My First Planted Tank Ever - 10gal (us)

[Merithyn]

After reading so many journals and really enjoying the progression, I decided that I would post my own here. You'll notice that I'm at the very beginning stages, but since I intended to keep my own journal anyway, it made sense to do it here where I could get great expert advice from you all.

Okay, on to the journal:

Size: 20"x12"x12" (10 gallons US)

Substrate: Natural gravel from LFS; approximately 20 lbs; 2-3 in depth

Filter: AQUA-Tech® 5-15 Power Filter with BIO-Fiber biological filtration and EZ-Change #1 filter cartridge

Light: 2x15W Incandescent hood

CO2: None as yet, though I've rigged up a 24oz (750ml) soda bottle for later use

Plants: None as yet

Fish: None as yet (Doing fishless cycling process)


On the first day I set up the tank, I wiped down the tank, cleaned the gravel and placed it, and then filled the tank with tap water. pH was at a hefty 8.4, but I've no intention of messing with that for the moment, if ever. Filter was set up, as was the heater and hood, then it was left to sit for a couple of days while I frantically searched for plain ole' ammonia. Not a fun thing to do on only a few hours of sleep, I'll have you know. (I work 7pm to 7am, meaning daytime is my middle of the night, but it's also the only time the darn stores are open. ) Anyway, on the third day, I found the ammonia and put about 2.5 teaspoons in the tank, give or take a bit. (I was tired, and on the first day I didn't think it would matter all that much the exact quantity going in.)

Readings were as follows:
Ammonia - +6
pH - 8.4
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10

Leaving the light on for approximately 12 hours of the next 24, I measured the ammonia the next day. It was still well above 6. Again, leaving the light on for approximately 12 out of the next 24 hours, I let it be. (Well, except that I put a cute little ceramic turtle in to make me feel better about having nothing in there just yet. It made the kids and I feel better. )

This morning I added about two cups of substrate from the established tank at my office. The tank has been well established for several years now, and though they have a hard time keeping their fish alive, I think that's more user error than any disease actually in the tank itself. I also added a cup of water from that tank.

About five minutes later, I got the following readings:
Ammonia - +5
pH - 8.0
Nitrite - .25
Nitrate - 10

I know the added gravel and water didn't have time to do much, so I'm guessing that the change in levels comes directly from the added ammonia from a couple of days ago. I'm going to let it sit until tomorrow morning and then check everything again to see what the levels are. Hopefully, tonight I'll be getting a few clippings from a friend for the tank that I can add tomorrow morning. The poor tank looks so barren.

Silly, I know, but for posterity sake alone, here are some pictures of the tank so far:


Sitting empty... waiting... patiently... for anything to happen....

My little turtle, who has no name as yet.... suggestions?

 

[bordercollie05]

Hi,

I'm glad you posted this. I'm looking to have a very similar set up soon. What type of plants are you planning on using? I can't wait to see your tank as it progresses!

BC05

 

[Merithyn]

Hi,

I'm glad you posted this. I'm looking to have a very similar set up soon. I can't wait to see your tank as it progresses!

BC05

Thanks. We can go through this together and see where we screw it up.

What type of plants are you planning on using?

Erm, not really sure at the moment. At first, it'll be the clippings from my friend's tank. Then, I'll slowly add in the types that I like until I have the "vision" that I'm hoping for. There are a few that I have in mind, but I'm too tired to remember (or look up) their names at the moment. I'll post them later and we can compare notes on whether they'll work for such a small tank.

 

[dasmall1]

I don't know much about fishless cycles because I've never done it myself, so good luck! If possible, you may want to try buying or making a fluorescent lighting fixture for your tank. Incandescent doesn't provide much of a useable spectrum for your plants. Also, you only have 3 wpg as it is. Tanks about 10g need at least 4.5 wpg for a medium lighting level. Also, you may want to use a different substrate- something more natural looking. If you are emotionally attached to the substrate and are just going for a community feel, you may want to look into getting gravel supplement tabs to place under your plants that are heavy root feeders. What you want is a darker color such as brown, or even something that is nutrient rich and designed for plants. In the US, my suggestion for cheapest, most effective, nicest looking, generally all-purpose substrate would be SoilMaster Select Charcoal. I live by this stuff. My other suggestion is a black background. A black background will hide the clutter in the back, put the focus in the tank, and bring out the colors of what is inside.

Otherwise, someone should catch whatever I haven't.

Good luck! I love that you have a plan and have done your homework! That's the best start you can get!

 

[Merithyn]

Yeah, haven't decided on the background as yet. I was looking at the 3D backgrounds, but am leaning towards a dark blue one for the moment. That may change at a later date. Just not sure yet.

The pink rocks in the substrate are what came from the office tank. I wanted more of a riverbed look, but you take what you can get when looking for mature media, right? I will eventually pull out the pink rocks and glass stones, but for now they serve a purpose. I will definitely be supplementing with undergravel tabs for the plants.

I'll look into better lighting when I have the money. For now, I'll be playing with what I've got. Once x-mas is over and the kids are properly spoiled, I'll look after myself.

In all honesty, I'm hoping for a 55-gallon tank for my birthday next week blush, in which case this one will be my practice tank. I wasn't too excited about spending a ton of money on substrate in that case for this one. I'll just have to see how it goes.

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely pay attention when/if I get the bigger one.

 

[Merithyn]

I bought some fluorite yesterday. Had to empty the tank about 50% to even try to rearrange the substrate in the tank. Even so, the fluorite just created a muddy mess. Also, my friend had cleaned her tank and gave me a few of her plants, so I planted them, too.

Here's an update:

I left the filter off most of the night, but was worried about the minute amount of bacteria that might have grown, so I turned it back on this morning. I've a feeling that I'll have to rinse it out sometime in the day due to the dirt in the water. Once it settles in I'll look at it again and see if I should redo the entire thing, but for now, the plants are in the water and the fluorite is starting to settle a good bit.

Oh, I also lined the hood with tinfoil. I thought it might help until my two 25w bulbs come in.

 

[Merithyn]

It's looking much better now. I emptied the tank entirely, completely washed all of the substrate, and then replanted everything. Somehow, despite the complete start-over, my ammonia levels are still over 4.

 

[dasmall1]

Did you put the fluorite under the gravel? And did you wash it in the first place? The main criticism with fluorite is that it is very dusty and will cloud the water with any amount of rinsing, even though rinsing certainly does make a huge difference. Good luck with the lighting. I don't know of any succesful planted tanks using incadescents.

As for wanting a mature media, it's not always necessary if you are going to cycle the tank anyway. You probably would have been fine starting out with brand new media.

 

[Merithyn]

I actually mixed the rocks and the fluorite together, washing it all in one shot. The tank is pretty much clear now.

I'm waiting on 25w fluorescent bulbs for my tank. The incandescents came with the lid. While I'm waiting, I lined the lid with foil. It probably won't help much, but I thought I would give it a shot.

And I wanted to seed the tank with mature media because I'm rather impatient by nature. I'd hoped that it would shorten the wait until I could put in fish.

 

[Merithyn]

Quick update:

I changed the lights to 2x25W fluorescent bulbs, but for whatever reason they've blinked out. I'll be pulling it apart tonight while I'm at work to see what's wrong. The incandescent bulbs work fine. I've no idea what's going on.

The plants are doing fine, so far. I've yet to feed them anything, and there are no fish just yet, so I have no idea how well they'll keep doing. Especially as the lights are now out. I'm planning to get one or two fish in the next week and then add more over the next few weeks as the tank can support them. I'm still confused on what to feed the plants, so I'm holding off until I can make a more informed decision.

 

[ICEEGRL]

I have had really good luck with the flourescent bulbs that you screw into the incandescent hood. (like a regular bulb)
I have grown plants with them for almost 2 years now in one of my 10g tanks.
I can't really tell what kind of plants you have in there so I can't say for sure that it will work, but it is a cheap option that you could try. You can get them at Wal-Mart and dollar stores almost every where.
Also... white paint works tons better than foil. It is actually more reflective. Even better is gutter flashing. (very cheap at Home Depot)

If you are planning to add fish any time soon... make sure you get some that are really hard to kill.
Just a note... if you add lots of plants... you really don't have to cycle your tank. The plants will feed on the ammonia. You would need to keep an eye on the levels for a while though.(just to be safe)

 

[Merithyn]

I have had really good luck with the flourescent bulbs that you screw into the incandescent hood. (like a regular bulb)
I have grown plants with them for almost 2 years now in one of my 10g tanks.
I can't really tell what kind of plants you have in there so I can't say for sure that it will work, but it is a cheap option that you could try. You can get them at Wal-Mart and dollar stores almost every where.
Also... white paint works tons better than foil. It is actually more reflective. Even better is gutter flashing. (very cheap at Home Depot)

The bulbs I have are those types, and for some reason they are not working. The regular incandescent bulbs work fine, but the fluorescents don't. I plan to take the whole light set-up to Sailfin my next day off to ask them what to do. Hopefully, they'll have some idea.

If you are planning to add fish any time soon... make sure you get some that are really hard to kill.
Just a note... if you add lots of plants... you really don't have to cycle your tank. The plants will feed on the ammonia. You would need to keep an eye on the levels for a while though.(just to be safe)

Yeah, um.... well.... I'll be adding fish, but very very very very slowly. When I changed the water most recently, I had to do almost a complete water change. When that happened, I went ahead and bought a number of plecos and black-fin tetras. Within only about a week, they were dead. I'm fairly sure it was because I cooked them when I changed the water (used WAY too hot of water), but just to be on the safe side, I'm going to be adding one or two fish at a time for a bit.

 

[Merithyn]

Update: I've added three male Colisa lalia (sunset dwarf gouramis) and six Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae (red-eyed tetras). I've no idea what gender the tetras are, but I'll try to figure it out and re-update. (Is that even a word?)

I recently cleaned out the tank and added a couple of decorative rocks. The plants aren't doing great, but I knew they wouldn't with the bulbs they're dealing with. Still can't get the fluorescents to work, but I haven't had time to take the hood down to Sailfin. Maybe Monday? Possibly Tuesday? Anyway, I trimmed them up a bit and replanted what I clipped. It looks like of shoddy, but the fish have somewhere to hide anyway.

I'll add a pic once I have a minute. Busy work weekend means very little play time, even with the tanks.

 

[Merithyn]

Okay. Updated photos. (Please, be kind. I know it looks kind of ratty right now.)

And a not-so-great photo of one of the red dwarf gouramis: