What was your ammonia source for the cycle?
Why not plant the hornwort stems in the substrate?
Why not plant the hornwort stems in the substrate?
20H Window Tank
7
tank shot from 07/15/18
![]()
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So- I know someone who has to get rid of his tank, and I offered to take in some of his fish... They won't all fit in my main tank so four days ago I set up this empty spare I had, a 29. However after some inspection I could not stop worrying that tank might fail someday. It's older, I'd got it used. It had signs of three times receiving some kind of impact- chips in the glass on two outside corners (at the seams) and the trim was cracked through on a bottom corner. Fretted over the possibilities for several days and then just gave in and bought a new tank. (My husband is very anti flood-risk) However I went a bit smaller as the extra heater I have is only 50 watt. I'm not looking to buy a bunch of new equipment right now.
It's a simple tank. I started it off with my old marineland penguin 170 HOB bio-wheel filter, using media pulled back out of the 38's canister, all the leftover fine gravel/coarse sand I had in a bag, and the spare 50 watt heater. I'm planning on keeping this one cooler, at 72 degrees. All the plants are epiphytes or floaters. Have been wondering for a while if I could run a low tech tank with ambient daylight from the window (no direct sun, and what light there is gets filtered thru curtains) like my daughter's snail bowl. (Where hornwort and anubias cuttings absolutely thrive on just snail poo and top-offs every other week) No light, doesn't even have a proper hood- I laid a plastic lid off a toy bin over it. Stuffed some pothos and arrowhead cuttings in the gaps around the filter. This pic is from the original setup with the 29- now everything is on a new 20H and the plastic lid covers the gap.
![]()
Hornwort stems two ways in here- tethered onto stones with rubber bands-
![]()
And more fastened low on the back wall, rubber-banded onto suction cups.
![]()
This bunch of windelov fern is trimmings from my betta tank.
![]()
It's kind of the centerpiece plant in here. I've always loved the look of light glowing through foliage.
![]()
I also put in some little sprigs of java fern rhizome on a stone out of my main tank, the week's worth of spirodela polyrhiza culls as floaters and more hornwort bis that are too small to peg down on anything yet. Last but not least, a handful of malaysian trumpet snails taken from both established tanks. Not sure yet how I will do the ferts- perhaps with the very low/ambient light these plants will do okay just on snail and fish waste, and only need partial water changes? After all, that's how they were growing in the fish bowl...
![]()
It finished cycle this morning. No ammonia, zero nitrite and high nitrates. Did a large water change today while I was switching tanks. I just might go pick up those fishes on saturday. Am I crazy. I never thought I'd have three tanks but having this one set up I really like the looks of it already!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So- I know someone who has to get rid of his tank, and I offered to take in some of his fish... They won't all fit in my main tank so four days ago I set up this empty spare I had, a 29. However after some inspection I could not stop worrying that tank might fail someday. It's older, I'd got it used. It had signs of three times receiving some kind of impact- chips in the glass on two outside corners (at the seams) and the trim was cracked through on a bottom corner. Fretted over the possibilities for several days and then just gave in and bought a new tank. (My husband is very anti flood-risk) However I went a bit smaller as the extra heater I have is only 50 watt. I'm not looking to buy a bunch of new equipment right now.
It's a simple tank. I started it off with my old marineland penguin 170 HOB bio-wheel filter, using media pulled back out of the 38's canister, all the leftover fine gravel/coarse sand I had in a bag, and the spare 50 watt heater. I'm planning on keeping this one cooler, at 72 degrees. All the plants are epiphytes or floaters. Have been wondering for a while if I could run a low tech tank with ambient daylight from the window (no direct sun, and what light there is gets filtered thru curtains) like my daughter's snail bowl. (Where hornwort and anubias cuttings absolutely thrive on just snail poo and top-offs every other week) No light, doesn't even have a proper hood- I laid a plastic lid off a toy bin over it. Stuffed some pothos and arrowhead cuttings in the gaps around the filter. This pic is from the original setup with the 29- now everything is on a new 20H and the plastic lid covers the gap.
Hornwort stems two ways in here- tethered onto stones with rubber bands-
And more fastened low on the back wall, rubber-banded onto suction cups.
This bunch of windelov fern is trimmings from my betta tank.
It's kind of the centerpiece plant in here. I've always loved the look of light glowing through foliage.
I also put in some little sprigs of java fern rhizome on a stone out of my main tank, the week's worth of spirodela polyrhiza culls as floaters and more hornwort bis that are too small to peg down on anything yet. Last but not least, a handful of malaysian trumpet snails taken from both established tanks. Not sure yet how I will do the ferts- perhaps with the very low/ambient light these plants will do okay just on snail and fish waste, and only need partial water changes? After all, that's how they were growing in the fish bowl...
It finished cycle this morning. No ammonia, zero nitrite and high nitrates. Did a large water change today while I was switching tanks. I just might go pick up those fishes on saturday. Am I crazy. I never thought I'd have three tanks but having this one set up I really like the looks of it already!
1 - 20 of 124 Posts
4
Well it doesn't look like much yet.
![]()
After having it set up it for a week decided I don't like the row of suction cups holding hornwort stems across the back wall. Too conspicuous. Removed them all, sterilized more granite chips and used those to tether down the stems instead.
![]()
Did some cleanup- the hornwort plants had shed a ton of needles. It seems to be the ones that came out of the main tank, those from the snail bowl are doing better in here. Probably because they didn't have as big an adjustment to make.
![]()
Windelov ferns look fine.
![]()
Spirodela polyrhiza doing poorly in here- it tends to pile up in a corner pushed by the current, and there were a lot of shed root hairs. I took most of them out and replaced with more culls from the tenner. I'm guessing the swordtails might eat this plant, that would be its purpose in here...
The tank water was starting to look slightly cloudy- so I cleaned out a lot of plant debris yesterday. This morning it's clearer. I'm still siphoning out the food once or twice a day as it starts to mold, and dropping more in. Trumpet snails doing fine (they seem glad of the food offerings as there is no algae). Cycle is progressing- Ammonia test was a solid yellow today, Nitrites 2.0 ppm.
After having it set up it for a week decided I don't like the row of suction cups holding hornwort stems across the back wall. Too conspicuous. Removed them all, sterilized more granite chips and used those to tether down the stems instead.
Did some cleanup- the hornwort plants had shed a ton of needles. It seems to be the ones that came out of the main tank, those from the snail bowl are doing better in here. Probably because they didn't have as big an adjustment to make.
Windelov ferns look fine.
Spirodela polyrhiza doing poorly in here- it tends to pile up in a corner pushed by the current, and there were a lot of shed root hairs. I took most of them out and replaced with more culls from the tenner. I'm guessing the swordtails might eat this plant, that would be its purpose in here...
The tank water was starting to look slightly cloudy- so I cleaned out a lot of plant debris yesterday. This morning it's clearer. I'm still siphoning out the food once or twice a day as it starts to mold, and dropping more in. Trumpet snails doing fine (they seem glad of the food offerings as there is no algae). Cycle is progressing- Ammonia test was a solid yellow today, Nitrites 2.0 ppm.
2
Still cycling..............
I took this photo with a large sheet of white drawing paper as backdrop (yeah, there's a piece of hornwort stuck in the windelov. And please excuse the hasty photoshop job to obscure reflection of a framed image that was on the wall behind me),
![]()
I like the apono stems, doomed as they are. They're trimmings of the longest leaves from my main tank- I put them in here just for looks- I know they will rot. I have been trying to not look at this tank because it's very hard to keep myself from cleaning out the moldy food. Today I siphoned out just three clumps of it that were getting loose enough to start drifting around the tank- I really don't want it fouling the filter or getting all over the foliage.
The hornwort is holding up pretty well, considering. I trimmed a few at base and added more cuttings from the main tank. Some of the stems have been drooping at the terminal ends. It needed a bit of top-off this week and I used old tankwater from the main. Figured it would have a bit of nutrients for the plants. Not sure if it's my imagination, but I think the tops look straighter today.
![]()
Also have tossed in another few mts and bit of gravel that got siphoned out of the tenner (I always get some of it accidentally).
I took this photo with a large sheet of white drawing paper as backdrop (yeah, there's a piece of hornwort stuck in the windelov. And please excuse the hasty photoshop job to obscure reflection of a framed image that was on the wall behind me),
I like the apono stems, doomed as they are. They're trimmings of the longest leaves from my main tank- I put them in here just for looks- I know they will rot. I have been trying to not look at this tank because it's very hard to keep myself from cleaning out the moldy food. Today I siphoned out just three clumps of it that were getting loose enough to start drifting around the tank- I really don't want it fouling the filter or getting all over the foliage.
The hornwort is holding up pretty well, considering. I trimmed a few at base and added more cuttings from the main tank. Some of the stems have been drooping at the terminal ends. It needed a bit of top-off this week and I used old tankwater from the main. Figured it would have a bit of nutrients for the plants. Not sure if it's my imagination, but I think the tops look straighter today.
Also have tossed in another few mts and bit of gravel that got siphoned out of the tenner (I always get some of it accidentally).
9
it's ready!
This tank finished cycling today. I don't know why it always makes me so giddy-happy to see the pale blue in that little test tube. So this morning I did a big water change- probably 90%- siphoned out down to an inch above the substrate. Not because of sky-high nitrates (they were only about 50ppm) but because I wanted to get out all that disgusting fuzzy white mold from the food remains.
These pictures really don't do the tank justice. It looks somewhat pretty with the ambient light through the haze of hornwort needles, but I can't get a decent photo unless I put a backdrop on. Oh well. Closest equivalent.
![]()
Windelov fern seems pretty content in here. I haven't seen any foliage die off, and if you look close can see a young leaf and a tiny new fiddlehead near the center. It's growing!
![]()
I found in my tenner this week a little scrap of java fern leaf floating around with two tiny new plants sprouting on it, and a small bit of windelov rhizome. Put both into this tank.
![]()
Although they are all shorter from being trimmed at bases, I nearly doubled the number of anchored hornwort stems in here this week. Most of them seem to be done transitioning, I cleaned out all the shed needles and decaying stems, kept only healthy growth which got divided up, new budding ends tethered onto more chips of granite.
![]()
Some are so small they lie rather flat when dropped in the tank, so I propped them up against the front glass for now.
![]()
Still have two stems of pruned aponogeton crispus leaves and half a dozen of the capuronii in here. As expected, the crispus leaves are quickly decaying- I'm taking those out tomorrow. To my surprise the capuronii trimmings have held up really well- they've been in here a week and although I cut off a quarter inch of the petioles and retied it, haven't felt the need to throw them out yet. They really add something to the tank and I am going to probably add more as they get pruned from the main, see how long they hold up before need to be composted.
![]()
Pothos cuttings have grown roots. There's a bit of new stem sprouting too.
![]()
I had to rig up the prefilter sponge with a bit of fishing line and rubber band to stay in place (because the fittings got ruined that hold this onto the intake tube).
![]()
I'm picking up the adopted fishes tomorrow. Dropped in more sinking food to keep the cycle going meanwhile. Trumpet snails immediately converged.
![]()
This tank finished cycling today. I don't know why it always makes me so giddy-happy to see the pale blue in that little test tube. So this morning I did a big water change- probably 90%- siphoned out down to an inch above the substrate. Not because of sky-high nitrates (they were only about 50ppm) but because I wanted to get out all that disgusting fuzzy white mold from the food remains.
These pictures really don't do the tank justice. It looks somewhat pretty with the ambient light through the haze of hornwort needles, but I can't get a decent photo unless I put a backdrop on. Oh well. Closest equivalent.
Windelov fern seems pretty content in here. I haven't seen any foliage die off, and if you look close can see a young leaf and a tiny new fiddlehead near the center. It's growing!
I found in my tenner this week a little scrap of java fern leaf floating around with two tiny new plants sprouting on it, and a small bit of windelov rhizome. Put both into this tank.
Although they are all shorter from being trimmed at bases, I nearly doubled the number of anchored hornwort stems in here this week. Most of them seem to be done transitioning, I cleaned out all the shed needles and decaying stems, kept only healthy growth which got divided up, new budding ends tethered onto more chips of granite.
Some are so small they lie rather flat when dropped in the tank, so I propped them up against the front glass for now.
Still have two stems of pruned aponogeton crispus leaves and half a dozen of the capuronii in here. As expected, the crispus leaves are quickly decaying- I'm taking those out tomorrow. To my surprise the capuronii trimmings have held up really well- they've been in here a week and although I cut off a quarter inch of the petioles and retied it, haven't felt the need to throw them out yet. They really add something to the tank and I am going to probably add more as they get pruned from the main, see how long they hold up before need to be composted.
Pothos cuttings have grown roots. There's a bit of new stem sprouting too.
I had to rig up the prefilter sponge with a bit of fishing line and rubber band to stay in place (because the fittings got ruined that hold this onto the intake tube).
I'm picking up the adopted fishes tomorrow. Dropped in more sinking food to keep the cycle going meanwhile. Trumpet snails immediately converged.
6
got fishes
Brought home the adopted fishes today. I took as much care as I could with their transport to minimize stress. The prior owner had them ready in a gallon ziplock. I opened the bag and set it in a small cardboard box inside my cooler, held the sides up w/bulldog clips so it would stay open. So it stayed nice and dark, even temperature no lack of oxygen. I tried to drive evenly and not brake hard or take corners too fast on the way home, probably annoyed a lot of drivers behind me... Once home I floated the bag in the aquarium to equalize temperature, then siphoned out some of the bag water that had waste, and started adding portions of tank water in ten-minute intervals. The fish were looking ok through this, a bit pale but not trying to hide in the corners.
![]()
There are three serpae tetras aka red minors (one has a missing eye). Two silvery red eye tetras, and two fancy swordtails I think they are hi-fin lyretails. One has a black body with long, flowing orange fins I swear it's like watching a pretty girl with long hair blowing in the wind. The other is red with black fins.
![]()
My husband came over to see them and he remarked on how the fish stuck with their own kind- the serpaes shoaling together, the silver red-eyes cruising as a pair. Even momentarily in the bucket you can see this
![]()
I have the tank covered sides and top keeping it dark today as a stress-reducing measure. At first the fish cowered on the bottom. The flow of the filter is pretty strong, so I put plastic baffle on and then the tetras and the "golden-haired" swordtail started swimming around. The serpae tetras were even sparring a bit, displaying their fins and buffeting each other with sideways tail strokes. I think two are males- I can see white edging starting to show on the anal fins and I read somewhere they develop white edges when mature? Honestly I have never been really interested in tetras, but once they were in the tank I am really taken by these. Their color is rich and they look very striking among the green hornwort stems.
![]()
Blurry image of one swordtail
![]()
The red swordfish does not look good. It has a very fat belly and lies on the bottom quivering its pectoral fins. I don't know if it is bloated with food or an egg-bound female. If I loose a fish to shock it will probably be this one.
![]()
I am going to be testing the water and doing daily partial wc for several days at least- even though I did the fishless cycle to build up as much beneficial bacteria as possible, the fish load is probably too much all at once. Plan is to put the tetras in my largest tank, but first I want to observe them for a while make sure they don't come down with some illness from the stress of moving. Easier to treat them in here if I have to.
Brought home the adopted fishes today. I took as much care as I could with their transport to minimize stress. The prior owner had them ready in a gallon ziplock. I opened the bag and set it in a small cardboard box inside my cooler, held the sides up w/bulldog clips so it would stay open. So it stayed nice and dark, even temperature no lack of oxygen. I tried to drive evenly and not brake hard or take corners too fast on the way home, probably annoyed a lot of drivers behind me... Once home I floated the bag in the aquarium to equalize temperature, then siphoned out some of the bag water that had waste, and started adding portions of tank water in ten-minute intervals. The fish were looking ok through this, a bit pale but not trying to hide in the corners.
There are three serpae tetras aka red minors (one has a missing eye). Two silvery red eye tetras, and two fancy swordtails I think they are hi-fin lyretails. One has a black body with long, flowing orange fins I swear it's like watching a pretty girl with long hair blowing in the wind. The other is red with black fins.
My husband came over to see them and he remarked on how the fish stuck with their own kind- the serpaes shoaling together, the silver red-eyes cruising as a pair. Even momentarily in the bucket you can see this
I have the tank covered sides and top keeping it dark today as a stress-reducing measure. At first the fish cowered on the bottom. The flow of the filter is pretty strong, so I put plastic baffle on and then the tetras and the "golden-haired" swordtail started swimming around. The serpae tetras were even sparring a bit, displaying their fins and buffeting each other with sideways tail strokes. I think two are males- I can see white edging starting to show on the anal fins and I read somewhere they develop white edges when mature? Honestly I have never been really interested in tetras, but once they were in the tank I am really taken by these. Their color is rich and they look very striking among the green hornwort stems.
Blurry image of one swordtail
The red swordfish does not look good. It has a very fat belly and lies on the bottom quivering its pectoral fins. I don't know if it is bloated with food or an egg-bound female. If I loose a fish to shock it will probably be this one.
I am going to be testing the water and doing daily partial wc for several days at least- even though I did the fishless cycle to build up as much beneficial bacteria as possible, the fish load is probably too much all at once. Plan is to put the tetras in my largest tank, but first I want to observe them for a while make sure they don't come down with some illness from the stress of moving. Easier to treat them in here if I have to.
1 - 20 of 124 Posts
