Edit: Cross posted on PFK, for info.
Hi
Well following a lot of reading and some great advice on this forum and over on PFK I am finally getting to the point that I can start my first planted tank build! It's a bit daunting to be honest... Hopefully if I can keep this thread updated you kind people will continue to help out and I can avoid too many expensive mistakes!
The tank
So first things first - the tank. I have bought from MA a 150 x 40 x 60 cm tank on a solid oak stand. They have a special offer at the moment on this particular model and it set me back £699. It's a lovely piece of furniture (which was important as it sits in the front room and my gf - while tolerant - is not a fishkeeper) but it is an unusual shape (very narrow and quite tall). I think aquascaping and getting the flow right are going to be added challenges...
The shots below show my current tank, and then the new and old side by side. As you can see, the old tank wasn't "planted" as such (T8s, no Co2, no ferts) so this is a big change for me. Sadly I don't have space for 2 tanks so once the new one is setup and livestock moved across the Rio will be eBayed.
I think the tank holds about 350l or so. It has a solid oak hood which is both heavy and chunky but I like the look so my lighting choices have been dictated somewhat by that.
Lighting
For lights, I have gone for a D-D razor 2 x 54W T5 unit from Coventry aquatics.
http://coventryaquatics.com/freshwa....html?osCsid=85c60ea3d91afa69b5f38d67dbe6cd54
I also have 2 AquaFX light bars and a control unit which I got from eBay (refurbished). The idea is to use these for moonlighting at night and for a sunrise and sunset effect around the main lighting.
I hope the lighting I've chosen will be sufficient for decent plant growth. I've taken on board a lot of comments about not lighting too heavily so the idea is that my growth will be moderate but healthy and I won't have to go too crazy with the CO2 and ferts. The plan is to mount both the LEDs and the T5s onto the underside of the hood, but I'm thinking I'll use hooks so that I can remove the hood for tank maintenance and still have the lights resting on the cover glasses.
CO2
This will be my first effort at CO2 injection. I am going the fire extinguisher route and have managed to find a local supplier who will do straight exchanges on spent FEs for £10 (or £20 for a 5kg but I don't think that will fit the cabinet). I have bought a TMC regulator/solenoid (below) from AE, everything else is on its way from Malaysia through eBay. I've changed my mind repeatedly about how to diffuse the gas into the water so I actually have 2 Rhinox 5000 diffusers, a cheap reactor, and an UP atomizer on the way! My current thinking is I'll use the atomizer on the smaller external filter (discussed below) and sell the other bits on, but we'll see.
Filtration and flow
For filtration I have bought a 2000LPH external cannister from http://www.allpondsolutions.com. I had my doubts but there are a lot of good reviews for this model and at the price (£69.99) it seems a bargain. It has a built in UV as well. I have also bought a second 1400LPH version of the same filter for the other side of the tank. It's slightly smaller so the idea is it will sit in with the CO2 system. I'm hoping to attach the outflow from this filter to the UP atomizer and then output through a lily pipe or similar, pushing the flow of gas across the back of the tank with the spray bar from the 2000lph filter sitting above and helping to keep the CO2 under water longer, pushing it towards the front of the tank. I have no idea if that will work. I'm considering buying a Koralia pump as well but I don't really know how best to position everything so any advice would be great!
The filter is shown below. It's a bit of a beast, and I'm quite happy with how it looks. Seems well built. I'll be transferring media over from the mature Eheim 2215 which is currently servicing my old tank.
Substrate
After much thought I've decided to go with Playsand again. I know it's a divisive issue but I really like the look of light-coloured sand and I also like the sort of fish that like it (if that makes sense). I'm planning to put some Osmocote under the sand (which will be fairly deep), but basically I will be relying on my water column ferts to provide the plants with food. Hope I don't live to regret that. It's easy on the pocket though - got 60kg for £12 from Argos
Ferts
For now, I'm going to try http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/ rather than full EI. I've bought a 3 month supply for £12, and I'll see how I get on with that. The tank will have a relatively high stocking for planted tanks and I have very hard tap-water so it may be that EI will be a better bet long term allowing me to tweak the nitrogen input especially, but the mixes this guy supplies seem to have very good reviews so I'm going to try it. Also, you get a nice dosing bottle.
Hardscaping
I'm going for Sumatra wood, for sure. I'm not sure yet what, if any, rockwork I'll be using. I'm waiting for the wood to arrive so I can play around and see what sort of look I like. At the moment I'm favouring a sort of beach effect with a lush, tangled natural area towards one end, opening out into a large open space at the other. The gf isn't convinced though, and I think it's going to be very much a question of trying things out. The narrow width of the tank is likely to cause a few issues, so anyone with any thoughts on how they might use a tank like this would be very welcome to make suggestions!
Stocking
The current stock from my Rio will be moving over. For me, this hobby has always been about fish first, and that is likely to continue. I hope I can make the tank work for both the plants and the fish. They include the usual community suspects - Neons, glowlight danios, Pentazona barbs, corys and kuhlis, plus a lovely group of Sids and a slightly boisterous BN plec. And some shrimps. To be honest I'm slightly over stocked right now for the Rio, but they should be a healthy group in the new tank.
You may have noticed there isn't a plants section yet! That's still very much in the early stages and will have to be the subject of a later post. For now, the first step is to get all the equipment hooked up and the substrate and wood in (hopefully next weekend) and then see where we stand. Can't wait.
Any comments will be gratefully received, thank you for reading!
Joe
Hi
Well following a lot of reading and some great advice on this forum and over on PFK I am finally getting to the point that I can start my first planted tank build! It's a bit daunting to be honest... Hopefully if I can keep this thread updated you kind people will continue to help out and I can avoid too many expensive mistakes!
The tank
So first things first - the tank. I have bought from MA a 150 x 40 x 60 cm tank on a solid oak stand. They have a special offer at the moment on this particular model and it set me back £699. It's a lovely piece of furniture (which was important as it sits in the front room and my gf - while tolerant - is not a fishkeeper) but it is an unusual shape (very narrow and quite tall). I think aquascaping and getting the flow right are going to be added challenges...
The shots below show my current tank, and then the new and old side by side. As you can see, the old tank wasn't "planted" as such (T8s, no Co2, no ferts) so this is a big change for me. Sadly I don't have space for 2 tanks so once the new one is setup and livestock moved across the Rio will be eBayed.
I think the tank holds about 350l or so. It has a solid oak hood which is both heavy and chunky but I like the look so my lighting choices have been dictated somewhat by that.
Lighting
For lights, I have gone for a D-D razor 2 x 54W T5 unit from Coventry aquatics.
http://coventryaquatics.com/freshwa....html?osCsid=85c60ea3d91afa69b5f38d67dbe6cd54
I also have 2 AquaFX light bars and a control unit which I got from eBay (refurbished). The idea is to use these for moonlighting at night and for a sunrise and sunset effect around the main lighting.
I hope the lighting I've chosen will be sufficient for decent plant growth. I've taken on board a lot of comments about not lighting too heavily so the idea is that my growth will be moderate but healthy and I won't have to go too crazy with the CO2 and ferts. The plan is to mount both the LEDs and the T5s onto the underside of the hood, but I'm thinking I'll use hooks so that I can remove the hood for tank maintenance and still have the lights resting on the cover glasses.
CO2
This will be my first effort at CO2 injection. I am going the fire extinguisher route and have managed to find a local supplier who will do straight exchanges on spent FEs for £10 (or £20 for a 5kg but I don't think that will fit the cabinet). I have bought a TMC regulator/solenoid (below) from AE, everything else is on its way from Malaysia through eBay. I've changed my mind repeatedly about how to diffuse the gas into the water so I actually have 2 Rhinox 5000 diffusers, a cheap reactor, and an UP atomizer on the way! My current thinking is I'll use the atomizer on the smaller external filter (discussed below) and sell the other bits on, but we'll see.
Filtration and flow
For filtration I have bought a 2000LPH external cannister from http://www.allpondsolutions.com. I had my doubts but there are a lot of good reviews for this model and at the price (£69.99) it seems a bargain. It has a built in UV as well. I have also bought a second 1400LPH version of the same filter for the other side of the tank. It's slightly smaller so the idea is it will sit in with the CO2 system. I'm hoping to attach the outflow from this filter to the UP atomizer and then output through a lily pipe or similar, pushing the flow of gas across the back of the tank with the spray bar from the 2000lph filter sitting above and helping to keep the CO2 under water longer, pushing it towards the front of the tank. I have no idea if that will work. I'm considering buying a Koralia pump as well but I don't really know how best to position everything so any advice would be great!
The filter is shown below. It's a bit of a beast, and I'm quite happy with how it looks. Seems well built. I'll be transferring media over from the mature Eheim 2215 which is currently servicing my old tank.
Substrate
After much thought I've decided to go with Playsand again. I know it's a divisive issue but I really like the look of light-coloured sand and I also like the sort of fish that like it (if that makes sense). I'm planning to put some Osmocote under the sand (which will be fairly deep), but basically I will be relying on my water column ferts to provide the plants with food. Hope I don't live to regret that. It's easy on the pocket though - got 60kg for £12 from Argos
Ferts
For now, I'm going to try http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/ rather than full EI. I've bought a 3 month supply for £12, and I'll see how I get on with that. The tank will have a relatively high stocking for planted tanks and I have very hard tap-water so it may be that EI will be a better bet long term allowing me to tweak the nitrogen input especially, but the mixes this guy supplies seem to have very good reviews so I'm going to try it. Also, you get a nice dosing bottle.
Hardscaping
I'm going for Sumatra wood, for sure. I'm not sure yet what, if any, rockwork I'll be using. I'm waiting for the wood to arrive so I can play around and see what sort of look I like. At the moment I'm favouring a sort of beach effect with a lush, tangled natural area towards one end, opening out into a large open space at the other. The gf isn't convinced though, and I think it's going to be very much a question of trying things out. The narrow width of the tank is likely to cause a few issues, so anyone with any thoughts on how they might use a tank like this would be very welcome to make suggestions!
Stocking
The current stock from my Rio will be moving over. For me, this hobby has always been about fish first, and that is likely to continue. I hope I can make the tank work for both the plants and the fish. They include the usual community suspects - Neons, glowlight danios, Pentazona barbs, corys and kuhlis, plus a lovely group of Sids and a slightly boisterous BN plec. And some shrimps. To be honest I'm slightly over stocked right now for the Rio, but they should be a healthy group in the new tank.
You may have noticed there isn't a plants section yet! That's still very much in the early stages and will have to be the subject of a later post. For now, the first step is to get all the equipment hooked up and the substrate and wood in (hopefully next weekend) and then see where we stand. Can't wait.
Any comments will be gratefully received, thank you for reading!
Joe
