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CaysE · 06-08-2006, 08:41 AM

Hi Everyone! This journal is going to chronicle my leap from a second-hand to a complete planted and stocked 20 gallon tropical aquarium. Some quick back-story: I was given this tank by my aunt about 2 years ago. It had old coated stones that were starting to flake apart as the substrate, a few fake plants and decorations, a nice small piece of real driftwood, two angels, a clown loach, and a catfish. I had no idea how to take care of this tank, and just tried to maintain it for the first year (with not much luck). An algae bloom occured, the catfish died, one of the angels went blind and couldn't eat anymore, and I started to see this as an interesting challenge to overcome. I started to learn about water tests and conditions, different fish and the foods they like, why water changes and gravel cleanings are important, etc etc etc. Eventually though, the other angel went through a bit too much and I was down to just the clown loach, who surprisingly always seemed very healthy. I did some research and it turns out the water conditions along with his hiding place under the driftwood gave him the most optimum conditions. I also learned he was close to being too large for the tank, so I decided to start all over and give the loach to my LFS. He will be missed! Here's a couple quick shots before I gave him away:

You'll notice there's a lot of algae in there, and to be honest, that's a whole lot less than what used to be in there before I actually got interested.

So now Day 1 (actually yesterday 6/7) I finally drained the tank and started rinsing the Flourite (I have 2 bags of it, which should be enough for a 2-inch bed). I will be cleaning out the tank after work today and putting in the Flourite bed, filling it up, and getting it cycling soon I hope. I've been tempted too many times to start picking out plants, but I want to do this right. I've never started a tank from scratch before, so any tips would help!

A couple questions: Should I run the filter when I first set up the tank or do I have to let it sit for a day or two? Also, I have a Master Test Kit, but should i get the tests for GH and KH as well?

06-08-2006, 08:41 AM	#1
CaysE Stowaway Winner Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bloomfield, NJ Age: 29 Posts: 311	20 gallon planted tropical tank. Hi Everyone! This journal is going to chronicle my leap from a second-hand to a complete planted and stocked 20 gallon tropical aquarium. Some quick back-story: I was given this tank by my aunt about 2 years ago. It had old coated stones that were starting to flake apart as the substrate, a few fake plants and decorations, a nice small piece of real driftwood, two angels, a clown loach, and a catfish. I had no idea how to take care of this tank, and just tried to maintain it for the first year (with not much luck). An algae bloom occured, the catfish died, one of the angels went blind and couldn't eat anymore, and I started to see this as an interesting challenge to overcome. I started to learn about water tests and conditions, different fish and the foods they like, why water changes and gravel cleanings are important, etc etc etc. Eventually though, the other angel went through a bit too much and I was down to just the clown loach, who surprisingly always seemed very healthy. I did some research and it turns out the water conditions along with his hiding place under the driftwood gave him the most optimum conditions. I also learned he was close to being too large for the tank, so I decided to start all over and give the loach to my LFS. He will be missed! Here's a couple quick shots before I gave him away: You'll notice there's a lot of algae in there, and to be honest, that's a whole lot less than what used to be in there before I actually got interested. So now Day 1 (actually yesterday 6/7) I finally drained the tank and started rinsing the Flourite (I have 2 bags of it, which should be enough for a 2-inch bed). I will be cleaning out the tank after work today and putting in the Flourite bed, filling it up, and getting it cycling soon I hope. I've been tempted too many times to start picking out plants, but I want to do this right. I've never started a tank from scratch before, so any tips would help! A couple questions: Should I run the filter when I first set up the tank or do I have to let it sit for a day or two? Also, I have a Master Test Kit, but should i get the tests for GH and KH as well?