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Thread: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

  1. #1
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    A newbie on a 2 ft tank

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    Hi,
    let me introduce a bit about myself, my name is JC. I'm a newbie on planted tank, the only tank i had was a 10 gallon goldfish tank about 10 years ago. Due to my ignorance and bad advises given by the lfs my tank crashes and all the fishes died. I did a lot of mistakes i didn't know at that time : changing water in the middle of the night when water is super cold, 90% water change, cleaning filter with tap water, overfeeding, overstocking ect. I tried again and failed and then I gave up. I told myself I won't start a tank again unless I know what am i doing.


    All these years I wasn't sure what I want for my next tank. I've been thinking of having a disuses tank but eventually drop the idea because of the large tank require to house them. then a few months back I discovered late Mr. Takashi Amano's work and I must say it's breathtaking! I regretted not knowing him sooner ( i did know who is he but I wasn't into planted tank at that time and didn't take the time to appreciate his work. The impression that he gave me 5 years ago was " oh, that Japanese dude that sells his items at ridiculous high price.") I spent weeks looking through his works and documentaries, I was so impress by his work that it is decided that I want a iwagumi tank to be my next tank.


    The initial plan was to start my tank at Christmas next year as I need a year to learn and gather equipment for the project but I found an offer that I couldn't refuse, someone's selling a 2ft set with lots of accessories for $300! I knew I have to get it, we made a deal yesterday and move them to my house. Now with the change of plans I'm aiming to set up before or after Chinese new year.


    Now here's the part that i need help from you big brothers, I have no experiences on planted tanks and I didn't know how to use some of the equipment I have. I would appreciate if you guys could guide me through the set up when it happens, giving me tips on what I should know and troubleshooting any equipment. Thank you.


    There are my loots:
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  2. #2
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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Quote Originally Posted by j.c.koh View Post
    Hi,
    let me introduce a bit about myself, my name is JC. I'm a newbie on planted tank, the only tank i had was a 10 gallon goldfish tank about 10 years ago. Due to my ignorance and bad advises given by the lfs my tank crashes and all the fishes died. I did a lot of mistakes i didn't know at that time : changing water in the middle of the night when water is super cold, 90% water change, cleaning filter with tap water, overfeeding, overstocking ect. I tried again and failed and then I gave up. I told myself I won't start a tank again unless I know what am i doing.


    All these years I wasn't sure what I want for my next tank. I've been thinking of having a disuses tank but eventually drop the idea because of the large tank require to house them. then a few months back I discovered late Mr. Takashi Amano's work and I must say it's breathtaking! I regretted not knowing him sooner ( i did know who is he but I wasn't into planted tank at that time and didn't take the time to appreciate his work. The impression that he gave me 5 years ago was " oh, that Japanese dude that sells his items at ridiculous high price.") I spent weeks looking through his works and documentaries, I was so impress by his work that it is decided that I want a iwagumi tank to be my next tank.


    The initial plan was to start my tank at Christmas next year as I need a year to learn and gather equipment for the project but I found an offer that I couldn't refuse, someone's selling a 2ft set with lots of accessories for $300! I knew I have to get it, we made a deal yesterday and move them to my house. Now with the change of plans I'm aiming to set up before or after Chinese new year.


    Now here's the part that i need help from you big brothers, I have no experiences on planted tanks and I didn't know how to use some of the equipment I have. I would appreciate if you guys could guide me through the set up when it happens, giving me tips on what I should know and troubleshooting any equipment. Thank you.


    There are my loots:
    It doesn't take year to learn it bro... with a good mentor, you can learn it within weeks. All the best and good luck for ya new tank.
    Learning new things everyday !!!

  3. #3
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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Hi JC! That is a great set of equipment and tools for you to start. I hope you will enjoy the journey with your planted tank.

    The next step would be preparing and designing hardscape. You can search on YouTube for James Findley (The Green Machine), Tropica, George Farmer channels to have more inspiration as well as step by step method that they use to setup the tank, preparing plants, hook up the systems.

    In the meantime, you can also do more research around the forum to get more information about the tank setup too. Cheers!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Thanks guys : )

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Wow... that original ADA tank and ADA lightset is worth more than all the other items combined. Plus you even got the cabinet, Co2 system, eheim filter and the glass accessories etc. All for only $300. Thats an incredible deal!
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    I don't mean to pour cold water over your enthusiasm, but my view is that even with the best equipment in the world, there can be no substiitude for know-how and experience. From your description of your previous experience in the hobby, it seems to me you still have not acquired the basics. This hobby is not as easy as many people think it is.

    The best way to learn the ropes is to gain experience starting with a $2 packet of mixed platies or guppies available at most LFS. If you can manage to keep them thriving for 6 months or longer, only then should you spend your money to acquire more expensive fish. This may not sound like an attractive proposition, but believe me, it is worthwhile doing. Hope this helps.
    LIFE IS UNBEARABLE WITHOUT A FISH TANK!!!

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Quote Originally Posted by tetrakid View Post
    I don't mean to pour cold water over your enthusiasm, but my view is that even with the best equipment in the world, there can be no substiitude for know-how and experience. From your description of your previous experience in the hobby, it seems to me you still have not acquired the basics. This hobby is not as easy as many people think it is.

    The best way to learn the ropes is to gain experience starting with a $2 packet of mixed platies or guppies available at most LFS. If you can manage to keep them thriving for 6 months or longer, only then should you spend your money to acquire more expensive fish. This may not sound like an attractive proposition, but believe me, it is worthwhile doing. Hope this helps.
    Hi tetrakid,
    Thank you for commenting, no this hobby is not as easy as people think it is, I can understand your concerns of new hobbyists not knowing the amount of time, hard work and dedications needed for fish keeping. Rest assured, i know what to expect from this hobby. I think I know the basics, well, sort of.... I did a lot of reading and forum browsing to learn about fish keeping after my first tank, I do get the idea of water chemistry, tank cycling, temperature, quarantine ect. No "hands on" experiences but the knowledge is there. The only thing I left out where planted tanks. It's like a new subject to me, I dont even know how to turn on my co2 tank and scientific plant names gives me a headache just by looking at them.

    I agree that my first tank 10 years ago was a disaster, I was new at that time with zero knowledge for fish keeping, I thought it was a plug and play thing : you pour water in tank, you put fishes in, you on the filter and voila! I was so clueless at that time even if any lfs uncle were to tell me to dose essence of chicken weekly for fishes to thrive I would've done it!

    The reason why I started the tank journal is I believe that : knowing the basic theories in driving doesn't mean it's safe to drive on the road on my own, I need mentors to guide me, point me to the right directions when I made a wrong turn.

    I'm aiming to have a fully cycled tank before Chinese new year, so there's still time to learn from you guys before the set up. cheers!

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Quote Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria View Post
    Wow... that original ADA tank and ADA lightset is worth more than all the other items combined. Plus you even got the cabinet, Co2 system, eheim filter and the glass accessories etc. All for only $300. Thats an incredible deal!

    Thanks bro,I never imagine myself owning any ADA stuffs if not for the deal, those things costs an arm and a leg first hand.

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Guys I'm planning to do some stone hunting today or tomorrow, not to buy but to get inspiration and do some budget calculations. I'm looking for ryuoh stone for my 2ft tank, I think the hardscape I have in mind at the moment is the classic iwagumi 5 stone formation.

    Any fish farms to recommend?

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Try Green Chapter or Sunpet and others more for exposure. There are other LFS to hunt too.

    Enjoy and have fun.


    Quote Originally Posted by j.c.koh View Post
    Guys I'm planning to do some stone hunting today or tomorrow, not to buy but to get inspiration and do some budget calculations. I'm looking for ryuoh stone for my 2ft tank, I think the hardscape I have in mind at the moment is the classic iwagumi 5 stone formation.

    Any fish farms to recommend?

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    I have seen Fishy Business have stocked in lots of beautiful rocks and driftwoods. You can go there to take a look, too.

    For Iwagumi setup, as I understand it will be more challenging to get the balance and might have algae issue since not a lot of fast growing plants being planted. So just need more opinions from the masters here to get it done properly.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    I have seen Fishy Business have stocked in lots of beautiful rocks and driftwoods. You can go there to take a look, too.

    For Iwagumi setup, as I understand it will be more challenging to get the balance and might have algae issue since not a lot of fast growing plants being planted. So just need more opinions from the masters here to get it done properly.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Thanks guys, I'll visit one of them tomorrow.

    @jackychun
    I understand the challenges of a iwagumi tank, some refer them as the hardest one to master amomg all aquascape because of balance and algae issues like you said. I'm still doing researchs on it, might change to a different scape if I'm not up to the challenge... We'll see

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Just returned from seaview and sunpet, grey stones over there are too small for 2ft. Some are OK but I couldn't one that fit the role for the ''main stone'', and they costs $15 a kg
    Wifey doesn't like the idea of paying for stone..

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Quote Originally Posted by j.c.koh View Post
    Just returned from seaview and sunpet, grey stones over there are too small for 2ft. Some are OK but I couldn't one that fit the role for the ''main stone'', and they costs $15 a kg
    Wifey doesn't like the idea of paying for stone..
    I went to fishy business a while ago and they have a wide selection of stones to choose from. Many types are at $5/kg. Saw brown river stones which look grey. You may want to head there to take a look.

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Thanks hann, sounds good. I'll go and have a look next week

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Guys, I need help.

    I have the used media that came along with the filter canister when making the purchase.
    I washed it with tap water, set it aside thinking of throwing it away and replacing it with new ones.
    today when I went window shopping I found out that the media can be rather expensive.

    My question is : do I use back the old media? I could have used the money on something else. The previous owner told me he put salt in his water when keeping goldfish, I was afraid it might alter the water parameters of my new tank.

    please advise shi fus.

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  18. #18
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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Quote Originally Posted by j.c.koh View Post

    My question is : do I use back the old media? I could have used the money on something else. The previous owner told me he put salt in his water when keeping goldfish, I was afraid it might alter the water parameters of my new tank.

    please advise shi fus.
    You mean table salt, sodium chloride, right? It's highly soluble. There should be a negligible amount of sodium ions on the media, even if it has high CEC (cation exchange capacity), which most bio-filter-media don't. If you're really worried, a 24 hour soak in tap water should remove most of it (Na+ sodium ions are readily replaced by 2+ ions like calcium Ca2+ and magnesium Mg2+). I'd say not to bother, though. Chances are it's fine even if you didn't wash.

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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    @boofeng,
    I think he's using API aquarium salt.
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    Re: A newbie on a 2 ft tank

    Quote Originally Posted by j.c.koh View Post
    @boofeng,
    I think he's using API aquarium salt.
    That's mostly NaCl too, plus other minerals (definitely calcium, magnesium, potassium, probably sulfate, etc). As far as I know it's safe because none of the substances are toxic to typical freshwater aquarium life at the concentrations you'll have, and if you're doing a high-tech (CO2 + high light) planted tank, the ferts you'll add will probably contribute far more mineral content than what is present in the filter media.

    I might worry if I'm trying to run a soft water set up (holding plants/animals that are highly adapted for soft water), but definitely not for a high-tech planted.

    Welcome back to the hobby and all the best in your journey

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