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Thread: Newbie needs serious help

  1. #1
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    Newbie needs serious help

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    Hi everyone, I kinda got hooked on setting up a aquarium after my daughter brought home some fishes she caught at Pasir Ris. Anyhow...to cut a long story short, I just acquired a 4 feet Eheim tank yesterday. There is a picture of it at: http://www.eheim.com/ - the tank comes with the Eheim 2026, Arcadia Freshwater lights, food and light timer and poster (err...of who?)

    Can anyone tell me if this is a good tank for a planted set-up. Tx

    What else will I need? Chiller? Thermometer? PH monitor? Whatever? Help...

    Also, I was told that I need a CO2 system and what I was recommended by the shop owner was the Carbo Plus - I think it works by passing a low current thru some carbon plating. Told that this is a lot less messier than a CO2 tank set-up. Grateful for any thoughts on this. Any tried it yet?

    I need to buy some substrate - what brand and type should I use? Dennerle or ADA or whatever?

    Finally - any recommendation on plants?

    This is my first tank - sounds like fun.

    Oh - also where can I find good wellstocked shops to buy plants, fishes, prawns, equipment and everything? Addresses and tel number will be very much appreciated.

    Tx
    CK

  2. #2
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    seems like a lot of questions??

    Anyway, also quite new here. Forget about Carbo Plus as it is good only for small tank.

    May I know the width of your Eheim tank?? 1.5 ft or 2 ft?

    Cheers

  3. #3
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    hi beagle
    you seem to be impulse spending now
    take some time to plan your tank before buying ANYTHING more
    think from the ground up
    since you have a tank and lights, the next step is the base fert and gravel
    for base fert i like the bioplast base fert
    smells nice, and works great, but you'll need quite a bit of it as it's not premixed with river sand/gravel (assuming you like to have layers of pure fert)
    as for gravel, dennerle is a good choice
    try not to mix colours as they end up looking strange
    even if you do, don't mix green with anything else
    it will end up looking bluish
    lonestar is very common and most people use this
    i prefer to use a proprietary black gravel (god knows where the lfs got it)

    chillers, pH controllers, UV etc are not necessary
    in fact, go for them ONLY if you have a lot of money to spare
    chillers are good, but not essential if you have a fan
    my tank max temp in the day is 27 degrees with 1 AC fan
    a thermometer will allow you to keep track of the temperature
    a good electronic one will cost less than 20 bux

    as for co2, the cylinder variety is more convenient in the long run in terms of resupplying
    you'll need a bubble counter, check valve, reactor/diffusor, regulator w/ solenoid if you like to be able to leave the co2 alone each day, and a co2 cylinder
    petmart has the whole setup for you
    you might want to take a look there

    as for plants, i think you can go take a look at popular plant websites or other ppl's planted tanks b4 you make a decision
    and ask around if you're not sure what the plant is
    most ppl will be happy to help

  4. #4
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    Hi beagle.. welcome to AQ and the world of planted tanks

    firstly, imo, u shld read more b4 diving into it, it will at least give u a general idea of what u expect to do and what to do when something happens

    imo, its best u do the setup yrself and experience every stage of it, rather than letting someone do it for u

    the tank that u jus accquire is ok for planted tanks, given a 4ft, a ideal size will be 4x2x2ft.. if I'm not wrong, yr ehiem 4ft is smaller than that, u might ask why that size, the 2ft width is for the depth of the tank, which gives u adequate space for u to plant, the 2ft height is for taller plants

    u need to ask yrself, what u looking for in a planted tank, (nature, Dutch)

    Dutch


    Nature

    the equipment u need, depends on the type of setup (low maintenance, semi automation, full automation) with that, u can accquire things like chiller, ph controller... chiller is used for plants which requires low temp (usually, imported plants from taiwan, or kept in cooler places), PH controller helps u control yr acidicity level in yr planted tank, with the use of a C02 system.

    the type of fishes oso determine the type of setup u r bounded.... but of coz, to us, the plants r more important than the fish, the fish acts as a decoration

    a C02 system isnt a must (or else u going for a super low maintenance, low tech tank) the carbon-plus isnt a good C02 option (IMHO), get a C02 cylinder is what I recommend u.

    1) gravel - colour preferences (lonestar, dennerle)
    2) substrate fertilizer or base fert. - JBL (cheap and good), dennerle (good but not cheap)
    3) lights - check the gallon of yr tank, provide at least (3watts per gal for highlight plants, 1.5watts per gal for lowlight plants)and becoz yr tank comes with a hood, u have to consider the space available for lights (for this u may wanna consider custom making yr lights on the hood, but u have to consider the heat builtup, if u r not using a chiller)
    4) Filteration - for a 4ft, I go with Ehiem pro2 2026/2028
    5) decoration - driftwood, fossil wood, bogwood, mangrove wood, stone (pls note that the use of wood will sometimes, give u a staining effect & not all stones are suitable for planted tanks)
    6) plants - this will depend on the type of setup u wanna do

    my advise to u is, not jump into it immediately, some of us, learn it the hard way and some quitted the hobby becoz of their first bad experience... do read and understand the basic of a planted tank

    places for equipment: Nature aquarium, opposite thomson medical centre, Keong Seong at Havelock, Clementi florist and aquarium at blk 328 clementi, Petmart at Serangoon North ave 2

    places for plants: Teo aquatic plant supplier at lim chu kang lane 6c, Keong seong, Aquamart

    places for fishes: Ben at tiong bahru, Gan at neo tiew crescent

    do ask as many question as u like, and we will try to help u gain that knowledge

    here is some useful links
    Steve's aquatic plant resource
    The krib (u cant miss this one) very useful page

    plant database
    Tropica
    Dennerle
    AquaticQuotient's database

    gd luck

  5. #5
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    beagle, your daughter caught some fish and you bought a 4ft tank! Either you're a very "good" father or this is your dream excuse to buy yourself a tank

    in any case, do not put her fish in the tank yet. you don't want to traumatise your daughter with her fish dying the next day right? May be get a smaller tank (those 8-in ones) for $15 and house her fish while you plan what to do with a 4ft tank.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  6. #6
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    Simon, what's those bush plants in Jacian's tank pic, one on the left and one in the middle? The left looks like Eusteralis stellata?
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  7. #7
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    yup
    centre should be what ppl call gratiola

  8. #8
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    choy, u gotta ask jacian himself

  9. #9
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    Hello Jacian, you there? Simon, long time no see Jacian's posts.

    Yimin, gratiola is it? how to tell the star grass (E. stellata right?) from the gratiola?
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  10. #10
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    stargrass is h. zosterifolia
    very different
    e. stellata has very faint red, thin leaves that are closely spaced
    gratiola spp. are usually thicker and have leaves further spaced apart

    i was informed that this is a gratiola flower


  11. #11
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    hi, here's a good site to find the LFS...

    http://www.maxdax.com/aquaticrealm/i...ops&area=A

    agree with hwchoy! you guys should start taking your kids to pasir ris for longkang fishing, then can upgrade your tanks!!![]

    aiyah, not married no kids also can bring girlfriends to see the short short cute cute chickens there lah![] []

    then let them see the small small cute cute fishes and even get to build a longkang back home![] [] []
    P-L-E-C-O-R-Y=M-A-N-I-A!!! YEAH!
    FLORENCE, capital of the region of Tuscany, has a population of around half a million inhabitants, spreads on the banks of the Arno, between the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian seas, almost in the middle of the Italian peninsula. It is a city which bustles with industry and craft, commerce and culture, art and science.

  12. #12
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    Opps...now please dont tell the wife that...she hasnt seen through this yet.

    ----------------
    On 3/17/2002 4:18:46 PM

    beagle, your daughter caught some fish and you bought a 4ft tank! Either you're a very "good" father or this is your dream excuse to buy yourself a tank

    in any case, do not put her fish in the tank yet. you don't want to traumatise your daughter with her fish dying the next day right? May be get a smaller tank (those 8-in ones) for $15 and house her fish while you plan what to do with a 4ft tank.
    ----------------

  13. #13
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    Tx for your helpful info. Yes, I do intend to take my time to plan the concept of my tank before I do anything further. I have only just acquired 60kg of Dennerle gravel and 15kg of Dennerle fertilizers.

    I intend to depart from traditional concept of planted tanks and let my imagination run wild to what my 3 year old daughter will want the tank to be...I might just put into the tank a Castle set complete with knights and dragons much like a medieval forest theme or I may invoke some disney imagination...how about Snow White's cottage set amidst a forest...or even create the lost city of atlantis admist plants and fishes...now to find the right toys that will sink and is non-toxic to fishes.

    I am going to have lots of fun!!!

    Everyone thank you for being so helpful. I am sure I have lots more to ask...

    ----------------
    On 3/17/2002 2:15:28 PM

    hi beagle
    you seem to be impulse spending now
    take some time to plan your tank before buying ANYTHING more
    think from the ground up
    since you have a tank and lights, the next step is the base fert and gravel
    for base fert i like the bioplast base fert
    smells nice, and works great, but you'll need quite a bit of it as it's not premixed with river sand/gravel (assuming you like to have layers of pure fert)
    as for gravel, dennerle is a good choice
    try not to mix colours as they end up looking strange
    even if you do, don't mix green with anything else
    it will end up looking bluish
    lonestar is very common and most people use this
    i prefer to use a proprietary black gravel (god knows where the lfs got it)

    chillers, pH controllers, UV etc are not necessary
    in fact, go for them ONLY if you have a lot of money to spare
    chillers are good, but not essential if you have a fan
    my tank max temp in the day is 27 degrees with 1 AC fan
    a thermometer will allow you to keep track of the temperature
    a good electronic one will cost less than 20 bux

    as for co2, the cylinder variety is more convenient in the long run in terms of resupplying
    you'll need a bubble counter, check valve, reactor/diffusor, regulator w/ solenoid if you like to be able to leave the co2 alone each day, and a co2 cylinder
    petmart has the whole setup for you
    you might want to take a look there

    as for plants, i think you can go take a look at popular plant websites or other ppl's planted tanks b4 you make a decision
    and ask around if you're not sure what the plant is
    most ppl will be happy to help
    ----------------

  14. #14
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    Simon, tx for the whole list of information. I am beginning to learn a lot.
    BTW, I think the picture of the dutch tank is very lovely.

    Yes, I intend to do the tank myself...sort of like a daddy - daughter thing.

    Thanks again for being so helpful. You will be sure that I will ask lots of questions...so much to learn here...its almost like an art form.


    ----------------
    On 3/17/2002 2:18:32 PM

    Hi beagle.. welcome to AQ and the world of planted tanks

    firstly, imo, u shld read more b4 diving into it, it will at least give u a general idea of what u expect to do and what to do when something happens

    imo, its best u do the setup yrself and experience every stage of it, rather than letting someone do it for u

    the tank that u jus accquire is ok for planted tanks, given a 4ft, a ideal size will be 4x2x2ft.. if I'm not wrong, yr ehiem 4ft is smaller than that, u might ask why that size, the 2ft width is for the depth of the tank, which gives u adequate space for u to plant, the 2ft height is for taller plants

    u need to ask yrself, what u looking for in a planted tank, (nature, Dutch)

    Dutch


    Nature

    the equipment u need, depends on the type of setup (low maintenance, semi automation, full automation) with that, u can accquire things like chiller, ph controller... chiller is used for plants which requires low temp (usually, imported plants from taiwan, or kept in cooler places), PH controller helps u control yr acidicity level in yr planted tank, with the use of a C02 system.

    the type of fishes oso determine the type of setup u r bounded.... but of coz, to us, the plants r more important than the fish, the fish acts as a decoration

    a C02 system isnt a must (or else u going for a super low maintenance, low tech tank) the carbon-plus isnt a good C02 option (IMHO), get a C02 cylinder is what I recommend u.

    1) gravel - colour preferences (lonestar, dennerle)
    2) substrate fertilizer or base fert. - JBL (cheap and good), dennerle (good but not cheap)
    3) lights - check the gallon of yr tank, provide at least (3watts per gal for highlight plants, 1.5watts per gal for lowlight plants)and becoz yr tank comes with a hood, u have to consider the space available for lights (for this u may wanna consider custom making yr lights on the hood, but u have to consider the heat builtup, if u r not using a chiller)
    4) Filteration - for a 4ft, I go with Ehiem pro2 2026/2028
    5) decoration - driftwood, fossil wood, bogwood, mangrove wood, stone (pls note that the use of wood will sometimes, give u a staining effect & not all stones are suitable for planted tanks)
    6) plants - this will depend on the type of setup u wanna do

    my advise to u is, not jump into it immediately, some of us, learn it the hard way and some quitted the hobby becoz of their first bad experience... do read and understand the basic of a planted tank

    places for equipment: Nature aquarium, opposite thomson medical centre, Keong Seong at Havelock, Clementi florist and aquarium at blk 328 clementi, Petmart at Serangoon North ave 2

    places for plants: Teo aquatic plant supplier at lim chu kang lane 6c, Keong seong, Aquamart

    places for fishes: Ben at tiong bahru, Gan at neo tiew crescent

    do ask as many question as u like, and we will try to help u gain that knowledge

    here is some useful links
    Steve's aquatic plant resource
    http://www.thekrib.com"]The krib (u cant miss this one) very useful page[/url]

    plant database
    Tropica
    Dennerle
    AquaticQuotient's database

    gd luck
    ----------------

  15. #15
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    I think its 1.5 ft.

    ----------------
    On 3/17/2002 2:02:04 PM

    seems like a lot of questions??

    Anyway, also quite new here. Forget about Carbo Plus as it is good only for small tank.

    May I know the width of your Eheim tank?? 1.5 ft or 2 ft?

    Cheers
    ----------------

  16. #16
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    Happy planting.. Any problem, feel free to ask us.. Members here do give away some cutting regularly... Do keep a look out for that...

  17. #17
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    I have moved this thread into the planted tank, to attract more participation of the rest

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