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Wisey's first planted tank - TMC Signature 60x45x45

Wisey

Wisey

Member
Joined
19 Jul 2014
Messages
1,062
Hi All,

First of all I would like to say thanks to all for the fantastic information on this site and also to those who have replied to my previous posts who have helped me get to this stage. This journal might be a bit slow going to begin with as I don't have all the equipment yet, but I decided I would get the journal going and I look forward to peoples comments and input along the way.

Equipment list...

TMC Signature 60x45x45
TMC Signature Carbon Grey cabinet
ADA Garden Mat (I know, before anyone says it, total rip off, should have just bought something cheap)
ADA clips for adding a cover which I will probably get cut from acrylic

Lighting

TMC GroBeam 1500 Ultima Tile
TMC 2 channel controller
iQuatics Universal Hanging System 600mm
TMC Suspension kit (still to buy this, the iQuatics one is not suitable for the TMC MMS rail)

Heating

Elitech STC-1000 temperature controller (Still have to buy the electrical bits and bobs to wire this up)
Hydor inline heater (Still to buy)

Filtration

TBC, but probably an Eheim Pro 3 600
I'll start with the Eheim spraybar and then experiment before buying glassware

CO2

TBC, but I intend to go inline and probably FE


As yet I have not made decisions on fertilisation, but will most likely go with the EI system. Hardcape and substrate is still up in the air, I hope to collect hardscape locally as there is not much selection in local shops, but I will see what I can find. Substrate is likely to be ADA or TMC, but not got to that stage.

I don't have a plant list yet, I have a few ideas I would like, but I am going to wait to see what hardscape layout I end up with and then see what I think works.

As for fish and shrimp, this is also still work in progress, I am really not sure. The early inhabitants after the 6-8 week startup and cycling period are likely to be Ottos, SAE and some Amano Shrimp to eat any algae. After that I will be looking for a group of something small that will hopefully hang out together and then a few feature fish to add some more interest. There will be Corys too eventually because I just love them!

The first task of setting up this aquarium is under way, leak testing! Fingers crossed! Nothing worth photographing yet, so no pics to start with. I need to practise getting the shots right, I have a fairly decent SLR, but the aquarium is opposite the bottom of the bed, so I am not easily going to be able to get the tripod in a location where I can shoot straight at the aquarium.
 
Well, found my first snag already! I bought a 25 litre plastic jerry can for doing my water changes. It will be fine for getting water out, but to get water in I need the height for the syphon and it seems my step ladders are high enough to fill the bottom half of the tank, but not the top half. I had to pour it in, fine for leak testing, but thats not going to work for weekly water changes when I need to refill the top 50%. Maybe I should have bought the 60x45x30!
 
Why not get the Eheim T range then the heater is taken care of. If you intend to run the heater (hydor) and the co2 inline you might want to consider a larger canister too as they will take a lot of the flow away. My corys 3x albinos have been a pain in the ass. They are constantly digging up my Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis up in places. I'm always having to replant parts. I don't know if that's why it's the slowest growing bed ever or that it just doesn't get enough par down there. But yes I love them!

Can't wait to see some pics sounds a beautiful looking tank. Why the acrylic cover?

The UP inline difusser rocks! Well happy with it.
 
I did think about the Eheim thermal filters but it seems like a LOT of money. The Pro 3 1200XLT is about £380 compared to £225 for the 600 and about £40 for the Hydor. As you say though, flow will be better and it will make the installation much easier, I don't have much space in the return pipe anyway so getting rid of the Hydor might be a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion, will give it some more thought. This is exactly why I got the journal going now before I have bought everything!

As for the Corys, I know what you mean, could be a problem. I suspect though that I would choose plants compatible with Corys rather than not have them as I really like their character. I'm not sure if I am going to attempt too much carpet planting, but we will see!

Oh, the cover question. I rent a bedroom in a friends place, so I only have the one room that is "mine". I am therefore having the aquarium in my bedroom and want to reduce the amount of evaporation. It is just going to sit on clips so I can remove it if I want when I am sat in here, or for pics, but 90% of the time the top will be on to reduce evaporation and stop any jumpers.
 
Sounds a good idea to have a lid for when your not there and be able to remove it when you are. Is the TMC the standard with black silicone or did you go for the clear option? These are beautiful looking tanks and I've been very tempted by them. But they are not cheap! 8mm glass... But what a look! Just be really careful with that opti as it scratches really easily, I put 3 lines in a small one I have using a green scourer meant to be safe on soft things. dam :(! still upset! I was just cleaning the front glass first time in ages as no algae had grown there but was just starting to get a very slight film... I really just don't know what to use for the best! Some say the blades are best but if you mess up with that... That's a deep scratch!

The eheims are expensive but they are worth it. They are so quiet and the flow rate is generous. Saying that it depends what you are trying to achieve as many are moving away from using too much media so less filtration media increases flow through the canister. I've found mine, I'm using the 2171 T, its great, holds temperature really well, very silent, and makes water changes a doddle. I'm useing a series of double taps to allow me to disconnect the outlet to a tube to siphon off, then I connect the same tube to the pump in the top up water already at the right temp to top back up. Its really smooth and a lot less stress on the fish. If there will be a low bioload then maybe you can get away with just sponges in the filter and let the tank be the filter... = more flow
 
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The TMC is the black silicone version, they only seemed to do the clear in the 30 high version. I was a little unsure, but went with it and very happy, its a really nice looking aquarium. I'm going with pretty high standard kit from the start as I know what I am like, if I don't do it now, a few months down the line I will be looking at upgrades and it will be more expensive in the long run.

I really do need to have a think about a better solution for water changes so thank you both for the ideas. If I can get something set-up down in the cabinet using the existing lines with taps, then that sounds ideal.

The tank will be reasonably well stocked, but I am going to try not to go too mad. Have done some research on here and was thinking that I would just go with pan scrubbers in one basket, alfagrog in another and maybe some purigen once things get cycled to give the water a polish. Does that sound ok as long as I don't put too much in each basket?
 
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I'm no expert on media but I'm sure once it gets colonised it will work fine. The purigen will need a fine white filter mat before it else it will clog up quicker and need to be cleansed more.

The taps are extra still eheim quality but not cheap either!

I got 2 of these http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/eheim-double-tap-connector-16mm-p-1034.html I know the price is crazy but I had to do it! I added one between the canister and the inlet pipe inside the cabinet, the other I have on each end of another piece of ehiem pipe (could have been any 16/22 pipe really) I turn the canister off and shut all taps off, open the pipe up with a tray and towel below to catch all the drips, then attach my spare hose with the other twin tap connected one on each end, put one end on the outlet the other in the bucket and turn the taps on and away you go very fast syphon off. Once that's done I turn all the taps off, disconnect my pipe from the outlet and add it the other end to the canister then the free end into my fresh top up water as low as possible. Turn the taps on turn canister on and it pumps the water back into the aquarium really easy. The splash creates good gas exchange and cleans any scum off as well. Then I just put it back to normal and turn the canister back on. Make sure your co2 is turned off until the end as well as the heater. But apart from that its really simple. There is still the lifting of the waste water to the garden or loo or what ever you use (I tend to water my plants) and the top up water to the tank. In an ideal situation I would syphon off with a longer hose to the garden, and top up with a longer hose to a storage tank where I store my RO and heat it up before use. But for now I use 25lt jerry cans with a 200 watt heater hanging in it for the top up and a 25ltr brewers bucket for the waste. Bit of exercise helps to keep me strong ;)
 
:snaphappy: hint hint ;)

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Haha, there really is very little to see at the moment! I have just drained the tank after a successful leak test. I'm going to look at getting my frosted background on there now, so might get a picture up later once that is sorted.

I like your tap system, will definitely be copying that idea, will save me a lot of hassle, thanks!
 
Ouch, my price of £380 for the filter turned out when clicking through from Google that it linked to the one without the heater at that price. I'm either going to need the Pro 3 1200XLT which is £513 or the Pro 3E 600T which is £492! Thats a lot of cash, but I would be getting 1850 lph from the 3E 600T and it is a smaller filter than the 1200 so fits in the cabinet without taking up too much space. I'm still considering the Hydor because the price difference is huge, but looking at the height of the filter, I would not get the Hydor in the cabinet, it would be hanging off the back of the tank somewhere which is not really what I want.

I didn't get the backing done yesterday, there are a few finger prints on the tank from unpacking, so need to get some glass cleaner to sort that out before I put the frosted backing on. I'm off to Ireland today on business, which is my third week of pretty much back to back business trips, but once I get home on Wednesday there is nothing else planned for a while so hopefully I can start to make some more progress on the project.
 
When I was looking at the canisters I also was going to get a hydor. But from research and some honest suppliers I went against it. The charterhouse fish store told me they had quite a few back as faulty. For me that was one part that just can't fail! So I went with the 250T. Your aquarium is 120litre size, minus substrate and wood or hard scape you are looking at 100lt. The 1200 is definately an over kill and maybe 350T as well. For sure if you have biological sintered glass in it. In time it will strip your tank of plant loving nitrogen and steal all your micro nutrients as well. If I could have (was way too large for my cabinet) I would have gone for the 350T purely for the extra flow rate as mine is only 980lt/h rated but in action it's perfect. Lots of flow and that's with the UP difusser inline on the output. I can see the micro fine cloud of co2 bubbles go everywhere and all the plants and moving. The only dead spot is directly below the spray bar at the substrate, which with a small size power head in the back left corner pointing along the power head at substrate level will sort that out and be invisible too :)
 
Hmm, so maybe a 350T at just over £300 and a powerhead is the way forward. I have been offered a free powerhead from someone at work, but it has previously been used in a marine aquarium. He has said he can clean it up, but I am a bit unsure about risking it affecting my water parameters considering they are not that expensive, I am probably better off buying a new one.
 
Forgot to say have a safe trip in Ireland. If it goes well you won't mind the price of the 350T ;)
 
Hello Wisey, your tank size and kit are similar, to what I have on my wishlist. Eagerly following you journey. Good luck. Did you consider the JBL Cristalprofi e901 or e1501 filters?
 
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Hi, I did look at the JBL filters but in the end, although Clive is right when he says its just a bucket with a pump in it, I decided on the Eheim as so many people say they are running many years down the line with spare parts available etc. I also like the idea of the heater in the filter instead of the Hydor so think I'll go that route.
 
So I think I am going to go with the Eheim Pro 3 350T instead of the crazy Eheim I was looking at before, that gives me 1050 lph flow from the filter. To boost my flow I'm looking at the Hydor Koralia's. I'm guessing the smallest one, the Nano 900 would be plenty, thats another 900 lph for only £30 cost. Does that sound suitable?

Another question this raises in my mind is do I need the Koralia running 24 hours a day? If I have my CO2 on a timer, can I put my Koralia on another timer and run it only when the CO2 is on as that is the only time I need the flow to be higher, right? I'm mainly thinking about reducing any noise from the powerhead overnight as the aquarium is in the bedroom. The filtration and flow from the Eheim should be sufficient overnight yeah?
 
Sounds wise, would be good for the fish as well to have a calmer rest time. I'm also thinking of adding a small power head but stuck on where to add it and whether to use a small spray bar with it. Also as it won't have a co2 feed will it mess my current feed up! It's weird when you start to add power heads for extra flow as the dynamic of the original spray bar which has the co2 supply...

Do you have a link to the £30 hydor? It sounds more than enough flow just how to add it so that they are more constructive than destructive (wave theory)
 
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