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New and after a little help.

spookyspike

spookyspike

Member
Joined
4 Mar 2012
Messages
44
Location
St Helens / Merseyside
Hi guys, have found this forum and it looks great. Ok a bit about me, I’ve been keeping fish for about 10 years or so. Started with the community trop tank moved up to cichlids then had a go at marine. Ive kept marines mainly for the last five years and ran a lovely reef SPS reef as my last tank. I decided to take a break from the hobby but couldn’t keep away - I've never done planted and I think they look absolutely stunning some of the set ups you see. So thought I would have a crack at my own... I tend to over research everything and ask a lot of questions, so apologies in advance for the probable newbie questions.

Ok I have gone for a nano sized tank, it’s going to be optiwhite 14"L x 12"W x 14"H and lit by an 18W superfish clip on light. Substrate will be 3" (ish sloping) flourite powder. Filter will be a small BOYU canister (160LPH, good for 60L tanks) but I’m going to mod it slightly making my own Lilly pipes out of acrylic. I will be using pressurised C02, and will be using a solenoid to switch it off at night to avoid gassing the fish out. Will be using a bubble counter and C02 glass monitor in the tank with DKH 4 coloured solution to keep a check on the C02.

Now here comes the 20 questions lol...

Can anyone see anything wrong with this set up? Anything I have drastically got wrong?

Flow wise do you think I should add anymore, or would there be enough coming off the filter? How much surface agitation do I need?

What ferts would you suggest I use?

I love carpets, what’s is a good one for a novice to have a go at?

Same for plants, I’m still reading up on different plants, again suggestions on what are fairly hardy and that would suit this size and this type of set up would be great.

Fish, not too sure, I really like mosquito rasbora, endlers things like that... again open to suggestions. Same goes for cleanup crew.

I really want to give this the best chance from the start, so again really sorry for the questions. Figured its best to ask before I just plough on into the build.
None of the above set up is set in stone yet, including the tank dimensions so I can change things if need be.

Cheers and thanks all for any help offered, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
Looks ok to me - what ferts will you be using?

Don't need too much surface agitation, but a small ripple is good. You may want a little bit more flow, but see how it goes. Might be better off with a spray bar than lily pipes.

As for carpet plants, try some Dwarf Sagittaria. I've found it pretty easy and almost maintenance free. For other plants, maybe try some Cryptocoryne, Anubias, Java Fern etc and see how you get on :) Anubias would be best in shaded areas, and both it and the Java Fern prefer being tied to hardscape than being in the substrate.

For a cleanup crew, Otocinclus and Amano/Cherry Shrimp are great, but make sure the tank is relatively stable and there is enough food for them.

Tom
 
Hi :wave: from the ukaps gang
You have been doing your home work :thumbup:
Toms gave you a few good pointers.
This just my thoughts...I would go easy on the lighting with new set-ups.
5 hours maximum.
You maybe short with turnover and flow your aquarium holds 40 litres approx but you can sort that out later when you get the tank fully planted.
Water changes 2 to 3 a week.
Don't add stems till you have a settled maturing set-up 6/8 weeks would be my preference.
This will give you space to keep the other plants clean and clear of dead leaves/detritus....and do gravel cleaning.
All tanks/aquariums are unique...so its in your interest to be on the ball when things start to go wrong.
I would acquire crypts and Valli's to get started and some floating plants..a planting substrate would be helpful but is not essential....if your going to add stem plants and try for a carpet later i would incorporate some sort of media from ecco flora base/caribsea complete to seachem flourite sand/gravel...or ada.
Purchase some dry ferts/trace make up your own fertilizer...its easy enough.
:arrow: http://blog.fluidsensoronline.com/calcu ... ive-index/
Fish for this set-up would be ottos, ember tetras or small rasboras....endlers can be particular about water quality so i would stay away from them till things mature.
Now its up to you...all the best with the venture.
Cheers
hoggie
 
Some great stuff there thank you for your time. Just on my phone now and out with the mrs, Will read this all later when I'm home and no doubt be back with more questions! Thanks all.
 
mikeappleby said:
Staurogene repens carpet. My 70L journal has an exhaustive list of every mistake you can make....
Click to expand...
:woot:
We've all did them to some extent :rolleyes:
Like...small errors :shifty: result in larger consequences :(
hoggie
 
Had chance to read this now, than you.

So I need a little more flow, no problem will see what I can do. I do have a 300LPH power head but as someone mentioned they look naff. I want to try and keep as much out the tank as possible to keep it as clean looking as possible. How come you suggest spraybar over lily pipes? I just think lily pipes look so much nicer. :)

Hoggie, I will be using flourite powder as a substrate, I was going to cap it with ADA but read about the high ammonia spikes that ADA can cause for a few weeks.
So you think to hold off the carpet for a while? I have a very similar sized set up running at the moment with just a few fish and plants in, its been running for about 4 months. So my plan was to take the media out the small internal filter and put it in the new filter and also use about half the tank water out the current set up. The new one is an upgrade of the old one, sorry should have mentioned that. So hopefully it shouldn’t take long to settle down again. My plan again not sure if this is right or wrong was to buy a lot of the plants and plant them on the hard scape etc before the water goes in. I read somewhere that they are easier to plant this way. I will look into the plants mentioned.

Will look into making my own ferts, thanks for the link. Will also look at the EL ferts that foxfish mentioned, and yes I will be using a glass diffuser for the c02. The C02 will basically be a fire extinguisher, duel regs, solenoid, bubble counter and diffuser. I will have this on a timer to come on and off with the lights. Hoggie, if im running the lights for 5 hours a day, do I need to run the c02 longer or will it be ok for just 5 hours a day?

How many shrimps would the tank take? I suppose this will depend on how much food there is for them... can all types of shrimp live together?

Thanks again and sorry for all the questions.. I just like to be prepared before doing anything lol.
 
Hi Spookyspike, and welcome.
spookyspike said:
sorry for all the questions.. I just like to be prepared before doing anything lol.
Click to expand...
Your doing the right thing mate, dont be sorry, not getting things right in the beginning can make you more sorry further down the line after wasting time and money.
Sounds like youve got a good plan for the tank upgrade and using mature filter media will help speed things along.
spookyspike said:
My plan again not sure if this is right or wrong was to buy a lot of the plants and plant them on the hard scape etc before the water goes in. I read somewhere that they are easier to plant this way.
Click to expand...
This is definitely easier, however you may find it difficult to get the plants in exactly the right place on the hardscape outside the tank, but a little tweaking afterwards when its all in is no problem.
spookyspike said:
So you think to hold off the carpet for a while?
Click to expand...
I say heavy planting from the off, and as much of the 'final' plant list in too to reduce upheaval when settled. Sure maybe add a couple of fast growing stems to help stabilise things, but with regards a carpet, plant it from the off as you may struggle to plant it at a later date, especially with fish and shrimp in!
spookyspike said:
if im running the lights for 5 hours a day, do I need to run the c02 longer or will it be ok for just 5 hours a day?
Click to expand...
yeah they want to be somewhere near the same time period, although c02 wants to come on at least an hour pre photoperiod to allow the gas to build up to good levels for lights on..... check with a drop checker... loads of info in the c02 sub forum. Getting c02 right is probably the most important thing (along with lighting) in a planted set up and it needs tweaking to get right. If possible id advise against putting livestock in until youve got this spot on as mistakes can be unforgiving!
spookyspike said:
How many shrimps would the tank take? I suppose this will depend on how much food there is for them...
Click to expand...
Shrimp are low bioload creatures, so itll be surprising how many you can have, id start with maybe 10-15 for this set up and maybe begin with cherry shrimp as theyre pretty hardy and will breed well! You can supplement food with many types of specialist crustacean food such as hikari crab cuisine which has added calcium for good shell development.
spookyspike said:
can all types of shrimp live together?
Click to expand...
Its worth looking into individual species requirements however most from similar water requirements will be fine together, they will interbreed so bear this in mind if wanting to sell on.
Make sure your fish are shrimp compatible too!
Good luck with the set up, hope some of this is useful. :thumbup:
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Ady thanks mate for that post, very helpful.

As for ferts, I think I will have a go at the EI method but not from the start. Im going to use APFUK ferts to start with until I get my head round all the other stuff. Good tip on running the C02 with no Fish / Shirimp in the tank until ive got it right.
I will probably go with cherry shrimps.

Odd question about filters... (im used to sumps lol)... would this be possible? Im thinking that this boyu filter ive found (BOYU EF05) http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/a...filters/aquarium-external-filter-150-l-h.html sorry if you are not allowed to post links here (mods please remove if im not). Im concerned about the flow so I could look to get something like an Eheim 2213+ but its far to big to fit under or behind the tank.. so a picture is easier to show you what I was thinking, excuse the crude drawing haha but if this works it might be a winner - the filter pipes are ran behind the sofa.

tnkpic.jpg


If this wont work or would be a real pain to start / prime the filter then my other option would be maybe run two of the boyu filters but plumb them in to one intake and out take pipe.

My next question, what do you guys do about heaters? The only external heaters I can find are the Hydor ones which are huge and 300w. Im trying to keep the tank as clutter free as I can.

How do these look for my first plants?

Marsilea hirsuta
Limnobium laevigatum
Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite'
Lindernia rotundifolia
Taxiphyllum barbieri
 
Would it not be easier to use a bigger filter as per my ace drawing above and just add the external heater to the out put section? Would that work or would the filter be to far away? I know they have a head height of about 1.5M but that pushing it straight up.
 
Can't do the bigger filter on the other side of the sofa idea, the mrs has just got me the Boyu filter as a present.. I'm thinking of getting another one to double up.
 
Fitting a power filter remotely like you suggest is far from ideal, the pipes will in fact have to be laid on the floor because of the weight when full of water, the flow will be restricted & the pipes will collect lots of debris!
Cant you build a box to put the filer in & place it under the table?
 
I was thinking that foxfish myself. The table that the tank sits on has a drawer in it, I think im going to send this boyu filter back and go for the Eheim 2213+ Classic Canister instead. Due to the height of this it wont fit under the table.... I will cut out the back and base out of the drawer so it will fit under the tank. :thumbup:

How does my plant list look?

Marsilea hirsuta
Limnobium laevigatum
Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite'
Lindernia rotundifolia
Taxiphyllum barbieri
 
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