New Rio 125 Planted Journal

[aaronc]

Hi All
 
So I am having another go at a planted Rio 125.  I had to teardown my old tank and sell when I moved 3 years ago.
 
Here is the shopping list, although I have most of it already.
 
Kit
Juwel Rio 125
Juwel internal heater and filter
Dual T5 Juwel lighting hood
Koralia 900lph
2kg Fire Extinguisher
TMC CO2 regulator with Solenoid
CO2 diffuser, bubble counter, drop checker etc
Tweezers, scissors 
Digital thermometer with audible alarms
 
Substrate
3kg Tropica Plant Growth - to be covered in part with sand and in part gravel
Hardscaping is going to predominantly bog wood.
 
Ferts
EI ferts and chelated trace
 
 
Unfortunately I can not set any of it up for another 4 or 5 weeks! Torture!
 
Look at the tank sitting and waiting patiently (wish I could)
 

 
Once it is all set up and cycled I am intending to stock it along these lines;

• 8-10 Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish
• 6 Panda Cory
• 10-12 Neon Tetra
• 6 Ottos
• 5 Danios - to hopefully fill out the top of the tank
• Some amano shrimp.  Would like to try my hand at RCS, but don't want to end up paying for very expensive live foods for the other inhabitants
  

Plant wise I have not really made any firm decisions yet.  I am considering getting a box of mixed plants from AquaEssentials to get me started.
 
There are a few plants I would definitely like to get;

• HC Carpet
• Riccia Flutians 
• Mayaca Fluviatilis
• Didiplis diandra

I have yet to put a great deal of thought into the scape.  I tend to lean more towards a nice healthy jungle which will probably be where I start.
 
Can anyone forsee any issues with what I am planning - other than the god awful 5 week wait before I can get started, grr

 
Aaron
 

 

[Georgia87]

I got the same tank last weekend, its all set up, planted etc just waiting a few weeks before my fish go in there. Thats torture.

But sod waiting 5 weeks!!!

 

[Aquamaniac]

Looks like a nice setup.
Tough waiting 5 weeks is a pain. It's probably some time you can take advantage to plan things as best as possible.
Throughout the years i've learned at my own cost that the "can't wait to see it ready" normally leads to trouble in the future.

 

[aaronc]

My EI Kit arrived today. Ordered this one for ease, although I am sure I could have ordered all of the parts in isolation for less.
 
All looks good, ordered dosing syringes and a funnel to make life easier for myself.
 
Putting a couple of my filter sponges in a friends tank tomorrow to grow some beneficial bacteria, hopefully this will help with cycle.
 
The waiting 5 weeks is a right pain.  Not a lot I can do about it, so will just have to grin and bear it

 

[Joshwainwright]

I'm really looking forward to this journal, I love watching a planted tank from the beginnings!
 
Great move with the salts, they're the same as I use and I find them great. As for dosing syringes though, why not just use a dosing bottle? 
They'll still come in useful for things other than ferts anyway
 
5 weeks sound painful, you've got most of your planning done too! Good luck with that one

 

[aaronc]

Good news, fire extinguisher has been shipped and will be at work waiting for when I get back on Monday!
 
Not even set this tank up yet, and I am already thinking of getting a Fluval Edge to keep as a shrimp tank

I want to try RCS but don't fancy them all getting eaten by the Rainbow Fish.
 
@Josh - yeah the 5 weeks is going to painful, so itching to get started! But don't have any choice!! There is potential that it might only end up being 3 weeks! Fingers crossed.

 

[aaronc]

So a little update for today.
 
Been visiting fish shops this weekend, 4 in total looking for bog wood.
 
Got pipped to the post, with a bloke picking up the perfect piece just before I could get my mits on it.
 
Never mind, got about 5 or 6 pieces and they are soaking now and will be for the next 3-4 weeks.
 

 
 
In one of the garden centres I spotted some Hikari Danio.  Never seen them before but they look gorgeous and both my other and I half thought they looked ace, so the Zebra Danio have been knocked off of the list for now.
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/danio-sp-hikari/
 
Starting to buying mundane stuff now - a net, some dechlorinater and hosepipe to fill the tank up.
 
Been reading this post all week about cycling nightmare - which is worrying me already lol.
 
Been deliberating all weekend about what substrate to go with.  I am having Corys so I will not be getting pebbles, I really believe they need to be kept on sand for the sake of their barbels and to live a good life.
 
The issue is which one!! I saw a tank today that was planted with black sand and it looked awesome, the plants looked great and the Neon Tetra looked sublime.
 
So I am now trying to find a cory friendly black sand.  Unipac do a Granite Black sand which looks quite positive, shame about price eek.
 
Any one got any thoughts on darker sand substrates, and specifically those that keep corys?
 
Aaron

 

[aaronc]

So we all know that bogwood lowers the PH of your tank so I thought I would see by quite how much....
 
As per my last post, I have a container full of bogwood soaking for the next 3 weeks at least.
 
I changed the water in it this morning so thought I would compare the water in the container after an hour to tap water.
 
The PH of my tap water is somewhere between 7 and 7.2.  The water in the container after only an hour was 6.6!
 
I will check again in a few hours and see how low it will go

 
Aaron
 

 

[aaronc]

CO2 is all set up and tested today!
 
Have asked a question about CO2 pressure if any one cares to take a look  http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/417348-co2-tank-regulator-pressure/

 

[Joshwainwright]

It's great to see things moving! 

 
I'm definitely hoping to eventually see something amazing with all this work going in at the early stages
 
The bogwood looks nice from what I can see, shame about being beaten to the better pieces!

 

[Aquamaniac]

Nice experience the ph checking. But I may be wrong but that bogwood would affect the ph of your full tank much less than it did on that small box. Not sure about this but it will be the same amount of wood but alot more water.
Anyone more into this subject would be welcomed to correct me.
Anyway nice too see things are going.

 

[aaronc]

Nice experience the ph checking. But I may be wrong but that bogwood would affect the ph of your full tank much less than it did on that small box. Not sure about this but it will be the same amount of wood but alot more water.
Anyone more into this subject would be welcomed to correct me.
Anyway nice too see things are going.

Totally - in more water the effect would not be as severe.

My point was that it had changed the PH of
The water in that tub in less than an hour. Eek

As least I have plenty of time to soak it lol

 

[Aquamaniac]

I used to soak only.but every now and then a piece of wood would float in the tank no matter how much time I soaked it.
So know I always attach a rock to my wood and bury it under the substrate.normally you don't see it but it's there.

 

[aaronc]

Ha ha I have that problem before!!

Soaking this more to limit its effect on PH

Our tap water is neutral but we have bad buffering capacity so things like tannins can badly affect PH

I prefer slate, it is inert and sinks

 

[Aquamaniac]

I don't mind my ph going down a bit. Its a bit for the high side in london.7.5 and I rather have it between 6.5 to 7 at the most.
On a project in my old house with wood, co2 and dosing some stupid chemical it never dropped from 7.5.
And I am full against chemicals in the tank. But thats how desperate I was.