Photo of my 520L tank

[CRS]

I’m in East Yorkshire so bit of a trek but if I’m coming back from the airport or over there for work I’ll drop in on way home.

Shrimp are good with tetras but not with some of the other fish I mentioned. I’d stay away from frogs too it can work sometimes but it’s quite restrictive with what you can keep and how you scape the tanks.

Wills

No frogs then

I'm sure the geniouses at Pier will tell me what not to have with tetra, how long should i wait til i put plants in? is it 4-6 weeks then from what i've been told for the tank to do it's cycle?

 

[Wills]

I'm sure the geniouses at Pier will tell me what not to have with tetra, how long should i wait til i put plants in? is it 4-6 weeks then from what i've been told for the tank to do it's cycle?

Have you read about fishless cycling yet? I’d go down that route with your first tank and really understand the nitrogen cycle. Try to go off advice from fish keepers rather than shops as there is always a bit of a push to sell you something. As good as pier are I’d still go down this route too.

Plants can go in pretty early before fish and if your plants do well you can do what’s called a silent cycle which is where you rely on the plants to take up the ammonia in the early days but you do need dense planting for this.

Wills

 

[CRS]

Have you read about fishless cycling yet? I’d go down that route with your first tank and really understand the nitrogen cycle. Try to go off advice from fish keepers rather than shops as there is always a bit of a push to sell you something. As good as pier are I’d still go down this route too.

Plants can go in pretty early before fish and if your plants do well you can do what’s called a silent cycle which is where you rely on the plants to take up the ammonia in the early days but you do need dense planting for this.

Wills

Im guessing that's the 4-6 week cycle i mentioned? How early could i put plants in if i did this?

I've just been shopping, this bog wood is even bigger than it looks haha, got some sand gravel to

 

[Wills]

Was that wood from pets at home!! I'd never see that in mine I don't think I've ever seen drift wood in it lol.

And yes the 4-6 week cycle means we are probably talking about the same thing. You can add plants in that time but you can also get a bit of algae in the process so its a bit of a balance to get there.

Wills

 

[CRS]

Was that wood from pets at home!! I'd never see that in mine I don't think I've ever seen drift wood in it lol.

And yes the 4-6 week cycle means we are probably talking about the same thing. You can add plants in that time but you can also get a bit of algae in the process so its a bit of a balance to get there.

Wills

No the bog wood was from my local garden centre, just the gravel from pets at home.
I'll have a read up on the cycles, my pump is arriving early, should be here later today

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Nice size tank. It may be too late already but in terms of filtration for a tank that size I would consider getting someone in to drill it for a sump tank (or do it yourself if your brave). May work out a lot cheaper overall, gives even more water capacity and is possibly easier to work with. Not sure how much someone would charge to drill it but plumbing bits would be maybe £30 then pick yourself up whatever second hand tank will fit underneath. Return pump may be a little pricey but still probably less then a top end high capacity external filter.

 

[Fishfaced]

Finally with help from 2 others my tank is in position and ready to go!

The tank is 520L, i would appreciate any help if someone could point me in the right direction to what pump/filter to buy suitable for a tank of this size?
This is the first set up on my own, any other help is appeciated!
So far, i have put the gravel in about 40mm deep, all the bogwood/driftwood are in multiply buckets, is the a certain amount of time i need to leave them in for? Bearing in mind i won't be putting fish in for awhile.
I have two heaters, one is 300W and the other is 200W, is this correct?

I'll post photos along the way, thanks for any help

I'd love a tank that size... one day..

That could be a thing of beauty. Nature captured in your home.

Good times

 

[CRS]

I've been adding plants over the last 2 weeks, most have more than doubled in size i've got 35-40 plants.
I added the first lot of fish yesterday i got 8 cardinal tetras, they seem happy, will probably get another 2-4.

Someone on here recommended pier aquatics, i'll be going over the weekend, i'm looking forward to it.

I would like some shrimp, but i read that they're not ideal for a new set up?
Are there many species that i should stay away from for the time being?

I will take many photos, the water is brown so i'll have to do a few water changes first.