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New to the hobby. Looking for feedback on first aquascape

D

Deschain

New Member
Joined
4 Jan 2025
Messages
10
Location
Netherlands
Hello and greetings from the Netherlands! 3 weeks ago I started my first tank using the dark start method. Everything is going well so far. The tank is an ADA 60F (60x30x25cm) and is being filtered by an Biomaster 250. The aim for this scape is more on plants and less on fish but I do have a lifestock question. Will this be enough grazing space for a small school (8) of pygmy corries? Also because I use alot of hardscape and the empy tank holds 40l/10gall will there be enough space for them? Together with a couple of Armano shrimp and snails this is the livestock aim. Plants will be mostly epiphytes and moss in the front and between the rocks. The back will be filled with emersed plants creating a pond style aquarium.

Any feedback is welcome. I did ALOT of reading beforehand but didnt have any external backup regarding the build. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer 🙂
 

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Looks great!

The advice I was given regarding corys was to keep the sand base thin.

I followed that advise but did not ask why (as I trusted the source). They may have referenced lower bacteria load or something along those lines. Someone may weigh in on the benefit of shallow va deep sand for corys as I have not even got them yet.

I also went all epiphytes on a triangle layout with sand for corys on my new tank. I have a journal if you want to check it out.
 
Nice job on the hardscape! Look forward to seeing it grown in. I've got a tank just like this (though not ADA) and thinking of something similar. Keep us posted!
 
Looks great - even more so considering its your first tank!

You've not posted a plant list, but I would say though, from those that I can see, there isn't a single plant in there that particularly needs CO2, so I wouldn't bother with it on this scape if I were you - keep things simple, and save the CO2 tank for a later set-up with more demanding plants (should you ever do one).

Also, what is the grassy plant coming out of the water?
 
It's a lovely tank, super accomplished for a first aquascape!

With a tank of this size, when it is ready for livestock (I would wait a few more weeks then start with cherry shrimp), I would up the planned number of pygmy cories to at least 12, and ideally 20 (though you could add them in two batches if you want to do it gradually). They are very tiny creatures with very little bioload, and they are much happier in a bigger group, with more interesting behaviour. They are still so small that it won't feel too busy, and even with groups of amano and cherry shrimps it wouldn't be too much.
 
Full plant list:
Riccardia Chamedryfolia
Anubias Congensis
Anubias Nana
Anubias Barteri XL
Anubias barteri ''Mini Coin''
Anubias nana bonsai
Lobelia Cardinalis
Lobelia cardinalis mini
Staurogyne Repens
Acorus Gramineus Variegatus (the grassy plant coming out of the water)
Hygrophila Corymbosa 'Angustifolia'
Hygrophila Corymbosa
Hygrophila serpyllum
Hygrophila sp. Thailand
Heteranthera zosterifolia
Hydrocotyle tripartita

I actually added 11 (3 baby) neo caradina blue velvet and 1 nerite snail a couple of hours ago. Was planning on getting the group of Corry's saturday. Would this be to early?
I did a full dark start cycle and everything is completly stable.
I like fiddling about with the tech so thats part of the Co2. Also i figured i rather have it in to help then to need it and not having it.
 
The longer I have been in the hobby for, the longer time I wait between establishing a new tank and adding creatures, other than maybe cherry shrimps and blackworms. I like to savour the adding of each creature, as if it goes well I won't be adding more for quite a while. It allows me to notice and appreciate the subtle changes and fluctuations, especially when you're new to the tank there are all sorts of cues to learn from observation. It allows time for the plants to grow and develop, and for me to respond to that, maybe taking some out, maybe adding some new ones in, and for the microfauna (all sorts of tiny unexpected things will start to appear and multiply) of the tank to establish and for it to feel more mature and stable, which takes much longer than the first few weeks we generally talk about. Stability is something which occurs over time, it's not just a reading on a test.

Saying that, it is very difficult to deny yourself the beauty of fish, and I certainly didn't when I started. Just be aware that the sooner you add them as a beginner, the more potentially sacrifical they become. And definitely make sure you do a nice big waterchange the day before you get them.
 
Hi all,
shangman said:
I like to savour the adding of each creature, as if it goes well I won't be adding more for quite a while. It allows me to notice and appreciate the subtle changes and fluctuations, especially when you're new to the tank there are all sorts of cues to learn from observation. It allows time for the plants to grow and develop, and for me to respond to that, maybe taking some out, maybe adding some new ones in, and for the microfauna (all sorts of tiny unexpected things will start to appear and multiply) of the tank to establish and for it to feel more mature and stable, which takes much longer than the first few weeks we generally talk about
Click to expand...
That is really it and it works 100% of the time, it just takes <"any ambiguity"> out of <"cycling">.
shangman said:
Stability is something which occurs over time, it's not just a reading on a test.
Click to expand...
Perfect, I may add it to my signature, if that is all right?
I was thinking of <"Why have morals, when you can have money?"> but this would be much more appropriate.

cheers Darrel
 
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Sound advice which I will take to heart. But this does raise a question for my limited understanding of the nitrogen cycle. My reasoning behind getting fish soonish is to sustain the cycle with a trace source of waste/ammonia. I did the dark start only with the Amazonia soil. It’s been running for 6 weeks now so the ammonia should be about done leeching. So I figured that fish would the perfect replacement to sustain the bacteria colony. What would be the recommendation if I postpone the fish for another couple of weeks (or even months)? Leave some of the uneaten shrimp food in? Don’t think I need to feed them tho..

Now after finishing the startup I might consider a centrepiece fish besides the Corrys. Maybe two honey gouramis? So I will definitely take the advice of minimum amount of corrys with me but I don’t think I will go the amount of 20.
 
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Hi all,
Deschain said:
My reasoning behind getting fish soonish is to sustain the cycle with a trace source of waste/ammonia..... It’s been running for 6 weeks now so the ammonia should be about done leeching. So I figured that fish would the perfect replacement to sustain the bacteria colony.
Click to expand...
You don't need to keep on supplying a set level of TAN, the <"linear microbe / ammonia based theory of cycling isn't right">, it is actually only a very <"minor part of the narrative">. Have a look at <"Dr Timothy Hovanec's comments about Bacterial supplements">

There is more discussion of the <"actual microbes involved in nitrification"> (found using DNA technology) in <"Correspondence with the Neufeld lab. University of Waterloo"> and <"Correspondence with Dr Ryan Newton - School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee">.
Deschain said:
What would be the recommendation if I postpone the fish for another couple of weeks (or even months)?
Click to expand...
You don't need to anything, as the tank grows in it will be a more stable and resilient system capable of dealing with larger bioloads.
Deschain said:
Leave some of the uneaten shrimp food in?
Click to expand...
You can do, if you feel happier doing that?

cheers Darrel
 
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Hi all,
Deschain said:
Again I thank you all for the most valuable input
Click to expand...
You are welcome. Give it a go, and if it works (and I'm confident it will) tell other people.

I think that both the "Duckweed Index" and "plant and wait" <"Another cycling video from the Aquarium Co-Op"> have gained a bit more traction recently <"What is the “Duckweed Index” all about?">.

Having said that I think it will be difficult to get the majority of aquarists to stop "cycling their tanks". As well as the <"advice from forums and LFS"> there is the whole cornucopia of test kits and supplements that become irrelevant and that is a <"considerable revenue stream"> gone.

Another revenue stream gone is when people believe that:
  • You can cycle a tank in a couple of days and
  • that their test kit results are accurate, resulting in them
Killing all their newly purchased fish and then purchasing some replacements.

cheers Darrel
 
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