# Help please! Just starting 170 gall tank.



## Bumble (Sep 14, 2006)

Hello everyone, I decided to take down my big cichlid tank, trade the fish in (which was quite upsetting because I've had them for a few years) and turn it into a low tech planted tank.
The tank is 6' 6" L x 20" W x 28" H. It holds 640 litres (approx 170 US gallons).

After reading up on it for a while I went out today and bought 2 big sacks of topsoil, a 240 gram tub of crushed oystershell and 60 kilogrammes (approx 120 llbs) of pea gravel
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I intended to place the topsoil in the tank which would be about 1-1 1/2" deep, mix in the oystershell and then cover with another 1 1/2" gravel before adding water.

However I didn't realise that when I had originally emptied the water from the tank I had left about an 2" still in there. So when I put the topsoil in, it was soaking wet and was covered by at least an inch of water. Rightly or wrongly I decided that I couldn't add the gravel now, I thought it would just turn into a bog with so much soil floating about. So instead I added more water (about 8") to see whether the topsoil would sink to the bottom.
However there is loads of "stuff' floating at the top and the water is thick brown with no sign of it clearing.

So what should I do? Should I net the stuff floating and then drain as much water out as I can. and then just add the gravel and hope for the best.
Its such a big tank and it looks such a mess that I'm starting to panic and think that I'll have to empty it all out and start again, but that's easier said than done.
I really would appreciate your ideas and knowledge!

thank you.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I would net out the floating debris, use a python, or equivalent to siphon out most of the water, then just continue. I'm not sure why the oyster shells, but I'm also not well read on el Natural.


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## Bumble (Sep 14, 2006)

Thanks Hoppy, I think you're right. I'm gonna leave it for a couple of days and let it settle and then remove the floating debris and drain the water.

BTW I'm adding the crushed oystershell because my water is soft with a KH of 30ppm (1.68 dh) and GH 3.36. So I'm hoping to offset any further softening due to decomposition.

Cheers.


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

After it settles, I would add the gravel first. Add it slowly, like by hand-fulls, so you don't disturb the soil too much and end up right where you started. Then add more water and siphon off anything that's on top of the gravel. That way you don't suck up all your soil.


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## Bumble (Sep 14, 2006)

Thanks schaadrak, I was impatient as usual and I've netted the floating stuff, drained it down as much as poss and added the gravel. I've just filled it about a third full and its still pretty cloudy, so I'm gonna drain it down again and then fill it right up.
I appreciate your help!

Cheers


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## joemomma (Apr 7, 2006)

Fill VERY slowly....just a trickle. Put a bowl or dish on top of the gravel and use that to disperse the water as you fill.


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## Bumble (Sep 14, 2006)

Thanks joemomma, I actually used a great big dinner tray - I wasn't taking any chances.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

seeing that there are no plants or fish in the tank, you could fill it up part way, start a siphon in one end and keep the fresh water coming in the other end, this will flush out the cloudiness. Just don't let the water flow disturb the substrate.


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## Bumble (Sep 14, 2006)

bpimm said:


> seeing that there are no plants or fish in the tank, you could fill it up part way, start a siphon in one end and keep the fresh water coming in the other end, this will flush out the cloudiness. Just don't let the water flow disturb the substrate.


That would have been an excellent way of dealing with it. But I just filled it halfway and drained it a couple of times and fortunately it's turned out well.
In fact I've spent most of today planting it up.A big tank like this takes a lot of plants and because its so high I had to stand on a 8" high piece of wood to enable me to reach the bottom comfortably and I'm over 6 feet tall.

cheers


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Waiting for the pictures.


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## Bumble (Sep 14, 2006)

bpimm said:


> Waiting for the pictures.


This is the first time I've ever posted a picture in a forum so please bear with me if I've messed it up!

I took this photo last night about 5 hrs after planting the tank. Unfortunately you can't see much because what I assume is a bacterial bloom has clouded the water quite badly.
I've never experienced a bloom as strong as this before. Is this because of the topsoil substrate do you think?

I'll post another piccy once it clears up a bit.

cheers


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Looking good,

The bacterial bloom should clear up in a few days, You could use a lot more plant matter in that tank for start up to help keep the algae at bay. Even if you don't want the plant in the final layout use a small pot and pot some plants like water sprite or hygro diformis, they are fast growers and inexpensive. I use a little piece of plastic grocery bag in the bottom of the pot to plug the hole, add topsoil plant the plant and add gravel over the top, just like you did in the tank itself, then you can place them around the tank until the rest of your plants grow enough to handle the nutrient level.

If you are impatient like I am, you could do a flowing waterchange to clear the tank up. What I have done in the past is to start a siphon at one end of the tank and have a warm water fill on the other end set to tank temperature that you can adjust the flow to match the siphon and let it flow until it clears up. I drop the water level about 6" so I have some error room for flow rates. I have even got rid of green water this way.

Seeing your picture has me wanting a big tank again.

Keep us posted.


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## Bumble (Sep 14, 2006)

I likeyour idea about using plants in small pots but although you can't see them, because of the cloudiness, there are an awful lot of plants in there already including Hydro.difformis. There's hardly an inch to spare. There are a couple that I couldn't identify but I believe are Hydros and I've put a question mark against my guess.
Because I've got only 4 x 58w tubes giving me less than 1.5 watts per gallon I've limited myself to what I consider to be fairly "easy" species.

2 pots Lilaeopsis macloviana

4 pots Hydophila difformis

2 bunches poss Hygrophila angustifolia (salicifolia)

2 bunches poss Hygrophila siamensis (53b)

1 bunch Hygrophila corymbosa stricta (giant)

4 bunches Echinodrus Cordifolius??

2 pots Gymnocoronis spilanthoides

8 pots Echinodorus quadricostatus

1 pot Cabomba caroliniana

1 pot Echinodorus macrophyllus

2 pots Cryptocoryne wendtii (green tall form)

2 pots Cryptocoryne wendtii?

2 pots Vallisneria spiralis

3 pots Echinodorus bleheri

Although I'm usually very impatient I'm going to let the bacterial bloom take its course and so that I know for future reference.

Thanks for your interest.

cheers


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Boy, it sure doesn't look like that many plants in the picture.  You are probably better off waiting it out but sometimes it's hard for me to keep my hands out of it.

Brian


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