Newely set up planted TenG with guppies

[Matt68005]

So I've decided to get into guppies again. But before I always went for lots of tanks poorly setup and messy basement. This time ive put them upstairs in our gestroom. It is a ten gallon tank with the Plastic Frame removed so it looks like a biocube. Pretty neat. I've decided to go for a low tech peacefull look since I also have some houseplants in that room. So no heater, no filter, just gravel, plants and an airstone. I didn't even bother to buy water conditioner. I have some prime left over from about 7-8 months ago when I sold most of my fishroom stuff. I did buy Stress coat to get BB going. Im gonna monitor with my API drip tubes ammonia until, well, heres my question, Can a planted "low tech" tank just be okay with BB growing on the gravel and driftwood and decorations and sides of the tank? Prime controls ammonia/nitrates and im probably gonna change water often until its underway. Im also gonna use the prime and stress coat until its cycled. Ive got 6 small male guppies from petsmart that look quite healthy and vigorous, they are the HB red and the Reds and the Yellow/reds. They don't have huge tails like the guppies I use to raise, and they seem pretty active. My plan was to setup 3 tanks but I think ill just stick with this one for now. I plan on getting some females too once the shipment comes in. I've just got to watch my feeding very little and keep close eye on the water quality. I thought about going with an UG filter, but it just tends to clog especially with plants. Ive been raising guppies off and on for 5 years, so I know my stuff, I just saw this lady who had nothing in her tanks but gravel plants and driftwood and and airstone here and there and wanted to do something low tech like that. No heater either. The room stays about 72 and I have a incadesent bulb above it for light and a little heat. Here ill just post a pictue later or tommrow once it clears if I can ever figure it out. Thoughts? I don't have much experience with aquatic plants. Do I need fertilizer? Co2? I don't want to waste a ton of money on fancy equiptment, after all its "low tech". thanks

 

[Billbug68]

So I've decided to get into guppies again. But before I always went for lots of tanks poorly setup and messy basement. This time ive put them upstairs in our gestroom. It is a ten gallon tank with the Plastic Frame removed so it looks like a biocube. Pretty neat. I've decided to go for a low tech peacefull look since I also have some houseplants in that room. So no heater, no filter, just gravel, plants and an airstone. I didn't even bother to buy water conditioner. I have some prime left over from about 7-8 months ago when I sold most of my fishroom stuff. I did buy Stress coat to get BB going. Im gonna monitor with my API drip tubes ammonia until, well, heres my question, Can a planted "low tech" tank just be okay with BB growing on the gravel and driftwood and decorations and sides of the tank? Prime controls ammonia/nitrates and im probably gonna change water often until its underway. Im also gonna use the prime and stress coat until its cycled. Ive got 6 small male guppies from petsmart that look quite healthy and vigorous, they are the HB red and the Reds and the Yellow/reds. They don't have huge tails like the guppies I use to raise, and they seem pretty active. My plan was to setup 3 tanks but I think ill just stick with this one for now. I plan on getting some females too once the shipment comes in. I've just got to watch my feeding very little and keep close eye on the water quality. I thought about going with an UG filter, but it just tends to clog especially with plants. Ive been raising guppies off and on for 5 years, so I know my stuff, I just saw this lady who had nothing in her tanks but gravel plants and driftwood and and airstone here and there and wanted to do something low tech like that. No heater either. The room stays about 72 and I have a incadesent bulb above it for light and a little heat. Here ill just post a pictue later or tommrow once it clears if I can ever figure it out. Thoughts? I don't have much experience with aquatic plants. Do I need fertilizer? Co2? I don't want to waste a ton of money on fancy equiptment, after all its "low tech". thanks

I'd hate to burst your bubble, but removing the frame from a tank designed to have one is pretty risky... Rimless tanks are built with thicker glass and stronger silicone. You're risking dumping ten gallons in your guest room and losing all your live stock. I would strongly suggest against it.

Another thing, prime doesn't just help with detoxifying ammonia and nitrates, but rids the water of chlorine and chloramines, which are deadly to your fish. Water conditioner is definitely needed, and I don't see why one would want to forgo it. Also, stress coat isn't going to speed up you cycle. Another thing... I don't understand why not use a hob filter and heater. There's plenty of space, and it's purely beneficial to your pets. In my ten I used to put the heater in the very corner next to the filter intake tube for two reasons. It kept all the equipment in one place and was less distracting to have it in the corner. And because having next to the intake helps circulate the warm water through the tank.

I think you may want to rethink a little bit. Just because one person does it, doesn't mean it's ok or a good plan.... I don't mean to sound negative, just trying to look out for the stability of your tank and your potential fish.

 

[Matt68005]

You raise some good points, but I have a couple things to add.

1. Prime should work by itself as a all in one water conditioner, it says so on their website
2. The tank has had no frame for the past 2 years and its had water in it for a lot of that time so I think its stable as long as I don't try to move it.
3. I meant to say Stress Zyme, which is meant for BB

The whole reason I did this is just because I wanted to go low tech. aka no heater, no ugly filter clogging up the tank. Its only a ten gallon with driftwood and lots of plants and aquascaping, so I wanted it to be quiet and peaceful. But I understand what your saying too, I got this idea in my head from someone and kind of rushed into it. I guess ill just be careful and see how it goes and maybe look into something a little safer/sturdier. Then bio cubes are just so darn expensive.

 

[Billbug68]

I thought you meant you were going to stop using prime once it was out. What your proposing is certainly obtainable. It sounds a lot like the Walstad method.

 

[Billbug68]

This was my old 10g, as you can see, the filter and heater are almost none existent but they're there...

 

[Matt68005]

That looks nice, looks kinda like mine actually almost exactly like mine right up to the lamp above rather than hoodlight. Ive got mine on grandma's dresser with the big mirror behind it and the lamp clamped above it. What kind of filter is that? I wouldn't mind maybe something like a mini-canister filter, just want the tank to be unique. I didn't spend 100 bucks on driftwood and substrate and plants just to have a normal everyday ten gallon guppy tank. Ill try to get a picture up now....bear with me, new smartphone and new win 8 computer so I may struggle with it.

 

[Billbug68]

The filter was an aquaclear 30.

 

[Matt68005]

RE: pics

Here is the pics as promised.

 

[sam24]

If you are gonna grow Aquatic plants, you need flourecent lighting and a nutritious substrate. Also, why not buy a simple HOB filter. Theres Aqueon 10 gal. filters for 11 bucks online and heaters aren't that expensive. All it can do is benifit your fish. You should probably do some more research.

 

[Matt68005]

The room gets a TON of natural light. It has big East and South windows that get sun most of the day. And why not, because its a low tech tank and I don't want to clutter it!!

 

[Billbug68]

Stagnant water and natural sunlight sounds like a great recipe for algae. If you don't want a filter, you may want to consider a nano circulation pump or powerhead. I don't think an air stone alone is going to give you much flow throughout the tank.

 

[sam24]

I agree with Billbug. Natural sunlight and still water will produce a lot of algae. Get a filter! It won't clutter it at all! If u put it behind a big bushy plant, it's hardly noticeable. By saying it's low tech, doesn't make it okay to try and cut corners.

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

Stagnant water and natural sunlight sounds like a great recipe for algae. If you don't want a filter, you may want to consider a nano circulation pump or powerhead. I don't think an air stone alone is going to give you much flow throughout the tank.

The water surface has to be moving somehow! Also, did you say you were putting guppies in this tank or no? I love guppies...lol...also, how exactly did you remove the plastic rims of this tank? I would love to know, sounds interesting to me and I may have a 5.5 I want to do that with

 

[Matt68005]

Yes dan, guppies. I love them too. The ones I got from petmart have smallish round tails but they seem to be sturdy. I have an airstone in there that is moving the water a little, that's about it. Actually, I got this tank from my brother in law who loves fish and has a ton of old tanks lying around in his basement. When I got home, I went to pick it up and "whoop" off comes the entire top rim. So very gently I took the bottom rim off too and whalla, my ten gallon bio tank!! haha If you try to do it to a new tank its virtually impossible but you can try it with a butterknife. Older tanks it comes off a lot better, and you can put another row of silicone around the corners and let it dry to be sure that it will stay (something I should have done) but yeah, older tanks it should come off pretty easily with a butter knife. As for the algae, I know nothing about planted tanks, the ones I had before always got algae on the plants leaves and they died. So im wondering if I can use algae tablet to kill the algae and will it hurt the plants? I am going oldschool with this tank, really old!!! I didn't want just another tank, I wanted something unique and interesting and beautiful. Ive had guppies for years, at one point 14 tanks, but most of them were BB and ugly, so for once I wanted something pleasing to look at in the guestroom where I can go when things get loud and hetic around here which it does with 2 little girls and 2 dogs!!

 

[sam24]

I would advise against using that algae stuff. If you want the tank to look beautiful, i hate to break it to ya but unless you have a lot of experience, you are gonna have to put a little bit into it. At least a light with some liquid ferts. Thats not alot at all and you can get great results just from those things. Its also a 10 gallon tank, meaning everything you need to get is going to be smaller and less money. Growing aquatic plants is pretty easy, but its not as easy as you seem to think it is.

 

[Matt68005]

Well so far so good. I had ammonia approaching 1ppm but I did a 40% Water change and used prime and it is back to 0. I guess I will just have to keep doing the WC's until the gravel and plants and rocks are "cycled" and at that point should be able to lay off or add some ammo lock chips or something of the sort. The prime seems to be working. I added some female to the tank too. Turns out 3 of my plants were "semi-aquatic" so I had to take them out and buy 2 more that were aquatic and im just growing the semi's in pot of gravel and peat with a jar on top of it. All of the fish are healthy looking and acting and trying to mate and pick at the duckweed and fake moss on the rocks so I hope they all make it! Still no filter tho I did drop a preset 50w heater in there to keep it around 75.

 

[Matt68005]

Fishroom April update

Heres an update video. Guppy tank is doing great. Also got some koi (in the tub) and Fancy goldies. The newest tank has some male endlers in it. There are 1 male and 5 Female Adult HB Red Tuxedo guppies. (from LFS, kept seperate.) Still gonna have to cull the 20 or so fry to get the best of the best. enjoy! , i just been using the prime and Stress zyme and live plants!! and its working great! Guppies are well fed and do NOT cannabilize young.
Fish room april 2 2013 - YouTube