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Help Please

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MrLarner

Member
Joined
16 Oct 2011
Messages
173
Location
London, UK
i'm a total newbie to planted tanks,
i have spent the last year doing marine tanks but have decided it time to set up a nice planted tank for the bedroom.
so... I have a few questions...
i have just bought the arcadia 60 litre which comes with filter, light and heater.
im assuming the heater and filter will be enough but will the light be ok for a planted tank? its a 24W Plant Pro.
here is a link to what i have got...
http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/ ... -3530.html

I then ordered a 20lb bag of Caribsea Eco-Complete Live Planted Substrate, will this be enough?
from what i have read, this is all i'll need for substrate.
im off out to day to buy some rocks/slate and some driftwood to decorate the tank before filling it up.
is there any rocks i should avoid?
I will be setting up a d.i.y C02 system at some point before i start planting, but im going to leave the tank running for a few weeks to clear all ammonia and nitrite.
how often do you think i should water change during the first few weeks?
(or is it a good idea to get planting asap)
also, i was planning on using driftwood as i know it sinks, but have been told it lets of alot of colouring for the first few weeks, is there any other wood that will sink without letting of colouring?
 
also... while at my LFS, i was going to ask them whats the best plants to start off with knowing im a beginner,
something i like alot is the carpets which cover the substrate, what carpet would be best for me to start with?
 
you will need to introduce a source of ammonia into the tank to start in maturing, you will also need a source of good bacteria, there are several ways to achieve both, a quick look into fishless cycling will give you a good guide. as for water changes in this period, i would maybe do 50% every few days just remember to change before you dose any chemicals such as prime.
 
HI MrLarner, welcome to the forum.
Difficult to know where to start LOL - there are plenty of X reef keepers around here including me!
Firstly - if you want fast substantial growth then you really need to get loads of C02 into the water & in every mm of the tank, this is the real challenge!
If you are content with slow growth with less maintenance & expense then low tech tanks would be the subject to revise.
Also get used to adding loads of things that you dreaded as a reef keeper, these things come in the form of fertilisers containing Nitrate & lots of other previous nasties :?

There are a lot of experts on this forum ("loads" lol) & it is worth reading all the tutorials if you want a smooth trip.

My advice (not a expert) would be to invest in a pressurised C02 kit & learn all about flow within the tank & then everything else is easy :D
Plants seem very adaptable to lots of water parameters but need lots of C02 to grow fast, lighting & substrates play a part but plants just adapt.
95% or more of the plants we keep, live out of the water in their wild state( but possibly spend some time fully submerged)so they have permanent supply of C02 from our atmosphere.
We need to offer the same underwater to get max growth or at least make the effort to supply as much as we can without jeopardising our fish stock.
 
I've been running a 60l Arc tank since May high tech all stock equipment.

The filter flow is ok'ish. I made rookie mistake number 1 by using a huge piece of wood which really messed with flow. Avoid that and you should be fine.

The light is a bit pink at first but I soon got used to it. You will get less light at the edges so plant lower light species at the sides.
 
cheers for the replys guys...
since my opening post, i have set the tank up.
i looked really nice and clear last night after i had finished filling it, due to me covering the substrate while it filled.
but this morning, the water is getting more and more cloudy. would this be due to ammonia? if so, how has this happened because i have yet to put any fish food, fish, old filter sponge or even a bottle of ammonia into the tank, so how has my tank managed to get cloudy so soon?
 
from what i've worked out, this is probably a bacteria bloom, due to it being a new setup.
so shall i just leave it to be and it'll clear, or should i do a water change?
 
If its white cloudy then yes it's a bacterial bloom and completely normal on a new setup
I would start with 50% water change daily for the first week then week 2 50% every other day week 3 50% every third then week 4 50% twice a week continue with twice weekly changes for a couple of weeks then down to 1 50% a week
Don't forget you have to dose your ferts after each change
Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Just read through your first post and noticed your not planted yet so don't worry about ferts
I would recomend some fast growing stems to start off with as they soak up ammonia and any type of crypt as these are my favourites but plant choice is up to you
Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
cheers for the reply, yeah i dont have any plants yet so no ferts needed yet, im planning on doing some planting in the next few days, so you think a 50% water change today?
im still abit confused how i've got a bacteria bloom when there is nothing in there yet, everything was brand new, is it worth getting some water from an existing tank to help with the cycle? or even some sponge from the filter of an existing tank? or should i just leave it to cycle itself?
or should i even put some fish food in to create ammonia?
 
also, i have set my heater at 26.5, but i have been told to lower it to about 22-23 why the cycle take place???
anyone know a reason for this? does it speed up the cycle?
 
There seems to be quite a few newcomers recently that have indulged in a lot of "cycle" theory then bring it into a planted tank situation. Most aquarists who are running planted tanks don't tend to get caught up with the whole "cycle" process.

Reading through some of the journals of the more recognised scapers here you will see they will stock shrimp or oto's in the first week or two as maintanance or "clean up crew", in the marine world.

Plant the tank, flood it, then spend a week or so dialing in the co2 then slowly introduce livestock. The plants will help deal with amonnia whilst the filter matures. The tank will cycle. You can forget this and focus on co2 and flow.

This is only my own observations of online research and my own findings in my own tanks. If you are a firm believer of dumping amonnia into tanks and carrying out excessive amounts of water tests for weeks on end that's cool with me.

Oh and did you get any wood? If it's not come from another tank it will need soaking a good week or two otherwise your water will look like weak tea in a few days.
 
I did get wood, but managed to get some nice bits of red moor, and all i did was give it a good scrub with hot water, once the tank filled up, YES it started to float :(
but i've also got some rocks in there so i just put all the rocks on the wood to keep it down for a few weeks.
this is why i aint bothered rushing in and getting plants, clean up crew etc etc, i was planning to get the wood sorted first so that it didnt float, and also get my water parameters stable before introducing fish.
once the tank had cleared up from this bacteria bloom, then i'll prob get some plants and just leave them in their little pots inside the tank until i have scaped the rocks and wood.
Spder i get what your saying about not worrying to much about the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate but ammonia is deadly to fish, once i have removed all ammonia thats when i'll get some fish.
i've seen what ammonia can do to fish. not a nice sight at all.
 
The best way to deal with ammonia is through large water changes - you can carry out 50% water change every day if necessary but, every other day will probably suffice.
Lot of guys use water straight from the tap & that is what I suggest you do, some folk use a a chlorine remover (I dont) but it is best to adjust the fresh water temperature.
If you are going to be using C02 (?) then you will need to change 50% of the water every week once the tank is more mature.
It is not a good idea to leave the plants in pots, you will want to plant directly into the substrate & plant heavily.
The more plants the better, you can thin them out once established.
Dont get any livestock but get the plants in, do the water changes as necessary......
However, this info only applies, if you have a good C02 supply?
 
I'm using caribsea eco-complete planted substrate, so not to sure if that holds any ammonia, I was advised on the bag to pour the whole lot into the tank including the water that was in the bag, so that's what I did.
Maybe that's what's caused the ammonia to build up so quick.
Even so, is it still worth pumping more ammonia into the tank or just leave it to be?
 
I've just found this info, so this is probably why ive started with ammonia :)

CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate: Contains Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sulfer plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. Caribsea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate contains all the mineral nutrients needed for luxuriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae! The Caribsea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate is Iron rich which eliminates the need for laterite and is also Nitrate and carbonate free which will not increase pH or carbonate hardness. There is no artificial dye, paint or chemical coating because it's real!

The CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate also contains live Heterotrophic Bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. The Caribsea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate also creates a natural biological balance which makes cycling in a new aquarium faster and safer. With it's unsurpassed MacroPorosity for healthy roots and bacterial efficieny - you would have to buy 4 bags of ordinary gravel to equal the surface are of this one bag of Caribsea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate!
 
MrLarner said:
I'm using caribsea eco-complete planted substrate, so not to sure if that holds any ammonia, I was advised on the bag to pour the whole lot into the tank including the water that was in the bag, so that's what I did.
Maybe that's what's caused the ammonia to build up so quick.
Even so, is it still worth pumping more ammonia into the tank or just leave it to be?
Click to expand...

Have you had a high ammonia reading? With only hardscape & eco complete in your tank, no plants or fish? If this is correct I would go test your tap water.

I understand your concerns about ammonia and it's affect on fish but in a well planted tank, light stocking should not produce amounts of ammonia to be concerned about.
 
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