# Setting up my 21gal



## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

I will be setting up my freshwater 21gal tank (for mollies, guppy, and a mystery snail) in exactly a week and I'm preparing everything now. I am moving on Thursday morning and will set up the tank to begin cycling later Thursday or Friday. I've ordered the plants today at my local pet store so I can get them fresh. I've specifically gotten plants from the beginners list on these forums so they require no Co2, lighting, or fertilizers. 

I figured I'd set up a thread so I can ask questions without flooding the forums. This will be the first time I have kept a planted tank so everything is new. Sorry in advance for my simple questions! 

QUESTIONS:
The first question I have is about substrate. How coarse is too coarse? Is pea sized and smaller ok for these plants? I've check my favorite store and Petsmart and the finest they have Flourite (red, not a fan), sand and crushed coral. Is crushed coral for saltwater only?

Should I use plant food? What do you recommend? 

Thanks!


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

Can't get Eco Complete around here and, because my apartment complex screwed up, I can't get deliveries because I don't have an address.

Is FloraMax the same thing? Its by the same company.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147295


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

Don't get crushed coral, it does something to your water (either makes it harder or softer) anyways it will mess with your leves. I like Fluval Stratum (don't know if you can get your hands on that). It's expensive but really works for plants.


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

I'm a student so Fluval Stratum is too expensive for me. 

I went down and got my new address so I think I will order 20lbs of eco complete and mix with 12lbs of some cheaper gravel or sand. 

You think this will work?


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

don't mix it, put the eco complete at the bottom and put the gravel on top in a thin layer. That way it looks better, and you have a good plant growing substrate


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

go to your local landscape supply and get the smallest size riverbed gravel they sell...just take a shovel and a 5 gallon bucket and fill it up with the smallest stuff from the bottom of the pile.....it should only cost you a couple of dollars..


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

Wow I never thought about that! Thanks lohachata!

I might not be able to get the Eco shipped in time...any other suggestions? 

Can just the fine riverbed gravel work?

My pet store has:

Anacharis
Narrow Leaf Temple Plant
Water Wisteria
Red Wendtii
Java Fern
Java Moss
Hornwort

I'd like to track down some Jungle Vallisneria

Basically most of whats on the list for beginners.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Just gravel won't feed the plants. You'd have to feed them yourself.


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

what do you recommend for feeding?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

all i have ever used for an artificial fert is miracle grow...other wise just the fish.


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

I think I can use my aunt's amazon prime and get 20lb of the Eco Complete shipped in time and I can get 15lbs of the FloraMax. I guess the FloraMax is made to hold nutrients but it doesn't provide them. I'm still going to look into the riverbed gravel soon.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

if you have the eco complete at the bottom and then cap it with gravel you wont need to feed them with anything.


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

Massive wave of questions incoming!

Ok, so I set up my tank yesterday and I ended up having to do some research and decided on trying kitty litter and blasting abrasive. I had set a budget of $45 for substrate and plants since this is all I could save up in a short amount of time (I'm a student so money is very precious) and no matter how I figured it was going to be $45 for just the substrate with a maximum of 2".

Luckily, I found 100% clay kitty litter for sensitive cats. It had no additives what so ever and was 98 cents for 7bs! I have about 2" of that and capped it off with 1" of the blasting abrasive at the front and about 1.5" at the back. It looks great! I paid $10 for everything and have enough blasting abrasive to fill another tank! The only thing I was concerned with was if the blasting abrasive was too sharp for my snail. I tested the water and put him in to help along the cycle and he loves it! I've never seen him so active! He has been all over the tank and overall seems way happier. 

I planted Hornwort, Water Wisteria, Narrow Leaf Amazon Swords, and an Anubias Barteri on driftwood. I also pulled over my Marimo Moss Ball from my other tank. I have ordered some Java Fern (at my LPS) and it should be here in a few days.

I seem to have a few hitchhikers, little green swimming worm things? I have no idea what these are, at first I thought they were very tiny shrimp because of the way they swim. Should I be worried?

I was thinking of getting some shrimp to help clean up, is this a good idea? Are they compatible with my snail, Molly, and Guppy? When can I add them? 

How long should I wait to put my fish in? I read it should take a week with plants because they come from an established tank. I'm also over filtering and I put some poly floss (in a mesh sleeve) in my filter to hold bacteria.


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

Don't mind the craziness going on with the filter tube, I had to improvise. I have replacement tubes coming in the mail. Also, the blue airline tube is there because I buried the air stone but I have to take the air pump from the tank the fish are currently in. 










Little worm?









Zylus the snail


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

Heard about the kittiy litter method, never tried it myself. But if it works, that's really cheap. You can start adding your fish right away, if you already had a previous tank try using some of the old filters filter material in the new filter (it will also help with your cycle). Just the plants aren't going to provide enough bacteria to have the tank cycled right away, you will still want to start slowly with adding your fish. As for shrimp, amano shrimp are great for eating algae, plus they get the size of guppies so you don't need to worry about them getting eaten. They don't produce a lot of waste so you can add them with your first fish. Just make sure you do water changes every two days once you get your first few fish untill you get the filter material to be a nice mucky brown (means you got bacteria on it) or you could buy a test kit to see when nitrate starts forming.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

kitty litter is clay...look at industrial and automotive supply stores for products called Hi Dry or Oil Dry...oil absorbents are also made of clay and normally do not contain any additives..even cheaper than kitty litter..


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

is clay a good plant substrate?


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

I only have one guppy and one molly. Is it ok to add both of them now? I'll have to talk to my LPS and see about the shrimp as they only have ghost shrimp at the moment. I only plan on keeping mollies and guppies so I'm not sure if they would eat the shrimp.

I got an ammonia test kit and I already have a pH test kit and 5 in one strips for the rest. My ammonia is at 0.25 today and I read it has to go back to 0 before I can add fish. Is this correct? 

I also want to get an Anacharis to help a little with ammonia and such, would it be better to add it now or with the fish?

Thanks!


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

You can add the anarchis now, the amonia is there because of the snail I guess. Do a 25% water change before you add the fish. Then do a water change every couole of days (since it is only two small fish in a 20g you could probably even wait a couple more days than just 2.


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## KDartMedia (Feb 15, 2014)

Cool, I can get the anacharis tomorrow. I think I will go ahead and do the water change and add the fish. I want to get them out of that small tank.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

Certainly seems like they are going into a 5 star hotel now


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