[johnwesley0]

Hello There,

My name is Carmen, and I have been researching your method for several months now and was finally able to set up my tank a couple of days ago.

Here are the details:
Tank - 10 gal
Filter - Sponge filter with "whisper" air pump
Heater - Oase HeatUp 25W
Lighting - Leddy Slim 10W/8000K
Soil - Better Homes & Gardens Natural & Organic Professional Container Mix (1")
Gravel - Spectrastone aquarium gravel (0.75")
Water - Tap water treated with Tetra "Aquasafe" de-chlorinator
Plants - 8x Vallisneria, 2x Lobelia Cardinal, 4x Sword Compacta, 1x Crypt Wendtii
Decor - 1 medium-sized Mopani wood piece

Here are the questions:
I added the plants to the tank yesterday with 2 teaspoons (as directed) of the de-chlorinator and this morning the tank has a more greenish tint and is slightly cloudy.
1. Is that normal when first starting out? Any guesses on why this is happening?
2. Should I have the heater on? My tank is at about 69F. I haven't looked into how warm the tank should be for the marine life I plan to add. I'm thinking guppies and tetra.
3. As far as lighting - I was planning to do the siesta method. 6 hours on, 2-4 hours off, and 6 hours on again. Does that sound right for the plants I have? And do you think the plants I chose go well together?

Thank you!
Carmen

It sounds as if you've done everything right. A little cloudiness is to be expected since it's really easy to stir up the soil as you're filling the tank with water. The greenish tint to the water may be an optical illusion due to the way the light diffuses through the plants. Is it the same color when you take a glass of it and hold it up to the light?

 

[johnwesley0]

I'll never understand why people think that adding 5 pounds of gardening soil and $100 worth of melting plants won't change the color of tap water.

 

[johnwesley0]

I'll never understand why anyone would be frustrated by a beginner asking beginner questions on a beginner thread. Are there not more advanced threads that could use your expertise? I'm coming to this community to learn and you are welcome to not comment if you have unproductive things to say in the future.

Oops. Sorry. Wasn't meant as a personal attack. Should have attached an emoji. 😁
(I was the first person to reply to your post, btw.) But it was meant to open up a wider discussion of why so many hobbyists (not necessarily yourself) are obsessed with crystal clear water when natural ponds and lakes (depending on the climate) are very often brownish, yellowish and greenish? It's an honest question.