Setup has started.

[DuCoop]

I spent the last 5 hours cleaning this then getting it set up. I'll start cycling it tomorrow. This thing was a lot of work but was very rewarding getting to do it with my daughter. 2 quick questions before i start the cycle. Should I turn off the UV light on the smaller filter until the bacteria colonies are settled? And I also have a bubbler. Do I need that? The 307 gives quite a bit of surface agitation already.

Going plant shopping on Sunday with the family.

150 gallon
Fluval fx6
Fluval 307 with inline uv
Fluval aqua sky 900mm light
Fluval plant 1100mm light. (Only this one on for the photo)
Substrate is about 5" deep in back and 3" in the front. There is some plant soil and small gravel under the sand

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. The UV lighting will sterilize the tank water. So, you don't want it. It will kill off bacteria good and bad if the bacteria moves underneath the light. The bubbler will add a bit of oxygen to the tank water, so that's a good thing.

I would encourage the use of Eco-Complete as part of your bottom material. It's high in nutrients and will help in the cycling process. It's not cheap, but you've got a pricey tank there and going to a little more expense will benefit the fish and plants.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[DuCoop]

Hello. The UV lighting will sterilize the tank water. So, you don't want it. It will kill off bacteria good and bad if the bacteria moves underneath the light. The bubbler will add a bit of oxygen to the tank water, so that's a good thing.

I would encourage the use of Eco-Complete as part of your bottom material. It's high in nutrients and will help in the cycling process. It's not cheap, but you've got a pricey tank there and going to a little more expense will benefit the fish and plants.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Under the sand is some fluval plant and shrimp stratum. Was a bit too pricy to do much more than the 18lb bag for now. I did leave the uv light off for now. It's just on the smaller of the 2 pumps. I'm unsure of how much of a benefit is the uv light. Do I need it all once it is cycled?

 

[Essjay]

UV isn't really needed. It will kill bacteria, single celled parasites such as ich and the unicellular algae which causes green water, but only in the water passing the UV lamp. With ich, for example, the newly hatched parasites are more likely to find a fish to attack before they've passed the UV lamp.
The lamp also needs changing regularly, something like every 6 months, if used regularly.

 

[10 Tanks]

Under the sand is some fluval plant and shrimp stratum. Was a bit too pricy to do much more than the 18lb bag for now. I did leave the uv light off for now. It's just on the smaller of the 2 pumps. I'm unsure of how much of a benefit is the uv light. Do I need it all once it is cycled?

Hello again. The UV lamp is really a desperate measure to kill off any bad bacteria that has infected a fish tank. It can be used to kill the "Ich" parasite. It has no place in a startup or a healthy tank.

10 Tanks (Now 11)