# New 20 Gallon NPT set up



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Hi all,

I am a long time fishkeeper (15+ years) who has had limited experience with truly planted aquariums. Several years ago I bought Diana Walstad's book and was fascinated. Unfortuneately, all my tanks where well established and running smoothly and I did not have the time or space to set up a new one to attempt a NPT. Well, three years ago I had my home completely renovated so sold off all my stock and equipment. The three years off was certainly good for me. A couple of months ago I got the urge again. So this time I decided to shoot for a NPT. Lots of research and planning began. I wanted to keep things small as I no longer have the desire to deal with large tanks. I decided on a 20gallon. I started picking up supplies about 5 weeks ago. About three weeks ago I started prepping the soil. One week ago, last Friday, I planted the tank. So far eveything is going fantastic (I did say so far). This is my first post to catch things up to where I am now in the process. Here are some pics of the supplies I have used. Details will follow. Thought, comments, questions are all welcome.

-Lou


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Ok, some details and more pics. I purchased an organic top soil mix that comes from Long Island, NY. To begin prepping it I sifted through it like crazy. I ended up with a pretty fine mix. Then I let it air out for a whole two weeks. Then, since LI top soil is generally acidic and my water is both soft and slightly acidic (NYC tap), I added three level tablespoons of dolomite lime to the soil. I then ordered my plants from Aquabid from a seller who goes by the seller name P volitan. His real name is Richard and everything about the transaction and plants were first rate. I couldn't have been happier. Here's the list of what I received:

Rotala rotundifolia
Limnophilia 'wavy'
Hygro corymbosa 
Hygro difformis (wisteria)
E. bolivianus
E. tenellus
Rotala indica
Najas roraima (spiky guppy grass)
Riccia
Rotala macrandra

I planted, added water carefully using a dish to deflect the water, turned on the heater and let things settle until the next day. Water never clouded up or got murky. Some pics to add color to my commentary.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

OK, final post for the day. I will update more after the weekend. After about two days I added an Aquaclear powerhead with a quick filter attachment to help circulate things and to remove any suspended particles. I just stuck it in the front for now as I'm not sure if I will leave the quick filter on idefinately. Then I went out and purchased two small pieces of malaysian driftwood. I rinsed them and then boiled them twice to remove the bulk of the tannins. I had to rearrage the plants a bit so I disturbed the soil a little but it was nothing the quick filter could not handle easily. So far so good, the pH is hovering around 6.8 and ammonia readings are just detectable. I am actually very glad I took the first pics as I was wondering if the plants had started growing. Sometimes it's hard to see the growth if you can't compare. The plants are definately putting out new growth. They came with some ramshorn (I think) snails attached but I have also added some MTS as I think they may be beneficial to the substrate. Some pics to catch you all up to date. These pics are about 3 days old at this point. 

-Lou


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Looks like you are off to a good start!


----------



## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

The plants look like they are responding very well to your tank, and I would suggest that the care you took in prepping the soil has a lot to do with that. My first NPT was a 20; I had one of those internal Whisper filters and set it in the back corner. Unfortunately I had not researched the effects or anaerbic digestion in a high organic environment...lessons learned...

Thanks for sharing the posts; I look forward to seeing some updates as the plants fill in.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Thanks for the encouraging words. Have some updated pics. I did a 50% water change over the weekend and then moved the quick filter to the back left hand corner. The filter hides well and I think the water movement and particle removal are critical elements so I will keep it running continuously. I did the water change mostly to remove some of the tannins that had been building up since I added the wood. Most of the plants are growing like mad. Strangely enough, it seems that the swords are not. They just seem to be holding steady. There is also a small bit of hornwort that has been added floating to the tank, it came with the MTS. Still no fish but have some cherry shrimp coming later this week. Going to build the bioload very slowly.

-Lou


----------



## aquaman555 (Mar 22, 2011)

Looking really nice.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Thank you!

Here's a question for the group, how long should it take for the stem plants to root enough so that they are not in danger of floating out of the substrate? The stem cuttings I got look great and are growing well but they came with no root system so their hold to the substrate is a little fragile. I am concerned that as soon as I add my fish they are going to knock into the plants and send them floating to the surface.

-Lou


----------



## aquariageek (May 27, 2006)

Lou- tank is looking great! What media are you running in your filter? 

I had similar driftwood in my tank until recently. It leeched tannins pretty bad for well over a year...and I personally like the look of "un-natural clear water  I finally removed it and all is good. 

I like the bulb combo you are using (I know it always looks different on camera) how do you feel about the growth with it?


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Thank you very much!

Currently it only has the white polyester particle filter pad that the quick filters come with. I am going to try and see if I can insert some inert media to act as a bio filter too. I'm pretty sure I can but it won't be much.

I think the plants are growing great. Some more than others but so far I am extremely pleased with the growth. My lights are running 12 hrs. per day but I'm starting to think that may be too long. Maybe 10 or 11 would be better (safer). A couple of the swords are covered in a kind of green hair algae. I did notice a bit of it when I got them but it has increased. I don't know whether I should give the plants a chance to outcompete the algae or maybe I should just remove the two swords that are the problem. I am also looking into this "siesta" period that I hear some people use to combat algae. I don't know much about it. If others have some ideas I would certainly appreciate hearing them. 

-Lou


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

I know I have not discussed fauna yet but her is the plan. I have 20 fire red shrimp arriving today. Then I have a trio of young sunset platies coming sometime next week. Then I plan on adding 2 pairs of peacock gudgeons a week or so after that. This all assumes that there are no problems along the way. How does this schedule and choice of creatures strike you all? I am open to any thoughts.

Thanks.
-Lou


----------



## aquariageek (May 27, 2006)

Lou said:


> I know I have not discussed fauna yet but her is the plan. I have 20 fire red shrimp arriving today. Then I have a trio of young sunset platies coming sometime next week. Then I plan on adding 2 pairs of peacock gudgeons a week or so after that. This all assumes that there are no problems along the way. How does this schedule and choice of creatures strike you all? I am open to any thoughts.
> 
> Thanks.
> -Lou


Sounds good to me... That will be neat to see all those shrimp roaming around.

About the peacock gudgeons...they are awesome fish. Make sure you have some rock caves or dense plants towards the bottom for them to hide in. I actually put pieces of PVC pipe in the tank when I had them in attempt to make them spawn.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Thanks for the feedback aquariageek. It certainly makes me feel better. I was concerned that I might be adding too many fish. I know in a traditional, non-planted set up you can have a higher fishload as long as you have great filtration and water change until the cows come home. Being as this is my first NPT I have been trying to reign my normal instincts in a bit.

So, I received the shrimp last night, about 25 in all. This is the first time I've dealt with them so I handled them like a delicate fish species. As soon as I got them in they all shot to the top and hung out in the floating plants. Over the next couple of hours they all stayed glued to the floaters. There were only two on the gravel and I literally watched them both keel over and die within minutes. So I'm thinking to myself, "crap, there's something coming off the substrate that they don't like". Everytime I checked in on the others they were all at the top. I tested the water parameters and all seemed well. So I was a bit worried. I went to bed fully expecting to find a tank full of dead bodies in the morning. Well, when I woke up they were all zipping all over the tank sitting on all the plants looking as happy as can be. I guess it was just shipping and acclimating stress. Load off my mind.

Here are two more pics, one from the first day it was set up to about two days ago. About 11 days of growth. Things are looking good. At least I think so.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Just posting some random thoughts on my set up that got left out of my initial postings. For the background I used a black vinyl type that I attached using a product called Seaview. It was the first time I used it and though a bit messy it was my favorite method I've ever tried. I'm sold. In the past I've used tape to attach backgrounds and I've painted on backgrounds. This is way better for my purposes.
I used the gravel to hide the soil layer in the front and one side of the tank. I've heard that the soil layer can look funky after time and I wanted a cleaner appearance.
My tank does not have a lid, I think that has helped pump even more light to the plants. That is also why I have not filled it to the very top. I want to maintain a buffer zone to prevent any accidental leapers.
My water supply (NYC tap) is almost completely without any buffering capacity. I've know this for years so I have added baking soda (sodium bicarconate) to buffer and keep the pH close to 7. Without it it would drop below 6. I've got about 1.25 teaspoons in there. My temp is set at 78 degrees. 
I have initiated a 3 hour siesta period and have cut the total time the lights are on to 11 hours. The tank seems clearer now. May just be a coincidence though.
I have removed most of the hornwort and the E. tennellus. It was getting kind of crowded in there and the tennellus just was not doing well. 
Finally, the shrimp are doing great. Very active and are doing a stupendous job of cleaning the plant leaves. Here's some pics of the shrimp and the tank as of this past Sunday (16 days planted).

-Lou


----------



## aquariageek (May 27, 2006)

Lou -have been following your posts- how is the tank coming along?


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Hey aquariageek,

Thanks for checking in. The tank is going better than I had hoped. All the plants are growing so much and so fast that I have had to prune and remove a few times. I am actually very surprised by the speed of it. The swords have finally sent out runners and new swords are popping up all over. My first fish went in this past Saturday. I got 4 sunset platies from a breeder off of Aquabid, two males and two females. Awesome fish. Bad part is that the shrimp now hide alot. The good thing is that one of the females just gave birth yesterday. Lots of babies around. Couple of things have changed, first I've decided to set up another tank. I have most of the supplies already and I can use the cuttings from this tank so it's a bit of a no brainer. Next, I won't be adding the gudgeons to this tank. I did more research and I discovered that the gudgeons would hunt the shrimp but most importantly they are jumpers. As I've mentioned my tank does not have a lid. I will probably add the gudgeons to the second tank (with a lid). I do expect to add a couple of baby ancistrus sp."Pucallpa" to this tank soon. If anyone thinks this could be a problem please let me know. 

I don't have any current pictures but will post some ASAP. Also have not tested the water in about a week because plants, fish, shrimp and snails all look so happy and healthy but I will do that too and post the results.

-Lou


----------



## tinman84 (May 8, 2012)

looks nice


----------



## tinman84 (May 8, 2012)

are the bulbs 6500K and 10000K ??


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Thanks tinman!

The bulbs are 5000K and 6500K.

BTW, here's some updated pics taken exactly 4 weeks after I planted it. I'm very happy with the growth. I just need to keep on top of trimming some of those plants as they can easily overwhelm some of the smaller ones and block out all the light.

-Lou


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Here's an update on what I believe is the 6 week mark. Plants growing wild, have had to pull out a bunch of excess growth weekly. Used a bunch of the excess to start a 5 gallon. I moved one of the pieces of wood to give it a more vertical orientation. The swords are sending out runners pretty aggressively at this point. I do weekly water changes at this point only because if I don't the tannins start to build up and the water gets too yellow. I hope this lessens at some point. Here's some pics, can see more of the fish in these.


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Your tank is developing very well! And you are close to the very stable mature stage of Walstad tanks, when you can reduce water changes.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Thanks Michael! I was hoping I was getting there. I have to admit it's been the most fun I've had setting up an aquarium, and I've set up dozens over the years.

-Lou


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Here's an update. Tank is going well. Have had to trim back the plants quite a bit. It was getting a little too dense. Have battled a bit with thread/hair algae. I've tried cutting off most of the effected leaves and have reduced my lighting down to 10 hrs. 

I ended up adding a glass lid for several reasons. I was having to top off the water level daily, the heater was running more often than I was used to and I really was uneasy about my fish taking a flying leap. I added two pairs of peacock gudgeons and one BN pleco about a week ago. The platies have had another round of babies. This is going to eventually become a problem. I am hoping the gudgeons will help with this. 

Have been cutting and replanting some of the stems to get thicker growth near the bottom. So far this has been working as I'd hoped. Anyway, here are a few pics.


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I'm glad to hear the tank is doing well. Tell me more about your grudgeons, they look interesting from the on-line stuff I've read.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Thanks Michael.

I've only had them for about a week now but here's what I know from personal experience. They are nearly fearless. While most fish run for cover when you put your face up to the tank, these guys don't budge. In that way they are like bettas. More curiosity than fear. Also like bettas they love to flare but unlike bettas that's as far as it goes. No ripping and shredding. They move and look different from most fish. They kind of hover like bees and their eyes are reflective like a cats. It's quite strange when you first notice it. They seem to be a little picky when it comes to flakes and pellets. They seem to prefer frozen and freeze dried food. But they have been pecking at my NLS pellets. They are very pretty and the males and females are easy to tell apart. They have not bothered my snails or my shrimp or any of the other fish and they have not invited any aggression from the platies. They seem to love to explore and do not mess with the plants. Once again, like bettas they just seem smarter than most fish. Definately more "pet" like.

As you've seen there is a bit of info on them on line. To be honest, it is a wonder they are not one of the most popular freshwater fish in the world.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon a great source of them. Let me know if you want contact info.

-Lou


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

They look really interesting. Seriously Fish (my favorite fish site) says they like soft, acid water. Unfortunately my water is rather hard and comes out of the tap at pH 7.6, which often buffers to near neutral in my established tanks.

What is your water chemistry like? My nearest LFS has some which I've been watching, and I know the store uses tap water in their tanks.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

My tap water is soft and acidic but it does not stay that way. I have dolomite in my soil layer and I add baking soda to the water before I add to the tank. My tank parameters end up being slightly hard with a pH somewhere between 7.0 and 7.5. It fluctuates depending on when I test it. I think like many fish that prefer softer, more acidic water maybe they won't breed but they can still thrive. Just a possibility. Maybe it won't matter at all. I knew a great breeder of german blue rams who got his rams to breed in hard, alkaline Arizona water. You just never know.

-Lou


----------



## Natural_Dirt (Sep 30, 2012)

Glad to see another Walstad tank doing nice(very nice). So your grudgeons are not going after your shrimps at all? And can you tell me where to get them? Thank you.


----------



## Lou (Jan 23, 2006)

Hi,

Thanks for the complement. No, all my fish have left the adult shrimp alone but they must be eating the babies as I never get any baby shrimp any more. The adults are fine but are not multiplying anymore. I have been meaning to post new pics of my tank as it has changed a good bit and is thriving. I will post pics soon. I bought my gudgeons from Brian at Brian's Tropicals. I just checked his site and it does not look like he has any currently available but you should shoot him an email to see when he will. Here's the site:

http://www.brianstropicals.com/

Best,
-Lou


----------



## Natural_Dirt (Sep 30, 2012)

Thank you very much for the link. Please do post more pics. I want to see how it progress(planning to set one up soon).


----------

