Setting up my first tank journal

[AlgaeWafer]

Going to record dates, setup, and changes in here for my first tank. This first post will be a little boring and wordy--just describing my plans and where I am so far.

Equipment

• Tank - 29 gallon. I'm planning to fill it to around 20 gallons so I can grow emersed plants at the top within the tank.
• Filter - 2 small sponge filters (two in case I need a spare) and an air pump with battery backup.
• Light - LED light (supposed to be 70 PAR@12", so maybe ~30 at the substrate?).
• Decor - Pea gravel and river rock (tested with vinegar and didn't see any bubbles so hopefully they won't have any effect on water parameters). Since I have extra expanded clay media, I'm putting some in bags in areas with plants or where I want additional height.
• Plant shelves - I wanted to use magnets to make shelves, but those have gotten expensive. I found suction cups in a junk drawer (no clue where they came from), so I'm going to try twisting wire into shape, encasing with superglue, and sticking them on the glass with a suction cups.

Water Testing
According to the local water report, there's chlorine (0.32-1.97 ppm) and nitrate (0.41 ppm) (and other stuff, but I don't know what's relevant). I have dechlorinator, so I'm set for the chlorine.

I have the API Master Kit and the GH/KH kit. When I tested my tap water, I got 8.0-8.2 pH, 5 degrees KH, and 7-8 degrees GH (the color changed a little at 7 drops and fully changed at 8 drops). The water isn't as hard as I was worried it might be! Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings were 0 (going to test ammonia again after I use dechlorinator).

I did some experimenting. Based on Fishfur's suggestion, I tested the water after I let it sit out. The pH was 8.0. I also collected bark from the sycamore tree outside that's shedding, and left it in water overnight. The pH dropped down to 7.8 after 12 hours. Chemistry is fascinating.

Plants
I was originally just going to use cuttings from my houseplants (yay, free!) to grow emersed. But I impulsively bought a mystery variety pack of plants and floaters this week. Now I have java fern, amazon sword, red tiger lotus, Mayaca sellowiniana, Alternanthera reineckii, and red root floaters waiting in containers of water on my windowsill. They look healthy; I hope I'll be able to keep them alive.

It's impressive how fast the floaters are growing. They came with some duckweed but I think I managed to pick it all out.

Next on the agenda: arrange the air lines, finish setting up the hardscape, plant the plants. Then I can start cycling the tank and finalize my fish list!

 

[FishyMcfish]

Looks like you are on a good path! Can’t wait to see the tank once you get it set up!

 

[86 ssinit]

Sounds like a great start! But instead of giving up that 9g what I do is use either soap holders (for the shower) or plant holders bought from amazon. You suction these to the top of the tank submerged and let the plants grow out of the tank.

 

[FishyMcfish]

I like how you put your plants in little pots! Cool idea!

 

[AlgaeWafer]

Looks like you are on a good path! Can’t wait to see the tank once you get it set up!

Thanks! I'm glad I haven't made any glaring mistakes yet. I'm making very slow but steady progress!

Sounds like a great start! But instead of giving up that 9g what I do is use either soap holders (for the shower) or plant holders bought from amazon. You suction these to the top of the tank submerged and let the plants grow out of the tank.

Wow, your tank is beautiful! I think my idea made more sense when I was only going to fill it a third of a way and make a kind of paludarium. And I was trying to use a single aquarium light for both areas. But having plants grow out of the tank looks really cool, and I have a grow light I could move.... I'm going to try that, thanks!

 

[FishyMcfish]

Thanks! I'm glad I haven't made any glaring mistakes yet. I'm making very slow but steady progress!


Wow, your tank is beautiful! I think my idea made more sense when I was only going to fill it a third of a way and make a kind of paludarium. And I was trying to use a single aquarium light for both areas. But having plants grow out of the tank looks really cool, and I have a grow light I could move.... I'm going to try that, thanks!

We all make mistakes along the way, especially in the beginning! Just take it one step at a time and don’t rush things and you will be good!

 

[AlgaeWafer]

I finally took the big step of putting things inside the tank! It's still in progress. The dust is still settling.

I haven't made the plant holders yet, so that's why the water level is low. Once that's done, I'll move the houseplants to the top and fill the tank up. I'm also waiting for the plant roots to grow down to a convenient length.

The background is from a leftover piece of plastic that I put near the tank stand to catch drips. I cut it to size and taped it on.

Aquascaping videos look so calm and meditative, but I found it tough just to put everything inside! The tank doesn't look how I originally envisioned, but I like it. I'll pretend that it was all done purposefully . I hope the fish will appreciate my randomly strewn around rock sculptures.

Plant status: The amazon swords, java ferns, fluffy plants, and red root floaters seem to be doing all right. The red tiger lotus keeps shedding leaves, but also growing leaves. I hope that it will do better now that it can put roots down. A. reineckii doesn't seem happy (maybe the pH?). It just keeps losing leaves. It's still alive, though, so hopefully it will also do better now that it's planted.

Water/tank environment: I took water readings today, after the tank had a chance to run overnight.
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
GH: still 7-8 degrees
KH: now only 4 degrees

Next: I have ammonium chloride, so I can start fish-less cycling. I put a little bit of vermicompost from my worm bin near the sponge filters in case that helps.

I still can't decide on my plans for fish. I'm going to start looking for heater sales (and maybe a temperature controller) because I keep looking at gouramis. Right now my thought is a single species, or at most two (like a gourami and a school of something). And it'll depend on what's in stock.

The current (and ever-growing) list: sparkling gourami, honey gourami, Beckford's pencilfish, black neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, flagfish, betta, paradise fish. So... I'm going to contemplate on it more, narrow it down, and maybe ask about them on their specific forum pages later.

 

[riomilano2002]

Don't worry about the plants looking bad, it can take up to 3 months for plants to settle(start growing roots and new leaves) as well as getting to the submersed state from its emersed state.

If you keep the tank at 30 degrees Celsius for the cycle time it can rapidly speed up bacteria growth. Its also good if you can clean an old dirty filter in the water as this adds both bacteria for free and speeds up cycling time.

Good luck with it!

 

[fishywoo]

I finally took the big step of putting things inside the tank! It's still in progress. The dust is still settling.
View attachment 887895
I haven't made the plant holders yet, so that's why the water level is low. Once that's done, I'll move the houseplants to the top and fill the tank up. I'm also waiting for the plant roots to grow down to a convenient length.

The background is from a leftover piece of plastic that I put near the tank stand to catch drips. I cut it to size and taped it on.

Aquascaping videos look so calm and meditative, but I found it tough just to put everything inside! The tank doesn't look how I originally envisioned, but I like it. I'll pretend that it was all done purposefully . I hope the fish will appreciate my randomly strewn around rock sculptures.

Plant status: The amazon swords, java ferns, fluffy plants, and red root floaters seem to be doing all right. The red tiger lotus keeps shedding leaves, but also growing leaves. I hope that it will do better now that it can put roots down. A. reineckii doesn't seem happy (maybe the pH?). It just keeps losing leaves. It's still alive, though, so hopefully it will also do better now that it's planted.

Water/tank environment: I took water readings today, after the tank had a chance to run overnight.
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
GH: still 7-8 degrees
KH: now only 4 degrees

Next: I have ammonium chloride, so I can start fish-less cycling. I put a little bit of vermicompost from my worm bin near the sponge filters in case that helps.

I still can't decide on my plans for fish. I'm going to start looking for heater sales (and maybe a temperature controller) because I keep looking at gouramis. Right now my thought is a single species, or at most two (like a gourami and a school of something). And it'll depend on what's in stock.

The current (and ever-growing) list: sparkling gourami, honey gourami, Beckford's pencilfish, black neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, flagfish, betta, paradise fish. So... I'm going to contemplate on it more, narrow it down, and maybe ask about them on their specific forum pages later.

It looks stunning to me! Very lovely. ^_^

 

[AlgaeWafer]

Don't worry about the plants looking bad, it can take up to 3 months for plants to settle(start growing roots and new leaves) as well as getting to the submersed state from its emersed state.

If you keep the tank at 30 degrees Celsius for the cycle time it can rapidly speed up bacteria growth. Its also good if you can clean an old dirty filter in the water as this adds both bacteria for free and speeds up cycling time.

Good luck with it!

3 months! OK, I'll be patient
If I get a heater soon, I'll try to raise the temperatures up for the bacteria. I don't have access to an old filter right now, unfortunately.

Thanks!

It looks stunning to me! Very lovely. ^_^

That's very kind, thank you!

 

[AlgaeWafer]

One week in, not much has changed yet. The water has cleared up. Plants are still settling in; some new leaves have grown, and some old leaves have melted. I haven't measured any nitrites or nitrates yet. One interesting thing is that there's white film growing on the air lines. Otherwise, I'm just trying to be patient while the plants and bacteria grow.

 

[FishDin]

I'm just trying to be patient while the plants and bacteria grow.

That's half the battle, so good on you for realizing it.

I always start out with a vision for a tank, but in the end the tank tells me how it will be and I try to listen. Maybe it's just my lack of experience, but I'm ok with that.

I have a few emersed plants growing. Some easy ones that have worked for me are pothos, peace lilly, dwarf papyrus, phylodendron. I've been able to grow anubius completely out of the water, but it requires near 100% humidity, so that would depend on your set-up.

You might also consider planters that hang from the rim. There are DIY solutions for this. I'm not a fan of suction cups. They always fail eventually.

 

[86 ssinit]

The white stuff on the air line is just bio-film. It seems to grow great on that rubber. Add some shrimp.

 

[AlgaeWafer]

That's half the battle, so good on you for realizing it.

I always start out with a vision for a tank, but in the end the tank tells me how it will be and I try to listen. Maybe it's just my lack of experience, but I'm ok with that.

I have a few emersed plants growing. Some easy ones that have worked for me are pothos, peace lilly, dwarf papyrus, phylodendron. I've been able to grow anubius completely out of the water, but it requires near 100% humidity, so that would depend on your set-up.

You might also consider planters that hang from the rim. There are DIY solutions for this. I'm not a fan of suction cups. They always fail eventually.

Haha, patience. It has helped to have the plants in there. I haven't grown aquatic plants, so that's all new, and I'm enjoying watching their progress (...of melting right now).

Yes, my vision of the tank has gone through several revisions, but that seems like part of the fun of it. I'll try to listen and learn from what the tank tells me!

I used up the budget I set for myself for plants, but it's helpful to know what's worked for others for growing emersed. It seems efficient to grow plants like that, so I want to add more. There's a pothos at work that I could take cuttings from...

I do plan to upgrade the planters from the suction cups. They've already been kind of a pain to use. I'm planning to laser cut some acrylic holders, I just haven't had a chance to get to it yet.

The white stuff on the air line is just bio-film. It seems to grow great on that rubber. Add some shrimp.

I've actually been considering neocaridina shrimp lately! I think I would like some eventually. The fish I've been looking at seem like they may love to hunt down shrimp, though. So I guess I'll have to choose one or the other.

Is there beneficial bacteria in the bio-film? I'm trying not to disturb the tank until it's cycled, but afterward, will it hurt anything to clean the tubing and glass?


An update! There are nitrites!

 

[86 ssinit]

Yes you can clean it off. I do.

 

[AlgaeWafer]

Yes you can clean it off. I do.

Great, that's good to know. Thank you!

 

[AlgaeWafer]

Wow, I think adding castings from my worm bin really helped! I didn't do water tests the past few days, but today I measured nitrates in the tank! Thanks, worms!

I did mess up my fishless cycle a little, though. I didn't have ammonium chloride when I started, so I used some houseplant fertilizer initially. I'm not sure I've been measuring ammonia correctly, because the color still looks like it's in the 2-4ppm range to me. Maybe it's actually been much higher. I'm going to do a big water change tomorrow and dose ammonium chloride according to the directions. Then I think I'll be able to see how much the bacteria are able to process.

Ammonia: 2-4 ppm?
Nitrite: 2-5 ppm?
Nitrate: 20-40 ppm?

 

[AlgaeWafer]

I was too busy last fall to keep up with this journal or my aquarium. It didn't seem like it would hurt to give the plants more time to grow and for me to learn more about aquatic plants and water chemistry, so it all worked out.

Fish Update
This may have been a little over-cautious, but I thought it would be a good learning experience. I set up a small storage tub to use as a quarantine tank around Thanksgiving. I took a sponge from the big tank (and swapped in a new sponge) and put it into the tub with an air stone. It didn't instantly cycle the tub, so I spent a few weeks growing the bacteria in there. There's also a heater, some beach pebbles, a couple stem plants, catappa leaves, and purple waffle plants growing out of the top.

On 12/29 I went to a local fish store. I wandered around for a while and ended up taking home a sparkling gourami (they had one left) and three green neon tetras. The store employee recommended I start with four fish to see how they did, and it made sense to me to be careful. I had initially wanted lambchop rasboras (to stay in the same region as the gourami), but there were only two left. Also, I really like the luminescent stripe on neon tetras.

The fish all looked good for the next few days, so on 1/2 I went back and got three more green neon tetras. The others seemed really happy about having a bigger group. Since they settled in well, I got impatient and started deworming. I dosed the tank with levamisole (Expel-P) yesterday and did a big water change this morning. All of the fish seem fine, so I think I'll leave it at one dose. I'm giving them a day off, and then I'll treat the tank with praziquantel (PraziPro). If that also goes well, I'll move them into the main tank after that.

Plants Update
The A. reineckii did not make it. It gradually melted away and didn't regrow. I'm not sure if it's my water or other conditions it didn't like. I have one stem left in a vase. I ended up putting the red root floaters in a bowl on the windowsill because they were annoying me. I guess they didn't like even the minimal flow, or maybe it was because of how often I disturbed them fussing with the tank. But the Amazon swords are doing well, I've propagated the Java fern already (from little plantlets), the red tiger lotus stopped shedding leaves finally, and the Mayaca plants are doing okay.

When I got the fish on 12/29, I also picked up some Bacopa monnieri and Pogostemon stellatus. The Pogostemon is melting a little. I'm hoping both plants make it.

I'll try to post some pictures when I get home from work later!

 

[Liang]

Very cool, it seems you have tried many methods

 

[AlgaeWafer]

I still need to post pictures, but I wanted to make a quick update.

All the fish are still doing well! I moved them over to the main tank on Jan 10. It was not an efficient process (I practically drained the tank so that I could catch them ) but it eventually worked.

I haven't had time to go back to the fish store to increase the school size, but the 6 green neon tetras seem comfortable. They are pretty lazy. They shoal together in the middle of the tank around the Amazon sword almost all the time. They eat well and I might be overfeeding them a little, so I'm trying to feed smaller meals twice a day.

The sparkling gourami is very cute. I'm pretty sure he's a male. He's a little pickier about eating, so I try to feed him first. He likes to swim around to check on things and occasionally chase a tetra out of his way. I was considering getting more sparkling gouramis, but I'm not sure if there will be territorial/aggression issues. So I might just let him be a lone centerpiece fish.