A few noob questions

[Ryan Peh]

Hello everyone!

So I'm gonna buy 2 identical cabinet and tanks, put them side by side in an L shape at the corner of my house and it'll be my relaxation corner! But I do have a few questions that hopefully can be answered by the pros here or just anyone who have the knowledge and experience!

So anyway, I'm looking for those ADA style tanks without braces and I want it at 2x1.5x1.5ft dimension. I haven't seen those being sold anywhere so I'm wondering if I have to custom make the tank and cabinets?
Also, I haven't seen any 2x1.5ft cabinets anywhere either.
Anyone knows where I can get them an how much they would cost? Or if those have to be custom made how much would it cost?

Also, with such a tank size and the planted tank that I want, I'm only able to get canister filter. I've found some of the random brands of canister costing $80 (as recommended by the LFS uncle). I'm would like to know which Eheim canister filter should I get if I decided to go for Eheim? And how much would that cost as well.

As for the soil, I'm intending to go for ADA Amazonia. I'm thinking 2 of the 9L packs should be enough for 1 tank. But I'd like to ask if I need their type of fertilisers if I intend to get an MC carpet and maybe dwarf hair grass too! Like do I need the Power Sand or something?

Last but not least, has anyone kept oto catfish without using a chiller?

[Urban Aquaria]

For ready-made ADA style high-clarity glass tanks, you can check with East Ocean, they usually stock them: http://www.eastoceansg.com/ans-optic...er-p-1462.html

You can also check at Seaview as they sometimes stock high clarity tanks in those same dimensions too.

As for the cabinet, you can either get an LFS to custom make it for you and bundle together with the tank as a package, or separately get the cabinet custom made on your own. Check with cabinet makers like CR Aquarium to get a quote based on your cabinet dimensions and laminate color/pattern choice.

For a 2x1.5x1.5 tank, the water volume is around 121 liters... a canister filter of around 1,000 l/ph would be suitable, like a Eheim Classic 2217 or the equivalent. Just shop around to find the best deals. You could also still go for smaller canister filters with lower flow rates too, it all depends on your intended tank bio-load and tank layout/circulation requirements.

2 x 9L bags of ADA Amazonia aquasoil would be enough to create an average soil depth of around 6+cm in a 2x1.5 base area tank, which is more or less sufficient for carpet plants like MC and hairgrass. Just the ADA aquasoil on its own would be enough to supply ample nutrients to grow out those carpet plants for at least the initial few months. The overall plant grow rate and speed will still depend alot on the amount of light and Co2 being supplied though.

ADA Powersand is optional but if you have the budget, it can be beneficial to add as a base layer to further enhance the substrate.

Otocinclus don't necessarily need a chiller to live in an aquarium, then can adapt and live in our local normal room temperature conditions. The otocinclus in my tanks live for years without chiller, no temperature related issues encountered.

I guess your next concern would be lighting. A 45cm height tank would require more powerful lighting to reach to the bottom of the tank, especially if you want to grow carpet plants, so thats an important factor to look into.

[Ryan Peh]

Thank you so much UA!
I'll check out seaview first then east ocean probably! Is there any cabinets that are already made at the size of 2x1.5ft surface area?

How much would the Eheim Classic 2217 cost approximately? And if I buy other brands like Fluval or something is there a big difference in the quality of the filter functionality? Also what's a double tap and how would I need it?

I'm looking to make some levels with the aquascape so I guess maybe 2 bags of the soil might not be enough?

My lighting would be done diy by a fellow aquaticquotient bro. He's using 300 cool white 0.1w LED bulbs to make a 2ft lighting! Is that enough?

[Urban Aquaria]

Thank you so much UA!
I'll check out seaview first then east ocean probably! Is there any cabinets that are already made at the size of 2x1.5ft surface area?

Places like East Ocean and Fishy Business actually do sometimes offer ready-made cabinets to match with 2x1.5 tanks and sell as a promo package, just have to check with them if they still have stock of those sets. The only thing is you have to accept their color choice and design, so can't choose the exact color you prefer.

How much would the Eheim Classic 2217 cost approximately? And if I buy other brands like Fluval or something is there a big difference in the quality of the filter functionality? Also what's a double tap and how would I need it?

Depending on the shop, a brand new 2217 can cost around S$250+, its on the "premium" end of filter price range. One of the reasons why most people go for Eheim equipment is their durability and reliability. You can also look at other brands like Fluval or Sicce, they are good filters too, not as popular but worth a try.

A double tap is an item that you install on the hoses of a canister filter, it allows you to shut off the flow and detach the hoses without spilling water out. It makes flow adjustment, cleaning and maintenance much easier.

Looks like this:



Photo from Google Images.

The Eheim Classic models don't come with them so you need to buy the taps. On the other-hand, the Eheim Professional models already come with inbuilt taps, so no need to buy them.

I'm looking to make some levels with the aquascape so I guess maybe 2 bags of the soil might not be enough?

If you want to create steep slopes in the aquascape, then you'll need to use more soil... just buy extra bags of it to increase the soil volume accordingly.

My lighting would be done diy by a fellow aquaticquotient bro. He's using 300 cool white 0.1w LED bulbs to make a 2ft lighting! Is that enough?

Well, smaller 0.1W LEDs are usually okay for tanks up to 30cm height... but for tanks 45cm height and above, its better to go for arrays that use more powerful 1W or 3W LEDs, so that there is sufficient depth penetration for the light intensity to get to the bottom of the tank, otherwise you may find that while the top part looks well lit, the bottom tends to be much dimmer and those carpet plants don't receive enough light to grow properly.

[Ryan Peh]

Hmmm I guess I will check out east ocean and fishy business.. But problem is I'm looking for 2 of the identical tank sets! Hopefully they have!
As for the filter, I think I'll get Fluval edge or something cheaper cuz I need to buy 2 and I won't be able to afford 2 eheim.... So for other type of canister would I still need the double tap thing?

As for the lighting, I thought it was the colour temperature that affected the penetration? And will more bulbs help with penetration?

[Urban Aquaria]

Yeah, unless you are lucky enough to find 2 identical sets of cabinets which match your design and color preferences, chances are you'll most likely need to get them custom made.

For other types of canister filters, you'll need to check their specifications to see whether they come with inbuilt taps, usually it will be indicated on the filter information.

Lighting-wise, individual LED wattage usually plays a part in determining their depth penetration... while having many lower powered LEDs can increase the spread and coverage of the light output, they may not be able to project the light intensity far enough into the water, that's where higher powered individual LEDs are used when it comes to taller tank setups.

You could still try a DIY LED light built using lower powered LEDs and see how it works out, it might turn out to be sufficient if you mount the light closer to the water surface and the plants are positioned higher in the tank... but if you find that the light intensity is insufficient to reach the carpet plants, then get it re-built to use higher powered LEDs instead. Just experiment and see which work best for your setup.

[fai]

If you have decided on the 2217, there is someone selling it together with double taps. Go check it out. Could save some $$ for othere stuffs.

[Ryan Peh]

Hello! Anyone got a good recommendation for 2ft LED lights for a planted tank?
I'm really sick and tired of aquazonic lights spoiling after a couple of months...

My tank height is 36cm, with ADA soil and co2 system. I'm carpeting with monte carlos so I guess I'll need pretty strong lights?

[DreamerX5521]

bro UA has success story with UP aqua pro z 60cm light for his hc (if I don't remember wrongly), you can check out his blog for more details. Due to his influence, i also using same series but 30cm lighting for my 1ft low tech tank for abt 2 months now, i can see my mc creeping well. So, i believe mc don't need such high light as other carpet plant like hc or gloso.

[fai]

Yup, the UP Aqua Pro Z is tested for tank up to 36cm high. I personally used the 36cm light for my nano tank and monte carlo do well with it. Only thing I dont like about it, is the stand is very short, therefore trimming plants in a nano tank with it is difficult.

On my 60cm tank, Im using Zetlight. So far its doing well for stem plant and shorter plant like Hydrocotyle. Just planted some HC a few minutes ago so we will see how it do. I have it hanging around 50cm above my cabinet top. Tank maintenance is alot easier with it.

[Ryan Peh]

Ooooo I see! Thanks guys! Btw how much does the UP Aqua Pro Z cost and where can I buy it?

[fai]

I know Seaview has it

[Urban Aquaria]

If i remember correctly, the Up Aqua Z-Series 60cm (2nd generation version) retails at around S$76.90 at Seaview... after their 15% discount, it works out to around S$65+.

[Ryan Peh]

Ooooo I see. Is the light cool white? I saw the description it says there's blue lights also!

[Urban Aquaria]

Ooooo I see. Is the light cool white? I saw the description it says there's blue lights also!

The Z-Series verson for freshwater planted tanks uses white LEDs.... the blue LED version is for marine reef tanks (its labelled on the box).

Take note to get the correct version.

[Ryan Peh]

Oh so the light is 65k ones? Wah lucky you mention
I'm still considering between buying the UP Aqua Pro Z series (which is 0.06w x 180bulbs) or getting one DIY from a fellow AQer for $75. His one is 36 x 1w LED bulbs.

[Urban Aquaria]

Oh so the light is 65k ones? Wah lucky you mention
I'm still considering between buying the UP Aqua Pro Z series (which is 0.06w x 180bulbs) or getting one DIY from a fellow AQer for $75. His one is 36 x 1w LED bulbs.

The ones using 0.06W LEDs are the old 1st generation version (i'm still using those old models, already 3+ years old). You may still see it mentioned on outdated listings online, but its already phased out, nowadays not available anymore.

The new 2nd generation version uses 0.5W LEDs, those are the latest models available at LFS now.

I guess it just depends on your preference whether to go for ready-made or custom-built ones, both types can work in your tank setup.

[Ryan Peh]

Ohhh then how many bulbs do they have? And what's the total wattage of the entire fixture?

[Urban Aquaria]

Ohhh then how many bulbs do they have? And what's the total wattage of the entire fixture?

I haven't used the new version, but from what i remember seeing on the box specs, it should be 30 x 0.5W LEDs for the 60cm model.