Hi All,
I'm very excited to be getting a 36x24x18 tank and cabinet delivered from Aquariums for Life today. It's felt like an interminable wait - only actually 3 months - and I've spent much of that time planning and reading this forum. I kept Tropical fresh washer fish as a teenager, but almost 20 years on, this will be my first ever properly planted tank.
I will be away for a week in mid-July and two weeks at the end of August. Whilst I know it's difficult to know with certainty how long a cycle will take, I want to settle on a plan factoring in that I won't be able to do water changes whilst I'm away and I'd rather avoid the risks that come with auto-feeders whilst my tank is immature. The other bit of context is that I'm quite good with delayed gratification! So ..
My substrate will be a mix of Tropical Aquasoil (18l) Seachem Flourite Sand, and lava rock. There will be a dragon stone and darkmoor wood hardscape (which I've been soaking/cleaning for a while). No plans for CO2.I'm thinking of:
1) Setting up the hardscape this week
2) Filing and letting run whilst I'm away for a week (10-17 July), without any light.
3) Adding plants in mid-July, stating with a short light period (6 hours or so)
4) Starting to stock from early September.
I have two questions. A) Does this seem like a sensible plan? B) More specifically, will my aqua soil leach enough ammonia for long enough to keep my cycle going? Or is there a risk that it will crash if I wait 6-7 weeks before adding fish.
I'm very excited to be getting a 36x24x18 tank and cabinet delivered from Aquariums for Life today. It's felt like an interminable wait - only actually 3 months - and I've spent much of that time planning and reading this forum. I kept Tropical fresh washer fish as a teenager, but almost 20 years on, this will be my first ever properly planted tank.
I will be away for a week in mid-July and two weeks at the end of August. Whilst I know it's difficult to know with certainty how long a cycle will take, I want to settle on a plan factoring in that I won't be able to do water changes whilst I'm away and I'd rather avoid the risks that come with auto-feeders whilst my tank is immature. The other bit of context is that I'm quite good with delayed gratification! So ..
My substrate will be a mix of Tropical Aquasoil (18l) Seachem Flourite Sand, and lava rock. There will be a dragon stone and darkmoor wood hardscape (which I've been soaking/cleaning for a while). No plans for CO2.I'm thinking of:
1) Setting up the hardscape this week
2) Filing and letting run whilst I'm away for a week (10-17 July), without any light.
3) Adding plants in mid-July, stating with a short light period (6 hours or so)
4) Starting to stock from early September.
I have two questions. A) Does this seem like a sensible plan? B) More specifically, will my aqua soil leach enough ammonia for long enough to keep my cycle going? Or is there a risk that it will crash if I wait 6-7 weeks before adding fish.