New tank new pics added 1/16

So as some of you know i was planning on getting a 55 gallon tank, well i finally did! Sadly since ive never done much with plants i didnt even know i was supposed to put clay or fertilizer under the rocks but with the help of a few friends i learned about plant tabs!(hopefully if works out good) I've got the pump and the heater in and my husband left to get me some good lights and some plants that i will be adding to it tonight. Ill be taking pictures after i add my plants!

Oh yeah if its okay to add plants while the water is filtering is it okay to add my snails just not my fish? I dont know if snails are hardier than fish or something :)

Stay tuned for pics :)

Heres pics!

When i first got it in. we had this old coffee table out in the garage and my husband brought it in for me and put it next to the couch where i sit so i can watch my fish all the time!



We then washed the rocks, added water using a pitcher (took forever i will have to find a better way to change water) and put together the pump and the heater.





The over veiw:


then my husband went out and got me a light (which turned out not to be what i wanted so we are getting a new one tomorrow) he got me plant tabs since i didnt put down clay or fertilizer and some plants! there's some bulbs in there too but they are under the surface of the rocks right now becuase thats what the directions told me to do! The bulbs are water onion, waterlillies, and Aponogeton. the plant you can see is Egeria Densa (Anacharis).


Okay so i got a little carried away with pictures but you have to understand this is my first large tank! im super excited and cant wait to add fish to it and more plants!

Wow looking great, Congrates.

looks good so far

Looks good!

What do you mean by ... can I add snails while the water is filtering? If you mean cycling then I wouldn't add anything live until you are into your cycle.

Looking good so far! You will want to spread out the anachris some more, did you take the lead weights off? if not you need to.

a sword plant would be a good addition as well! Along with any kind of crypt.

You are going to want another filter on there as well, that one looks a little small to do a 55g well. Having 2 filters on a tank is a good thing I think! If one dies on you there is another running!

IM not sure what you mean about lead weights? it had like a sponge looking type thing around the bottom so i assume thats what your talking about? My husband told me that the pet store told him that it helps them grow to keep it together with that sponge thing around it? should i take it off instead? and what do you mean spread them out more do you mean like spread each piece of it out or do you mean spread the chunks of them out more?

I wanted a sword plant but they didnt have any! lol ill have to keep checking back with diffrent stores :) im also wanting some top floating plants too that im having to check back with too!

The filter i have said that its good up to 50 gal the person at the petstore suggested me to get a up to 70 gal filter but it was more than i could afford so i settled for this and got a cheap .... what are they caleld (i will have to look at the package)? the vaccum things to clean the rocks with and stuff and figured if i cleaned it with that twice a month the filter should be fine. if not i will go back in about two weeks and get a larger filter or a second small one :)

Looking good so far!I agree with Fern it would be better to add another HOB filter to keep the water healthier and clearer.What fish are you putting in there?Can't wait to see it when its finished.Keep us posted!

Add another small filter that way if something happens to one you aren't completely without filtration.

What type of decorations are you going to do? I assume since it is planted that you are going to go natural. So driftwood? Rock? what are your plans?

i want to decorate with brighter colored things like maybe add some fake brighter plants. ill probably do a little big of driftwood and a few rocks but a nicer color than brown maybe some red rocks. Ive jsut notticed that alot of plant aquariums are really dark and ... well green so i want to add accent colors to it :)

Im putting live bearers in it mostly jsut mollys and fancy guppies :) i already have one platy so he might be the only platy or i might add him a buddy.

Ya remove the pot and spongy stuff and separate out the stems and plant those scattered about.

To speed up the cycle process , put a couple feeder goldfish in there . They will help the tank cycle alot faster.And if you might start another tank in the next few months , you might want to add a sponge filter to the tank . Then when you start another system , just move the sponge filter into the new tank , and you have Bio in the new tank instantly.
For a 55 g tank , you need a filter system that moves 220 gallons an hour .
Your 55 is starting to look good , and I'm sure you will have it looking splendid in no time !
If you want some plants , and good advice on lighting needs and such , www.sweetaquatics.com has awesome plants and Dan won't steer you wrong .
Hope this helps ,,,Ray

Thanks for all this Info my filter box said it did 200 gallons so close????? i should have bought the other one but i will jsut have to deal with this one for a little bit till i get more funds.

Ill take more pics after i scatter my plants around :) im having to do plant tabs though do i need to put a tab under every little bit of these plants?

You could buy a bag of gravel that is plant ready and mix it with your current gravel . You would have to shut your filter down for a day or two as the cloudiness settles.
Just a thought .
Oh , by the way , they make a liquid fertilizer called flourish that works Great.
Ray

https://usafishbox.forumotion.com/t1729-article-on-cycling-by-a-wonderful-very-experianced-aquarist
There is a great guide on cycling.

Please do the fishless cycle..... Its mean to put fish through a cycle......


Just get a 2nd filter and run both of them, over filtering is a good thing. With a planted tank you really don't want to use carbon in the filter.

Yeah i know not to put fish i just didnt know if my snails where okay to transfer over yet or to wait.

I went to this specialized local owned fish store and they thought the plant tabs would work jsut fine but if i have any issues or if i see that my plants start dying they have a liquid fertilizer that i can buy that should to the trick. I like the idea of mixing plant ready with my rocks im considering redoing it and taking the rocks out and putting of fertilizer down then putting some top rocks for the prettiness. IM running out of funds right now for all this so i will need to wait for a couple more paychecks before i can add anything else to it.

I got some draft wood at that place and some java moss that i attached to it :) now my water is a little brown from the wood but the guy said that its normal. I also separated my other plants out and they are looking great.

Ill take new pictures for you all tonight :)

Most all of the plant stuff you put as substrate you can just mix in with your gravel and it will be fine.
Sounds like a good place, all the info is sound!

As long as you have that anachris you can't use flourish excel, the anachris will die. Works wonders with all other plants but anachris just does not like it at all.

Oooo i will remember not to use flourish excel then! my anachris is still together but seperated i kinda put them in small patchs along the back part of my tank, not all the way back but towards the back i think it looks really nice! cant wait to show you guys after dinner!

I bet it looks wonderful!

Heres new pics they arnt very good i think becuase the water was a little foggy from the wood i put in but here you go!

My daughter loves it too!:


my frog hiding in the plants:

Tank is looking good ! You have a good start going . will be nice to see it when you are done . ( if we are ever done Hahahaha)
Ray

Did you rinse out some filter media from your other tanks in there?
Its looking great!

Yup i only did one ornimate because it was really the only extra i have and then i rinsed the filter should be good for some fish now! i get a stock of guppies this saterday :)

Are you testing the water to see if it is cycled? How are you sure that it will be ready for fish Saturday.

I got it tested at a specialized fish store here and it was only slightly high in... something i forgot i think it was ammonia. This was yesterday, he said to give it two more days. Yesterday i rinsed my other tnaks filters in it and stole an ornament to add to it to help it. I also have a water test kit aka those strips and i will test it again Saturday morning and if its still not right then i will jsut put my guppies in a holding tank for a few days. Im not getting a big bunch of them anyways just 3-4 so they will be fine in my holding tank for a few days longer if needed :)