My ~15 gallon fish tank project

[MrHarrys]

Any idea what this weird foam is?

 

[MrHarrys]

Update: I've ordered the plants:

1. Nymphaea Lotus Zenkeri Red
2.  Hygrophila corymbosa Siamensis (in between and in the back of the root)
3. Alternanthera Reineckii Rosanervig (between the rock and the large root)
4. Anubias Barteri var. Nana (glued to the root)
5. Vesicularia ferriei Weeping (glued to the stone to create a green, natural curtain to hide the entrance to the cave)
6. Staurogyne Repens 
7. Hygrophila Polysperma
8. Echinodorus Bleheri(behind the large root)

Also on the list Limnobium Laevigatum to make the gourami feel better.

The plants are a mix from Tropica and Dennerle

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by MrHarrys

[Schuyler]

On 8/31/2023 at 10:55 AM, MrHarrys said:

Any idea what this weird foam is?

 

Likely just proteins from bacterial activity happening in the tank while it cycles 

[MrHarrys]

or maybe from the baking soda, it was gone after a water change.

[MrHarrys]

UPDATE ordered the fish and shrimp:

 

2x Otocinclus affinis

4x Red Cherry shrimp

6x Neon Tetra

1x Honey Gourami

[MrHarrys]

_________________________
CO2 kit arrived, same with the tester. I got Dennerle Bio CO2 60 Complete Set and  Dennerle AquaTest GH*KH*pH

[MrHarrys]

After all this time, despite changing the water 3 times a week, the water still had issues with clarity and biofilm and stuff. So i decided to scrap everything. Got rid of the rocks (i want more plants), got rid of the soil and gravel (no brand local made, local bought), got rid of the filter that came with the tank (it was clearly underpowered) and gave it a good clean. Same with the roots, gave them a good clean, boiled and baked them again.

 

I've decided to go all-in for Dennerle as it follows:

 

soil: Dennerle NutriBasis 6in1

cap for the soil: Dennerle Plantahunter Sand 0.1-1.4 mm and Dennerle Plantahunter Rio Xingu 2-22mm

for the filter i went with  Aquael Turbo 500

I also ordered a large root and a small one with branches. Did a simulation with the two ones that I have and photoshop.

[MrHarrys]

Asking for advice: Should i go with an Aquael Turbo 500 internal filter or should i get an external Oase FiltoSmart 60?

[Schuyler]

On 9/15/2023 at 9:24 AM, MrHarrys said:

After all this time, despite changing the water 3 times a week, the water still had issues with clarity and biofilm and stuff. So i decided to scrap everything

My recommendation would be to just not do water changes at all while getting cycled. That type of stuff tends to work itself out as bacteria colonizes surfaces

[MrHarrys]

Root, soil, fertilizer, gravel and sand are here.  Unfortunately the filter will be here on monday due to some sort of a delay at the warehouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MrHarrys]

Did the water tests and everything is fine.  I used the Dennerle AquaTest GH*KH*pH that comes with an active substance. And yes the tank is not planted yet, BUT saturday i was at this new huge big box pet store to buy some maintenance stuff for the fish tank and I saw this lovely male betta, a double tail, in a small 1 liter bowl. He was completely ignoring the other bettas, but to be honest none of them were very active, maybe due to the temperature ~24C. He showed some interest when i tapped on the glass, and did follow my finger, but without flaring. So i got him for ~$15 (14 euros). Kept him in an acrilic 10 liter tank, and today I've moved him in the main tank. So far he spends his time between exploring every nook and cranny and building a bubble nest behind the heater. I named him Captain America cause in the darker areas he has intense red fins, with pearlescent white body and dark blue head, while in the well lit areas he shows gorgeous blue-green shades with traces of purple. 

[gdachev]

Looking great! Congrats on the first inhabitant of the tank!

[MrHarrys]

The filter that came with the tank wasn't that good. An internal one with a flow powerful enough to push the fish but not powerful enough to actually do proper filtering or surface agitation, so there was this horrible biofilm covering the entire water surface. This HOB filter Aquanova NF 450 works great and also has a skimmer. It was very noisy at first but i did some changes to it- adjusted the position on the tank, removed the carbon from the cartridges. It has two cartridges each one contains a fine sponge and carbon. So I've eliminated the carbon, replace the fine sponge in the 1st one with a more rougher sponge, kept the sponge in the 2nd one and in the compartment between it and the cascade i've added ceramic rings, that i covered with the first fine sponge. The filter is set to max flow. the manufacturer says that this model is for 90L tanks, but the max flow of 250L/h makes it perfect for my 54L tank (with hardscape and substrate i measured 47L).
Oh and a great thing about this filter. It has a valve that prevents water to go out through the intake if the power is off, so the pump and the filter canister always have water.

 

 

[MrHarrys]

So i guess this project is done. time to start the next one.

[MrHarrys]