowledge about shop lights? they're an eyesore but I've heard they can be comparable to the expensive plant lights.

 

I'm cheap so I use PFS and bdbs. I use Dawn dish soap (the plain blue stuff) to wash my bdbs and it works great. Only a drop in a 5 gallon bucket is enough. PetCo has CaribSea super naturals white sand (off-white, really) and it's $5.50 per 10lb bag. I got some for a cory tank and it's a little better than PFS and I think it's worth the small extra cost.

Shop lights only come in 2' or 4' lengths so it might not fit a 30" tank. I did get an 8 pk of shop lights for a rack that's not going to have plants. My planted tanks have Fluval 2.0, 3.0, beamswork da and aquaneat lights. The Beamswork is the best bang for the buck, IMO. A 20 gallon long shouldn't be too demanding for lights as it's fairly shallow at 12".

 

I'm cheap so I use PFS and bdbs. I use Dawn dish soap (the plain blue stuff) to wash my bdbs and it works great. Only a drop in a 5 gallon bucket is enough. PetCo has CaribSea super naturals white sand (off-white, really) and it's $5.50 per 10lb bag. I got some for a cory tank and it's a little better than PFS and I think it's worth the small extra cost.

Shop lights only come in 2' or 4' lengths so it might not fit a 30" tank. I did get an 8 pk of shop lights for a rack that's not going to have plants. My planted tanks have Fluval 2.0, 3.0, beamswork da and aquaneat lights. The Beamswork is the best bang for the buck, IMO. A 20 gallon long shouldn't be too demanding for lights as it's fairly shallow at 12".

you might have me sold on the beamswork. that's a good price! $43 for a 30in. I might even splurge and get one for my planted 10 gallon lol. does it sit nicely on a rimmed tank? I see lots of plant lights that are made for rimless tanks..

 

This is a 36" on my 40 gallon breeder. The thing on the left is a dimmer switch I added.

 

Next step - soil? If you've used soil in your tank please let me know what kind and if you like it!

 

I've used Miracle Gro organic potting mix in a Fluval Spec III (2.6g) and tested in pots in my aquariums. It's not as good as root tabs but it lasts longer.

 

Things are happening! I got the miracle grow organic soil. I also got the 30" beamswork DA F-Spec light with a timer and dimmer. Still playing with the timer to get a light schedule set up..it's a confusing little gadget.


this is the soil I bought. natures care organic potting mix. now I've learned sometimes "potting mix" is not ok??? anyone know?

 

this is the soil I bought. natures care organic potting mix. now I've learned sometimes "potting mix" is not ok??? anyone know?

You want potting mix, not potting soil. That's exactly what I have. There are small white styrofoam balls in it so I soak the mix in a 5 gallon bucket and they'll float up with some pieces of wood. I scoop them out and drain the water and scoop the potting mix into the tank.

 

You want potting mix, not potting soil. That's exactly what I have. There are small white styrofoam balls in it so I soak the mix in a 5 gallon bucket and they'll float up with some pieces of wood. I scoop them out and drain the water and scoop the potting mix into the tank.

alright cool! Soaking is a great suggestion. I'm going to cap it with sand too.

 

I am running a Finnex Fugeray Planted+ on my 29 gallon (not the RGB version), and it has been a great, durable light. Next time I buy a light, it will probably be another Finnex. It would definitely give you some plant options on a 20 long.

Whoops. I replied to the original post. I see you already got a light. ;-)

 

What plants does everyone suggest for dry start?

thinking about HC.. I also have some crypt parva minI in my betta tank that just won't grow so I'll probably move that to this tank.

 

update!! I added the soil and capped it with sand. I would like to get a couple more small rocks. I'm going to the LFS tomorrow and getting a carpeting plant. I'm still not sure whether I want to do dwarf hairgrass or monte carlo.

I can't wait to get a school of fish in here in a few months. I'm considering rummynose, cherry barbs, cardinals...and so many more lol. I would like a large school so I guess should choose a smaller fish. I want only once species of fish and probably some shrimp

 

okay - change of plans. at the LFS they didn't have any healthy dwarf hair grass so I chose a large mat of beautiful, lush monte carlo. problem is - it was grown submerged and I'd get a lot of die-off if I tried to grow it dry, and then again once I filled the tank.

soooo... this is no longer a dry start tank. *facepalm*

it's still beautiful though and I'm very happy with it!

 

Nice Start!
Never tried monte carlo.
Watching!
Good Luck.

 

Nice Start!
Never tried monte carlo.
Watching!
Good Luck.

thanks! I'm excited! my c02 kit should be arriving Wednesday then I'm all set!

update: the water is pretty brown today. must be from the soil...

 

my water turned a gross brown color so I had to drain the whole tank. I decided to break up the monte carlo mat and plant clumps. this looks way better!

 

Update: I finally got my co2 up and running!!! It's at about 2 bubbles per second right now. I don't really know how many bps it should be at...

My soil is still leaching tannins and I'm doing 100% water changes every 2 days or so. Not in a rush to add fish because I want to get this monte carlo carpet situated first. Its having a little melt but that is to be expected. I hope the co2 helps it get established a little easier.

I have carbon in my filter to help with the tannins per someone's reccomendation, so I'm not using liquid ferts right now.

I let my diffuser soak for a few days in my tank. It's normal for it to have water in it then, right?

Where in the tank is the best spot to place the diffuser?

 

Hmm..
Never tried Co2.
Dave125g has had "Good" success. Maybe he can give some advice.
Good Luck!

 

Yes your diffuser should have water in it so you can monitor flow rate. I try to place the diffuser in an area of the tank where the outflow of the filter is strong and pushes those bubbles around.

 

Thanks guys!

 

BPS is only a measurement of bubbles coming out of the system, it doesn't say anything as to what the dissolved CO2 in the water. Therefore you'll need a drop checker with 4dkh solution (most drop checkers come with it, don't use tank water) to read your CO2 levels. The diffuser should be placed under outflow so that CO2 gets pushed around the tank.

I really like the iwagumI style you have going on, but I think some more rocks, larger rocks, would look even better. IwagumI typically uses at least 5 stones, and each has a name and function.

The IwagumI Layout: An Introduction • Aquascaping Love

 

so.....disaster. my filter overflowed and drained about 6 gallon of water into my bedroom. it seeped through the floor and is visible on the ceiling below....

WHAT
DO
I
DO

 

BPS is only a measurement of bubbles coming out of the system, it doesn't say anything as to what the dissolved CO2 in the water. Therefore you'll need a drop checker with 4dkh solution (most drop checkers come with it, don't use tank water) to read your CO2 levels. The diffuser should be placed under outflow so that CO2 gets pushed around the tank.

I really like the iwagumI style you have going on, but I think some more rocks, larger rocks, would look even better. IwagumI typically uses at least 5 stones, and each has a name and function.

The IwagumI Layout: An Introduction • Aquascaping Love

I agree on the rocks. I have 4 in there now, 2 supporting the bigger one and another on the opposite side.
I have a huge piece of it that was too big to fit which I need to break down before I can add it. Waiting for the snow to melt outside so I can use a hammer and crack it in my driveway haha

 

so.....disaster. my filter overflowed and drained about 6 gallon of water into my bedroom. it seeped through the floor and is visible on the ceiling below....

WHAT
DO
I
DO

I overfilled my HOB with way too much media and water began spilling over the edges. We have water in our walls now but at least I found the problem, right? oy vey.

tank is back up and running. picked up a timer for my co2 today.

my monte carlo is sprouting little baby leaves

 

I overfilled my HOB with way too much media and water began spilling over the edges. We have water in our walls now but at least I found the problem, right? oy vey.

tank is back up and running. picked up a timer for my co2 today.

my monte carlo is sprouting little baby leaves View attachment 529536

The new leaves are so exciting! I’m hoping your Monte Carlo grows well because I’m thinking of getting some as well

 

The new leaves is so exciting! I’m hoping your Monte Carlo grows well because I’m thinking of getting some as well

I don't know if it was my imagination or what, but I'm pretty sure new leaves showed up the morning after I added co2 haha!

 

I don't know if it was my imagination or what, but I'm pretty sure new leaves showed up the morning after I added co2 haha!

Quite possibly, you should see the results I have gotten in just 1 month. CO2 is like steroids for plants.

 

Quite possibly, you should see the results I have gotten in just 1 month. CO2 is like steroids for plants.

Yeah I'm learning that now! my mc is doing really well now after some melt before I added the co2

 

Update: we've got bugs!

I noticed 3 days ago that I definitely have some mites?? but not sure what they are. I have seen them in another tank of mine but not this bad. I also have some planaria/detritus worms. Ugh.

Also noticing some algae or diatoms. I have a couple of green spots of algae on my diffuser and some brown on my rocks.

I added a piece of Ludwigia and a small piece of crypt parva from my 10 gallon just because I'm curious to see how it will react to co2! Dont think I'll leave them in long term. just experimenting.

 

Cyclops! If the glass is spotless they won't have much to eat and will decrease in population

 

Cyclops! If the glass is spotless they won't have much to eat and will decrease in population

ew! just read the chapter about the cyclops in the Odyssey and I'm even more creeped out!

Also.......just found this. This is something I've definitely never seen before. Pest snail eggs perhaps?

 

Update: Growth! Eggs! Tannins!

My mc is growing so fast!! I'll have a carpet in no time!

Unfortunately, I counted 24 ramshorn snail egg sacks yesterday. Pretty annoying but I don't really mind snails unless they're causing damage. Nonetheless, my fault for not treating the plants beforehand.

I am still struggling with tannins from the soil. I have been doing 100% water changes every 3-4 days. Also super annoying.

Still having a little bit of an algae problem, so I turned the lighting down from 12hrs a day to 8.

 

Ramshorns are very good for the plants. Don't worry about the tennans, just keep doing those Walter changes and that will soon be gone. Tank is looking great by the way.

 

Ramshorns are very good for the plants. Don't worry about the tennans, just keep doing those Walter changes and that will soon be gone. Tank is looking great by the way.

Thank you!
Sometimes I think the ramshorns are cute.

 

Thank you!
Sometimes I think the ramshorns are cute.

They are. I've seen them red and blue some spotted. They come in great colors and patterns.

 

Still having a little bit of an algae problem, so I turned the lighting down from 12hrs a day to 8.

Good idea. 12 hours that is a lot. Hope it works for you.I split/seista the light period on all my tanks, 4 on 3 off 4 on then off.

Good Luck,

 

Update: I got an outbreak of hydra

diatoms are getting worse but I expect them to die off once the tank cycles.

 

Update: Cycled? Gourami? Diatoms?

So I think I might be cycled. My Ph is pretty low at 6.6 though. Too much co2?

I want to put my dwarf gourami in here temporatily to hopefully eat up all this hydra. Hydra is so freaking creepy to me!!!

I'm going to pick up a drop-checker and a better heater before I move any fish in. I have a 50w set at 84 and the water is only 74 degrees so I'm going to get a new 100w since the one I had shattered. that's what I get for buying a cheap Amazon heater.

Also...still struggling with diatoms and tannins. Working on it. May throw in a couple nerites.

Monte carlo continues to grow steadily!