Tank Overhaul Log - 29 Gallon

[pitt420dude]

Hmm...looks like I was wrong. Not the first time and probably won't be the last, lol.

I guess it's b/c my 55 gal casts sucha narrow footprint. It's probably alot taller so the gallonage isn't as important as the footprint for substrate purposes.

[spilzer]

Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Anyway, I'm definitely going to lay down the Eco tonight so I can let you know how much I have left when I'm done.

[spilzer]

UPDATE:

I finally had time over the weekend to complete the first stages of the overhaul. I have lots of pictures (before and after) that I'm eager to post but have to wait until after work tonight because they are on my home computer.

The tank looks so great now, I'm super happy and can't wait to see all my plants start to fill in.

A list of all the new things in my tank: rocks, driftwood, substrate, background, filter, light fixture, and of course plants!

I also tested my water for the first time in a while. These are the results:
pH 7.4
NH4 0
NO2 0
NO3 7
KH 3
GH 71.6

The first four tests are all exactly where they should be but this was the first time I've ever tested KH or GH. Do my numbers look okay? The instructions for the API test said that anything below 3 dKH was low and wouldn't have good buffering capacity. How about if you're just at 3?

Anyway, I'm thrilled with the work I've put in and I can't wait until I can share that with everyone in picture form.

Edited to add:
In all my excitement I forgot to list the types of plants I put in. Here they are:

• Elodea (Elodea densa) which I understand is the same as Anacharis
• Anubias nana (Anubias barteri v. 'nana')
• Ozelot Sword (Echinodorus x. 'Ozelot')
• Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)
• Two plants from the "assorted" bin at the LFS. I think one is some sort of Bacopa and the other is either another type of Anubias or Sword

[neilanh]

Congrats! Pics, Pics Pics!

Soft water like yours will have special considerations, but a lot of the nicer, rarer plants prefer soft water, so consider yourself lucky! My KH is 4-5, so it's not much different than mine.

[spilzer]

What kind of special considerations? Do I just have to watch extra carefully for pH swings?

Also:
During the overhaul I started running an ECCO 2232 canister filter in addition to my Liberty 200 HOB filter with the idea that eventually I would take the Liberty HOB off the tank completely. Does anyone have any ideas on how long I should wait before removing the old filter to ensure that the new filter is colonized? I know cycling can take up to 6 weeks but I'm not starting a brand new tank and there is LOTS of seeded material in there already.

[Purrbox]

If you can cram the media from your old filter into the new one, remove as soon as you're ready. Other wise I'd try to wait at least a month to ensure that the new filter is well colonized.

[pitt420dude]

A month should be good. Since you have so much surface area for teh ben bact. to adhere to in there already, I'd bet even after 2 weeks you would still be fine. Better make it a month though just to be safe.

[spilzer]

I bet I could manage to get the old media into the new canister but that would involve opening it up and last time I tried that I made a terrific mess. I think I'll just play the waiting game...a month isn't so long considering how long I've been waiting for this upgrade.

[spilzer]

UPDATE:

The new setup is coming along very, very nicely. I'm super pleased with how everything looks and I'm sure my fish are happy about it too. I've been eagerly watching for signs of plant growth and so far it's been slow, but I kind of expected that with <2WPG. I think that the Anacharis is doing the best so far, though my Anubias is also looking pretty happy. I have to resist the urge to constantly be in there mucking about and rescaping but I think it's wisest to let things settle down a bit.

Edited to add pictures:
Okay, looks like I Photobucket is going to work for me. Yay, PICS!

This was my tank way back when I started. Notice the plastic plants, blech!


Then I upgraded to a few live plants, but I had no idea what I was doing (evidence: the white edge non-aquatic in the corner).



When I moved apartments I decided to upgrade to a fully planted tank. I left the bottom bare until I was ready to put in EcoComplete (it seemed silly to put the gravel back after moving when I was just going to remove it later).



The draining process was the first time I had used a python. I loved it and will be using for water changes from now on.


Here you can see my full setup with the holding "tank" that housed my fish during the process.


Refilling after changing the background, adding EcoComplete, replacing driftwood and PLANTING!




The finished product.



I'm so proud of all the work I put into this and the results. I can't wait to see all my plants grow in. I love coming home now and sitting and watching all the action in my tank. It'll be fun to watch it as it matures.

[spilzer]

Does Eheim make a spraybar attachment for their ECCO canister filters? I'd really like to get something to extend the outflow's elbow hard-tubing.

You can see in the picture above that I had used some of the green Eheim flexible tubing which I tried puncturing holes in. I had a really tough time making them big enough and the water wouldn't flow out the holes. I also had a mishap with some otos making their way into the tubing which was really sad so for now I've taken it out.

One option I thought of was trying to get a small length of PVC that I could drill holes into, I guess that's essentially what an Eheim spray-bar is anyway. I tried Home Depot but they didn't carry lengths of PVC so maybe I need to find a plumbing store.

Does anyone have experience with DIY spraybars that could lend some advice about the best way to attach one to the filter outflow? What joints and other pieces will I need to make a spray-bar?