• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

72l Forest walk first aquascape

S

silverteen

Seedling
Joined
31 Jan 2011
Messages
23
Ive got my plans, done alot of research and started buying alot of equipment etc as i take the plunge into aquascaping.

As i wait for some more equipment etc to arrive before I can make a start I thought i'd document my plans and equipment ready to update when i start.

Equipment:
Brillux 72l tank
2 x 18w T5 lighting
Fluval E 100w heater with LCD digital temp display
using the stock internal filter that came with the tank but planning to upgrade to an external filter asap.
Hagen nutrafin co2 system (basic i know)

Hardscape - various drfitwood, stone, ecocomplete substrate and manado substrate.

Ive ordered lots of other bits, test kits, cleaning equipment, etc

I've also placed an order for plants from plants alive so everything is taking shape.

the aquascape design is for a forest with large driftwood trees at front and smaller ones at the back to give impression of depth and a small winding track/path winding through. Nothing original or unique here but i wanted something i could acheive with my low ish tech tank.

Im planning on have a mix of guppies and tetras.

Pics to follow once set up commences!
 
Sounds good!

Consider getting another Nutrafin unit if you can't afford pressurised CO2.

This way you can alternate changing yeast mixtures to get a better and more stable CO2.

You can DIY your own mixtures too, using supermarket yeast and bi-carb of soda. I had success using 2 units in a 125 litre when I started out in planted tanks.

I look forward to the pics. :thumbup:
 
George Farmer said:
You can DIY your own mixtures too, using supermarket yeast and bi-carb of soda. I had success using 2 units in a 125 litre when I started out in planted tanks. :
Click to expand...
I did exactly the same thing, I did however have a air stone coming on during lights out to give the fish a break and swapped one solution on a Sunday and the other on a Wednesday to keep CO2 levels always high.
 
Don't bother with nutrafin or adding 2nd one when you sum up cost. 1 disposable bottle for 10, regulator for 13 and needle valve for 7. All from e-bay. And you are better off and smooth running, disposable bottle will last you few months on that tank ;) Cheers
 
i agree with Radik, DIY CO2 to fluctuate depending on the amount of yeast and sugar you put in. With a disposable kit, CO2 is more constant and stable and you can adjust the amount of CO2 coming out the bottle as well. It's something worth considering.
 
Its worth considering, but, as george and Paulo said and I will say, DIY co2 does work and it may be abit extra effort and in the long run more money than the initial outlay of going pressurized on an FE set up, but it can work, to a degree.

I'd say yourll struggle to get a low dense HC carpet or grow some of the high co2 dependent plants, but with additional co2 enrichment via liquid carbon the plant choice increases a whole bunch, at this early stage having already bought the kit, I'd rather see the money go towards extra flow from a Koralia, that way all the basic basis are covered,

There decent light there's a source of co2, flow, and nutrient dosing.

Depending what you want from the tank, ie pearling HC carpet ect or just a nice jungle of healthy plants. The pearling hc carpet is going to need pressurized co2 but I nice jungle of healthy planyts could be achieved by good nutrient dosing good flow and adequate lighting along with a source of co2

What method or brand of fertilizing are you going for?

Why mix manando with eco complete?

Cheers
 
This tank was running two nutrafin kits with DIY method:

pict0025mv2.jpg
 
And thus......I eat my words haha

Okai so its possble but would I be right in saying that was not your 1st attempt? I know you have forever rescaped and changed the same tank, but I mean the 1st ever attempt at scaping let alone growing underwater plants?

Also ill add you sunday to wednesday routine was pretty militant lol
 
That was my first scape with CO2, I started with one bottle and was struggling so upped it to two, after a couple of months got great results, that tank had been running about about 8-9 months when that photo was taken, when I upped to two bottles I poisoned the fish with CO2, so that's when I introduced the air pump during the night, this all before I even knew UKAPS existed. (read the first post of my journal, all I used in that scape is there).
 
Radik said:
Don't bother with nutrafin or adding 2nd one when you sum up cost. 1 disposable bottle for 10, regulator for 13 and needle valve for 7. All from e-bay. And you are better off and smooth running, disposable bottle will last you few months on that tank ;) Cheers
Click to expand...
Any chance of the links for those bits Radik?

And I look forward to following this Journal, sounds like it will be 8)
 
Well I'm not one to argue if the point is proven.... Well done Paulo

So I now say get 2 bottles and buy the yeast mix yourself. :D

Paulo would you care to share your yeast mixture abit more indepth? Size's of bottles used mixture ect, I have a spare tank I wouldn't mind setting up for the plantedtank competition but won't be able to get it close enough to my FE set up to split the co2 with a T peiice.

Cheers
 
Nice one george , ill have to dig my old nutra fin bottle out.
 
I am not saying Nutrafin is bad, of course it works but price wise it is bad investment.

Regulator: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_trkparms ... p=15&_sc=1 15.00 Free delivery
Needle valve: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Feinnadelventil-N ... 20addf0baf 7.50 +4.50 delivery
Co2 Bottles: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Clarke-x-3-Co2-Ga ... 4aa84d1345 36 with delivery. This will get you for over one year for your sized tank maybe 1.5 year, Or buy just one piece for around 12 with delivery

If you need any help putting it together just PM me. I have other regulator with 2 gauges from same manufacturer.

http://www.techweld.co.uk/index.php?act ... ductId=373 It was cheaper last year but still cheap enough comparing to others and UK made. My second C02 will be without gauges as I discovered I do not need them.
 
I'll have to look into the co2 once its all set up and ive got everything in order a bit more.

Im looking at external filters and in two minds to go for a hang on abck external filter or a external filter like the fluval 205?

i havent got much funds and need to buy second hand but ive found a new external filter for £39.99 delivered which is for a 200 litre + tank. would this be too powerful for the 72 litres i have? it doesnt have a control for the amount of flow used that im aware of.

any advice?
 
What is the rated LPH on that? I've got a fluval105 filtering a 15 liter tank and I'd like to get a 205 so I'd say go for that external, more flow the better :D

What filter is it?
 
Mate, I'd snap that up!

If I have a spare 70quid I'd get 2. Very good offer, ill be a soggy sock you won't find one cheaper new for a 200L tank else where

Cheers,,
 
do you think it would be too much flow? im guessing it may be 1000 lph and i only have a 72 litrer! :crazy: is that too much?
 
Just prepared the hardscape tonight....
added substrate with "path".... the substrate is around 3inches deep at the front and 5 at the back, a bit more than i expected but im guessing it cant be a bad thing?
SAM_5981.jpg


then added the "forest"
SAM_5985.jpg


ordered lots of plants which i hope will arrive wednesday. (how long can these plants survive in transit/out of water?)

i managed to bargain a guy on ebay to let me have his 2 week old fluval 105 external filter for £45 delivered which i thought was good.

just got a few small bits to buy now.

any comments on the aquascaping appreciated, be gentle its my first time! :oops:

the idea of the piece of driftwood on the floor/edge of path was of a fallen tree which im hoping will look more realistic with some moss etc on it. the same with the stones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top