• 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 to planted tank

Jason20679

Seedling
Joined
6 Jan 2016
Messages
4
Location
Crewe, Cheshire UK
Hi,

I've kept tropical fish for a while now but sold up when I moved house.
I've recently bought another tank 2nd hand of someone and it came with a fee mollies and tetras.
I want to change it to a planted tank. Not done it before so I'd like to know.
What's a good newbie/beginner (if there is one) substrate?
What should I do with existing fish? Can I add them straight back once I've finished scaping?

The tank I got has a footprint of 30" x 12" with a Eheim pickup 160 internal filter.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Thank

J
 
You don't need a fancy substrate as long as you're feeding the plants via root tabs or fertizler. It sounds like you're aiming for low light low tech so just get some nice easy plants, and EI starter set and dose about a 1/3 the recommendations (if low tech).
If you plant heavily and already have seeded filter you really don't need to worry to much about cyclng the tank again. Do some big water changes through the week, throw in some floating plants and the fish should be okay. If you want to seed the new subtrate with bacteria you could put in a little of the old substrate.
 
I converted my Vision 180 to fully high tech planted whilst keeping the existing tank "residents".

1. Hiked all the fish out of the tank into a large (80l) bucket along with air stone and heater. They stayed in their for a couple of days.
2. Kept as much tank water as I could, in 40l containers.
3. Emptied and cleaned the tank.
4. Refilled with new sand and Fluval substrate. Made mistake here of sand over substrate, looks nice but substrate "floats" up through the sand over a period of weeks. So eventually took it all out, sieved the sand and replaced as substrate over sand, which has been fine for last 3 years.
5. Added JBL 1501 external filter. Your filter flow rate must be at least x10 tank volume as a starting point. Put sponge from internal filter in external filter to seed it.
6. Planted plants.
7. Put water back in.
8. Put fish back in.
9. Started with CO2 and EI ferts.
10. Started with 4 hours light (T8 units) and tubes covered by the reflectors to keep the light level down for first 4 weeks odd.
11. Performed frequent water changes (about 30l daily).
12. Used AmQuel dosed daily to remove ammonia for first couple of weeks.
13. Slowly ramped up light and CO2 time and rotated reflectors round to increase light levels.
14. Went too fast too early with light levels and got diatoms...:(, but scoffed by Ottos fine.
 
Yes, EnderUK, I'm gonna go for low light low tech but what is EI starter set?
I've not come across that when reading up.

Ian_m I was with you until number 10/11

I'd like to stick with the internal filter for now as it is matured I just don't know how I should/could set plants out.
I'd like to set up offset (most plants on 1 side) but I know I'm not supposed to crowd the filter.

Thanks
 
Back
Top