Newbie to both Aqua-planting and Office-bound

[Gavan]

ah yes. if you wish to use CO2 injection, certainly a cascading HOF will cause you to lose most of your CO2 bubbles. for cheap, your best bet is to wait around on the forum, or post a WTG ad. cheap cylinder easy to find, cheap solenoid harder, unless you go manual. hehe.

for small cylinder, there exists 0.5, 0.67, 1L co2 tanks that you can buy from lfs. small skimmers, you'll be looking for Eheim or ocean free.


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[jiajuen900]

If you have the budget for it, I would suggest getting an eheim 2213 or 2211 canister, get a 3L bag of ADA Ammazonia or you could try to buy exactly 4L from shops like Y618 that allow you to do that, and get one of those disposable CO2 tanks with manual regulator.

This will set you up better for success and prevent upgrading in the future.

just my 2 cents

[mUAr_cHEe]

Personally, I will not recommend CO2 for an office tank.

As meepokman mentioned, space is an issue. Your tank should not also be too much of a distraction at work unless you are opening a fish shop. You do not want to be spending more time on your tank than at your job.

In my humble opinion, an ideal office tank is a low tech nano tank. Something that is simple, does not need too much work and improves the fengshui.

[meepokman]

As meepokman mentioned, space is an issue. Your tank should not also be too much of a distraction at work unless you are opening a fish shop. You do not want to be spending more time on your tank than at your job.

Yes, i was skewing more towards a low tech tank due to space constraints.

Hence I was also a little hesitant to get a canister filter. However, I went to read up a little, any comments on EHEIM Aquacompact? Seems to be between compact & quality (but expensive! It could cost more than the rest of my tank setups)

For CO2, I came across a "mid-tech" tank :- http://www.sudeepmandal.com/hobbies/...-planted-tank/
What's a little scary is it still requires frequent water changes.
Any comments on this method for office?

*P.S. Should I pre-set up the tank (cycle, planting etc) at home and shift it to office. Or it is recommended that I do it in office?

[Gavan]

haha Ya that's why I suggested HOF because I didn't think you'd be using CO2 in office.

you can always stay back after work to do your maintenance. (free tap water for you!)

psst, someone selling aquacompact 40 cheap on carousell. awhile ago there was one on AQ too.


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[Gavan]

another alternative is, hang-on canister filters. hehehe.. readily available would be shiruba XB series, TOMS mini canister filter, Eden 501 which a certain bro is selling on AQ right now (doesn't come with hanging rack though, maybe buy online)


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[meepokman]

psst, someone selling aquacompact 40 cheap on carousell. awhile ago there was one on AQ too.

another alternative is, hang-on canister filters. hehehe.. readily available would be shiruba XB series, TOMS mini canister filter, Eden 501 which a certain bro is selling on AQ right now (doesn't come with hanging rack though, maybe buy online)

Thanks for the "lobang". Following up on it now

[Gavan]

there's also Up Aqua, Top Aqua... various versions of the same thing.


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[mUAr_cHEe]

Just a quick brief here on my previous plan for office set up.

Equipment.
1. Tank
2. Hang-on Filter
3. Lights
4. Multi-plug Extension
5. Cable Ties/Organizer.

Planning and Pre-Setup
1. Wash and check your tank for leaks at home.
2. Dry set up your tank tank at home. Lay substrate and hard scape at home. Put in the plants as well.
3. Take out all your electronic equipment from the box (if new) and prepare them accordingly. For example, fill up HOF compartment with alternative filter media.

Transportation
1. Bring everything to office.
2. Use a paper/shopping bag to put in all your equipment so that you can at least operate the lifts and open the door unassisted.
3. I would do it over the weekend to attract less attention.

Set up.
With all the equipment already out of the box, it would be cinch setting the equipment up. It would help to have dry practice with a mock-up at home but I know some of you reading this is already thinking I am nuts: so much planning for a simple nano low-tech set up. (Have you been reading my tank thread? Brilliant planning. *Cough* Lousy execution *cough cough*). It would also help that the day before you already clear your tank space in the office. A tip from me, since it is an office set up. You do not need to confine yourself to using white Styrofoam or black foam mat as a base for your tank. You can either use old Yellow Pages/GreenBook if they are still lying around or maybe old company catalogs as a base. It is something different that you do not see often, it also adds a somewhat familiar feel to your tank and at the same time, that is a decent recycling effort. Another subtle but useful tip is to use cable tie/organizer to keep your work-space tidy.

Considering your tree-scape idea, you might want to consider doing a dry start for your tank to let the moss grow into the wood first. You will also have one less item to bring along during the initial set up of the tank. You can bring in the filter later when you decide that it is time for your tank to be flooded.

During transportation, there is a chance something will get toppled or moved. After setting your tank up, take some time to rearrange your scape first.

Be considerate about your light set up as well, light pollution can be irritating to some people. Try to make sure that there is no stray light that is irritating the corner of your colleague's eye.

Post Set-up / maintenance
You might want to invest a little here if storage space is limited. Get a nicer plastic container for you to use when changing water and storing your maintenance tools at the same time. Remember to get the correct size so that you make one trip changing water rather than a few. Also get small maintenance tools that you can store in the plastic container to be space-efficient. This is a list of stuff you might want to get.

1. Pincers
2. Scissors
3. Net
4. Airline Tube
5. Rags
6. Plastic Container

Prior to maintenance, you can prepare the new water at home and bring it to the office in a big plastic bottle. After maintenance, you can use your own table as the drying area for your tools. This would compel you to pack your own table. Maybe you are not that messy but at work I am. A cleaner work table is so much more pleasant to work with.

I might have missed out a thing or two but this is roughly the plan I had for setting up my office tank.

[meepokman]

This is really poison. Spent the last 1hr just researching on filters.

But it's a great science lesson.

[Gavan]

it's good to know that you bother to!


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[Urban Aquaria]

The Eheim Aquacompact 40 is a cross between canister and internal filter design, it works well but the motor and impeller is inside the tank so you have a bulky looking plastic unit taking up space in the tank.

A neater alternative is to either use a good quality hang-on back filter or a small canister filter like the Shiruba XB-303 or XB-305 (those models can fit in smaller spaces and use 12/16 pipes so easier to find matching glass lily pipes if you like).

[meepokman]

A neater alternative is to either use a good quality hang-on back filter or a small canister filter like the Shiruba XB-303 or XB-305 (those models can fit in smaller spaces and use 12/16 pipes so easier to find matching glass lily pipes if you like).

Eheim AqauCompact is currently not my top choice due to budget unless there's a good 2nd hand available.

I'm more inclined towards either Eden 501 or Shiruba XB-301 as suggested.

I'm curious why you suggested 303?

Based on calculation:
A tank of 30cm x 19cm x 26cm = 14.8L
An ideal flow rate (10x - 15x) = 148L - 222L/hr

301 is 240L/hr
303 is 360L/hr

Wouldn't 303 be too strong for a small tank?

[Urban Aquaria]

Eheim AqauCompact is currently not my top choice due to budget unless there's a good 2nd hand available.

I'm more inclined towards either Eden 501 or Shiruba XB-301 as suggested.

I'm curious why you suggested 303?

Based on calculation:
A tank of 30cm x 19cm x 26cm = 14.8L
An ideal flow rate (10x - 15x) = 148L - 222L/hr

301 is 240L/hr
303 is 360L/hr

Wouldn't 303 be too strong for a small tank?

I usually suggest larger canister filters because its better to over-filter (if possible), rather than under-filter.

You don't need to worry about the flow rate being abit higher then the "recommended 10x turnover" rate, as you can just buy and install an adjustable single or double tap on the outflow to reduce the current accordingly. In that way, you can have much larger bio-media capacity while still being able to control the current in the tank.

Btw, are you planning to get a 1ft or 1.5ft tank (as you mentioned earlier)? Both tanks sizes have very different water volumes. If its a 1ft tank, then the Eden 501 or XB-301 is okay... but if its a 1.5ft tank, then you'll definitely need to use a larger canister filter model.

[meepokman]

I usually suggest larger canister filters because its better to over-filter (if possible), rather than under-filter.

You don't need to worry about the flow rate being abit higher then the "recommended 10x turnover" rate, as you can just buy and install an adjustable single or double tap on the outflow to reduce the current accordingly. In that way, you can have much larger bio-media capacity while still being able to control the current in the tank.

Btw, are you planning to get a 1ft or 1.5ft tank (as you mentioned earlier)? Both tanks sizes have very different water volumes. If its a 1ft tank, then the Eden 501 or XB-301 is okay... but if its a 1.5ft tank, then you'll definitely need to use a larger canister filter model.

I began off wanting a 1.5ft tank. However, I felt more inclined towards a 1ft tank as I researched more.

[Gavan]

1.5! 1.5! 1.5! 1.5! 1.5! unless absolutely limited by space, I'd strongly suggest you get a 1.5. don't get me wrong, I'm new to this hobby too, but every other day I regret getting such a small 33cm tank... although it's "not much bigger", you'll feel the difference after awhile..


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[mUAr_cHEe]

5! 5! 5! 5! 5!

[meepokman]

1.5! 1.5! 1.5! 1.5! 1.5! unless absolutely limited by space, I'd strongly suggest you get a 1.5. don't get me wrong, I'm new to this hobby too, but every other day I regret getting such a small 33cm tank... although it's "not much bigger", you'll feel the difference after awhile..

Poisoning me indeed

I'll start off with a small tank. I'm sure I will have opportunities to upgrade if I really get into it

[mUAr_cHEe]

meepokman, I think you might already know this by now but I am just listing some options for you as I am researching to get a new filter too for my nano tanks. You can consider these filters, I think they are reasonably price, good design and specifications. I am not so sure about performance as I have not tried them myself.

Hang on Filter.
Fluval C2/3/4 Hang On Filter. (Alot of compartments and some kind of special design trickle filter system.)
Shiruba PFXXX Power Filter. (CHEAP. Sounds Japanese but actually Taiwanese. At least better than Chinese.)

Hang On Mini Canister Filter.
Tom Rapids Mini Canister Filter. (So small, so cute. I cannot resist.)
Shiruba X301/3. (So small, so cute and Taiwanese. I lagi cannot resist. Oh. Wait. Wrong forum.)

But if you have the budget to spare, you can consider the Totto Perfect Filters. Its small, hangs on and Japanese. You will not go wrong.


I intend to get a mini canister with a rain bar outlet. I am trying to create as much aeration as I can for my low tech tank.

[meepokman]

meepokman, I think you might already know this by now but I am just listing some options for you as I am researching to get a new filter too for my nano tanks. You can consider these filters, I think they are reasonably price, good design and specifications. I am not so sure about performance as I have not tried them myself.

Hang on Filter.
Fluval C2/3/4 Hang On Filter. (Alot of compartments and some kind of special design trickle filter system.)
Shiruba PFXXX Power Filter. (CHEAP. Sounds Japanese but actually Taiwanese. At least better than Chinese.)

Hang On Mini Canister Filter.
Tom Rapids Mini Canister Filter. (So small, so cute. I cannot resist.)
Shiruba X301/3. (So small, so cute and Taiwanese. I lagi cannot resist. Oh. Wait. Wrong forum.)

But if you have the budget to spare, you can consider the Totto Perfect Filters. Its small, hangs on and Japanese. You will not go wrong.


I intend to get a mini canister with a rain bar outlet. I am trying to create as much aeration as I can for my low tech tank.

Thanks for the reference list! Top of my list is the Shiruba

Why are you trying to create aeration? My understanding is that we could try to reduce surface agitation so as to minimize CO2 loss.
Increasing aeration seems counter intuitive.