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Hi everybody,

After browsing a cuple of threads in this section and being amazed by some of the tanks people have created i want to get involved more and create something for myself.

Im a complete begginner at plants, although my four tanks all have plants in, its more by luck than anything else that they grow and seem to do ok.

Ive been reading thrugh threads on here, mostly the Logs for new planted tanks and some of the discussion has gone so far over my head it was a mear speck in the distance!

Putting it bluntly - i need all the help i can get and if you guys and gals would be willing to help me, i would be very grateful.

Ive put a project for 2006 as time and money in 2005 seem to be slipping away somewhat but with xmas around the corner and the new year, i should have some time and money to get going over that period. so that gives me 2/3 months to get everything together, planned and to learn all i can.

At the moment, the tank i would take on as the project is in use, but obviously that would have to change.

The only worry i have with using that tank is that it has a layer of glass with sliding glass door between the lights and the water - not ideal for growing plants i should imagine. I have been thinking of replacing it, as it doesnt fit in with my modern looking room or my other tanks - what would you suggest? I can see the glass being a problem and i think a new tank would be an easier starting point. (plus its always good fun to buy a tank)

The space for the tank is around 4ft but i have a desk nicely in the way, so i think a 3ft tank would be good, i hope that big enough to create a little paradise (i hope)

For starters i would really like a list of the basics of what i would be required to purchase for good healthy plants, and any initial ideas anybody out there has, thanks.

I buy nearly all my plants from www.java-plants.co.uk ( i think thats it if not do a search on google for java plants) i think it has a very good stock but sometims the plants are a bit stemmy rather than bushy big plants, but for the prices the charge, you cant complain too much.

Thanks in advance

Mark

Hi Mark,

What a nice project to get into, I think it is wise that you start on the early side to concern yourself with all the “have to have” things, I did the same and it took over 3 months before I set up my latest tank.

Please explain what you mean by the sliding glass door on top. Most tanks actually have glass tops as only a few lighting systems are designed to hang over open water.

With regards to your essentials, well – you will need a light .

Now seriously, I would think you should read about
- substrate and fertilizers for it (for example gravel, sand, laterite, Eco Complete, etc.)
- plants and their light requirements (your lighting system will depend on which plants you like)
- CO2 addition (in case you want to go that way)
- water column fertilization for plants (dry powders, liquid ferts, ext.)
- aquascaping concepts (styles like Amano and Dutch etc., layouts like triangular and island etc.)
- maintenance of a planted tank (frequency, what to do)

Once you know more about these things, the required hardware (lights, CO2 system, filter, ect.) will fall into place.

One advice upfront: In the end, it is going to be your tank and you will have to look after it. So don’t let anybody force an opinion upon you as to what you “have” to do (including myself).

I think the planning phase is just as exciting as the actual setup phase. In case you buy a new tank, think about all the time you spend on planning and divide the cost of the setup by the hours spend researching. This will make the tank seem much cheaper.

Have lots of fun,

Ingo

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 07-Oct-2005 04:58

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks for the reply

Im at work so i will have to be secrative with my responses :%)dont want my boss finding out

The glass top- well the tank and lid are all built into one, so i cant remove the lid as such but can take a few bits off to gain better access.

The basically the tank is like a box rather than a open tray, hopefully you understand that.

Then there is a hole in the middle of the top section where two sliding bits of glass can be opened for feeding. Im just worried that this layer of glass will make the lighting less effective. My other tanks are all made by juwel and the lights in those just hang above the water so i thought this was the norm?

The current tank is also fairly old and looks outdated - being a youngster (20) it bothers me that it doesnt fit in with my other tanks and looks old no matter what i do with it.

Looks like i will have to spend some time reading and researching, any good websites i should be taking a look at that you know of?

I will also have to start to build up a shopping list.

I would like to go the way of CO2 because ive seen the effects it can have on a planted tank, but i know pretty much nothing about it at all, so thats something i need to learn about!

As for the look of the tank i have some veiw on that, as we all do i guess.

Gravel - heading towards black gravel as i used this on a past tank and its my faveorite. what are the options on how to make this as fertile as possible? I dont think the gravel being dark has any negative effects does it?


As for aquascaping consepts, i dont really know any so i will have to look into these, aslong as the tanks is busy, bright and healthy i think i will like it, maybe a few different shapes and colours of plants would be to my liking aswell - i will look into that.

Already ive got loads of ideas running in and out of my head - i should really be working.... nevermind its friday.

I havent even begun to think about fish!

Sorry to reply to one of my own posts but i need some help.

can somebody please give me a run down on different choices of lighting, i really cant seem to find the benefits/drawbacks anywhere on here.

the selection ive got on the website i usually shop at is found here : http://www.store.livingseas.co.uk/index.asp?function=DISPLAYCAT&catid=245

many thanks

mark

I never saw anywhere listed the size of the tank. Is it 3 ft? so 30G? 38G? Best bet is usually to go with some power compacts. I'd go for 2-3 Watts Per Gallon, or WPG. With this amount of light, you would most likely need to supplement CO2 either by DIY yeast method or Pressurized. I currently have a 38G tank with 80 Watts of normal output flourescent lights and pressurized CO2 and an external reactor. The external reactor really cleans up the inside of the tank. Some sort of reactor or very efficient diffusor is needed to put the CO2 into the water.

If all you have is a tiny hole(glass door) in your "box" to light through, then this will not work out as a planted tank. If however the rest of the top is glass or something light can get through, then you might be fine. Otherwise, you should get a different tank to plant.

I also recomend flourite as a substrate and about 3-4 inches of it so the plants have room to root. once you get all this figured out, then you can talk about plant selection and aquascaping.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Sorry for the lack of response, been away on a much needed holiday first for a good 4 years.

Anyways back to the topic.

The tank i will be getting is 125 litre, 33us gal, 27 uk gals. Here is a link to the tank, http://www.store.livingseas.co.uk/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=707

I will be getting the black one not beech as that will fit in nicer with my bedroom.

I have found this light http://www.store.livingseas.co.uk/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=1499

Quite expensive but i think that would work quite well and provide a very nice amount of light for me to play with. Any comments?

I want to have black (dark) gravel with hardly any rocks/wood sticking out, i want to create the aquascape with mainly plants, if possible.

[link=http://Filter - www.store.livingseas.co.uk/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=1310]http://Filter - www.store.livingseas.co.uk/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=1310[/link]

I havent ever had any other externals that fluval filters but they arent really what i want on this tank, they are too loud and genereally a pain for me. Any ideas on filtration would be great, is it best to have a slow current?



Last edited by bensaf at 18-Oct-2005 09:20

I think I have a similar tank to your old fashioned one - although I really like mine!

it doesn't affect the lighting as long as you keep the glass clean. It seems you are getting a new tank any way but I just thought I point out that the lighting works ok with the glass top/sliding doors malarky.


GFG



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Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

Ive been thinking long and hard about keeping the exisiting tank and just cleaning it and starting again with it.

My worries with it apart from the glass top is the fast its only 12" in width which in my eyes doesnt allow for that much planting.

The tank i plan to get would be about 14" in width, 31"long and 19" high.