# Setting up a 65 gallon aquarium



## agrant77 (Jan 27, 2017)

Hi all,

I posted part of this in the "Suitable soils for the Walstad method" thread above, and received helpful replies, so figured I'd expand on that to describe my proposed setup in more detail and see what the community's thoughts are.

*Fish*

2 fancy tail goldfish that are getting too big for the 29 gallon.

*Tank*
Gallons: 65
Tank Length (Inches): 36
Tank Width (Inches): 18
Tank Height (Inches): 24

*Proposed Soil Setup*
1. Use Black Gold Organic Potting Soil (MGOC is not available for purchase in Virginia it seems&#8230
The ingredients are: The mix is regionally formulated and contains a blend of 45-55% Canadian Sphagnum peat moss and (one or more of the following: compost, composted peanut hulls, composted rice hulls, forest products, pumice or cinders) perlite and composted worm castings.

2. I live in an apartment, so no real ability to mineralize it (hence not buying regular potting soil) so will soak and rinse and repeat that for a few days.

3. Mix the soil with Seachem's Flourite (50/50 mix) - have this mix be 1.0" deep

4. Top it off with Floracor

*Proposed Plants*

1 Amazon Swordplant
1 Echinodorus "Ozelot" 
1 Dwarf Sag
1 Cryptocoryne wendtii
1 Java Fern

I currently have Echinodorus major and a floating plant, though I forget the name.

Any thoughts on additional plants or whether I'm buying too many/not enough?

*Proposed Lighting*

I currently have a 30" T5 on a 29 gallon aquarium. I _assumed_ I would need to buy another T5 (36"?), but was wondering if one of the Finnex products would be better (Planted+ 24/7 SE, specifically)?

*Proposed "Filter"*

I currently have a Fluval C4 Power Filter. I know I shouldn't use any filtration with the Walstad method, but also want to cycle my new tank quickly. I was thinking I'd have the filter on the back for a week or so to transfer over the beneficial bacteria I've currently built up. Then I would basically remove all the filtration (the foam pad, the carbon insert, the bio-screen, and the c-nodes) and just use it to move the water around.

Thoughts on this use of my filter? And any other thoughts/ideas not covered above?

Thanks so much!!


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## s2man (Nov 8, 2016)

agrant77, welcome to APC.

I like your soil plan. Your potting soil ingredients sound exactly like my Nature's Care potting soil (brought to me by the makers of Miracle Grow), including the regional differences. :-S 

re: Plants. Too few for the Walstad method. She calls for a heavily planted tank, right from the beginning. The plants will readily take up the ammonia from the soil and fish. Unless you have specific aquascaping plans in mind, I would suggest getting a 50-plant bundle off of aquabid and stuff the tank. :-D The plants will love the N during the startup. You can cull the ones which you do not like once the tank is stable.

re: Filter. Well, the nitrogen cycle is not really a tank phenomenon, but a filter maturation process. Cycling is growing the bacteria which turn ammonia/ammonium into nitrite, and then, growing bacteria which turn that into nitrate. Once the filter is fully populated, the 'tank' is cycled. Per Walstad, plants much prefer to take up ammonia over nitrites or nitrates. So, a heavily planted tank IS the filter. Using a biological filter will just turn the ammonia into nitrates, which are harder for the plants to uptake.

Water circulation is good. An airstone or a small filter, without bio media, seem to do the trick for me.

Of course, this is all my two cents. :-D Have fun with your new tank.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

First of all, thanks for getting your goldfish a bigger home! What type of goldfish are they? The reason I ask is that goldfish dig and eat soft-leaved plants. Single tail, long bodied goldfish (commons, comets, and shubunkins) have significantly more digging ability than double tail, short bodied fish (orandas, lionheads, ryukins, etc.). The single tail fish may cause trouble with the soil layer. In any event, I suggest a relatively thin soil layer (1"), and a deep cap (2"+). You can also use a layer of pebbles (too big for the goldfish to move) over the cap.

Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia and are messy eaters, so you definitely want good filtration. Use your filter with mechanical and biological media. After the tank is stable and things are going well, slowly reduce the amount of biological media. Test the water and watch for any signs of fish distress. Depending on the health and number of plants, you might be able to remove all the biomedia. If your goldfish are like mine, you will need the mechanical media to remove all the stuff they stir up.

Yes to more plants! You need a lot to handle the ammonia. Try a wide variety of plants, concentrating on tough-leaved species and some fast growing floating plants. This will be trial and error, with some species being eaten or failing to thrive with such big fish knocking them around. Starting with lots of plants also spreads the fish damage around--they won't be grazing constantly on your single specimens. Experiment with different types of fresh plant food so they have veggies to distract them. My herbivorous fish prefer sliced zucchini that has been boiled for a minute to soften it.

You have a lot of options for lighting. I use and really like the Finnex Planted Plus over my 75 gallon. Most people in our club who bought the 24/7 version say that they played with all the settings for about a week, then just put it on a timer. So that model may not be worth the extra expense unless you just like gadgets.

Good luck, and show us pictures! Goldfish are challenging in a planted tank, but it can be done.


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## agrant77 (Jan 27, 2017)

Thanks!!

We have one fantail and Ryukin (the latter with a growing and seemingly benign tumor near his tail). I currently have some plants in the tank that they leave alone, but they did eat most of my grass-like plants that I had. 

I looked at aquabid and will grab one of those bundles and see how it works out. Thanks!

Re: the cap, I was going to use the Floracor, which appears to be rather large sized, as I currently have a black sand bottom that is bare in one section because the fish keep attempting to eat it then spit it out.

And will do that for the filtration! I figured because they're so messy that I'd need a little something in addition to the plants.

And for your Finnex, do you have one fixture or two?


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I have just one Finnex Planted Plus on my 75, and it is plenty for low and medium light plants like the ones you mention. The Finnex Ray 2 is more powerful, but you really don't need that.


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## s2man (Nov 8, 2016)

Good reply, Michael. I forgot about goldfish habits.


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## agrant77 (Jan 27, 2017)

So, I'm in the process of soaking the soil, and it appears as if I may lose 1/3 of it doing so (at least that's what's floated to the top). Is that normal? Or will I be getting rid of valuable soil too? Thanks!


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Yes, it is normal to lose soil volume in the form of floaters. How much depends on the soil, but 30% isn't unusual. Trust me, the first time you or the goldfish uproot a plant, you will be very glad that stuff isn't in the tank.


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## agrant77 (Jan 27, 2017)

Thanks!!


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## agrant77 (Jan 27, 2017)

So, I've started to set everything up and have put plants in. But I just saw this worm (?); any thoughts as to what it is??


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