Journal: beginner 10g planted tank
- Thread starter alter40
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Ok ok so I posted a lot about this tank before ever setting it up 
Now the tank finally has water in it
I got my package from Drs. Foster and Smith's, and when I looked the bottom of the box was wet. I opened it up and it looks like there is some liquid that actually comes in the eco-complete substrate and some had leaked out. The substrate was still wet from the liquid however so I figured no big deal and went ahead and put it all in the tank. It seemed like there was too much for a 10g tank in the bag, but they suggest 2 pounds per gallon for this substrate. I put it all in and it seems good now that water is in there.
The 6-8" piece of malaysian driftwood that I got in the package was somewhat of a disappointment. I did measure the piece and it is about 6 1/2" long. I guess I expected it to have a branch off it or something but it will work and I will just find another piece to put in the tank later.
Here are a couple pictures of the driftwood.
without flash
with flash
The tank I put about 4 decent sized rocks in the tank. The one in the back corner is there to try and hold my airline out of the way so it isn't too noticeable. I then ran the airline under the substrate to the rocks in the middle of the tank and the airstone is under the middle rock. I haven't turned the air on yet because it says to wait an hour before you do.
I think the rocks in the center of the tank might look better if I have them set off center somewhere so they may be moving soon. I'm going to have to soak the driftwood for a little bit and make sure the water is clear before I put it in the tank, and I still have to put my heater in there too.
Let me know what you think so far
Now the tank finally has water in it
I got my package from Drs. Foster and Smith's, and when I looked the bottom of the box was wet. I opened it up and it looks like there is some liquid that actually comes in the eco-complete substrate and some had leaked out. The substrate was still wet from the liquid however so I figured no big deal and went ahead and put it all in the tank. It seemed like there was too much for a 10g tank in the bag, but they suggest 2 pounds per gallon for this substrate. I put it all in and it seems good now that water is in there.
The 6-8" piece of malaysian driftwood that I got in the package was somewhat of a disappointment. I did measure the piece and it is about 6 1/2" long. I guess I expected it to have a branch off it or something but it will work and I will just find another piece to put in the tank later.
Here are a couple pictures of the driftwood.
without flash
with flash
The tank I put about 4 decent sized rocks in the tank. The one in the back corner is there to try and hold my airline out of the way so it isn't too noticeable. I then ran the airline under the substrate to the rocks in the middle of the tank and the airstone is under the middle rock. I haven't turned the air on yet because it says to wait an hour before you do.
I think the rocks in the center of the tank might look better if I have them set off center somewhere so they may be moving soon. I'm going to have to soak the driftwood for a little bit and make sure the water is clear before I put it in the tank, and I still have to put my heater in there too.
Let me know what you think so far
Looks good.
And don't worry about that piece of driftwood---personally I think it's a nice chunk to work with---you'll end up with a whole collection of the stuff before too long if you stick to this hobby! Then you can just pick and choose which ones would fit best in which tank and in which position, etc. I've got a whole pantry full of old tank decor which is being stored while not in use---all kinds of driftwood, rocks, fake plants, ornaments...you name it.
Obviously you're still very early in the process of setting things up, so I can't really comment too in-depth on what I see thus far. What I can suggest, however, is that you be mindful about how much space you are taking up with rocks and other decor. You want to go planted, and you've got the substrate to do it---no sense in taking up prime real-estate for growing plants on, right? Just something to remind yourself about as you gradually add to the tank.
BV
And don't worry about that piece of driftwood---personally I think it's a nice chunk to work with---you'll end up with a whole collection of the stuff before too long if you stick to this hobby! Then you can just pick and choose which ones would fit best in which tank and in which position, etc. I've got a whole pantry full of old tank decor which is being stored while not in use---all kinds of driftwood, rocks, fake plants, ornaments...you name it.
Obviously you're still very early in the process of setting things up, so I can't really comment too in-depth on what I see thus far. What I can suggest, however, is that you be mindful about how much space you are taking up with rocks and other decor. You want to go planted, and you've got the substrate to do it---no sense in taking up prime real-estate for growing plants on, right? Just something to remind yourself about as you gradually add to the tank.
BV
I'd say a full bag of Eco-Complete is just about perfect for a 10g. For planted tanks you need a deeper substrate to keep the plants anchored.
I'd suggest putting the driftwood thin end up resting against the filter intake tube to hide it a little. Once it's covered in plants, you'll hardly notice the wood underneath.
I'd suggest putting the driftwood thin end up resting against the filter intake tube to hide it a little. Once it's covered in plants, you'll hardly notice the wood underneath.
Thanks for the comments!
D3sc3n7, I think I'm either going to move them to the left or right some and have them more off center. I'm kind of debating on having the one side kinda rocky and then have plants growing up through the rocks or something like that. I still have to decide, but I will move the rocks around tonight or tomorrow and get things arranged a little better.
BV as far as the rocks go I will probably end up removing some of them gradually as I fill the tank in with plants. I will probably wait for the cycle to complete before I start putting plants in. I'm still not 100% sure about that though.
Lotus, thanks for the suggestion with the driftwood piece. I will try to put it so it leans against the intake tube and see how it looks. I'm going to try and really fill that corner in with plants to hide my airline, intake tube, and when I setup my DIY CO2 I'm going to have the airline go right into the intake so thats one area I'm going to concentrate on.
D3sc3n7, I think I'm either going to move them to the left or right some and have them more off center. I'm kind of debating on having the one side kinda rocky and then have plants growing up through the rocks or something like that. I still have to decide, but I will move the rocks around tonight or tomorrow and get things arranged a little better.
BV as far as the rocks go I will probably end up removing some of them gradually as I fill the tank in with plants. I will probably wait for the cycle to complete before I start putting plants in. I'm still not 100% sure about that though.
Lotus, thanks for the suggestion with the driftwood piece. I will try to put it so it leans against the intake tube and see how it looks. I'm going to try and really fill that corner in with plants to hide my airline, intake tube, and when I setup my DIY CO2 I'm going to have the airline go right into the intake so thats one area I'm going to concentrate on.
I still have to decide. I was going to get my ammonia tonight, but it looks like the hardware store closed early here tonight (small towns suck). I will have to pick up the ammonia tomorrow and get the cycle started.
Also an update for the new bulb I got for the tank. I swapped out the bulb that aqua culture originally gave me with an 18" Coralife Nutri Grow plant bulb. The light from this seems to be less blue then the original bulb and more of a natural or white looking light. It also seems to be a bit brighter so hopefully this will be better for the plants. From what I have read about the bulb though it should make some difference over the original.
Also an update for the new bulb I got for the tank. I swapped out the bulb that aqua culture originally gave me with an 18" Coralife Nutri Grow plant bulb. The light from this seems to be less blue then the original bulb and more of a natural or white looking light. It also seems to be a bit brighter so hopefully this will be better for the plants. From what I have read about the bulb though it should make some difference over the original.
haha not yet. If this planted tank does well and looks as good I as I want it to then I will probably end up planting my larger tank and spending as much as you are thinking about doing on lighting. I figure for a small tank and with it being my first planted tank I will just stick with this light for now.
Alright well I have added my ammonia and tested my water
Ammonia- 7ppm
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
PH- 8.4 or so
My PH seems to be high. Should this go down on its own over time or should I get a bottle of the PH- to add to the tank to manually lower the PH?
I have also put the heater in my tank and have it set for around 85-86 or so and the temp is starting to come up. Its currently at 74F and rising.
Ammonia- 7ppm
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
PH- 8.4 or so
My PH seems to be high. Should this go down on its own over time or should I get a bottle of the PH- to add to the tank to manually lower the PH?
I have also put the heater in my tank and have it set for around 85-86 or so and the temp is starting to come up. Its currently at 74F and rising.
I was figuring it would go to a more neutral reading once it starts to establish more. I will be testing everything again either tomorrow night or on Wednesday to see how my cycle is going.
Also on a side note, today I picked up 2 timers for my tank. One of these will be for my lights and the other is going to be for my air pump. I will plug these in just to test them and make sure they are working properly then I will take them back off again till I get some plants in the tank and need the timers going.
Should I wait until the cycle has completed before I begin to add plants or will they be ok with the high ammonia levels from putting the pure ammonia in the tank?
Also on a side note, today I picked up 2 timers for my tank. One of these will be for my lights and the other is going to be for my air pump. I will plug these in just to test them and make sure they are working properly then I will take them back off again till I get some plants in the tank and need the timers going.
Should I wait until the cycle has completed before I begin to add plants or will they be ok with the high ammonia levels from putting the pure ammonia in the tank?
I will be adding in the DIY CO2 once I start to put some plants in the tank so I'm glad to hear that it will help bring the pH down for me. I will post the measurements I get from my tests so I document what the CO2 and plants will do to pH and other params.
The wood is an alright piece. I was kinda hoping for something that I could use as a centerpiece instead of the rocks that I have in there now, but it will do and I will use it. I don't think any of the LFS have the malaysian driftwood, but Drs. Foster and Smith still in the same size as the piece that I purchased (6-8"). There are also some nice looking pieces on aquabid as well that I have been looking at. I may get one more piece of driftwood from there in the future to put in the tank and then get rid of some of the rocks in there.
My driftwood has been soaking for just over 48 hours now and if the water its in doesn't look stained tomorrow night it will go in the tank. I have been replacing the water its in every day.
The wood is an alright piece. I was kinda hoping for something that I could use as a centerpiece instead of the rocks that I have in there now, but it will do and I will use it. I don't think any of the LFS have the malaysian driftwood, but Drs. Foster and Smith still in the same size as the piece that I purchased (6-8"). There are also some nice looking pieces on aquabid as well that I have been looking at. I may get one more piece of driftwood from there in the future to put in the tank and then get rid of some of the rocks in there.
My driftwood has been soaking for just over 48 hours now and if the water its in doesn't look stained tomorrow night it will go in the tank. I have been replacing the water its in every day.
Just a quick update. I found a small snail in my tank tonight that I think could have only come from the eco complete substrate. As for right now I will just leave him in there, but if its best for me to remove the snail I will do that right away.
I also tested my water tonight to check and see how my cycle was coming along.
Ammonia- 4
Nitrite- 2
Nitrate- 2ish
pH- 7.8
So it appears that the cycle is coming along nicely. I will check my water again in a couple of days to see how the levels look.
Also my piece of driftwood has been soaking in a bucket of water for the last 3 days and I have been replacing the water in there every day. After soaking all day today it appears the water is no longer being stained from the wood. I will probably let it keep soaking till tomorrow evening and then I will find a spot for it in the tank.
I also tested my water tonight to check and see how my cycle was coming along.
Ammonia- 4
Nitrite- 2
Nitrate- 2ish
pH- 7.8
So it appears that the cycle is coming along nicely. I will check my water again in a couple of days to see how the levels look.
Also my piece of driftwood has been soaking in a bucket of water for the last 3 days and I have been replacing the water in there every day. After soaking all day today it appears the water is no longer being stained from the wood. I will probably let it keep soaking till tomorrow evening and then I will find a spot for it in the tank.