Reply With QuoteHi, I'm new to this forum and i got problem with my tank setup. I shall go step by step to how i setup my tank. Please comment on any mistakes i made during my setup cos this is a trial tank. Once successful, i'll try my hands on a 3 or 4 feet tank.
Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): standard 2feet tank
Tank Volume (litres or gallons): 54Litres
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 3x15watts
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : Daylight
No. of Hours your light is on : 10-12hrs/day
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : 1bps
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : Tank
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): Diffusor
Substrate Used : DERRENLE Crystal Quartz Gravel
How Thick is your base fert : 1cm
How thick is your gravel : 2 to 2.5cm
Liquid Fertilizers Used : Nil
Frequency of fertilization : Nil
Tank Temperature : 28.4 to 28.6
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : Overhead (Currently taken out of setup)
Filter media used : Wool
How long has your tank been set up : 1 week (changed water 3 times already)
Other equipment : Nil
Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
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Carbonate Hardness (KH): ?
Total Hardness (gH): ?
pH : ?
NH4 (ppm): ?
NO2 (ppm): ?
NO3 (ppm): ?
PO4 (ppm): ?
Fe (ppm): ?
Hi, I'm new to this forum and i got problem with my tank setup. I shall go step by step to how i setup my tank. Please comment on any mistakes i made during my setup cos this is a trial tank. Once successful, i'll try my hands on a 3 or 4 feet tank.
I just setup my tank last week... and i got questions and problems regarding the planted tank.
My equiptment:
-2Feet Tank
-3x 15watts flourcent daylight tubes
-overhead filter (currently taken out of my setup)
I bought a 7kg packet of JBL fertiliser and 10kg packet of DERRELNE gravel.
Pictures are shown below:
JBL Fertiliser
DERRENLE Gravel
I added the JBL fertiliser and covering the layer with the gravel.
I only gave the Derrenle gravel a one time rinse as it was quite clean (IMO)
I started to fill the tank with water, taking extra care not to disturb the gravel.
This was how the tank looked after the tank was filled:
I thought the sediments would settle down, but after 1 day the water was still as cloudy, thus i decided to go for a 2nd water change.
After 2nd Water Change:
The water still looked cloudy but better. I went to the aquarium shop and bought a solution that could make the water clear.
I switched off the pump, poured the solution until the fine particles formed bigger sediments and then i turned on the filter.
Picture of Tank After Addition of Solution for 1 day (Filtration on)
I thought that my problem was solved, however after another day, i had to wash the filter medium cos the particles were causing too much clog. At the same time, there were alot of "sticky" blubbles formed at the tank surface due to the overhead filter.
The water condition at that point in time was back to normal (ie. before i added the solution.
I deemed that a 3rd water change was neccessary and here's how it looked:
I removed the overhead filter cos it caused too much bubbles. I wonder if the particles will settle down w/o the filter.
I added 7ml more of the crystal clear liquid to make the water less cloudy, 3 days later, most of my plants are rotting already... the 2 guppies which i put inside the tank died on the 2nd day.
Around the plants there were brown particles (i'll post the pic soon)
Please help.
Dennerle gravel not that clean actually. I rinsed at least 6-7 times before the water going thru it was crystal clear before putting it in the tank.
... always look at the bright side of life
Here are some pics of the dying plants:
Did my water became cloudy because of the JBL fertiliser or due to the Dennerle gravel?Dennerle gravel not that clean actually. I rinsed at least 6-7 times before the water going thru it was crystal clear before putting it in the tank.
1)Overhead filters are not suitable for planted tanks as the splashing caused is going to cause lots of CO2 loss which are required by plants. (Use an internal filter or external canister filter).
2)You should not put in livestock as the nitrogen cycle has not complete. (There are ways around this though...get old mulm from friends fish tank or those from LFS to seed your tank and plant your tank heavily from the start.)
3)Get a pH test pen and KH test kit to find your CO2 level..get it within 20-30ppm range during lights on period. CO2 calculator
4)Learn what plants need as fertilizer...N,P,K,GH and traces. Read up..Lots of info can be found in this forum using the search engine.
5)Planting technique. Planting technique site
Good luck!
Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger
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Here's how I did it.
After laying the fert n gravel, pour in about half or less the amount of water in the tank. Leave the tank for a few days n start planning your layout.
When u have bought all the necessary plants,start trimming n rinse them b4 u plant them in the tank. Follow closely as to what u have planned n do not change the location of the plant too often. Some plant can't take the stress of being moved around. If the water turns very cloudy, you can do a water change as the amount of water is half or less than the full amount the tank can hold.
If the water isn't cloudy after the planting session, you could then top-up the remaining tank with water. Scoop out all the floating leaves that came off from some of the plant n debris that came with the gravel. Do not rush in filling the tank with water. Let the water flow in slowly, as slow as possible to prevent any agitation of the water. If everything is to your satisfactory, switch on your filter n light. Start with a 6hr lighting regime for 2 weeks n increase to another 2hr for every 2 weeks. Minimun lighting period could be from 8hr to max 12hr.
Hope this helps.
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Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.
how much does a pH test pen costs?
Hi BFG, how high should the base fert and base gravel be?
I still do not understand why my water got so cloudy...
If you plan to have a lot big plants, rosette plants or stem plants which will develop deep roots, base fert is essential for the longer run. I have about 6-7cm thick of substrate/base fert for my 3ft.
Be patient as the water cycles and clears up, which will usually take 1-2 weeks. Meanwhile, don't do too much water change.
Noticed that you are trying to grow MM, I would say this is not a good plant to start a new tank with. Check that you have enough CO2 as PeterGwee mentioned.
Overhead filter is certainly out for planted tank. I guess your 3 x 15W are FL? Might want to consider 2 x 36W PL instead.
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the pH Test pen will cost you about $40+ onwards depending on the type and quality you want. Need to couple it with kH Test Kit to determine your ideal CO2 level.
Do u mean that i should have left the tank below to clear up by itself in 1-2weeks time, with the filter on?----------------
Be patient as the water cycles and clears up, which will usually take 1-2 weeks. Meanwhile, don't do too much water change.
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C328 sell one type of PH pen for only $39. Think is from Italty. Dun know good or not. I think one person in the forum use in and said that it is not too bad.
Firstly, get a proper filter, as suggested by other, else you'll be wasting your time.
It's common to have cloudiness in new tank, so don't worry. You need to stop changing water and don't wash your filter anymore. You'll have to wait for bacteria to grow enough before you can start seeing clear water. This will usually takes about several weeks or more. But if every time you wash filter with clorinated tap water, the bacteria will die and you'll have to start all over again.
Learn about what is nitrogen cycle to understand more. You can also buy some bacteria to dose to speed up the cycling process. Putting fishes during the cycling process usually have higher death rate. I would prefer to change water only after every week, not more than 50%.
Also, work on you lighting period as suggested, but I would prefer to start with 4 hrs, gradually increase by 1 hr/wk. Don't be in a rush to give full blast of light for your tank. The plants will be quite stressful and algae will easily grow. This is a common problem when your filter has not quite mature yet.
Err.
You said that you are using 3 x 15W of FL lights. Are you sure cause you are also using an overhead filter. I don't think that you have sufficient space.
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