Total newbie looking for advice

[Nick potts]

Hi all, first post and hopefully the start of a new hobby for me

I am sure your all sick of answering these types of questions by now so i'll make it as brief as possible.

Firstly i am moving from reef keeping which i have been doing on/off for 10 years, i originally planned the move to a planted set up to reduce the amount of maintenance and time needed for upkeep, as i stupidly thought plants where easy

The tank i am setting up is a 55ltr, with a minimal hardscape (just 1 large root system)

Plant stock i hope would be dwarf hairgrass (Eleocharis Acicularis), Anubias and maybe a few other easy species such as swords, but as per the rest of the tank i am going for a minimal look.

Anyway a few questions.

Lighting - I have lots of lighting left over from my reef and would like to use them on the tank if at all possible, the lighting i have available is a 15W par20 LED bulb (http://www.marinereefled.co.uk/par20-quadspec-mini/) a 36W LED tile (http://www.marinereefled.co.uk/36w-quadspec-tile/) and an 18W 7K PL18 Compact Fluorescent Tube (http://aqua-one-parts.co.uk/aqua-one...aqua-nano.html)

Ideally i would like to use the PAR20, simply for cosmetic reasons, but i am happy to use any if they are suitable or purchase a new light.

Substrate - At the moment i have only used black sand in the tank, there is a no bottom layer of soil or other plant growth booster ect, would it be worth me putting in one?

Co2 - I never planned on running Co2 but i am prepared to change my mind, would the use of something like flourish excel be an adequate carbon source for my planned stocking or should i just bite the bullet and get a Co2 system like this one (
Fluval CO2 Kit 20g Pressurised: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies
)

Think that's it for now, but i am sure i'll be back with lots more questions to bother you all with soon enough

Thanks

Nick

 

[Edvet]

To get your feet wet I would start low tech, no CO2, you can use the black sand, and some "easy"plants (see "easy"plantselections from Tropica to see what plants to start with).
You could put some soil under it (see article by Troi) or use EI method.
All the lighting you mention could work (just i don't now the color, but the palnts couldn't care less) just make sure you can adjust the output or the height of the fixture, easy to get to much light. Start this way and figure out what you want before buying all kinds of stuff.

 

[Nick potts]

Thanks Edvet.

Regarding the colour of the lighting, the LED's are very blue in colour (around 14,000 Kelvin) which i feel looks really good with the overall look of the aquarium and the decor.

Height and other factors can be altered on the lighting so have that covered

Thanks for the help, going to look at the EI method

 

[Andy Thurston]

Hi and welcome Nick

Thanks for the help, going to look at the EI method

That might be a bit of a shock for a reefer

 

[Nick potts]

Hi and welcome Nick

That might be a bit of a shock for a reefer

Thanks.

Indeed, everything is backwards, you spend your entire time as a reefer keeping nutrients as low as possible