Setting Up My New 84l Tank.

[Lazerus]

Hi all…

Its taken me a while to accumulate due to spreading the costs out & doing some research but I’m all excited here because I finally have all the equipment I need to set up my new tank and I’m about to build it today.

This I feel is one up from my 10gal ‘beginner’s tank’ …so I want to make sure that everything fairly correct give or take a few minor changes esthetically.

So before I begin, I need the experts seal of approval, ha,ha! I.e. to point out any idiotic mistakes I’m about to make and to highlight that I haven’t forgotten anything!)

1 .84L glass tank with hood & 18w Daylight florescent bulb….will wash tank out first.

2. Jewel Rekord 96 Cabinet stand (donated to me free by a local fish keeper…Thank you!)

3. Tetra plant substrate 5.8kg/12.5lbs bucket

4. Thoroughly washed Black quartz aquarium gravel approx 8kgs/17.5lbs – size 2-3mm (also donated free by another local fish keeper! Very generous around these parts! )

5. Plain black background…I plan to use Vaseline to stick it on as it worked a treat for my 10gal.

6. Eheim Pick Up 2010 Internal Aquarium Filter – sponge has been in my mature 10gal tank for a couple of weeks now. (Might get external filter eventually though)

7. 75w thermostatically controlled heater

8. Underwater thermometer

9. Tetra plant Co² -Optimat kit (carbon dioxide diffuser for my plants)

10. Plants…. Amazon swordplants, Twisted vallis & Crypto Coryne.

11. Several medium & large pre-soaked bogwood for hidy places and to hopefully reduce my pH gradually.

12. Seacham Ammonia alert sensor (I know it’s gimmicky but I couldn’t resist! Lasts one year)

13. Plug adaptor rack with four plug inputs on it.

That’s it…

(I have water testers, gravel cleaners & glass magnets etc already)

Anything else I need? Any other tips or advice.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

sounds good...... one thing you forgot ..... camera to get lots of piccies for us

 

[Lazerus]

Oh yeah.....! ha,ha!! Doh, my camera is crap...but it will do!

Actually, there IS one thing I forgot, although it was deliberate....an air pump & airstone....I feel its not necessary?

But please let me know your opinions on this...

 

[Miss Wiggle]

correctemundo!

 

[waterdrop]

Well Lazerus, I think as long as you can direct the output of your filter to have plenty of surface movement, even some breaking up of the surface, you will be fine in terms of oxygen and movement without having a pump and airstone going. Now, its true that RDD recommends an airstone during fishless cycling and its true that oxygen is the other most important requirement for the bacteria, besides their food, the ammonia, but I think the concern there was with people just being sure to have enough surface movement, and if you pay attention, the filter should provide enough movement.

Let's see, since you're getting pretty perfect at all your details (ha!) I guess we should try to take our "pickyness" level up a notch, lol. You've got one of the best sigs going there among posters, I particularly like the rainbow of colors! But you've never bothered to plug in your location to your profile, so you might want to do that so people can give you extra help that might have a geographical component to it (or of course just ignore this if there is a privacy concern.)

Anyway good luck with your newest fishless cycle. Should go pretty fast with your mature media and your knowledge from your previous one.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Lazerus]

ha,ha!! Waterdrop!

I did have my location up once, but then I took it down again....cause I got the internet "What if somebody knows me" heebie jeebies!! ha,ha!! Although I do refer to my location every now and again...so a secret agent I'll never be!

(That avatar picture is my own photo of one of my Cardinals by the way....just coloured up a bit more vibrant...I still have this Cardinal after nearly 8mths...his name is Lazerus, hence my user name! aha!)

Anyway....about the tank.

I had a bit of a mishap last night ...thought I was in for a right ole disaster.

Had all the substrate in, Bogwood placed, filter, heater, Co² diffuser etc in the tank...everything perfect...then I added the water, just half way, put the light on and sat back to look at my work.

Saw bubbles rising as normal when things are settling in, but after an hour one bubble in particular was fairly constant and frequent.

It was at the silicone seal. The sweat started appearing on my brow I can tell you!!!

I watched for another hour, a bubble forming and then floating up, another bubble forming and floating, like an under water drip!

I waited for any sign of water on the cabinet or floor...but there was none...so whatever was happening was internal to the tank.


I waited a bit longer, and it was bedtime, I decided to empty all the water down to just above where the bubble was appearing and I place the tank on loads of newspaper figuring if there was a tiny leak, the newspaper would absorb it. (Damage limitation while trying to isolate my problem)

And off to bed I went.

Got up this morning, the newspaper was bone dry and the bubble was gone.... all was quiet in the tank.

My conclusion is that there was a pocket of air somewhere on the silicone, and now its used up. The tank is sealed and dry so I'm feeling confident to add water again.

So that is what I'll do, and I'm going to plant my plants today also...then I'll let the tank rest for a few days.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

arrrrgh, tanks springing a leak is every fishkeepers worst nightmare. had it happen to me before, just thank god I was at home and in the room at the time!

i'll wait for someone a bit more hardware techy to comment on weather the seal is good or not, i'm not sure but i'm pants with that stuff anyway, thats the point where i go 'IAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNN'

 

[waterdrop]

Ha Ha, IAN!

Well "mr secret person behind the curtain of Laz the fish", I'd say that tank bears watching! good luck with it!

Glad you owned up to enhancing the colors of that avatar, I was always thinking "how the heck did he/she catch that neon in front of such a colorful place in the tank??"

~~waterdrop~~