My First Tank - 65L Planted

[JoelHoare]

So I inherited this tank off a cousin. Comes with filter: Elite Stingray 15 (don't have a clue if its any good. So need to clean it up, get some aquascaping done and start cycling!)
 

 
I want to make it look nice and natural with bog wood, live plants and a variety of rocks/caves. In terms of stock, the plan right now is eventually have a school of 6-10 CPDs and a Betta. Please let me know if there are any reasons I shouldn't choose this stock as I have no experience and do not want to end up harming the fish fish.
 
What heater should I use? Do I need a different filter? Perhaps a more discreet one? What would be the ideal temp for the stock I've suggested? Do I need much water disturbance? Trying to make it as cheap as possible whilst keeping the fish as happy as they possibly can be...

 

[tunagirll]

I think you will need to choose either the CPDs or the betta, becuase they both occupy the same level of the tank and they won't settle down easily as a result. Look for something that is happy to hang around the bottom half of the tank.
 
I keep my betta with shrimp and gobies, but there are lots of options!
 
Bettas like it best around 26 to 30 degrees C. Use the filter and heater you have, the plants will help and you'll soon know if the heater is strong enough to maintain the right temp

 

[JoelHoare]

Cool, thanks for the advice. I might have to go for the betta just because they are such a spectacular centerpiece! Gobies look rally nice, maybe with some red cherry shrimp?

 

[JoelHoare]

UPDATE: So I cleaned the tank, cleaned my play sand and my rocks, put it all in and added water and filter. I'm going to add dechlorinator tomorrow. Do I need to add the heater yet or wait till I start cycling? With the filter, is it OK that this is used? I understand this may help is establishing some bacteria for my fishless cycle? There's a slight cloudiness to the water, is this just caused by the sand? Should I start doing partial water changes to try and fix this? As you can tell, this is my fist aquarium! (plants will be added later!)
 

 

[l_l_l]

Hi Joel, the heater can be in, it is actually helpfull for the bacteria to colonize.
Cloudiness is most likely caused by the sand!

 

[tunagirll]

Shrimp are very cool companions but their co-existence with bettas can be a bit hit and miss. I have one betta that kills them, another ignores them. I think it's because they are so brightly coloured! You can also look for other shrimp that are more clear, these are more easily ignored by by bettas and they all help clean your tank.
 
My gobies shredded my boy's tail so maybe not the best tankmates lol
 
Definitely add the heater, warm water speeds up the cycling
 
Looking good

 

[TallTree01]

Hi,
I'm looking into getting one of these as one of my neighbours is looking to sell hers. I'm interested too see the projects go along.
I'll watch this topic closely Joel.
( Joel is the best name ever btw. We have a lot in common )

 

[JoelHoare]

Most of the cloudiness has cleared up this morning. Off to the LFS at some point today to grab a heater, dechlorinator and some plants! I'll make a list of all stock species that catch my eye and report back here with a list of potential candidates...

 
They didn't have any bettas last time I went, so am thinking maybe guppies instead? I've been told this 65l tank is too small for a dwarf gourami? 

 
 

Hi,
I'm looking into getting one of these as one of my neighbours is looking to sell hers. I'm interested too see the projects go along.
I'll watch this topic closely Joel.
( Joel is the best name ever btw. We have a lot in common

)

I bought mine for £30 including the filter. The rocks are from our home and garden (one of them a huge chunk of amethyst dug up when we did some building work before I was born!) and I found the play sand in the shed! The wood is a random stick we found down by the river which I cleaned up by planing down the nasty bits and sanding a little. I'm hoping to attach some moss to it to make it look more alive!

 
And yes, Joel is a great name...

 

[JoelHoare]

Here's it with some plants added, along with a finding nemo turtle ornament my wife insisted on getting to please our two year old! I moved a lot of stuff around to get it looking nice and disturbed the sand. it's now all cloudy again...I've dechlorinated the water so now I've just got to grab some ammonia and a liquid test kit. and get this cycle going!

 

[TallTree01]

Looks good Joel.That big stick is neat.

 

[JoelHoare]

The mist has cleared! I'm quite happy with the overall look...
 
I have however run out of money for now so gotta wait a week or so before I can get hold of a decent test kit. Wondering if I should add some ammonia now or wait till I have the test kit ready?

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

IT doesnt matter. Do it whenever you can. And dont be tempted to buy the pretty fish at the petstore when you see them or you will be stuck with daily testing, daily changes, and ALOT of stress. Trust me
 
Looking good! What kind of plants?

 

[JoelHoare]

Yeah i'm not going to buy fish until I am confident I am fully cycled. I don't have a clue what the plants are, but some of them are looking slightly browner than when I got them! I've also notice some tiny snails! And on the coconut shell on the left there's a film of translucent fluffy stuff, not sure if this will be harmful to the fish?