New Baby

This past weekend, Abi and I started an aquarium after a local friend dropped off the geeky-cool tank. This custom-built setup was no longer in use and taking up space, so my friend had sought out a new home. A tweet here, a delivery there, some stuff moved around the house and voila: I thought, hey, Abi would love a fish. I thought, hey, a free tank is cheap... just add water and $4 fish. Because, that's all I'd ever done in the past. Small tank, water, Betta = bathroom or kitchen table aquarium. Oh, and some Betta food.
Then I did some research... (silly me!)
As in most things I want to go chemical-free. So I thought we'd create a natural, planted tank environment. I'm good with plants. It creates a self-sustaining ecosystem and I understand ecosystems and cycles. Just needs some fish food, good lighting (still to be achieved in this tank), plants and a fish. Maybe a snail too. Oh, and the occasional partial water change. EASY! Except for needing a better light for the plants. And the fact that aquarium plants cost more than a simple fish.

The first thing we did was set it up next to the couch and added sand and gravel (and marbles, etc) as substrate. As shown above.

Then, off we went to the local aquarium shop for a plant. We're starting with one plant while the tank "cycles" to establish the nitrate balance. After allowing water to sit in a jug (to release its chlorine, etc) for 24 hours, I planted the "crypt" along with a bit of potting soil for its roots. Next I installed my modified undergravel filter. I had already removed the undergravel base because it is not good for planted tanks. I had read about the use of sponges, so I inserted the filter bottom into a thick slice of loufa sponge, with the air stone hanging down inside the sponge. Cleared away some of the substrate beneath and placed the sponge on top of a smooth stone. Then placed other stones over the sponge. So far it's functioning well to create some air in the tank and should provide a base for good bacteria, necessary for the establishment of a healthy tank.
Next I added the water, and then the "muddy" water in which my friend with an established tank had swished her filter, thus giving me diatomes with good bacteria inside. That's the icky stuff you see in the tank right now. It won't be there forever.
And, voila, we have tank set up:
It's not so exciting, I know, with just a plant and a carpet of diatomes.
So you can imagine my delight when I saw this:


It seems that, unbeknown to my friend, there must have been at least one fish egg in the filter. The changes in temperature likely were the catalyst for it to hatch, and thus the next day I spotted a baby bronze corydora fish. So far it only is visible around noon. I was afraid in the evening it had died. Now I needn't worry about getting a bottom feeder, and this thing should do just fine in our tank.

Also, I've sourced out someone selling crypt plants on kijiji for half the price, so I'll get a few more from him in the next couple weeks as the tank becomes better established. And I'm going to keep an eye out for an inexpensive (used or new) desk lamp that can clamp onto the back of the monitor so I can use a compact flourescent light bulb.