Walsh
Seedling
Log 1: Genesis
After a good year of watching aquascape and aquarium videos and telling myself its just a passing impulse, i have finally given in and decided to stick my toe in the 'water' and try out the hobby. Ill try and document some things that I learn as i go along that i think might help other people out.
As all this is new to me any feedback and help would be greatly appreciated. So here we go.
I have gone for a very cheap setup to try and learn a few things before sinking money into it. I bought i 34L fluval flex from Pier Aquatics in Wigan, NW England (was a decently reviewed semi local store and the girl who works in there was extremely helpful and must have spent a good half an hour helping me out finding a tank). I checked out ebay for something second hand but for what it was like £30 difference between a new and second hand (on the flex) i thought i would save myself any hassle and get it new.
It comes with its own internal filter and LED lights so that makes things a little bit easier. I also bought a 55W Aqua One heater (set to 26 C), some spider wood, some pebbles and 2 small bags of sand.
Washed all the equipment and decoration placed it in the aquarium and filled it up with luke warm tap water. Plugged it in and here is where we are so far. The smaller piece of spider wood is floating a bit but hopefully when it soaks in the water i can re position it. It also need some plants!
So firstly i learnt that putting water into the tank could be much easier with the right equipment. I used a bucket and a small jug as it was all i had and I made a right mess and it took a lot longer than it should have. But after watching some videos today i think i need to invest in a siphon or a bit of hose pipe, a plastic colander that can hook onto the tank and a much bigger bucket. Let me know if there is anything better available in the UK.
I also cannot make my mind up whether the water looks a little cloudy or if it is just the light on the black background? The photos above where taken off an i-phone well over 12 hours after the water was put in so it should have settled down. I read that the reason may be that i didnt wash the sand thoroughly enough, but i did 5 bucket washes of all the sand so i am not 100% sold on that being the reason.
Last thing i think is worth mentioning for a new setup is having and extension lead handy and some method of organizing the wiring. Even this basic setup required 3 plugs (two socket standard in UK). At the moment i just have them plugged into an extension on show next to the tank but this isn't ideal and i think i will drill a hole in the cabinet to tidy them up at some stage.
The girl i spoke to in the store just told me to leave the tank to rest for three days before testing the water for PH and nitrates (which i have the kit for). Then go in and pick up some hardy fish and plants dependent on the water quality to help mature the tank. However i read on this forum some tanks need longer to 'cycle' ( up to 4 weeks in some cases) and have various solutions put into them before they are safe. Is this just for heavily planted / high tech aquariums that are planted from the get go / with sensitive fish or should i be doing something else before putting fish into this tank? So far i have put nothing into the tank besides the water and decor. I also hear George farmer talking in one of his videos about de-chlorinating tap water when he does water changes is this something i need for a tank as simple as mine?
I was thinking of introducing some type of guppies to being with as i quite like the idea of doing some breeding eventually. With a some kind of carpet plant to cover the sand. Anyway that is all i have so far.
Bye for now.
.
After a good year of watching aquascape and aquarium videos and telling myself its just a passing impulse, i have finally given in and decided to stick my toe in the 'water' and try out the hobby. Ill try and document some things that I learn as i go along that i think might help other people out.
As all this is new to me any feedback and help would be greatly appreciated. So here we go.
I have gone for a very cheap setup to try and learn a few things before sinking money into it. I bought i 34L fluval flex from Pier Aquatics in Wigan, NW England (was a decently reviewed semi local store and the girl who works in there was extremely helpful and must have spent a good half an hour helping me out finding a tank). I checked out ebay for something second hand but for what it was like £30 difference between a new and second hand (on the flex) i thought i would save myself any hassle and get it new.
It comes with its own internal filter and LED lights so that makes things a little bit easier. I also bought a 55W Aqua One heater (set to 26 C), some spider wood, some pebbles and 2 small bags of sand.
Washed all the equipment and decoration placed it in the aquarium and filled it up with luke warm tap water. Plugged it in and here is where we are so far. The smaller piece of spider wood is floating a bit but hopefully when it soaks in the water i can re position it. It also need some plants!
So firstly i learnt that putting water into the tank could be much easier with the right equipment. I used a bucket and a small jug as it was all i had and I made a right mess and it took a lot longer than it should have. But after watching some videos today i think i need to invest in a siphon or a bit of hose pipe, a plastic colander that can hook onto the tank and a much bigger bucket. Let me know if there is anything better available in the UK.
I also cannot make my mind up whether the water looks a little cloudy or if it is just the light on the black background? The photos above where taken off an i-phone well over 12 hours after the water was put in so it should have settled down. I read that the reason may be that i didnt wash the sand thoroughly enough, but i did 5 bucket washes of all the sand so i am not 100% sold on that being the reason.
Last thing i think is worth mentioning for a new setup is having and extension lead handy and some method of organizing the wiring. Even this basic setup required 3 plugs (two socket standard in UK). At the moment i just have them plugged into an extension on show next to the tank but this isn't ideal and i think i will drill a hole in the cabinet to tidy them up at some stage.
The girl i spoke to in the store just told me to leave the tank to rest for three days before testing the water for PH and nitrates (which i have the kit for). Then go in and pick up some hardy fish and plants dependent on the water quality to help mature the tank. However i read on this forum some tanks need longer to 'cycle' ( up to 4 weeks in some cases) and have various solutions put into them before they are safe. Is this just for heavily planted / high tech aquariums that are planted from the get go / with sensitive fish or should i be doing something else before putting fish into this tank? So far i have put nothing into the tank besides the water and decor. I also hear George farmer talking in one of his videos about de-chlorinating tap water when he does water changes is this something i need for a tank as simple as mine?
I was thinking of introducing some type of guppies to being with as i quite like the idea of doing some breeding eventually. With a some kind of carpet plant to cover the sand. Anyway that is all i have so far.
Bye for now.
.