New 29 Gallon Startup Help

You may be able to close the other two threads (you have one in the newbie section too on this same topic), or PM a moderator to close them. Or add a post to each with a link to this thread. Keeping the same topic in one thread is better for you and others as everything is in one place.

To your questions. Plain sand will work fine as your substrate; having experimented with Flourite I found it of no benefit at all so save your money. I use Quikrete Play Sand, but any smooth sand will do. Avoid sands intended for paving, blasting, etc, as these are not processed and can be rough which will damage substrate fish. I speak from experience. Many like black, but having tried this I would point out that detritus was very visible, something I never see in my 6 tanks with play sand, and under the "daylight" lighting best for plants black is more visible as a sort of washed out foggy grey colour. I happen to like the play sand as it replicates the sands in Amazonian streams so it is very natural in appearance.

To plant fertilizers. This somewhat depends upon your natural sources of plant nutrients, namely tap water (for the "hard" minerals) and fish foods. You should determine the GH, KH and pH of your tap water to know where you are starting; also test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate just in case. The GH, KH and pH you can ascertain from the water supply folks, likely on their website. If a fertilizer is needed, start with a complete liquid as this provides everything and is often sufficient in itself. I use Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement, but another is Brightwell Aquatics' FlorinMulti. For the larger swords a substrate tab like Flourish Tabs is helpful, one next to each of the large swords, replaced every three months. But liquid ferts alone will suffice for most plants and as you are not intending any of the high-demand types needing CO2 and higher light, this will be enough.

Flourish Excel is a liquid carbon supplement but I do not recommend it. Some plants will die outright. It contains glutaraldehyde which is a toxic disinfectant that can kill plants, bacteria and fish if overdosed. There is plenty of natural CO2 produced primarily in the substrate via the breakdown of organics to supply most plants in a moderate-light setup. Speaking of the light, can you post a link to data so we can see what it is?

Cycling is simple with live plants. In addition to the swords, get some floating plants as these being faster growing help a lot. You can use a bacterial supplement, it won't hurt, but I found it unnecessary with sufficient plants. Once you get the tank well planted, you add a few small fish and build from there. I've used this method for years with dozens of tanks.

To the fish. I would not try angelfish. This is a shoaling fish, which means it lives in small groups, and it needs a larger tank (minimum 4-foot 55g). A lone fish can work, but it is not the best situation for the fish, and the angelfish may get frustrated and cause trouble. A 29g may seem large empty, but this is not a lot of space (I have one among my tanks) but it can make a very nice and interesting display. We should know the water parameters before considering fish as some are best in soft or hard water, depending.

Hope this helps.

Byron.

While it is an older article, the link in my signature on cycling has some good info. It doesn't address the benefits of plants (they will "eat" some of the bad stuff that would normally harm your fish), but will help you understand what is happening and help you to learn the basics of aquarium water chemistry. I am a fan of fishless cycling, for no other reason than it will teach you the importance and significance of testing your water, without dire consequences if you make a mistake.

Deleted the duplicate thread.

Mark

Alonergan11 said:

Bryon,

Thanks a lot for the help. As for the light its the 30" Finnex Fugeray Planted+. With the play sand as substrate, I have read mixed reviews saying it will compact overtime and form gaseous bubbles, but some say bottom feeders will allow enough air flow by disturbing it. My tap waters hardness is 46 in ppm and 2.7 in grains per gallon. I hope this can give me a range of fish compatible. One more thing, can you please post the links to your liquid supplements or can you give info on where to buy them? That would be a huge help.

Thanks again for you help,

Aidan

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On the light, while I am not knowledgeable on LED (still using T8) that data does indicate a good light to me, so let's assume so and move on.

Any substrate can compact. I've had gravel do this. But this is not a bad thing in itself. The substrate is the most important biological aspect of an aquarium, much more than the filter (which after all we can do without, if things are balanced). There is a host of various bacteria living down there, both aerobic and anaerobic, and they all play a very important role together. I never touch the substrate under chunks of wood or rock, and I only vacuum into the open areas (not around plants) but only in a couple of my tanks. I let the system establish and then act accordingly. Every tank gets a 50% water change every week, and this is very important.

I've had play sand for three years now in two tanks, and for two years in the others. I've had no problems. Depth is important; keep it shallow rather than deep. In a 29g gallon tank, I would aim for no more than 2 inches overall (meaning with the sand level in the tank before aquascaping), then move some of the front sand to the rear so you have about an inch or even a tad less in front. I have Malaysian Livebearing snails in all my tanks, hundreds of them, and they work their way throughout the substrate. Then there are the plant roots which produce oxygen. Anaerobic dead spots are unlikely in this situation, except under the wood and rock.

To your water parameters. This is very soft water, ideal for the majority of fish. Avoid livebearers which need moderately hard water, and there are a few others. But with very soft water (mine is even softer, at 7 ppm which is less than 1 dGH) you are fine for most if not all South American fish, and most from SE Asia. You may find the lack of hard minerals (calcium primarily) too much for some plants, like the swords, but this is easily rectified by using a supplement to raise the GH for plants (not fish). I use Seachem's Equilibrium, but Brightwell Aquatics make a liquid product and the new Seachem line AquaVitro has a liquid too. I use the powder Equilibrium because it is less expensive, I can buy it in large containers to save more moeney, and I have 6 or more tanks running. But with one 29g, the liquid products might be OK for you.

You want the GH up to around 4 or 5 dGH, no more (4 dGH = 71 ppm, 5 dGH = 80 ppm). In your situation, I would start with the basic liquid (Flourish Comprehensive Supplement) and give it a few weeks; if calcium deficiency appears, then consider the Equilibrium or similar. There is calcium and such in the liquid comprehensive, but not that much (they assume most have moderately hard tap water so don't need much more) but it just might be enough in your situation; your GH is initially higher than mine and with the liquid may be fine.

I don't know where you live, but Seachem products are available in most western countries. Brightwell Aquatics perhaps less so. Here's the link to Seachem's website:
http://www.seachem.com/Products/Planted.html
And this is Brightwell Aquatics:
http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/florinmulti.php

I've never used the BA line, as I buy the Seachem products online and save money, and the BA line is not available to me online in the large sizes. But from the data and ingredients, I can see no difference.

Byron.

With the cycling, what are your recommendations on bacteria in a bottle. I know that most hate the stuff, but I have heard some good reviews on others, namely Bio-Spira and Tetra Safe Start. (Anyones' opinions welcome)

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Like most products, some work and some don't, or not as well. A scientist named Dr. Tim Hovanec led a team that carried out very extensive research into nitrifying bacteria in the 1990's [some of their scientific studies are online, I can give links if asked]. In a nutshell, Dr. Hovanec determined the true ammonia oxygenating bacteria species in freshwater, and the "probable" nitrite oxygenating bacteria (I won't bog down on the "probable" issue). He developed a product with these bacteria, and eventually sold the patent to Tetra who now manufacture it as SafeStart. The Bio-Spira I believe was MArineland's similar product, if still available (?). Regardless, further research led to Dr. Hovanec developing Dr. Tim's One and Only which is probably the best of these bacterial supplements; according to him, it instantly cycles an aquarium, period. Now, some may scoff at this, but in my opinion Dr. Hovanec is a professional chemist, he stands behind his claim, it has been proven to work, and no one has yet disproved it. The other products like SafeStart and Seachem's Stability are intended to quicken the cycling, which is as bit different; there is no doubt these two do work to speed up the establishment of nitrifying bacteria. If I were setting up a new tank without live plants, I would absolutely use one of these products; but with live plants it is not really necessary.

I have ideas for stocking but I need to know for sure that these fish are compatible (all are peaceful) and if any other fish that would be a great addition. 3 Kuhli Loaches, 2+ Corydoras, 6 Amano shrimp, and 6+ Cardinal Tetras.

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The shrimp I can't comment on, but if they are small enough to be eaten, they might well be; all freshwater fish naturally feed on tiny crustaceans in their habitats. To the named fish, these are compatible but you need more of them as they are shoaling species. The cardinals can manage with six, but I would start with a few more, say nine. Corydoras require five minimum, though more is always better as they are very social fish and live in groups of hundreds. You can mix species, all are compatible (there may be an exception or two with certain of the larger species that have been moved into the genus Scleromystax, but we needn't fuss over this here). Kuhlii loaches are best with five, though three can work; keep in mind these are very shy fish and may remain out of sight during the daylight.

My last question is, What exactly does

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Seachem's Equilibrium do?

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Equilibrium is simply a mineral supplement of what we term the "hard" minerals, namely calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese and potassium, derived from the sulfates of these minerals. These are what determine the hardness of water, so using this product will raise the GH. It does not affect pH, which is why it is so good in situations where these hard minerals are required to be supplemented for plants, and where soft water fish are present that prefer acidic water.

You may or may not need Equilibrium, as I believe I explained previously. The "hard" minerals present in the liquid fertilizer may be sufficient in your case. No point in adding more stuff to the aquarium if not necessary. GH does affect fish, through both the minerals themselves and the TDS (total dissolved solids) that affect fish physiology. This is why we aim to keep soft water fish in soft water; their physiological processes will function better in comparable water to that for which nature intended. But a couple degrees in GH is not going to have much impact, should this be necessary for the plants. I have mainly wild caught fish from South America and raising the GH to around 5 dGH (= 90 ppm) with Equilibrium has not caused problems in the 2-3 years I have been doing so, and these fish regularly spawn. However, I wouldn't do this if not absolutely essential for some of my plants like the swords (Echinodorus, Helanthium species). In my other tanks I do not raise the GH.

Byron.