Using Old Equipment...

[Fireman_jam]

Hi guys,

I had a tank for a year or so a couple of years ago however never really sure I was taking care of it properly... The problem was I took the tank from a family friend and they had it for a few years before that. To cut a long story short I bought an external filter (it had two internal filters which looked ugly), I used the media out of them filters however everything went wrong as I went on holiday and came back to unfortunately find myself with no fish (think the person I had got to 'look after them' had overfed and messed up the water.

I'm left with a tank, 70 liters I believe but I shall confirm this, an external filter and wanting to set it up properly so that I know from scratch what I am doing... So a few questions...

I would like to use sand as I like the looks of it, but have heard it is hard to look after?

Is there anywhere I can pick up ammonia as I want to do a fishless cycle but nowhere seems to sell it...

Are live plants easy to keep? As I think they look better but also don't want to complicate things!

Lastly can I clean the tank using tap water or should I add treatment to the water?

Manny thanks for reading! I hope I can rejoin the world of fishkeeping soon

 

[Kaliska]

Malaysian trumpet snails and other burrowing aquatic critters can really help maintain sand and put only as thick of layer as you need.  Otherwise you have to vacuum the top and stir it yourself frequently.  Snails will go crazy out of hand if you overfeed.  Plants have a harder time in sand but enough hardy plants can use up the nutrients from fish poop and missed food that gets in the sand.  A tank of malaysian trumpet snails and plants in a dense substrate like sand can actually maintain itself.  I've done it in some big tanks with high light and heavy planting but that becomes complicated.  A tank of sand can also just be a huge pain and source of nitrates and toxic gases if things aren't setup and maintained correctly.
 
Ammonia should be in any household cleaning section with the bleach.  Watch for surfactants.  When you shake it the liquid should not foam up.
 
Some live plants are easy but the really easy ones tend to be fairly slow growing and are put in lower light tanks.  Increased light will allow you more plants with faster growth but the algae/plant balance becomes trickier.  It's really as complicated or not as you want.
 
If the tank is empty you can clean it with any water or vinegar you want before wiping it down and filling with safe water.  All tapwater (and pretty much all water used) added to the tank when it's started cycling or has fish should have a water conditioner added.  It will get rid of chlorine, chloramine, sometimes bind ammonia to be nontoxic, and help with heavy metals.  Unless you are using very filtered water that you know has nothing in it (heavy metal test kits are relatively expensive) it's a good idea to use something.

 

[carmstrong]

Good Afternoon Fireman_jam, Welcome to TTF 

 
Its unfortunate to hear about your recent loss to your 70L tank.
Hopefully your next experience is a better one.
 
To answer some of your questions, 
 
1. Sand is quite common within aquariums and its easy to care for. 
There are plenty of videos on YouTube that explain different things when it comes to having sand as a substrate such as cleaning suggestions, stocking with bottom feeders for cleanliness and gas expulsion etc. I just recently added sand (Pool Filter Sand) to my 113L tank. Its looks quite nice and clean in the tank. I haven't cleaned a sand tank as mine is still cycling, but a lot online seem to like it.
 
2. As for Ammonia, when I was trying to find it was located at my local hardware store. I see your from the UK so i'm not sure where to find that within your area.
You have to make sure you pick up PURE Ammonia only. No other additives such as scents or additional cleaners.
 
3. Within my experience, live plants are lovely and are simple to keep.. 
I have never indulged in the Co2 gadgets and a full planted tank, but my little plants within my 15gal did quite well... until my Mystery Snail ate them all that is! 
Perhaps some other members on the forum can help you with a full planted tank, thankfully we have some amazing posts for you to read.
 
4. As for cleaning the tank, i've used regular tap water with cleaning my tank. 
You cannot use any cleaning solvent, however i've heard vinegar and salt combination is a great way to get off hard water stains.
I just picked up a little scrubby (new only for the tank) and cleaned it under hot water. Rinsed it really well and let it dry.
 
You will be running tap water within your tank for cycling anyway and will have to drain it once the cycling is complete so there is no need to use treated water. 
By the time you add fish the chlorine and minerals will be dissipated.
(Now if you are cycling a saltwater tank, you may have to research if you require R/O water during the cleaning process or ask other posters)
 
Hope this helps, 
 
I'm by no means and expert, but hopefully my experiences may help you along. 
Other members please chime in if i've given improper advice as we all want Fireman_jam to enjoy his Fishkeeping hobby

 
Let us know how you make out and post pics once you do!

 

[Byron]

I would like to use sand as I like the looks of it, but have heard it is hard to look after?
 

 
Sand is no more of a problem than gravel.  After fifteen years of fine gravel substrate tanks, I changed six of my seven tanks to play sand a couple years ago and have no issues nor do I regret it.  Some fish will be better over sand (corys, loaches, small to medium cichlids that are substrate feeders).  I have not had any plant issues with sand, and all my seven tanks are planted.  And I do not ever stir up the sand; the areas of anaerobic activity are part of the essential biological system, provided they don't overwhelm the system obviously.  Bottom line is, there are no issues with sand that you would not have with gravel if not properly setup and maintained.
 

Is there anywhere I can pick up ammonia as I want to do a fishless cycle but nowhere seems to sell it..
 

 
I am not a fan of using ammonia in fish tanks, and I always silent cycle with fast-growing plants.  Not to say it cannot be done, but why complicate matters when nature will do it.

 

Are live plants easy to keep? As I think they look better but also don't want to complicate things!
 

 
Plants have basic requirements, just like fish.  The benefit of live plants is what they achieve biologically, and this simply cannot be replicated with additives and filters.  Light is your main issue with plants, and selecting plants that will manage in the light you have/intend.  As with fish, different plant species have different requirements.
 

Lastly can I clean the tank using tap water or should I add treatment to the water?
 

 
I tend to use plain tap water, but depending upon the situation you can also add vinegar, salt or bleach to the water.  Just ensure you rinse it very, very, very well and air dry especially if bleach is used.  This applies to the tank and hard materials like the filter housing and artificial decor.  Wood and rocks should never be cleaned with anything but water, and filter media is best discarded and replaced.
 
Byron.

 

[DrRob]

I get ammonia from amazon of all places, although I tend to silent cycle like Byron does (I use if for cleaning things in the house mainly). Welcome back to the hobby.

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

I'd like to add to the sand topic. I used large gravel for years for no reason other than I liked the look. Never had any issues with it other than it required regular vacuuming. I am currently using pool filter sand. It required no rinsing. I could have gotten some dust out but I opted for letting the filter take care of that because there was so little of it. It was in a 120 gallon lightly stocked tank for a number of months. I tried vacuuming it at my first water change but couldn't find any debris. I never vacuumed it again for a number of months before I broke down that tank. At break down time, there was no debris in it at all. In fact, I transferred a portion of it to a smaller tank that I was setting up to replace the 120. The water in the new tank was crystal clear at filling. That never would have happened with gravel of any size. I'll never go back to gravel.
 
As to plants in sand, I read somewhere that it takes a year to establish sand for growing plants. As usual, no matter what you here, there are going to be people with different experiences like Byron and DrRob have shared.

 

[Fireman_jam]

So I've got it all cleaned up, positioned where I wanted and went and bought some sand! Although I would class it as a cross between sand and gravel tbh... Bought a new heater as the old one was a bit manky and I went with a couple of small fake plants. Personally I'm really happy with the looks of it.

Have found out, using the calculator on here that it is only actually a 49 litre tank so that will limit stocking options...

I'm intrigued to hear about letting it cycle naturally? As at he moment I've filled it and left the heater on until tomorrow now to get up to temperature, was hoping to get some ammonia from somewhere tomorrow to start the fish less cycle but hearing about a silent cycle sounds interesting? I'm in no rush to add fish yet so would be happy to hear about this...

Also what would people suggest as a good stocking option? I shall find out what the water that comes out of my tap is like tomorrow and post it up to help out!

Many thanks for your suggestions and I shall get some pics up soon

 

[Byron]

Have found out, using the calculator on here that it is only actually a 49 litre tank so that will limit stocking options...
 

 
Well, in a sense, but not as significantly as you seem to have in mind.  It is the dimensions of an aquarium that are the more important, up to a point obviously, not the volume.  And the dimensions definitely determine what type of fish can be housed.  Active swimmers need length, sedate fish do not, so the length is the important consideration.  Fish that establish definite territories need more space.  And so forth.  Once that is settled, obviously you need to keep the number of fish at a level that can be supported by the biological system in the volume of water and the substrate.
 

I'm intrigued to hear about letting it cycle naturally? As at he moment I've filled it and left the heater on until tomorrow now to get up to temperature, was hoping to get some ammonia from somewhere tomorrow to start the fish less cycle but hearing about a silent cycle sounds interesting? I'm in no rush to add fish yet so would be happy to hear about this...
 

 
I can explain the method.  You set up the tank with substrate, decor, add some water, then plant it.  Substrate-rooted plants go in at this point; plants that are attached to wood or rock, or floating plants, will not be planted in the substrate.  This planting usually stirs up the substrate quite a bit, so at this point when planted I drain out the water down to the substrate, then carefully fill the tank.  Get the heater and filter running, and the lights.  At this poiint you have a tank that is complete except there are no fish.  
 
I would suggest letting it run overnight to ensure there are no leaks, the filter and heater are working properly, etc.  I fertilize the plants with a comprehensive liquid to get them started.  Make sure there are some fast-growing plants; floating are the best for this, as they will settle quicker.  When I set up new tanks I am using some of my existing plants, so I know they will take off immediately.  If you are using newly acquired plants, I would give the setup a few days.  Then begin adding the intended fish, starting with just a few.  It is actually possible to fully stock the tank the same day as you set it up, I've done it dozens of times, but then I know what I'm doing and what to do if I see signs of issues.  Best to go slow.
 
Some fish are better than others to start with...not because there is a cycling issue, but just because some fish acclimate better to an established tank and are best not added to a new one that is not established biologically. The plants grab the ammonia/ammonium as their preferred source of nitrogen.  The nitrifying bacteria will still colonize, but you won't be waiting for them, hence no discernible cycle to worry aboout.   Ammonia and nitrite should not be above zero at all.  Fast-growing plants are faster at taking up the ammonia/ammonium than bacteria.
 
Byron.

 

[DrRob]

I tend to use mainly stems to start with, my experience of floaters has been mixed in establishing tanks, but that's probably to do with flow being too high in my tanks until the plants get going. I seem to recall Byron mentioning that he doesn't go for as much flow as I do so that may be why he's succeeding there where I'm not.
 
I too put in the heavier rooters early, my favourite for early cycling has to be be the hygrophila group, they're monsters when they get going but they seem to pull ammonia out of the water very effectively. Most fast growing stems work well though.