Great advice. I’m starting up an old 75g tank as a temporary tank while I add a new stand and re-scape my 125g. I filled it up and put an HOB on it. It’s been running a month so far. Every night when I feed my fish I add some fish food to the empty tank. Giving the bacteria some food to get going. I do that instead throwing fish in there. I also add Seachem stability to it. I will then move the established filter from the 125 so I can move the fish. This works well.
This is great!! I REALLY appreciate your method and style of instruction. I’m currently starting a tank from scratch and am using an old 2005 method I found beneficial. It’s a cycle method using (gasp) pure household ammonia in a bottle instead of fish. I’ve used it before with success in conjunction with those hang inside ammonia indicators that turn blue or green. Basically, the ammonia feeds the bacteria instead of fish. I’m using a ton of collected cholla cactus wood that leaches tannins like crazy and instead of boiling the wood, I’m letting it naturally do its thing first and then will begin the fish(less) cycle described above. I’m also doing “dark start” so just running filters without really doing anything else. I am using natural light in my sunny loft so for now I have a black rubber sheet covering my tank blocking out all light. This will minimize algae etc.. and then once the tank is cycled I’ll add a ton of stem and floating plants. Because I’ve never set up a tank that will get direct sunlight eventually I’m not bothered by algae. I see algae as a natural thing. I plan on starting with shrimp first and letting them get established before adding small schooling fish (brilliant green rasboras). I’ve historically cycled using your method, always with success. This time I’m trying the old fish(less) method using bottled ammonia and a “dark start” conjunction due to the full sun set up and crazy cholla cactus wood.
It’s great to see proper discussion on this. Others commented on it as well. Gary Lange speaks with Keeping Fish Simple and also Jason PT AQ and others shining light on the fact that waiting a month to add fish is unnecessary.
Especially when bringing over seeded media or adding bottled bacteria. Waiting a month is starving and killing off that BB that needs the ammonia produced by fish and feeding😀👍🏻
Wow! I'm getting ready to upgrade from a65 to a 90: I was going to put tap water in a tub and put all the media and deco in it! What a timely video! Many many thanks! Will be putting the new stand together today..
Hey there, my friend! Outstanding video for people just starting up a new tank! I have just been going through setting up three tanks, the old-fashioned way, because I don’t have already established tanks any longer. Thanks to my experience this has not been an issue, but, for the new Aquarius out there, this video Absolutely covered everything that someone just starting out needs to know! Great job! Take care and talk to you soon my friend.🐠🦯
Yep Ben good video for folks just getting started for sure. LOL for us old timers don't forget to treat your water when doing water changes I've been guilty of that and caused havic in my tank.
Lately, I've begun to tell beginners to learn to keep plants before learning to keep fish. Those plants will need "food", either from substrate based nutrients, like mud, soil, etc, or in the case of epiphyte plants, ferts in the water column. If someone find the substrate/ferts adding too complicated, surface plants are an option too. Bonus, if those plants come from an establish tank, that solve the introduction of beneficial bacteria as well. If the begginer want to start with african cichlids and the like...welp, better save up for a good canister filter and make sure one has a good source of water, and if need be, conditioners, for lots of water changes. Nature can only do so much in cichlid tanks.
The only thing I'd add is redundancy. Buy two heaters instead of one. Buy two or three filters instead of one. When equipment fails, it's almost never convenient. Redundancy buys you time for when your heater or filter fails. You aren't immediately thrown into panic mode.
So, if I have this correct, condition the water, add seeded media (sponge filter from another tank), bacteria in a bottle, and I can add a few fish right away?
I’m told but can’t confirm that one should not run a UV sterilizer for at least 2 weeks as well when in the new tank startup operation. Completely off topic… Ben I think you may have mentioned this in older videos so if you wouldn’t mind sharing again I would like to know where you got the very large green artificial plants I’ve seen in at least one of your tanks…I don’t do live plants currently but I’m looking for fairly realistic looking large plants for the ole “line of sight” disruption…I know they are more costly than usual but I’m okay with that…thanks.
We just don’t know what might have spilled or been sprayed or washed up on that sand. It’s probably okay if really washed, but not something I would feel comfortable doing. But That’s just me.
