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Thread: Would love some advise please!

  1. #1
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    Would love some advise please!

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    Hi!

    I'm totally new to the concept of planted aquariums and would like to venture in creating one that will last.

    1) I plan to start with a 1-1.5 ft tank. I just want it to be simply planted with riccia and moss and nothing else.

    2) What sort of filter should I use? An internal Eheim?

    3) What sort of lights do I need?

    4) The tank will be place in my room where at night the temperature will drop to 18-20 degrees celcius but in the day will be around room temperature. Will I then need a heater?

    5) What sort of substrate and gravel should I get? (Any particular brands?)

    6) I'm planning to make my own CO2 setup so when do I introduce CO2? Right at the beginning?

    7) I'm planning to put Cardinals and shrimps. What sort of shrimps should I put? How many of each can a 1-1.5 ft tank handle?

    How much/thick substrate do I use?

    9) How do I create a rolling hills effect?

    10) Btw, what are tiger and cherry shrimps and how are they different from normal glass shrimps and yamatoes? Are they advisable for planted tanks?

    11) Would also like some drift wood. Issit advisable?

    Thanx for all your advice!

  2. #2
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    Would love some advise please!

    Hi!

    I'm totally new to the concept of planted aquariums and would like to venture in creating one that will last.

    1) I plan to start with a 1-1.5 ft tank. I just want it to be simply planted with riccia and moss and nothing else.

    2) What sort of filter should I use? An internal Eheim?

    3) What sort of lights do I need?

    4) The tank will be place in my room where at night the temperature will drop to 18-20 degrees celcius but in the day will be around room temperature. Will I then need a heater?

    5) What sort of substrate and gravel should I get? (Any particular brands?)

    6) I'm planning to make my own CO2 setup so when do I introduce CO2? Right at the beginning?

    7) I'm planning to put Cardinals and shrimps. What sort of shrimps should I put? How many of each can a 1-1.5 ft tank handle?

    How much/thick substrate do I use?

    9) How do I create a rolling hills effect?

    10) Btw, what are tiger and cherry shrimps and how are they different from normal glass shrimps and yamatoes? Are they advisable for planted tanks?

    11) Would also like some drift wood. Issit advisable?

    Thanx for all your advice!

  3. #3
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    Would love some advise please!

    Hi!

    I'm totally new to the concept of planted aquariums and would like to venture in creating one that will last.

    1) I plan to start with a 1-1.5 ft tank. I just want it to be simply planted with riccia and moss and nothing else.

    2) What sort of filter should I use? An internal Eheim?

    3) What sort of lights do I need?

    4) The tank will be place in my room where at night the temperature will drop to 18-20 degrees celcius but in the day will be around room temperature. Will I then need a heater?

    5) What sort of substrate and gravel should I get? (Any particular brands?)

    6) I'm planning to make my own CO2 setup so when do I introduce CO2? Right at the beginning?

    7) I'm planning to put Cardinals and shrimps. What sort of shrimps should I put? How many of each can a 1-1.5 ft tank handle?

    How much/thick substrate do I use?

    9) How do I create a rolling hills effect?

    10) Btw, what are tiger and cherry shrimps and how are they different from normal glass shrimps and yamatoes? Are they advisable for planted tanks?

    11) Would also like some drift wood. Issit advisable?

    Thanx for all your advice!

  4. #4
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    Would love some advise please!

    Hi!

    I'm totally new to the concept of planted aquariums and would like to venture in creating one that will last.

    1) I plan to start with a 1-1.5 ft tank. I just want it to be simply planted with riccia and moss and nothing else.

    2) What sort of filter should I use? An internal Eheim?

    3) What sort of lights do I need?

    4) The tank will be place in my room where at night the temperature will drop to 18-20 degrees celcius but in the day will be around room temperature. Will I then need a heater?

    5) What sort of substrate and gravel should I get? (Any particular brands?)

    6) I'm planning to make my own CO2 setup so when do I introduce CO2? Right at the beginning?

    7) I'm planning to put Cardinals and shrimps. What sort of shrimps should I put? How many of each can a 1-1.5 ft tank handle?

    How much/thick substrate do I use?

    9) How do I create a rolling hills effect?

    10) Btw, what are tiger and cherry shrimps and how are they different from normal glass shrimps and yamatoes? Are they advisable for planted tanks?

    11) Would also like some drift wood. Issit advisable?

    Thanx for all your advice!

  5. #5
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    1)I plan to start with a 1-1.5 ft tank. I just want it to be simply planted with riccia and moss and nothing else.
    smaller tank condition/parameters r harder to control..

    What sort of filter should I use? An internal Eheim?
    yes, a internal filter for that tank size is sufficient.. u may wanna look into Eden, much smaller than ehiem

    3)What sort of lights do I need?
    for riccia, a recommended 3watts per gal shld be achieve, moss require cool temperature which can be achieve by using DC/AC fan

    4)The tank will be place in my room where at night the temperature will drop to 18-20 degrees celcius but in the day will be around room temperature. Will I then need a heater?
    try to stablize the temp, too high a swing with cause diease problems to yr fishes..

    5) What sort of substrate and gravel should I get? (Any particular brands?)
    depends how much u willing to spend, if u intend to have jus riccia and moss then u might wanna leave out the base fert, but a layer shld be there, jus in case

    6) I'm planning to make my own CO2 setup so when do I introduce CO2? Right at the beginning?
    beware of Co2 poisoning.. for DIY method, refer to the FAQ section

    7) I'm planning to put Cardinals and shrimps. What sort of shrimps should I put? How many of each can a 1-1.5 ft tank handle?
    as the tank is small, minimize the number of cardinals to 5-6, for shrimps.. u got a few to choose from (yamato, malayan, bumble bee, tiger, cherry red, taiwan) oso refer to one of the threads in the planted tank section discussing about shrimps for info on available stocks

    How much/thick substrate do I use?
    a layer of 2-3cm with a gradient and with the same/more thickness of base fert.. thickness varies depending on the height of tank

    9) How do I create a rolling hills effect?
    care to elaborate? u mean terracing?

    10) Btw, what are tiger and cherry shrimps and how are they different from normal glass shrimps and yamatoes? Are they advisable for planted tanks?
    tiger/bumblee bee/cherry shrimps r all diff species of shrimps... mostly for decorative purpose, for algae, we usually use yamato.. one thing to take note, tiger/bumble/cherry r smaller than the yamato and r suitable for mini tanks

    11) Would also like some drift wood. Issit advisable?
    soak them in hot water first till the water is clear b4 using

  6. #6
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    1) I plan to start with a 1-1.5 ft tank. I just want it to be simply planted with ri ccia and moss and nothing else.
    - For planted tanks, it's actually much easier to maintain them the larger they are. A 2 ft length would be a far better size. Reason beco s larger volume = more stable water condition and margin for error. Smaller tanks run a high risk of total melt-down (of both plants and fish) should water conditions deteriorate. Do a search on the forum for threads on cycling, nitrogen cycle, ammonia, n itrate, pH, kH...
    On plant choice, it's pretty much up to you. But you should be aware of the light, CO2, nutrient requirements, and growth rates of each species. Riccia is light and CO2 hungry and needs near constant maintenance; Moss like less light and does better with a surface to grow on.

    2) What sort of filter should I use? An internal Eheim?
    - your choice. I would prefer getting an external canister filter actually as internal filters take up space. But one recom. is the Eheim Liberty hanging out side filter. Contrary to some other reports, I find it has a good flow rate, quiet and the water fall and surface movement doesn't seem to affect CO2 level and plant growth. And much cheaper than canisters.

    3) What sort of lights do I need?
    -again depends on what plants you are growing. A 2 ft tank (about 10-12 gallons) can get by with 30W up to 60W. High light plants like riccia need at least 2.5W per gallon to thrive. You can use both the normal fluorescent (FL) tubes, or the U-shape PL tubes sold in fi sh shops. To grow plants, the tube's colour spectrum should be 6500-7500K (this is indicated on the package or at one end of the tube).

    4) The tank will be place in my room where at night the temperature will drop to 18-20 degrees celcius but in the day will be around room temperature. Will I then need a heater?
    - 18 degress is rather too low for many tropical plants/fish. A heater is a bit overkill for a small tank. Can you consider another location?

    5) What sort of substrate and gravel should I get? (Any particular brands?)
    -Lonestar gravel (do a search on the site for the best shops) is popular for planted tanks here, though there are other brands too. Just make sure: NO corals, shells and other calcifying material). If you are planting just riccia and moss, you dun need base fert substrate.

    6) I'm planning to make my own CO2 setup so when do I introduce CO2? Right at the beginning?
    -I no expert on DIY CO2. There are some detailed threads a while ago. Do a search.

    7) I'm planning to put Cardinals a nd shrimps. What sort of shrimps should I put? How many of each can a 1-1.5 ft tank handle?
    -Not many shrimp and not many cardinals either (I would say not more than 10 of each). Again, the bigger tank the better. Please dun try to cram the poor critters in a little space where they have to swim in their own sai chwee and endure each other's presence. Yamato shrimp are the commonly recommended species for controlling algae. But some smaller speices are also being sold now.

    How much/thick substrate do I use?
    -Again, if just riccia and moss, not much needed. You can even do without - just use the moss as the base and put in a few stones or small wood with riccia/moss tied to them. quite a nice effect.
    For ideas on small tanks (1-2 ft), try go Library or Border s and look up Takashi Amano's Nature Aquarium Vol. 2.

    9) How do I create a rolling hills effect?
    -How do hills roll? methinks a small tank can't really fit rolling hilss

    10) Btw, what are tiger and cherry shrimps and how are they different from normal glass shrimps and yamatoes? Are they advisable for planted tanks?
    - just more expensive and rarer than the common glass and yamatoes. good for small tanks though.

    11) Would also like some drift wood. Issit advisable?
    - why not? see above


    h

  7. #7
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    1) Larger tanks are actually easier cos the larger volume of water buffers mistakes better. But for a moss and riccia tank, small is nice. You'll have to be conservative when it comes to fish load.

    2) For such a small tank, an internal Eheim 2006 or Eden 316 filter. The Eden is flatter, but the Ehiem is more convenient. For the Eden, remember to remove the carbon pellets.

    3) 'Cool-white' or 65,000K colour flourescent lights. For riccia, you'll need at least 3Watts/US Gallon of flourescent or PL lights. So take your tank dimensions and calculate the volume in US Gallons and multiply by 3 for the total wattage you need for your tank.

    4) Hmmm, depends on how much your water temp will swing from day to night. Too much is no good. Suggest you setup first, measure, then decide on the heater.

    5) Usually gravel should be about 2-3mm in diameter. Although moss and riccia don't need gravel, this gravel should be better for bacteria colonisation and less likely to trap detritus.

    6) Yes. From day 1.

    7) Malayan shrimps. They are smaller and less likely to chomp on your riccia/moss when there's no algae. For a 1.5 foot? About 20 malayan shrimp. Guideline to bioload for any tank is roughly 1 inch of fish per gallon. For your tank, I'll suggest at least weekly water change to keep nitrates and phosphates down.

    For moss and riccia, zero... but for aesthetics and bacteria colonisation, about an inch should do it. Also in case you decide to add some rooted plants later.

    9) Use rocks and wood and tie the moss and riccia on them. Arrange to your liking and wait for them to grow.

    10) Make sure whatever shrimps they are, they will not feast on your moss, riccia when they have no algae. Amanos are out for sure.

    11) Go ahead... you'll them for tying the plants, plus it'll add to your decor.

    Go check out Nature Aquarium at Thomson Rd, opposite Thomson Medical Center. Chan, the owner, has a few of riccia and moss tanks. You can get good advice and pricing from him too. Get his address from the LFS list on the topmost menu bar. You can check out his cube tank too.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
    A woman, without her man, is nothing.
    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

  8. #8
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    Hehehe... looks like we were all typing the replies around the same time.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
    A woman, without her man, is nothing.
    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

  9. #9
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    neber mind, it's ok. great minds think alike. or is it great goondus???[] [] []

  10. #10
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    Thank you Simon, budak and vinz for all your excellent replies.

    Here's what I've decided.

    I'll go for a 2ft tank.

    Filter I'll decide between a Eden 316, Eheim 2006 or a liberty. Gotta look at it first...btw will the filter create too much current such that the oxygen pearls on the riccia be disturbed?

    Lights I plan to provide about 3-4W/Gallon. Will ask NA for advice.

    Temperature wise I have 2 extra 50W heaters at home anyway, but I'll just put one into the tank and put the temperature at 24 or 22...

    I'll put 1/2 inch of substrate and 1-2inches of gravel.
    (btw, wat are the price ranges?)

    CO2 I know how to make but not too sure what CO2 poisoning is?

    Will put in 10 Cardinal Tetras and 5 cherry and 5 tiger/maybe malayan shrimps. How do I ensure there's enuff algae for them??? Where can I get the shrimps?

    Have some drift wood at home too where I'm gonna soak in boiling water soon...the drift wood also has a hollow where the shrimps or tetras can hide if it gets too hot...

    Finally, I'll consider getting a DC/AC fan if needed.

  11. #11
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    If you are buying the Eheim Liberty, take note. Only the Bio catridges are available. The carbonated filter media seem to be either out of stock or not available here. Went to a few LFS and is the same story everywhere. They suggested using other filter pads instead, but it would sit well in the liberty. Also, the extension tube for intake is not available as a spare for the Liberty 100. It is included in the other 2 version.
    I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?

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    1)Szesteve...regarding too much current produce by such small filters I don't think so. Just make sure they don't create too much turbulence or else your CO2 will be wasted and you won't hit the proper CO2 level that you desired.

    2)Do you have air-con? Kinda wondering cause in singapore you don't need heaters unless you mean substrate heaters or you have air-con set at very low temperatures like 18 degrees.

    3)For cheap and good base fertilizers go for JBL brand. Heard Chan sell them..but dunno still have stock or not. 1/2 inch for base fert..seems to be a bit on the low side...go for at least 4-5cm unless you want to limit the type and amount of plants as the roots need space to grow. Gravel does not have to be very thick as long as they can prevent your base fert. from leeching into the water column.

    4)Read up info on CO2 before you start..there are many Q & A here in the forum..do a search on them...go to this website for some info plus many other sites. (Simply do a search on planted tanks using search engines)

    5)Try not to think of fishes first..that will come in a week or so after the initial spike of ammonia and nitrite...which are deadly to fishes and prawns. Get the plants to grow first. You can get shrimps from Chan I think.

    Happy planting and do not give up if you fail the first time..try and try and try until you dry []
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    I'll go for a 2ft tank.

    Filter I'll decide between a Eden 316, Eheim 2006 or a liberty. Gotta look at it first...btw will the filter create too much current such that the oxygen pearls on the riccia be disturbed?


    most internal filters have control of flow rate and yes, too much turblence will affect the pearling of riccia

    Lights I plan to provide about 3-4W/Gallon. Will ask NA for advice.
    if u going for 2ft, i suggest 2x36w PL... more than enuff for most high light plants

    Temperature wise I have 2 extra 50W heaters at home anyway, but I'll just put one into the tank and put the temperature at 24 or 22...
    u mus observe the temp changes initally, and having a heater in the tank really kills the asethetic.. find some ways to hide among the plants or smething

    I'll put 1/2 inch of substrate and 1-2inches of gravel.
    (btw, wat are the price ranges?)

    i recommend JBL base fert.. cheaper than most brands.. as for gravel, lonestar unless u wish to have something much nicer, then go for dennerle

    CO2 I know how to make but not too sure what CO2 poisoning is?
    Co2 poisoning, is usually the overdosing of injecting of Co2, especially when using DIY (u cant control) and u cant stop the flow during the nite.. will suggest u go for compressed CO2 if u have the budget

    Will put in 10 Cardinal Tetras and 5 cherry and 5 tiger/maybe malayan shrimps. How do I ensure there's enuff algae for them??? Where can I get the shrimps?
    I will reduce the numbers of fishes and increase the shrimps.. shrimps usually hide, so better to have slightly more... as for the introduction of fishes..

    1 day to 7 day = no fishes
    7 day to 14 day = add algae eaters (Otos, shrimps)
    ard 3-4weeks = intro fishes

    remember to add them alittle at a time, so as not to overload the bio and make yr tank cloudy

    for shrimps, u can try Ben at tiong bahru, Nature, petmart

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    Forget the Liberty. The water falling back in will cause CO2 to escape.

    Temperature wise I have 2 extra 50W heaters at home anyway, but I'll just put one into the tank and put the temperature at 24 or 22...
    Isn't that a bit low?

    I'll put 1/2 inch of substrate and 1-2inches of gravel.
    (btw, wat are the price ranges?)
    Didn't know that you mean base fert when you said substrate. You don't need base fert if you are only planting riccia and moss. 1 inch of gravel will suit your purposes

    CO2 I know how to make but not too sure what CO2 poisoning is?
    Essentially, it means there's so much CO2 you cause the fishes to not be able to utilise the oxygen. You can put in an aerator to turn on when the lights are off. There's an article on www.thekrib.com

    Will put in 10 Cardinal Tetras and 5 cherry and 5 tiger/maybe malayan shrimps. How do I ensure there's enuff algae for them??? Where can I get the shrimps?
    You do not ensure there's enough algae for them... if you have so little algae, just evict the shrimp and give them away. Alternatively, keep them for emergencies and feed them algae wafers in th meantime.

    Have some drift wood at home too where I'm gonna soak in boiling water soon...the drift wood also has a hollow where the shrimps or tetras can hide if it gets too hot...
    The heat is not because they are under the light. But because the light heats up the water. Hole to hide won't make much diff.

    Finally, I'll consider getting a DC/AC fan if needed.
    Why? Your aircon not cold enough?
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
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    yo vinz,
    i saw u mention something abt terracing.. kinda interested in it... may i know how to go abt doing it? currently have a 2.5FT planted.. best if got pics let me see.. thanks

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    wat u intend to do for terracing? slate? rock? wood? the easiest way will be place yr terracing media in position, put gravel on both sides to ensure that the gravel on the high level will hold, oso check to see if there is any gaps.. sorry I dun have any pix to help u.. I inturn use corkbark, siliconed and then pour in the gravel.. much easier because the corkbark is permanent

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    actually i wanna make a grass patch using ricca and thought that traccing might be a nice way rather than the plain flat surface.. is there any temporary methods? using those plastic partitions? posible?? thninking of making terrances then ricca as grass patch and on each terrance maybe plant different plant.. would it turn out good or is it recommended to have a one main plant only?

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    2)Do you have air-con? Kinda wondering cause in singapore you don't need heaters unless you mean substrate heaters or you have air-con set at very low temperatures like 18 degrees.

    I have air con but when i on it at nite, i close the room door and the air con faces the tank...so quite cold at nite...the heater is those auto off kind.

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    Co2 poisoning, is usually the overdosing of injecting of Co2, especially when using DIY (u cant control) and u cant stop the flow during the nite.. will suggest u go for compressed CO2 if u have the budget

    How about if I use a bubble counter and check valve? Won't that prevent CO2 poisoning?

    Anyway, how much is a cheapest CO2 setup? Canister type...the smallest volume?

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    You do not ensure there's enough algae for them... if you have so little algae, just evict the shrimp and give them away. Alternatively, keep them for emergencies and feed them algae wafers in th meantime.

    My dad has a goldfish pond and a guppy pond where he has stones in there and the algae growth is simply breath-taking. I plan to put in 1-2 stones weekly, interchanging them every week so that the shrimps will have something to feed on.

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