NEWBIE that needs help in buying a tank and equipments!!!

[genes]

Hi everyone

I am new to fish keeping and hope someone here could enlighten me and clear my many doubts. sorry if you had to repeat wat you've told some other newbies earlier...

I am planning to get a 1.5ft (length) tank to start with and want to keep a school of neon tetras, probably 8 neon tetras, 2 pepper cory, 1 chinese algae eater and maybe some other community fishes in it, together with lots of plants.

1) Have been scouting around lately and Samyick and Linda Aquarium is selling this 1.5ft tank that comes with lighting and a japanese brand filter and the package comes in a hefty price of 120 bucks or more. Does anyone knows why is this package so expensive as compared to other tanks and wat is the type of filter its giving? its clear acrylic and hooks onto the back of the tank.

2) A LFS in bishan is offering me a 1.5ft tank with external lamp (look like a flourescent tube to me under the case) and a waterfall filter (thats what he calls it) for just 55 bucks. And the assembly looks pretty much like wat samwick is offering. Such a BIG dip in price as compared to samwick and linda. So my confusion is, is a "waterfall filter" good enough for my planted tank and if not, wat would you recommended and are there any special lights i have to buy for live plants?

3) Thirdly, what are the hardy plants to keep coz i cannot afford the co2 thingy that you guys have been mentioning. And how do i maintain the plants? This lady from Linda Aquarium & Trading at the woodlands night market (pasa malam) told me that for the 1.5ft tank, i do not need co2 and showed me a bottle a liquid and says adding this to the water is enough to keep the plants alive. True?

4) Am i missing out any vital things in starting my own planted tank?

The tank with the lamp and filter that linda and samwick are selling can be seen from this site. http://www.samyick.com/news.htm#news2

I hope i am not confusing anyone with my confusion. Am so eager to get my planted tank started before the chinese new year...Pls help!!!

[|squee|]

Hi there

1) I don't know about the set's cost, but costs for a 1.5ft planted tank runs up much higher than that when you are first starting out new. My advice is: Get a Eheim cannister fliter, a good quailty 2 feet tank, a 72W light set from Nature Aquarium, a product called JBL Aquabasis Plus ( aka JBL base fert ), Lapis Lazute Gravel, a good 2L C02 set. Oh, you need liquid fertilisers too. Get EasyLife Profito while you're getting your lights at Nature Aquarium.

The reason why I'd rather you buy this is I personally feel that for the first time, it's better to start with a larger tank ( 2 feet minimum ) and to have lights ( Nature Aquarium's one comes with 2 light tubes, each 36W so totalling 72W ) that can handle most plants. You need to buy all these, because, ( pardon the bluntness ) you are new, and do not know the science and mechanics of a planted aquarium yet. Those "low-tech" planted tanks that you see around are actually either lucky pull-offs, or the creator actually knows what's happening in the tank and can keep it beautiful without any expensive equipment.

A waterfall fliter ( or more commonly known as Hang-on fliter ) is well... not very highly recommended. A internal fliter or a cannistor is best for planted tanks. There are no special lights you have to buy for plants if you buy from Nature Aquarium. Their tubes are standard Osram/Elbiru PL tubes.

3) Ok, if you cannot afford a C02 system, the plants you can keep are typically Java Fern, Java Moss and Anubias Nana. Yes that's about all you can keep. Those plants will survive without C02, but they won't flourish. Keeping a plant alive is different from growing and making a plant flourish.

4) Right now, ( pardon tongue-in-cheek bluntness ) all you are missing is a lack of reading up, and about $300 in budget. Read up more my friend, especially here in this forum. A search of "planted tanks" will turn up lots and lots of sites that bring you through your first planted tank. Good luck