29 Gallon Planted Tank Setup Journal - Tons Of Pics!

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NeonBlueLeon

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Hey folks!
 
Here's the setup journal for my long awaited (by me) semi-Waalstad method tank.  Enjoy!
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The stand was set up first.  I had to shift a bit of furniture, but this was the intended spot when I was planning the tank.  The hardest part of having the tank here was wire management as this is right next to my computer.  The stand is an Aquatic Fundamentals 29 Gallon Stand.  The bars are metal, and the shelves are wood.  The overall quality seems decent at best.
 
 

In the garage, checking the tank for leaks.  So far, so good.
 
 

Time to sink the driftwood.  There were three branches of manzanita in there that I like, but I only wanted two of them.  I removed them from the bucket, put it in the sink in my garage and ran scalding hot water on them.  Then I plugged the drain and let it sit in the hot water.  Half a day later, I pulled the plug and repeated the process.  It took two days to sink this bone-dry wood using this method, refilling the sink with hot water only twice a day.  What’s that in the top left corner…?
 
 

Tank on the stand!  Good height, I think.  Seemed easy enough to view from the front, and look from the top.  Any higher, and I would not be able to reach my arms in safely.
A little background, I originally wanted a shorter, longer tank.  30 gallons, 36” x 12”x 16”.  This 29 gallon tank is 30” x 12” x 18”.
However, it was near impossible to find this tank in stores or used.
 
 

Checking out my new lights!  I was stoked to try out LEDs for the first time.  They are Current’s Satellite LED+.  They have 6500K white LEDs as well as RBG LEDs.  According to their website, the light will have a PAR of 28 in this tank.  I estimated the distance from the light to substrate to be about 18 inches.
 
 

Here is the empty tank with the lights at full blast.  All 6500K whites and RBG LEDs are on is on the left, moonlight is on the right.  Unfortunately, the different lighting programs (sunset/sunrise, cloudy days, etc.) could not be programed to a timer throughout the day.  It would have been an awesome feature to have the lights dim up and down on a timer.  Too bad though.
 
 

Unboxed my Eheim 2215.  Also my first canister filter.  I usually run hang-on-back filters.  I am slightly worried that the flow maybe to a bit too strong.  I have the outputs pointed horizontally about an inch under the water surface.
 
 

So, I attached my powerhead to the output hose of the Eheim, and filled the tank up like that.  Aren’t I clever?  My python water changer hadn’t arrived yet, so this was my solution to filling the tank.  I wanted to run the filter for a few days to make sure it works alright.  Still so far so good.
 
 

I ordered Amazon Frogbit and it came before I got setup.  So I threw them into my betta, Scherbatsky’s, tank.  The roots melted and shriveled up at first, but new roots shot out on day three.  The leaves have doubled in number six days after putting them in.  Scherbatsky loves swimming through the plant roots and has been blowing tons of bubbles into the leaves.  Betta owners, I highly recommend floating plants.  I’m going to leave some in the tank for Scherbatsky.
 
 

So, what was in the top left corner?  The name of the game for this tank: dirt.  I’m sick and tired of crappy substrates producing crappy plants.  I did not want to run a high-tech tank due to the price and the required diligent maintenance.  I ran the dirt through a strainer to filter out the big rocks and pieces of wood.  I am using Miracle-Gro Organic Potting Mix.
 
 

This is the clay I used for the soil.  It was 1lb for $2.99 at Michaels (an arts and crafts store).  I rolled them into ½” - ¾” balls. There was so much clay in my fingers and palms and the whole process took maybe 90 minutes or so.  Worth it.
 
 
I'm hoping to get the substrates setup this this weekend.  It'll take the whole day to do it properly.  I won't have time starting Monday because of a new job! :)
 
Many more updates and pics to come!
 
That's a really awesome tank. Where did you get the lights? I'm a beginner and am looking for lights like that. The moonlight setting is awesome.
 
Definitely following this one! All the best! :)
 
Thanks everyone! :)
 
czmudzin said:
That's a really awesome tank. Where did you get the lights? I'm a beginner and am looking for lights like that. The moonlight setting is awesome.
I bought mine from PetSolutions.com while they were having their Black Friday sales.  They also have it on Amazon.  So far I haven't found them in any LFS or chain pet store, only online.  I love the settings they have too.  Customizable with a bunch of pre-programmed settings too.  Forgot to mention that the lights are controlled by a 32 button remote.  I'll take a pic of the remote and put it in the next update.
 
Looks like you have got an interesting project there!!  I will definitely be following your progress!!  Good luck!
 
Looking great so far! Can't wait for more :)
 
Time for and update!
 
Spend most of my day dirting, capping, filling, draining, and refilling.  No fish and plants yet, sorry.  But here are pics of the progress so far.
 

LET'S DIRT THIS TANK!!!
 
 

Done.  Smells so good!
 
 

My ingenious method of adding water slowly into the dirt.  An airline hose coming from a bucket on a chair on a ladder.  Patent pending.
 
 

Here is how the dirt looked when I deemed it the proper consistency for my sand cap.  Yummy yummy yummy dirt.  It was a blast playing in it.  I am definitely doing this again.
 
 

This is how much clay I ended up using.  Very little.  And I chose the smallest ones.
 
 

Clay in the dirt.  If I were an aquatic plant, my stomach would be growling.
 
 

Covering in the sand cap.  I am using Caribsea’s Tahitian Moon Sand.  Playing with the damp sand was not as fun as the dirt.  Actually it was NOT fun at all.  I hate touching sand, which is funny because I used to surf a ton.
 
 

Almost done with this nasty sand.  The cap is an inch thick.
 
 

Finished capping!  The color is exactly how I want it.  I decided to go for black background and black substrate simply because I want the plants to pop.  Also, the fish I am planning will look good with black.
 
 

Filling it up, then draining it (then repeating x4).  This is to dilute the water column of the excess nutrients.  Hopefully it will prevent an algae outbreak.  Lights will also be out until plants arrive.
 
Tomorrow, I'll drain and fill one last time.  In between, I'll put in the rocks, driftwood, heater, and filter.  Then its lights out until plants come!
 
nice job! just wandering what is the clay cap thingy for?
 
I'm excited to see where this goes.
 
AquaPit said:
nice job! just wandering what is the clay cap thingy for?
 
Extra iron if I remember correctly!
 
Primous said:
I'm excited to see where this goes.
 
nice job! just wandering what is the clay cap thingy for?
 
Extra iron if I remember correctly!
 
Correct!  Natural red clay has an abundance of iron that will tend not to enter the water column.  The surface of clay has lots of negative charges, so the positive charge of iron (and other elements that plants eat) will cling to the clay.  I have seen a video where a guy crawled under his planted tank and showed how the plant roots grew towards his clay balls!  Very neat.
 
Aahh... Interesting! May all your plants grow healthy!! :)
 
After doing a few required 100% water changes, messing up, doing more water changes to clean the mess, then messing up again, etc., I have finally deemed it safe to desist from the 100% water changes and add equipment and decor into the tank.
 
Here is how it looks now!

There are lots of bubbles because I had just done a 50% water change.  The tank became cloudy overnight after I put in the the equipment and decor.
 
The Eheim 2215 is producing a pretty strong current and I have half a mind to swap it out for something more mellow.  This is supposed to be more or less a Walstad method tank, so bio-filtration is to be de-emphasized by lots of live plants.
 
Due to the "Arctic Vortex" in America putting weather into the negatives, the plants I have ordered have been delayed for another week (putting it three weeks behind schedule).  The tank now will be given a chance to establish its bacterial colonies in the dirt underlayer before the plants come.  Unfortunately, that means the tank will be sitting as it is until the plants come!  I might throw in some MTS soon.  Stay tuned! :)
 
P.S.  There is something about the hardscape right now that is bugging me, but I can't seem to put my finger on it.  Suggestions are welcome!
 
Sorry there has not been an update in a while!  It's been a busy week and finally I have a chance to update.  If there are any (American) football fans out here, GO 49ERS!  Anyway, fish tank...
 
Plants came Thursday, and I dropped EVERYTHING and went into full "aquatic-gardener" mode.  Took about 2 hours to get everything the way I wanted.  I ended up removing one of the pieces of driftwood and most of the rocks.  Here is the FTS right after planting!

 
 
Plus three days till today, and I am seeing new growth!  Makes my heart melt!
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  Here is a new leaf emerging from dwarf sagittaria.  They have melted quite a bit so it was nice to see a baby leaf.
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Right dead center in this pic a baby Red Tiger Lotus leaf poking out through the sand.  Love it.  I will name it Junior.  (Please ignore the melting sagittaria).

 
 
Vals are nuts.  Heres a random leaf, probably from a runner.  They didn't melt quite as much, but wow, a runner already.  That's okay, I approve.

 
 
I hope ya'll have found this interesting so far.  It's nice to finally have some green and red in the tank after looking at a bare tank for so long!  I'll keep the pics coming.  I've been doing daily tests for all chemical parameters and when things settle down, I'll be adding fish!  Tank on!
 

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