New set up and I think I’ve messed up already!

I have night a second hand Fluval Edge 46l. I have ever had a planted tank before so I went to our local aquatics shop and asked advice on how to set one up. I bought the soil, realised that the tank is definitely style over substance, in that it was difficult to control the flow of the soil into the tank through such a small opening, then poured on gravel. I totally forgot to rinse the gravel first. Then noticed that I’d put way too much soil in (once I had started to fill the tank) and obviously once I tried to scoop it out, a dirt/sand storm occurred. I emptied out nearly all of the water and took out a lot of soil at the front of the tank and put more gravel in to try and cover the disturbed soil. The tank is 90% full and the filter is going but the water is really cloudy. Is this likely to clear over time or do I need to completely empty and start again. Is the soil necessary for the plants or would they have been ok in sand?
Thanks in advance for any advice or guidance.

Sand with root tabs (fertilizer) is much easier and cleaner. You can also use a substrate for plants such as Eco-complete but in a couple years, you need to add root tabs.

Your local aquatics shop is crazy offering this advice for a first time planted tank. I would start over with no soil.

madmark285 said:

Sand with root tabs (fertilizer) is much easier and cleaner. You can also use a substrate for plants such as Eco-complete but in a couple years, you need to add root tabs.

Your local aquatics shop is crazy offering this advice for a first time planted tank. I would start over with no soil.

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I think I’m going to have to start over. The tank is definitely clearing as time goes on, but there is a thick layer of silt over everything and I know as soon as there is even the slighted movement in the sand, it’ll look a mess again. I could kick myself because I have spent quite a lot on plants and soil and sand today and now most of it has got to be thrown out! I’m starting to think live plants are way too ambitious for me!

I do not know what Fluval was thinking when they came up with that design. It is so difficult to do anything with such limited access to the tank. If it was a normal tank, I would have recommended carefully siphoning the silt, but with that little opening it will be quite frustrating.

Could you put your plants in a bucket with the current mix? It won't be pretty, but may help save your plants. Then you can do just the sand and transfer the plant to the FE. Like @madmark285 suggested, put root tabs under the substrate to provide the plants with the necessary nutrients. If you are going to have bottom feeders, make sure your sand is thick enough to keep them from running into the tabs.

Don't give up yet. Plants can be quite rewarding and not that difficult once you get a good start.

JennyD1 said:

I’m starting to think live plants are way too ambitious for me!

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Look, it's not you, you just got terrible advice. I just started up a 75 gallon tank, I don't have a planting strategy so I just tossed this plant ( Cabomba Purple) behind some wood pieces, it's growing like crazy! I believe it feeds from the water column, not the roots. I am not good with plants so I just picked easy plants.

You can do, lots of great advice on this forum.

Yes, I really wished I’d looked into the ‘set up’ advice, on here, in more depth. For one, I never even considered play sand to be safe for use in an aquarium! I could have saved a fortune on sand to start off with! I’ll try and add a photo of the tank in its current state and will gratefully accept any advice or suggestions.

If you are not in a hurry, you could wait for it to clear up and reassess. It may be that you like the look of it and can learn to maintain it.

Adding:
What kind of aquascaping tools do you have? Do you have a vacuum/siphon to clean the substrate? Do yo have a net?

There is an attractive line of soil at the water level.
I’m planning on leaving it going over night and then removing the plants into a bucket, emptying the water and scooping most of the substrate out. I’ll then swill what’s left of the new gravel out and cover the thin layer of substrate which remains in the tank.
The man at the shop said once the water is at temperature, I can start adding fish to the tank after 4-5 days. I thought I’d need to leave the tank for a good few weeks before adding fish, when would you suggest adding a couple of fish to the tank and what sort of fish would you suggest?
In the tank, I’d like some neon tetra’s, some Guppies, a couple of corys and some shrimp. Does that sound doable in a 46l tank? The man at the shop said that’d be ok but I’m now wondering if that’s actually the case!

eatyourpeas said:

If you are not in a hurry, you could wait for it to clear up and reassess. It may be that you like the look of it and can learn to maintain it.

Adding:
What kind of aquascaping tools do you have? Do you have a vacuum/siphon to clean the substrate? Do yo have a net?

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I have a net and a siphon which I have used for gravel tanks in the past but is literally just a tube.

First things first, stop listening to the man in the shop.

The soil at water level can be siphoned/scooped with the netting, or wait until it precipitates. You get to decide if you want to keep it or not. I can help with moving forward.

Do not add fish until your tank is cycled. This is important or you'll make your life miserable and the fish you put in may die. Please read this to learn about the nitrogen cycle and cycling the tank:


Wait until tomorrow and let us know what you decide on the tank. From personal experience, I find sand so easy to keep clean and more accommodating to different kinds of fish.

Once you cycle the tank you get to pay attention to your parameters. Then we can go from there regarding which fish to put in. I am not the person to give advice on that, but you'll be helped by wonderful people here who know fish. The information you'll need is as follows, and can be obtained from your water supplier and a test kit. People here like the API Master Kit and can be bought at LFS or online.

This is what your water is like:
pH
KH
GH

These are to monitor the health of the tank as well as identify when the tank is cycled:
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
You'll need to monitor the temperature as well.

Right, I was up at 6 this morning cleaning the sludge out of the tank. I saved what I could of the gravel and swilled it. A lot. I’ve filled it back up and its definitely clearer. I’m hoping the filter will sort out most of what’s left. I’ve ordered some aquarium filter cotton, which I’ve read will also help.
I’m not sure how many, if any of the plants will make it though.

Your tank is looking alot better, all new tanks look dirty when initially setup. It should clear up and the plants should survive.

On cycling the tank, I had good success with the ammonia and bacteria in a bottle method. Total cycle time was ~10 days. I used Dr. Tim's ammonia and a small bottle of Fritz Turbo Start bacteria, I am not sure what's available in the UK. This does require a test kit.

Hey, the worst is over!

Mark

Actually soil is good for "root" type of plants.
Most people who have very nice planted tanks are using soil.

But the major setback of using soil is you will have to replace them after the soil loses all its nutrient.
Also, take note that some soil will release ammonia for the first few months.
You may have to wait longer for the ammonia to clear before putting in the fish.

Nevertheless, I guess most people who want easier maintenance will use sand or gravel rather than soil.

Some videos for you:

Lajos_Detari said:

Actually soil is good for "root" type of plants.

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The real issue here, is a dirted tank the right choice for someones 1st planted tank?

Second issue, it looks like she is setting up a fish tank with a few background plants, not a true planted tank with a jungle of lush plants.

Yes, I just wanted a more natural looking tank and one which offers a nicer environment for fish. He was aware this was my first planted tank and seemed to get a bit carried away!
I’m in no rush to get the fish in there so am happy to wait to get it just right.
Thank you for all of the advice, I wish I’d known about this site a few days ago!

I think your tank is looking better! Which plants do you have? If you are concerned about ammonia you can add floating plants like Hornwort. The water will clear and you'll get to enjoy your beautiful scape.