My high school platy tank

So my platies recently had fry, the first batch of fry that I’ve raised. As a result, I feel attached to them and want to keep a few females and find the rest good homes instead of taking them to the fish store. Out of this came the idea for a tank for my high school library. The librarian and I worked out how to deal with the tank over long breaks (I’ll halfway break it down and take it to my house), where it would go that’s near a water source, has an electric outlet, people can see it, AND a place where dumb kids wouldn’t be able to mess with it (a storage room that’s locked, on a counter in front of a window), and how to take care of it (it’s my responsibility, I have a free period every day that I can use for a water change and to feed them and so on). All that was left was to find a good deal on a tank and supplies, and get the ok from my parents, which I just got this morning! I found a tank on my local Facebook marketplace, which is 40 US dollars for a 10 gallon tank, filter, heaters, salt, food, 2 and 1/2 boxes of filter pads, decorations, glass cleaner, and gravel vacuum along with a couple other things.
I’m planning on sand for the substrate, with anacharis, salvinia, and red root floaters (if anyone has a suggestion on another hardy plant that goes in substrate that would be great!)
It’ll be stocked with 4 male platies, erring on the side of understocked because it’s not in my house, and all males so I don’t have to deal with fry. Pictures of the tank that I got from the seller below.
I’m so excited! I’ll keep this thread updated with pictures and stories on how it’s going once I get the tank to my house

That's a really cool idea, I'm glad your school is going for it! unfortunately I believe a 10 gallon is too small for adult platies. They should have at least a 20

JuiceBox52 said:

That's a really cool idea, I'm glad your school is going for it! unfortunately I believe a 10 gallon is too small for adult platies. They should have at least a 20

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@Essjay said 4 adult male platies was erring on the understocked side, just because the tank isn't in my house

10 gallons is really too small as JuiceBox said. But I assume 10 gallons is the biggest that will be allowed so it's a compromise. That's why I said no more than 4, and males only.
If you are allowed a bigger tank, go for it; a bigger tank is better for platies.

Essjay said:

10 gallons is really too small as JuiceBox said. But I assume 10 gallons is the biggest that will be allowed so it's a compromise. That's why I said no more than 4, and males only.
If you are allowed a bigger tank, go for it; a bigger tank is better for platies.

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No I’m not allowed a bigger one, otherwise I would. Thanks for the clearing up

The tank has arrived! It’s been in storage for about a year, so it needs cleaning, but a little bit of elbow grease is worth it for what I got!
The tank, whisper 10 filter, 1 brand new 50W adjustable aqueon heater (Amazon sells them for $30!) 2 of the same pre set 50W topfin heaters, (one used, one brand new), salt, a magnet glass cleaner and brush glass cleaner, a net, a gravel vac, 2 1/2 boxes of filter pads, pink light bulbs for the hood (I will not be using them), two houses/caves (will only be using one) and three figurines (SpongeBob, gary, and a skull. They are all gross with dried algae, I don’t like them anyway lol). All for $40!

Now onto phase two: cleaning!

foxgirl158 said:

The tank has arrived! It’s been in storage for about a year, so it needs cleaning, but a little bit of elbow grease is worth it for what I got!
The tank, whisper 10 filter, 1 brand new 50W adjustable aqueon heater (Amazon sells them for $30!) 2 of the same pre set 50W topfin heaters, (one used, one brand new), salt, a magnet glass cleaner and brush glass cleaner, a net, a gravel vac, 2 1/2 boxes of filter pads, pink light bulbs for the hood (I will not be using them), two houses/caves (will only be using one) and three figurines (SpongeBob, gary, and a skull. They are all gross with dried algae, I don’t like them anyway lol). All for $40!

Now onto phase two: cleaning!

View attachment 150802 View attachment 150803

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Why are you not using the pink bulbs, if you are going to have plants then a good combination is one pink, one white bulb in your hood?

itiwhetu said:

Why are you not using the pink bulbs, if you are going to have plants then a good combination is one pink, one white bulb in your hood?

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It is? This will be my first planted tank, so I’m not sure. Will it tint the light pink? This is going in my high school library, so I’m not sure if the people looking at it would like pink light.

foxgirl158 said:

It is? This will be my first planted tank, so I’m not sure. Will it tint the light pink? This is going in my high school library, so I’m not sure if the people looking at it would like pink light.

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With a pink and a white bulb in the hood you won't notice the pink hew, but the plants love it.

After many splashes, toothbrush scrubbings, and rinses in the bathtub later, all of the used items have been cleaned! The decorations really were quite disgusting with algae, as was the used heater. I have a feeling the people I bought it from didn’t have any snails, XD.
My school starts back up on Monday, during which I will talk to the librarian about when she wants the tank brought in so I can start cycling it. My fry are almost big enough to start sexing, so I’m guessing in around a month the males will be big enough to move!
How long will it take to cycle if I’m adding anacharis, red root floaters, and another substrate plant? Will I still have to add a source of ammonia, and if so, would a nerite snail be ok? I don’t really want to have to buy bottled ammonia if I don’t have to.

Add the plants and take a photo. Then 2 weeks later compare the tank to the photo. If the plants have grown a good bit, then it's safe to add the fish.
Red root floaters and anacharis are both fast growing, so it should be OK after a couple of weeks.

Well, it’s official: the tank is now set up in the library!
It looks really cloudy right now. I rinsed the sand as best I could, but it still clouded the water, and that was before I added my carbon filter pad to the filter, WHICH I forgot to rinse after putting fresh carbon in. Whoops.
Back view

Front view

The librarian is going to see if her husband can build a little stand for it to go on, so it won’t be as low as it is in the pictures.

I really like the lightbulb I bought off Amazon. 60W, 5000K, it lights up the side of the tank that it’s on very nicely. However, I’m not very happy with the “pink” light that others have recommended I use. It turned out to be red, and it’s very dull and hardly lights up the other side of the tank, resulting in a dark spot. Is there a way to change that? Maybe a stronger wattage red lightbulb?





Some setup pictures. I didn’t fill it all the way, just to create some surface disturbance to get some oxygen in the water.










On a side note: while I was setting up the tank, one of the special ed teachers came in to bind some books with the binder. We started talking and she helped me with some of the sand stuff. Before she left, she said that she had an empty 20g tank from when she had her snake. She said that she would bring it sometime next week and leave it in the storage room if I wanted it! I said yes, of course! I have no clue what I’ll do with another tank, but I hope it’ll be awesome!

Ah, the famous rows of bubbles for every fill of water in a new tank! One of the early organic signs of life to come.
Congrats on bringing a window of a new world to these students

meodix said:

Ah, the famous rows of bubbles for every fill of water in a new tank! One of the early organic signs of life to come.
Congrats on bringing a window of a new world to these students

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Thank you! I checked on it this morning before class and it’s super clear now I accidentally got some gunk in it when I moved the filter pad because I thought I had enough time to clean it but then I remembered I can’t clean it with tap water anymore lol. I think, if I have time before my mom picks me up, I’ll test the water, do a water change, rinse the filter in the tank water, and add some BB I got from the LFS on Saturday. Pics to come!

You are lucky to have found quikrete play sand! I cant seem to find it anywhere.