100l Tank Make Over

[Bluebubbles]

Hi Guys,
I have a 100-liter tank (just over 26 US gallons)

Dimensions are 77L x 36W x 42H

Here is the general hardness for my area:

I don't have any way of testing ph the moment but from memory, it's around 6.8.

It used to house 18 neon tetras but they kept attacking and nipping each other so I gave them to someone with more experience than me.

Now I would like to give it a brand new look.

So far I have gotten rid of all the gravel as I would like to change to a more nutritious substrate for a fully planted aquascape.

All that is currently left are two golden Inca snails and an anubias attached to driftwood.

Important side notes: I would like this tank to be stocked with guppies. I would like to keep my two golden Inca snails and an anubias attached to driftwood in this tank

My plans going forward plus questions:

* Put a plain black background on the back. I was just going to use a car window tint film.

* Replace the filter with a quite one.
I was thinking of making one like the one shown in this video

(skip to 3.40)
My tank is bigger than this so my filter will be too or I could have two.
- Is it better to have one big filter or two smaller ones?

* Get Dymax Base Soil 9L Aquascape Fish Tank Aquarium Shrimp Plant Planted Substrate
- Has anyone tried this? Will it lower the ph too much for guppies? Is 9L enough?

* Get some hard and soft scape.
- any plants or rock combos you would recommend? or specific plants?

* Get a light for the plants.
- Are there any you guys would recommend? I need to be able to shine through glass or be waterproof.

* I would also like to try the Seachem PH and Ammonia Alert Combo Pack.
- Has anyone tried these? and they good?

* Add some guppies.
- How many would you recommend for this tank? Is 16 too many?

Thanks guys

 

[Lajos_Detari]

It's better not to use soil as you will have to replace them after a while.
Most soil will also leech ammonia.
Sand or gravel are better.

You can have a combinations of rocks and driftwoods for aquascaping.
You can try Iwagumi, Nature Aquarium or Jungle Style aquascaping.
For plants, get some fast growing plants like Cabomba, Anacharis, Hornworts to absorb the ammonia.
Also, get some hardy low light plants such as Anubias Nana and Java Ferns.

7 Aquascaping Styles for Aquariums - The Aquarium Guide

If you are into aquascaping, you’ll probably create a more appealing result if you’re following a particular style. Check out these aquascaping styles!

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LED light is good as it save energy and produce less heat.
Some people recommend Odyssea LED light.

 

[Naughts]

Your water is very soft. I'm afraid it isn't suitable for guppies as they need hard water.

 

[Essjay]

From your table, the numbers you need are:
Australian mg/l CaCo3 and USA ppm - these are the same and are 25 ppm
German degrees 1.4 - this is the same as dH.
The units ppm and dH are the two used in fishkeeping. As Naughts says, very soft.

If you want to keep guppies you will need to make the water a lot harder by adding hardness minerals such as in Seachem Replenish.

 

[Bluebubbles]

Your water is very soft. I'm afraid it isn't suitable for guppies as they need hard water.

I was going to use a wonder shell. I have had and breed guppies before and just used a wonder shell but I'm aware that information is always changing as more research is done so are these still ok to use?

 

[Essjay]

It depends on how much they raise the GH by. Guppies need a minimum of 200 ppm to do well and your GH is just 25 ppm.

Wonder shells are put in the tank aren't they? So when you do a weekly water change using very soft water the GH of the tank will fall until more of the wonder shell can dissolve. The advantage with minerals which come as a liquid or powder is that they are added to the new water at every water change before the water is added to the tank so the GH remains constant.

 

[Bluebubbles]

Is it better to have one big filter or two smaller ones?

-Are there any you guys would recommend? I need to be able to shine through glass or be waterproof.

- Has anyone tried Seachem PH and Ammonia Alert Combo Pack? and they good?

- How many guppies would you recommend for this tank? Is 16 too many?

 

[Bluebubbles]

It depends on how much they raise the GH by. Guppies need a minimum of 200 ppm to do well and your GH is just 25 ppm.

Wonder shells are put in the tank aren't they? So when you do a weekly water change using very soft water the GH of the tank will fall until more of the wonder shell can dissolve. The advantage with minerals which come as a liquid or powder is that they are added to the new water at every water change before the water is added to the tank so the GH remains constant.

What powders or liquids would you recommend?

 

[Essjay]

I don't know what's available in Australia but I believe Seachem Replenish might be one to try.

 

[Bluebubbles]

Thanks, Seachem Replenish is available here. Is there anyone who can answer the following?

Is it better to have one big filter or two smaller ones?

-Are there any you guys would recommend? I need to be able to shine through glass or be waterproof.

- Has anyone tried Seachem PH and Ammonia Alert Combo Pack? and they good?

- How many guppies would you recommend for this tank? Is 16 too many?

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I supposed your tank size is in cm ( 77 x 36 x 42 ) ?

Usually I prefer two smaller filters than one if you are using "hang on filter" for the following reasons:
i)More effective filtrations as the hang on filter output and input outlets are side by side making them less effective if you only have one filter and long tank.
Most people here like AquaClear hang on filters. If you are getting this filter, you can get two AquaClear 20 (for 20 gallons tank). Since you will get two, you don't need Aquaclear 30 (my opinion).

The Best HOB Filter For Aquariums, Planted, Reef Tanks in 2023

HOB filters are one of the most important components in our aquarium. Check out our guides to make sure you get the best filter possible.

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000260FVG/?tag=ff0d01-20

Note: Usually I will just buy some Taiwanese/China made brand filters that are cheaper and can do the same jobs.

ii)With two filters, if one breaks down, I still have one as backup.

iii)When cleaning the filters, I will clean both at different weeks to avoid losing too much beneficial bacteria.


2) For light, you can consider Odyssea LED light.

3) Usually you need Seachem PH and Ammonia Alert Combo Pack only at the beginning during the initial tank start up. You won't really need them once your filters are stable and have enough beneficial bacteria(BB).
And if you change your tank water every week, normally you won't have any problem with Ammonia.
Nevertheless, it will be good to have it in case you want to check it every now and then.

4) I guess 16 Guppies are ok if they are the only fish.
But it's better not to add too many fish at one time. Wait for your tank filters to have enough BB.
Add batch by batch of fish probably every 2-3 weeks(just my guess - may not be accurate).
Take note that if you buy female Guppies, they are going to breed like crazy and you will end up with many fry. Some people ended up with 7-8 tanks of fry.

 

[Bluebubbles]

I'm thinking of also putting a female bristle nose pleco in. So maybe only 12 guppies with her. would this big overstocked or too much for the bioload?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

12 guppies and a bristle-nose should be fine in a 100l, but be aware that the guppies will breed like, well, guppies, and you'll have to be constantly removing fry if you don't want to overpopulate. That's part of the reason I don't usually keep guppies. Or you could just get a few males.

If you want a really quiet filter, consider a canister. I ran a sunsun 302 on my 29g for several years with good success. You can spend a bit more and go with a brand-name one, but I like to live dangerously.

Another good light fixture is the Current Satellite. It will put out enough light to grow moderate-light plants.

Soil substrate is fine if you do it right, but it does require some special care with setting up. I've never used the brand you mentioned.

For plants, the fast-growers mentioned are good ones. Crypt wendtii is a really nice plant that's fairly easy to grow, looks great, and stays a nice size for a 100l. I've always had good luck with dwarf sag, too.

 

[Bluebubbles]

Update

Thanks for all your help guys.
I finish scaping and replacing what I needed to. The only thing I'm still waiting for is the new light.
Here are some images if your interested.
I have decided to stock with Darwin Algae Eater Shrimp, Malaysian Trumpet Snails, Nerite Snails, and guppies.
Tomorrow the shrimp and snails will arrive and I'm very excited.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

For shrimps, you need to do a slow acclimatization before adding to your tank as they are very sensitive to temperature, GH, pH changes.
They will die if you don't do a proper acclimatization.