One Tank. One Beginning.
It’s wild how fast something shifts from “idea” to “real.” This story doesn’t start with fish. It starts with a decision to do things the right way. This tank will eventually live in Roots and Ripples HQ (our future garage fish room), but for now, it’s the first official build of the project. And that makes it special.
After confirming a pickup date with our local breeder (March 7) we knew we had about 2 weeks, so we went with the obvious starting points of getting a 20 gallon long, substrate, decor and everything else that would be required to make this not only a habitable tank, but one that the breeder group can thrive in for a long time.
We started by leak testing the tank, which is a must. Nothing else matters if your tank can’t hold any water. In parallel, we soaked 2 driftwood pieces we purchased (among other things) from our LFS Premier Aquatics. We’re not huge fans of the tannins and we wanted to make sure that the driftwood wouldn’t float. The first 24 hours is really about waiting patiently to see if you could move on.
After passing the leak test and confirming that the driftwood wasn’t discoloring the water, we moved onto painting the back of the tank. It could be a tedious process, but the clean, finished look is worth it. Plus, a black background would also stand out heavily with the CaribSea Crystal River substrate we selected, which will make the the darker tones of the Black Venezuelans stand out while keeping the overall aesthetic calm and natural.
Once the background dried, the real fun could begin. We grabbed substrate and gave it a thorough rinse, since we’ve had too many experiences where the substrate had all these micro-particles that just created a cloud of dust in the tank. To help speed up cycling of the tank, we also grabbed a 20 gallon sponge filter that was in our Neolamprologus Caudopunctatus tank for the last 3 weeks. Perfect for instant seeding of our new tank!
Once the substrate was rinsed, we added it to the tank and then slowly added the water, 2 sponge filters and a 100W Fluval heater we had in our spare parts bin. We added water at 73°, even though the heater will be set to 75° just to give it a bit of a buffer for temperature adjustment. The driftwood was also ready and after a good rinse there, we added those pieces, along with a few varieties of Anubias that were attached to the wood. A lid and a Fluval Aquasky light were the finishing touches.
It’s crazy how it all starts with one tank. One painted background. One soaked piece of driftwood. One sponge filter moved with care. Roots and Ripples isn’t just an idea anymore. It’s humming in the corner.
