36G Bowfront Startup Journal

[JKStripe]

My family recieved the Aqueon 36G Bowfront for Christmas. It's been a slow process getting it started because I needed to make a new top for my stand. Now that the new top is stained and sealed, I'm ready to get started.

Anyway, here is the setup.

36G Bowfront Aquarium,
AC70 HOB filter,
Single Bulb 18W-T8 in Hood,
200W submersible Aqueon Heater,

50lb - Eco-Complete Substrate
Manzanita Driftwood
5lb Seriyu Stone

Prime as declorinator
API test kit

It will be planted.

About me, I shared a 10 gallon with my sister when I was 12. We used to (ignoratly & accidentally) kill fish. IE common pleco in 10 gallon, with 2 neons and 2 tiger barbs, with a guppy or ten in a non-cycled tank, and that was okay because who would know better than the LFS guy. He got way too much of my parents money. Anyway... while in college I started keeping a betta and learned the power of research and doing it right. I've had a few different tanks over the years but this one will be the largest capacity tank I've kept.

We also have a 5G with a betta now. That's where the Sponge Bob decor, that also was gifted with the new tank, went.

 

[JKStripe]

Here is a catch up post.

Feb 17 - Test fill (only water in tank) to check for leaks and test filter (no media).

Feb 19 - All mechanicals checks out, no leaks, filter working. Added cleaned driftwood to soak. After few days noticing tea colored water, tannis leaching, driftwood was too large to boil so normal.

Feb 24 - Drained tank. Added suction cups to bottom of tank with 2lb monofilament tail, substate, & heater. Anchored drift wood with the fishing line, added cleaned seriyu stone. Refilled tank with declorinated tap water. Added rinsed sponge and net of ceramic that came with filter. No Carbon.

Tap Water Readings:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
pH - 8.2 (after 36 hours it gased off to 8.0)
Gh - 7-8º (color significatly lightens at 7, changes at 8)
Kh - 3-4º (color significatly lightens at 3, changes at 4)

Trying to find no additive ammonia.

Feb 25 - rescaped rock
Feb 26 - rescaped rock
Feb 27 - rescaped rock
Feb 28 - rescaped rock

Still can't find ammonia for cycle. Gave in and ordered Dr. Tim's Ammonia Cloride.

March 1 - rescaped rock (i'm a perfectionist.)

 

[JKStripe]

another catch up post.

March 4 - Ammonia Cloride came today. Tested water before adding.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitate - 0
pH - 7.8
Gh - 7-8 (color significatly lightens at 7, changes at 8)
Kh - 5 (seriyu stone seems to be effecting water. Before putting in tank I did white vinegar test and didn't have bubbles. Guess I need to keep an eye on this.)

Dosed Ammonia Cloride. Bottle says to use 36 drops per gallon to reach 2ppm. That was bogus information. I initially gave it 72 drops and after 2 hours I tested at .25ppm. I gave it a health squirt. waited and hour and it tested 4ppm.

Let the waiting begin.

 

[JKStripe]

March 6 -

This was unexpected. Way unexpected. I tested ammonia level for kicks tonight and it read 2ppm. Hmm. So I checked everything.

Ammonia 2ppm
Nitrite >5 ppm
Nitrate 5ppm
pH 7.8
Gh did not test
Kh did not test

Wow, Nitrite & Nitrate after 3 days!? I tested again with different test tubes, maybe I didn't clean the others well enought. Same results. Redosed Ammonia to 4ppm, went to bed.

Is that even possible for the cycle to start that quick? Note that I do not have seed material in this tank.

 

[JKStripe]

Tested today at noon.

March 07
Ammonia 2ppm (did not redose)
Nitrite >5 ppm deep purple.
Nitrate10 ppm
pH 7.8
Gh did not test
Kh did not test

Should I be trusting these results so soon into the cycle? It almost seems too good to soon.

 

[meegosh]

Did you seed the tank with any material from an established tank? I agree, it seems odd to have nitrites and nitrates after just three days.

Edit: Just re-read your posts and saw you have no seed material...

 

[JKStripe]

Thanks for the reassurance Meegosh.

I checked my test kit on tap water last night and the results were all 0, so I'm going to trust my results for now. Still have a ways to go.

Planning to get plants Saturday. Dwarf Lily, anubias, lace jave fern, moss & marimo balls.

edit:
I was reading about the eco-complete, I wonder if this is why I'm getting reading already. Per the mfg website:

" Eco-Complete™ has highly porous spherical grains for optimum diffusion performance and contains live Heterotrophic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. It establishes a natural biological balance which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer."

 

[JKStripe]

08-March
Ammonia .5 ppm
Nitrite >5 ppm (deep purple)
Nitrate 40ppm (more red than orange today)
pH 7.8
Gh 8-9º
Kh 5º

Redosed ammonia, need to check acutal level later.
N-ate's up again.

 

[JKStripe]

10-March
Ammonia .25
N-ITE >5
N-ATE 80-160
pH 8.0

50% water change, prime, redosed ammonia

Ammonia 2
N-ITE >5
N-ATE 20
pH 8.0

Should I change another 50% to get nitrite below 5ppm?

 

[JKStripe]

11-March
Ammonia .50
N-ITE >5
N-ATE 80
pH 8.0

Redosed ammonia to 2ppm

 

[JKStripe]

12-March
Ammonia .25
N-ITE >5
N-ATE 80
pH 7.8

50% water change. Trying to get nitrite on the chart. Still >5 ppm after change.

Another 50% change. Now Nitrite at 1-2 ppm. Hard to tell the difference on the card.

Redosed ammonia to 2ppm

 

[meegosh]

Sounds like you are getting there. I'm not a believer in the live bacteria starters but maybe the eco, being sold wet, has some merit to it?

May do some reading on this in my free time, curious more than anything. I used 40lbs of eco before but I already had an established filter (was a substrate swap).

Seems like you need your nitrites to drop and you'll be there. Good luck!

 

[JKStripe]

Thanks for the well wishes Meegosh. It was a big win against Boston tonight. Let’s Go Pens!

The Eco-Complete is the only explanation I can give of why I'm seeing Nitrates so soon. From what I've read, it's a 50/50 toss up between believers and non-believers. Still, I do find it hard to grasp that the BB survived all the transportation, climate changes, warehouse, & shelf time, all the while not being fed. Maybe it does help being packaged wet, but so is some of the starter stuff they sell in bottles. And I know that is basically "placebo in a bottle" when it comes to cycling.

 

[azmodan]

Sounds like a fun build. What kind of plants are you targeting?

 

[JKStripe]

Since I'm getting closer to the finish line, I'll post my stocking plan.

AQAdvisor says this will put my tank stock level at 99% full.
Filtration level at 144%.

8x Neon Tetra
5x Hatchet
1x Guppy

8x Blue Emperor Tetra

2x Pearl Gourami

3x Zebra Oto

1x Bolivian Ram


I broke the list up by stocking order. First group will go in together. Wait a few weeks, add the emperors, few weeks then gourami. Wait 3 month for the Otos, then add the ram around 4-6 mo. Does this sound reasonable?

 

[azmodan]

It sounds good to me although I'd probably just go with one pearl gourami instead of two. If you did that you could also add a few more to your neons and hatchets.

 

[JKStripe]

Sounds like a fun build. What kind of plants are you targeting?

Very low light plants, so nothing special in the short term. The stock lighting that came with the tank is awful and my wife thinks I've already spent too much. So I'm hoping for a new light fixture & hood next Christmas. In the mean time here is a list what I'm thinking. I won't settle on specific varieties until I see them at the store.

Several Marimo Balls (my son loves these, he pets them during cleaning)
1x Tiger Lotus or Dwarf Lily
2x Crypts
On the driftwood & rock: Lace Java Fern, Anubias, Christmas Moss
Val
Dwarf Four Leaf Clover

It sounds packed, but with the way the two pieces of driftwood were are laid, I have a good amount of real estate for plant growth.

 

[JKStripe]

It sounds good to me although I'd probably just go with one pearl gourami instead of two. If you did that you could also add a few more to your neons and hatchets.

Why would you go with only one gourami?

 

[JKStripe]

Two Quick Photos. The airstones come out after cycling.

 

[azmodan]

Gourami can be very aggressive toward each other, particularly males in a smaller tank. Also, with hatchets and blue emperor tetras I'd recommend getting a tight hood as soon as possible. Both are jumpers that might wind up in another room!

Edit: Whoops, my mistake! You got a hood already! Disregard my last comment.