First Tank, Need Some Advice Or Assurance

Hi everyone!
I set up my first tank yesterday, I got it from someone who wanted to get rid of it. My aquarium is 3’x18”x21” (55gal) and I am going to plant it. My tap water after dechlorination has a ph of 7.8, a gh of 0, and a kh of aroun 200. I got the tank for 120 dollars and it came with a wooden stand, fluorescent light, aqueon quiet flow 75, tetra whisper air pump 300, and a top fin heater. I have purchased an aqua top 200w, a aquatech 30-60 filter, air stones, <1mm natural gravel substrate, azalea root driftwood, root tabs, liquid fertilizer, one cryptocorne wenditii, three needle leaf java fern, and an adhesive thermometer.

(The aqueon filter’s impeller will turn 360 degrees and then stop so we replaced it and I haven’t read a single top fin heater review that says it works for more than a month before breaking)

(If anyone knows how I could fix the aqueous filter I’d really appreciate it because I would much rather use it than the aquatech)

I put the water in the aquarium and planted the plants before I used the dechlorinator so I am worried that all the bacteria has died, it’s been almost 12 hours and the water is still too cold to register on the thermometer and I don’t know if the low temperature will kill my plants, the ph is a lot higher than I need it to be and I’m not quite sure how to fix that, the water is still super cloudy despite my rinsing of the substrate before putting it in the aquarium, and my java ferns won’t stay attached to the driftwood when I tie them.

(My end goals are to have a heavily planted tank filled with various cryptocornes, Java moss, Java ferns, and water sprite. The fish I’m planning on keeping are 3 pearl gouramis, 6 Kuhli loaches, 9 five banded barbs, and 12 pearl danios)
(Plus a few mts)

Okay so those are my concerns, now for some questions that aren’t necessarily as urgent. What kind of caves should I get for Khuli loaches, how long should I cycle an aquarium before I introduce the first of my fish, can I keep a trio of pearl gouramis or should I choose a different amount, in general are the fish I have in mind compatible or peaceful around one another, will these foods(ebay.to/2wYxdpc and ebay.to/2Lj0e2f) and supplementary live daphnia provide my fish with enough nutrition, and how long does it take for plants to fill out a tank?

(Btw I tried the community creator and it says everything is ok but I’m not sure how accurate it is)

Thank you so much for any help you can offer!

Welcome to the forum 

I'm only able to text a brief reply from my phone at present but this will hopefully help in the interim:
* no need for concern about the late addition of dechlorinator as you don't have any livestock at present;
* take a read of this about fishless cycling https://forums.thinkfish.co.uk/fishtank-filtration-and-cycling/fishless-cycling-how-to-do-it/ and google 'the nitrogen cycle' to learn more about preparing your filterin advance (you need to use an ammonia source to simulate fish waste) for it to be able to process fish's waste - it may be a 6-week process, then you can add fish.

Hope helpful.

Hi Zoedix and welcome to the forum. I take it that replacing the impeller on the Aqueon filter didn’t work. What happens when it’s plugged in ? Is it making any noise whatsoever or is it completely silent ?. I take it your running the Aquatech at the moment.

You're correct in that cycling is to build up the amount of beneficial bacteria in the filter to handle the fish's bioload, and, by undertaking a fishless cycle, this ought to build up the amount of beneficial bacteria to prevent ammonia and nitrite spikes taking place once the process is complete, provided that you undertake regular water changes with dechlorinated water. You might also find this http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/article/fish-or-fishless-cycling-and-aquarium-maturation article helpful.

A very heavily planted tank, which you're planning with a nice choice of plants, can help with a fishless cycle through a form of "silent" cycling process. Others on here (eg Matt, Helen) are more familiar with this method and so may be able to provide more advice on this approach.

I would buy a liquid-based test kit, which measures ammonia, nitrite and nitrates, if you don't already have one. What brand of test kit are you using for GH and KH? The reading of 200 KH seems to be different from the test kits I've used, and the corresponding GH reading seems a little odd to me, which is why knowing what test kit it is might help. Can you access a water/utility company website to find out what your water hardness is and what unit of measurement is used? In the UK, we can input postcode to get specific detail, but I'm guessing you live outside the UK from your reference to dollars.

Your choice of fish seem good to me, and the 5-band barbs are one of the more peaceful varieties of barbs which is good. However, we'll be able to confirm better once we know/confirm your water hardness levels, and some of our members keep / have kept your proposed fish, so may be able to offer more specific advice.

 

I use the all-in-one strips, either Tetra or JBL ones; what I find with each is that they inflate my GH and KH to a much higher reading than what liquid-based or my water/utility company readings suggest they ought to be, while they have a lower PH reading than expected. However, I think they are particularly good for chlorine, nitrite and nitrates. Glad that you have the API Master Kit, as it contains the crucial ammonia test that the all-in-one strips don't have.

Indian almond leaves are good for tinting the water which some fish particularly like, invertebrates feed from the micro-organisms contained in them (and I've seen my fish pecking at them), while they can have beneficial health/immune-boosting properties and so can be particularly useful if a fish has a mild ailment. Some folk report PH reducing with their use although this is not something which I've noticed occurring in my own tank.

I use IA leaves and also in liquid form. I have taken to using the leaves in a mini-pond I have in the garden where I have some Amano Shrimp. I use the liquid in my Aquarium as it’s supposed to enhance the colour of both Shrimp and Fish and is also beneficial to their health.