My 92G Journal

[nophtosh]

I had a whole bunch written...and then my browser crashed and dumped it all so I'll recreate it when I get time and add some pictures.

I apologize for the confusion..I probably should have waited until I had time to rewrite everything before posting.

If you haven't seen my other post of a week or so ago, I have now purchased an Aqueon 92usg corner tank from my LFS which I plan to use as a community tank (and my first foray into aquatics in about 15 years) . At the same time I stopped at Home Depot and picked up some playsand. Over the weekend I was browsing at a different LFS and saw a piece of Mopani that I really liked...so I bought it, sized it, and cut it to fit leaving a few extra bits for later.

ah, now I've got it:

When I went to pick up the tank last wednesday, I had it in mind to pick up a filter as well (was set on the Rena XP3) though this store gives me a 10% discount on pretty much everything (except fish) since I purchased the tank, stand, hood, and lighting setup from them. Well, I saw the price on the XP4 and couldn't refuse (overkill I know) and attempted to purchase it....to make a long story short, they had trouble with their cc machine and ended up maxing out my card and leaving me without a filter. After it was all sorted out over the weekend, they ended up giving me a killer discount ~30% and threw in some ceramic rings for free
Since I don't usually get home very early from work I'm afraid that the sand rinsing and tank fill is going to have to wait till the weekend...but the anticipation makes it that much better. I'm still waiting for the store to order my heater anyway (smart heater 300w) so I can't start cycling until that comes in. I'm definitely going to be "add-and-wait" fishless cycling and I'm hoping to get some used media off a friend to help speed up the process. A question about that: do I just throw the used media in with the new media and add ammonia like I would if I was using new media?
I'm planning on lightly planting this with something simple (no CO2, no crazy lighting requirements, etc). The tank will get little, if any, natural light and for now I'll be relying on what came with the tank...a basic 36in fluorescent. My thoughts for the plants are something like, java fern/java moss, hornewort, maybe anubias for now as well. Anything else you might recommend that's easy to care for? A question about this also: I think i've read that if you plant it cuts the cycle time down because the plants supplement the beneficial bacteria. True or not? What does planting do to the cycle time of the aquarium?
How deep is too deep for my sand bed? I'm planning on having some loaches and MTS..maybe a goby depending on what my research turns up. I've been told by folks on this forum that 2 inches isn't too deep (though I failed to realize how deep it was until I put a measuring stick in the tank and went..wow, that's deep.

For now I think that's it. Again, my apologies for the confusion

Thanks for taking a read, for your questions as well as constructive comments and criticism.

 

[Skins]

I hope this is in the right place..if not, I'm sorry please move it.
I'm writing this because I have found many similar posts very helpful as I've thought about and planned my tank.

I had a whole bunch written...and then my browser crashed and dumped it all so I'll recreate it when I get time and add some pictures.

Thanks for taking a read, for your questions as well as constructive comments and criticism.

Are you planning to cycle your tank?

Keith.

 

[Little_Nemo]

I dont understand the purpose of this post?

 

[Skins]

I dont understand the purpose of this post?

I'm a little lost aswell L Nemo, im sure all will be revealed shortly.

Keith.

 

[nophtosh]

moved info to the top

 

[nophtosh]

bump..still looking for the answers to a few questions:

do I just throw the used media in with the new media and add ammonia like I would if I was using new media?

I think i've read that if you plant it cuts the cycle time down because the plants supplement the beneficial bacteria. True or not? What does planting do to the cycle time of the aquarium?

How deep is too deep for my sand bed? I've been told by folks on this forum that 2 inches isn't too deep

 

[waterdrop]

Unless you have to entertain kids or the spouse, the easiest fishless cycling is not to complicate things with more than just substrate (wood and plants add complications.)

Mature media does not change any of the instructions for performing the fishless cycle, it just makes you cross your fingers that you get a "take" from the transfer of the bacteria. If some of them live then they can make the process go faster (sometimes by a lot.) You want to try and get their media to be touching the new biomedia just prior in the water flow path inside the filter. Many non-mature-media FCs that I watch take about 70 days, whereas a good take can drop that to a couple of weeks.

Two inches is a good depth for your sand. The eventual plants will appreciate the depth, but overall its not anything to worry too much about.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[nophtosh]

Thanks waterdrop. I take it then that I should just throw in my substrate, crank the heat, turn the filter on and cycle? If it's all the same (which it sounds like you're saying it's not) I'd like to leave the wood in and let it leach while i cycle. Why is this a more complicated way to go? What do I lose? Sorry for all the questions but I thought that I understood that it was ok to add everything except the fish before cycling.

 

[waterdrop]

It's not a big deal either way, usually just a minor detail and varies wildly in different setups. Some people's wood will drop the pH dramatically enough that the bacteria will react by shutting down their reproduction. Other wood hardly changes the water at all. The pH of the "bacterial growing soup" is something you can monitor and doctor. Plants do a different thing and really only if they are added in large numbers and size. They can absorb ammonia and nitriate and even a tiny bit of nitrite(NO2) in some cases. This of course is exactly why they are wonderful for fish after the tank is running, but during fishless cycling we find it hard for beginners to remember that it may be the plants and not the growth of new bacteria that are bringing their ammonia and other numbers down, the exact numbers they are attempting to read to understand the progress of the fishless cycle. Another big thing is that live plants require light and light plus ammonia is what triggers algae spores to flower into active algae growth. Fishless cycling with light creates optimal algae growth conditions.

Again, the difficulty of trying to state the above on a forum is that individual experiences differ so greatly among different experiences people have had. It must be remembered that a lot of basic parameters vary: water chemistry, circulation, filtration, light, dosing and testing consistency etc. This leaves us with members who had plants and never saw a problem with it and others at the other extreme who gave up in frustration partly over plants complicating things. In the end you just have to give it a go with your own desires and try to keep in mind all the possibilities.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[nophtosh]

Again, the difficulty of trying to state the above on a forum is that individual experiences differ so greatly among different experiences people have had.

~~waterdrop~~

Understood and appreciated.

I've finally rinsed all the sand (I hope) and have started filling the darn thing with a 5 gallon bucket since I wasn't able to find any fittings to adapt any of my sinks to any sort of hose

Now I'm really wishing that i'd found the Aqueon Water Changer (their version of the python) so much sooner. I ended up filling the tank initially by bucket because I wasn't able to find one of these before I started filling.
The XP4 setup was much easier than expected and though I still need to get more biostars or ceramic rings i've got the thing up and running to clear things up a bit faster. I had no trouble filling or priming the filter following the included instructions and initially at least I'm very happy with the filter. It's running though I can only hear it if it's dead silent I'll add a few more pictures after it all clears up. Lots to do still

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

That piece of wood in the first photo is awesome! Just what i need!!!!!!

Should be a great looking setup when its done.

Good luck.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Nice looking tank

 

[nophtosh]

That piece of wood in the first photo is awesome! Just what i need!!!!!!

Should be a great looking setup when its done.

Good luck.

Thanks, it was exactly what I was looking for too. My only gripe is that it's a little too front and center..I'd prefer rear and center but oh well.

Nice looking tank

Not much to look at so far but I appreciate the encouragement

As promised, some pics from yesterday:

After I added just the second bag of sand and realized it was gonna be a long day..

Progression..by bucket:

mmm..milk, just what I wanted!

I really do like the flexibility of the Rena output options

As it sits this morning. I was hoping it would have been a tad clearer by now. Decided at the last minute to stuck the wood in because the filter ships with a media pad that contains charcoal and I was hoping it would help a bit with the tannins.

 

[waterdrop]

Its always nice if you can find a tub for your cannister filter to sit in. There have been occasional indirect reports of XP4 units getting a leak and it would just keep you dry if a slow one from the main seal started. Pictures are nice and it looks like you're off to a good start. WD

 

[simonas]

looking forward to watching this develop

Nice tank, lovely wood and sand that I;d use

will look ace once planted up etc