New Beginnings

[NewMariner]

After I set up my 180g Reef, I will convert my now 75g Reef into a Freshwater Planted Tank........

Heres what Im planning,

2 175w MH Retros(already have them)
2 inch Flourite/pea gravel mixture
Pressurized CO2(already have just need to refill the bottle)
Fluval 304
After the tear down of the 75g, I will wash it out really good.....maybe even use a bleach solution to disinfect and rinse. Then I will set it up, add some plants.....Wait a few weeks let the plants get settled in and then start adding some fish.......

Anyone see any problems with my setup? Im not to worried about a cycle, as I have a 29g tank that I will use all the gravel from, and the canister filter on it as well.

Thanks,
Tony

 

[silvi-p]

hello tony,
sounds good!! one more for freshwater
I just wanted to say, I wouldn't use anything chemical when cleaning the tank. rinsing it out with (really) warm water and scrubbing the glass with a *new, well rinsed* sponge should be enough. even if a bit of salt stays in it, concentration would be far less hazardous than any concentration of bleach, soap, chemicals I think.

no miracle that you have time to let it cycle, if you have a big salty tank to watch in the meantime

-silvia

 

[silvi-p]

sorry, double posting

 

[Biggen]

Looks like a good plan. I would go put in more than 2" of flourite. Go for a minimum of 3". I have 3.5" to 4" of depth in mine.

Also with that much light, I am glad you already have a Co2 system. You should see some excellent growth with that system. You will actually have to stay away from some of the lower light plants because you have too much light for them. Never thought I would ever say that...

Wait a few weeks let the plants get settled in and then start adding some fish.......

Good idea. This is what I did. Makes setting up a tank real easy when the plants are established.

 

[NewMariner]

Ive got the Tank Setup Down.......now Im just wandering what plants would be a good choice....and what fish...

Currently I have 2 50 cent size Angelfish, 2 black skirt tetras, 5 longfin danios and an albino pleco in a 29g tank.........

Anyone else got any suggestions on fish and plants?
I thought about getting some Discus as I love them, but have read that its not a good idea to put them in with Angelfish some disease that crosses between the two.........

 

[e-cat]

if i was you i would leave all the other fish in there previous tank and put in some discus, rummy noise tetra and some clown loaches or aboout 10 - 15 cory catfish,
you shouldnt have too worry about too much aglae as the plants will take most of the nutrients that he algae want, or just buy an bristilenose pleco as the only get 4" and dont make the big mess like other plecos.

 

[Guest]

IMO, what you wanna do is this:

3-4 inches flourite, as Biggen stated above,
Lots of fast growing bunch plants (and I mean LOTS) Anacharis, cabomba, duckweed, tons more bunch plants,
Co2 which you have, straight from the minute you set it up,
A few fish, straight away, I'd use the dannios and tetras that you already have,
Get some SAEs in 2-3 weeks, they will help with the algae outbreaks that you may well have, regardless of how "properly" you do initial setup.

If you plant heavy from the git-go, no need to worry about the cycle, you won't even see it, as the plants suck up ammo, nitrite, and nitrate. After a few weeks, you start removing bunch plants, and putting in whatever else you want, more rooted plants, crypts, swords, and such. Add fish every time you add/change plants. The fish waste products are just what the plants want for fertilizer.

Check google for Aquarium Plants, there are tons out there, with many sites that sell them and info on their care.

If you really want to do the discus thing, do a bunch of research on your own before buying any, as I understand it, they are rather particular about their water conditions, so have a care.

Good luck!

 

[silvi-p]

hi guys,
@corvus...: I don't think plants use nitrite? you got proof of that somewhere for me to find? interesting.

with discus... discus need to be in a group, and normally, 75g tanks don't have enough height. 60cm, I think 24", should be min. as they get quite... high. flat. you know what I mean

It's not bad at all to gradually add fish when the cycle allows it, after the no2 peak. I started by putting in 2-3-4, then in weekly steps, I added more. to avoid the bacteria not coping with the *workload*.

-s.

 

[Guest]

hi guys,
@corvus...: I don't think plants use nitrite?

Doh!

Yeah it's mostly Ammonia and Nitrate, sorry about that.

It's not bad at all to gradually add fish when the cycle allows it, after the no2 peak

"Silent cycling" of a planted tank, essentially you see no evidence of any of the nitrogenous waste products. If the tank is planted heavily enough from day 1, with fast growing bunch plants, the cycle is undetectable with hobbyests test kits.

There are several different ways to cycle a heavily planted tank, so I'm not saying my way is the only way, but it is one acceptable way.
Besides, NewMariner has a fully cycled cannister filter he is going to move over to this tank, so I see no real problems with putting fish in pretty much right away.

 

[silvi-p]

ok, agree, didn't take into account the running cannister filter, which is the decisive factor. *doh on my side*

s.