Before I begin the fish-less tank cycle I wanted to establish a baseline. On 05/03/2019 I tested the water as is straight from the tap with Seachem Prime dosed for 60 gallons. I got the following results.
pH: 7.6
High Range pH: 7.8
Ammonia NH3/NH4: 0 ppm
Nitrite NO2: 0 ppm
Nitrate NO3: 0 ppm
This test kit comes with two pH tests. One for "normal" range and one called High Range pH. If one test reads on the extreme upper or lower ranges it means that the actual value isn't detectable by the test kit. The "normal" pH test reads 7.6 (upper range), however, we know that the result is misleading. If we defer to the High Range pH test we'll see that the actual result is 7.8. Now that we have a baseline I dosed the aquarium with ammonia hydroxide. Specifically a 10% ammonia hydroxide solution from Ace Hardware labeled Janitorial Strength Formula. It doesn’t matter what brand you use as long as it is pure ammonia with no scents or dyes. Below is a picture of what I used for reference.
It's getting late so I'll run another test in the morning to validate the readings.
Seattle, WA.
Things finally settled overnight. I temporarily installed two large coarse pre-filters for the intake strainers from Aquarium Co-Op. The hole is a little to big so if you want a perfect fit I recommend the medium size pre-filter. I also installed the Fluval E300 heater and set it to 77 degrees F. Last I ran an air stone and turned on the AquaClear 70 filters. Time to start the fish-less cycle.
Seattle, WA.
Finally got some critical parts needed for the tank. First, we'll start off with the foundation of the entire system. I selected Seachem Flourite as the substrate of choice for the soon to be planted aquarium. There were a few colors that were particularly interesting, for example, Flourite Black, Flourite Dark, Onyx, and Gray Coast. I ended up sticking with the regular Flourite for that natural look I was after. The red, grey, and black tones would compliment the lush green Vallisneria I was planning to use.
For filtration, I selected dual AquaClear 70 hang on back filters. Running multiple tanks made me want to standardize parts that I could use between the various systems in production. The Aqua Clear 70 filters fit perfectly in a Marineland Emporer 400 filter. I plan on taking an established filter used in the Emporer 400 and transplanting it into one of the AquaClear 70's to help speed up the tank cycling process. The extension tubes are a little short so I have two more on order to lower the intake strainers deeper into the aquarium.
Rinsing Seachem Flourite is a pain putting it nicely. The final result will be well worth it, however, it's not for the faint of heart. I kid you not, I rinsed the Flourite at least 7 times before giving up.
Now that the tank is filled all we can do is wait.
Seattle, WA.
Kate (we) has been enjoying the aquarium so much we decided to splurge and start up a 60 gallon tank. The tank is manufactured by Marineland and has the black silicon seals that we prefer. The two side walls and back are painted satin black. We'll keep you posted on the build process.
Seattle, WA.
Added an air stone. The air stone runs when the CO2 injection is off. This attempts to increase oxygen levels at night so the plants can engage in a process called respiration. This allows the plants to combine oxygen and food created during photosynthesis to produce energy. A resulting byproduct is CO2.
Seattle, WA.