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hi I want to buy a 20gal tank this weekend plus filter, heater, gravel and Plants! should I wait until the tank is established or are there some types of plants that will be ok until the tank starts to cycle? Puls I'm not sure what flourescent lights I will end up buying any recommended watage? I was looking into buying a Jebo R3 series curved glass aquarium and the 20 gal comes with 20 watts is this sufficent for the size of tank? But I might not beable to but that tank so I might just end up going to Petco any product you sugest for a larger tank?
Sorry I went on a tangent and asked a lot of questions but I'm really interested in obtaining a 20 gal
Thanks Guys
BL

Last edited by bettalife at 22-Oct-2005 20:39

Hi there bettalife,

Wow, you sure did go on a rampage here .

Anyways, you know that the more light you have the more of a varienty of plants you can grow (with limits, of course). Currently 20W on a 20G would give you 1wpg which doesn't give you too many options on plants (basically ferns, moss, anubias, crypts).

Let me ask you this question first: What is the largest tank that you can afford and that you would have a space for (if you can afford a larger one, just go ahead and make the space )?

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi,

If you want to start off a planted tank, I suggest reading through this article.

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_newtank.htm

If you want a tank that has just a few plants in it, then you should follow the normal rules of cycling a tank. However, if you think your final goal will be a moderate/ heavily planted tank then you may want to invest in some better equipment right from the start. It'll cost you mor emoney initially but it's worth while down the road. For example, 20 watts over a 20 gallon tank will only give you 1 watt per gallon, which limits your selection of plants. You should try to be in the range of 2-2.5 WPG. It's also worthwhile to read up on do-it-yourself carbon dioxide injection. Plants need certain nutrients, certain amounts of light and crtain amounts of Carbon in proportional quantities in order to thrive and to prevent algae outbreaks. For example, if you add more light, you'll also need to add more carbon, otherwise the plants won't be able to efficiently use all the light you're providing.

I guess what it comes down to is what your idea for the tank will be. If you'd like a decently planted tank, I suggest doing some more research, starting with these pages and chuck gadd's page above. Feel free to ask anything along the way

Last edited by NowherMan6 at 20-Oct-2005 12:18

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Back in the saddle!

I wish I could go bigger but the biggest tank I can have at school is a 20 gal tank. I won't buy the Jebo tank.
Is a 2-2.5 watts per gallon a 40-50 watt light? I am thinking of loading the tank with plants lol do you recommend a Co2 system?
Thanks for the sites.
And to finish answering little-fish's question: the most I want to spend is $100 or less, so I'm going to only buy a few plants and start with a few javaferns. What easy growing plants should I start out with? I normally just buy what's available at the petstore.
My mom's tank at home is old (I think it's a 20), would using a old tank be a problem?
Thanks for your help
BL


Last edited by bettalife at 22-Oct-2005 20:46

Wow,

Take it easy bettalife

You do NOT need to add CO2 to the tank; this is an option but not a must. If you would like to place Java Fern in the tank and plants that have similar low light requirements then 1wpg might even be sufficient (although 1.5 would be better). This means that you would need about 20 to 30wpg for this setup.

You say you have a 20G Long at home? That would be cool, the dimensions of that tank are usually 30” x 12” x 12”. I have that one and I use a glass top (for double light fixtures) and a hood with 2 x 20W = 2wpg. I can grow quite a lot under this light, and no CO2 is needed as I don’t overdue the light either.

I would say that you should check out that tank first and measure it. If it is a 20G or something like it then check if it holds the water, has any cracks, etc. If not, that would for sure be an option.

Now, you say that you want to set up this tank at school. Have you thought about school breaks and what to do with the tank during that time?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yes, as long as that 20g long holds water it'll be fine.

And getting back to my original point, if all you want right now is java fern and anubias, then you're fine and LF is absolutely correct that CO2 injection is not a must, especially for a low light tank like you say you want. However, all I would caution is that if you think you're planning to start out small and build up gradually, then I think it's better to just go all out right away, start off planting heavily because it'll help you avoid algae issues later on. It all comes down to what you want

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Back in the saddle!