Update on my new tank. Got my first plants in.

[PUNISHER VETTE]

Might not be much but don't worry it'll get there.

I got my test kit today along with my new heater. My hood/light should be here tomorrow.

I was at petsmart today and they had a few plants so i picked up the one that looked healthy. Not sure if it will work in my tank but i figured it will be a good test starter. I also have some java fern coming sometime.(i heard it was easy)

Gold ribbon plant (Dracaena variegatus)

My tests results went as followed.
pH. 7.4
nitrate and nitrite 0
ammonia 0

Don't know if those are great numbers but if you guys will let me know that would be thumbs2:

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[mitcore]

those stats are really good
it looks like your tank has cycled
having no ammonia and no nitirtes are good

now it is time for the fish
great looking tank

[Cameron]

yea looks like your cycled, tank looks great though

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Good tank, some more plants (real or fake) would help, though, IMHO.

[KcEE]

Nice setup...more plants would definetly work...you can put in taller plants at the back and the shorter ones towards the front. All the best in your setup! What are you planning to keep in there?

[PUNISHER VETTE]

Yeah. I'll probably add a few plants a day for a while. Then once they are established put in a few fish. Haven't figured out what fish yet.

What is a good tall focal plant i can put in the middle? Something that will fill in that gap and and grow close to the top.

[spudbuds]

Don't you have to get some nitrate before you can be cycled? When I saw the numbers, I was thinking you hadn't started cycling yet.

- Bill

[PUNISHER VETTE]

Don't you have to get some nitrate before you can be cycled? When I saw the numbers, I was thinking you hadn't started cycling yet.

- Bill
Could be. I got the tank used so i was hoping the filters/biowheels would help cycle the tank but maybe i was way off.

I don't plan on getting fish for a while so i still have time don't I? Can my plants cycle if i get them from the fish store? Or do i have to get rocks or something to help it?

[spudbuds]

You need to have some source of ammonia. If you don't have ammonia then you won't get any of the bacteria needed to cycle. Neither plants nor rocks provide the ammonia needed to start the cycle.

Did you the filters and biowheels stay wet when you bought the tank? If not, all the bacteria probably died and you'll have to start over. If they did stay wet and it hasn't been too long, then you may be good to go. However, you need a source of ammonia or any bacteria you have left will die off.

Check out the free e-book on the left. It will give you all the info you need about how the cycle works. There's also a sticky that gives good instructions for doing a fishless cycle and there is another for making the best of cycling with fish. Most people here will recommend the fishless method, but it's up to you.

- Bill

[PUNISHER VETTE]

I think if i get plants in there some of their leaves might die, forming ammonia.

I know i have ammonia here at my house so i"ll wait till other chime in to see what i should do.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

What is a good tall focal plant i can put in the middle? Something that will fill in that gap and and grow close to the top.

I had the plain old Amazon Sword recommended to me.
It is working very nicely -some shade and shelter, easily pruned - try one of those?

[PUNISHER VETTE]

Got my light in the other day. whats even greater is it's black and in the picture is was some kind of brownish silver that i figured would look bad. But maybe they shipped me the wrong color or the picture was deciving.

Some micro swords coming along with some java fern. Plan on picking up a Amazon Sword or two this weekend along with maybe fish i you think my tank is cycled.

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[Nick_Pavlovski]

Plants will speed up the cycling process, which is a big plus to live plants being in a tank.

Now, what date did you set this tank up on, again?

[SoCalxPiranhaxKing]

What type of lights are you using, how many Watts are they? I am not sure if you have enough light for live plants, but it could just be the picture. What are you using for gravel? Looks like it could be Flourite...Let me no so I can help you out more. One thing I can tell you is don’t get to many plants in the beginning. Start with just a few and keep them spaced apart. Give the plants some time to settle in. Once you see the plants start to take-off and grow rapidly that’s your Q to start slowly adding more plants, it should also give you an idea of how much space each plant is going to need. For example take a look at one of my tanks. This was the first day3579..this is 6 months later3580 so go slow ..:c5: . let me know about that other stuff and will go from there...:thumb:

[PUNISHER VETTE]

I got a 65watt light for my 30gal. 2watts/gal. I hear thats about the low end of what i need but it's going to have to work. The tank has been like this at least a week and a week with nothing but water in it. So all in all it's about 2-3 weeks old. The test plants i put in there have been in there almost a week now and they are looking good. No size change but nothing bad looking happing to them.

I have a onyx base(1in) and a floruite top layer(1.5in). I saw a thread on another site for a tank that i really liked and am going to try and emulate. I PMed the lady who owns it and she needs CO2 in there so i might have to get a kit that does that. but here is a picture of what i want to do. Now she has a 70gal so mine isn't going to be as much in there but i want mine to look like a forest still and i love the grass look in the front.

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[PUNISHER VETTE]

double post

[themusician]

As far as I know, decaying plant leaves will not create ammonia. You will need to purchase ammonia (make sure it doesn't foam when you shake it) or put in a piece of shrimp to create the ammonia you need. That's if you want to do a fishless cycle, which most people here recommend. It will take a few weeks to complete, so maybe you could get it started while you're installing your plants.

[stunner]

I had the plain old Amazon Sword recommended to me.
It is working very nicely -some shade and shelter, easily pruned - try one of those?

I agree, I also have a amazon sword as my "center piece" if you will. It will get big though. BTW, nice avatar Punisher...I've got a similar one for my msn pic. I love that movie:D

[Dixie]

How long have you had the filters and water in the tank? If the filters and bio wheels stayed wet from the old tank to yours, it's possible (I guess) that it HAS already cycled.

Your tank looks great! Love the color of the gravel on the bottom! The plants look pretty too.
Good luck,
Dixie

[Dixie]

All I see is a red X for the pic you posted of what you want your tank to look like. Anybody else having this trouble? His other pic shows up though.
Dixie

[SoCalxPiranhaxKing]

Ok your gravel mix is fine but you’re still going to have to fertilize once in a while. As for using CO2 injection, it’s not really necessary. You can just use flourish excel witch is liquid Carbon you add to your tank. Instead of spending a lot of $$ on a CO2 injection system you should spend that $$ on better lights. The quality of your lights is much more important than CO2.Low light levels in a planted tank can bring on a lot of problems, the biggest one being algae. A good rule to fallow when it comes to lighting is if you see shadow and dark areas in your tank you need more light. You should use full spectrum light bulbs for best results. If you can sell the lights you have now and get a Hegan Glo T5 HO then do that. If not, watch for algae growing on the glass. If it’s bright green then you’re probably ok, if its brown, then you probably need more light. Also if your wondering weather your tank is cycled or not try pulling out your filter media and smelling it, if it smells like potting soil / dirt and your water peramiters are all at 0 then your tank is probably cycled. Just to be safe you could add a bag of Bio-Spera when you add your fish, just test your water every day and do water changes as needed. Make sure the Bio-Spera is ice Cold before you buy it. If its warm its worthless...hopefully this helps . Good luck and keep us posted..thumbs2: