• 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

Newbie taking the plunge!

awood85

awood85

Member
Joined
20 May 2012
Messages
38
Hi everyone,

I've been a member of the forum for a while, doing my research and generally being nosey but haven't posted anything before so I thought I'd give you all a small introduction and hello before I start a journal tracking my first ever attempt at fish and aquatic plant keeping.

So, about me - I'm 26, live in Luton, I'm getting married in 6 weeks (after which I'm officially allowed to start spending money on the hobby I've always wanted but never had!) and I have space for a 80cm tank in my front room (suggestions very much welcome!).

I've always been interested in fish and wanted to have an aquarium since I was very young, I find them fascinating and mesmerizing to watch but was oblivious to the extent and beauty that could could be achieved with a planted tank until I stumbled across the UKAPS forum about a year ago. I knew then that I had to have a 'proper' planted aquarium. The missus still doesn't understand my reasoning why a kids plastic starter tank just won't do!!

Anyway the count down is nearly over and I will take the plunge and buy my first ever aquarium. I am currently thinking about getting a Fluval Roma 125 and the new style cabinet to go with it (my sis works at P@H and can get me a decent discount on one :D ) or something of a similar price and spec - my only specifics are: no wider that 80cm or it won't fit, the cabinet must have an oak finish to match the rest of my furniture and I won't be able to start the tank with CO2 although I'll probably add this at some point in the future.

I'm looking to create a fairly natural looking tank with some nice wood and rocks and easy plants, a decent clean-up crew and a large-ish group of compatible shoaling/schooling (can never remember the differences) fish, love the look of a big group of cardinals! and possibly a few feature/talking-point fish to get people other people interested when they see it.

Do you have any suggestions, recommendations or advice on, fish, plants, equipment or general things like where I could or definitely shouldn't skimp on costs or cut corners for long term success?

Cheers,

Adam
 
:wave: :wave: my only advice is to recognise your mistakes when make them. Be pragmatic.
 
I'm an engineer so I'm quite good at that... once I've got past the swearing stage :mad: !!!
 
Hi Adam. Welcome to UKAPS and congratulations on your upcoming marriage. Wishing you a very happily married life ahead.

Since you are unable to go down the co2 route it's a good idea to stick to soil based substrates. My son's 15 us gallon non co2 uses JBL's aquabasis plus, a handfull of calcium carbonate powder & some old aquasoil amazonia as the bottom layer. Over this we placed a small plastic screen netting material (like Troi sugest's in his article in the tutorials section). I didn't use peat moss as I was advised that amazonia has loads of peat in it. Then I capped the plastic screen netting with a simple korean aquatic soil substrate that doesn't cloud the water when I am uprooting the plants. You can just cap it with 2-3 cm worth of sand. Just make sure the substrate isn't too deep as this can lead to methane gas buid up causing anearobic spots in the substrate which in turn can cause your plant roots to die.
Ideally 2-3 cm of soil capped with 2-3 cm of sand should do fine.

Plants: Java ferns, bolbitis, assortment of anubias,java moss, vallis nana, cabomba,hygrophila stricta,hygrophila corymbosa compact, hygrophila polysperma varieties, cryptocoryne tropica, cryptocoryne wendtii brown, cryptocoryne petchii, my favourate nymphae rubra (red colored plant) . I also have a few staurogyne repens as foreground plant in my non co2 tank & it's been 2 months and still hasn't melted or anything.

Iain (easerthegeezer) has riccia growing as foreground plants in his non co2 nano tank.

Lights: IMHO I think it's better to stick to anywhere between 1.2 - 1.4 WPG worth of T8 lighting in a non co2 tank. Better to stick to the lower ranges as most of the plants mentioned above have very low light needs & can do very well in low light.My son's tank has just 1.2 WPG of T8 light over it (i.e. 18 watts T8 over a US 15 gallon tank)

Filtration: You don't have to stick to the 10 times turn over rate rule in a non co2 set up. As long as you have a nice uniform circulation in the tank it's fine. You can acheive this with spraybars mounted along the back wall as many do here or just place 2 Hang on back filters at equidistance along the back wall of your tank.

Hope to see your journal soon. :D
 
Hi.

+1 on the soil ( or similar) substrate.

I also use jbl aquabasis capped with gravel in a non co2 tank. It works well, with the plants staying healthy and growing nicely. I recommend making sure the tank is densely planted with a variety of fast growing plants to start. Then see what grows and what doesn't.



Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Thanks guys. I better start learning the plant names....

The Roma I was planning to get has 2x 20w T8's and is 33 US gal so 1.2w/us gal - should be OK non-CO2. Might consider the very similar MA tank that has the T5's - similar price I think, would this be too much light for a non-CO2 tank??
 
Hello,
Please post your questions in the appropriate sub-forum. This sub-forum is the New Members Introduction and it's purpose is to introduce new members only. After being introduced, if you have a question about light then kindly post it in the Lighting sub-forum. Likewise, substrate questions should be posted in the Substrate sub-forum.

Cheers,
 
:oops: Sorry Clive,...yeah i have been here long enough to know the forum rules & regulations.I should have known better than to go on yapping about substrates & lightings on this section of the forum. My fault for encouraging it this far. Won't happen again.
 
Sorry, im easily lead astray! Im blaming faizal entirely! :lol:

Time to make myself known to those that don't venture to these parts :cool:

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top