i think aquatic is better... all u need is a hardy fish, tank, filter and air pump( not really needed)... whether low maintence depends on the fish... what kind of fish u hope to keep..
i think aquatic is better... all u need is a hardy fish, tank, filter and air pump( not really needed)... whether low maintence depends on the fish... what kind of fish u hope to keep..
for newbies, I think a better route is to planted first. Marine has really alot to pick up. Might over kill and kill off the interest totally.
Cheers,
Andrew
Should be rephrased as freshwater or marine -- both are aquatic setups ...Originally Posted by larry
Personally, I find that there will be more fellow forumers here to ask for help if you go for freshwater setup.
koah fong
Juggler's tanks
Thanks all...
I've not decided what fish to keep... I used to rear some ranchus and had difficulties in maintaining the water quality.
So is it better to diy the setup or get someone to do it? I have a box filter and a canister filter for my 2 and half feet tank. What would be a good estimate of the startup cost for plants, gravel and fishes? I'm not planning anything fancy at this moment.
Thanks again
Regards
Larry
IMHO It's better to start off buying stuff instead of DIY-ing unless of course you're very confident.
Estimated startup? About 500 bucks should get you the best stuff I guess. If you want to save, $300 can get you by.
You didn't mention any lighting...
For a 2.5ft tank... depends whether you have existing light set over it. Commercial 2.5ft light sets are hard to come by. And better avoid those that comes with 2.5ft FL tubes -- these are rare and expensive to replace.
Avoid using a light hood over the tank to prevent the water heating up. Unless you buy a chiller....
For my 2.5ft tank, I DIY my own lights.
koah fong
Juggler's tanks
just to share with you my experience. I started off with planted tank then i moved to the dark side (marine) then now I'm back to planted.
why ? cost and maintenance. Marine aquarium some retailers might tell you... its low maintenance once setup can live it running... but I tell you. its not true... you will find that you want more and more and more eentually... and to get the tank matured and really maintenance free... means you will have to invest in alot of equipments. Most are very expensive.
And you will constantly need to check the water parameters so that the inhabitants are well taken care of.. means invest in test kits.
And if you decided to keep corals, beside the high cost in corals purchase. Not forgeting mortality rate... cost of replacement. You will need to provide sufficient light for them to thrive or even survive. FYI, most marine aquarist who keep corals uses Metal halide light. This in turn translate to higher electricity bill. (Oil price at all time high)
Think these are enough to convey the message. So for a start, unless you are really ready to go over to the dark side... check out planted tank first.. or if you really must, try to go for Fish only marine tank. Think the marine section of this forum can help you more if you need more information
Thanks all...
I have a juwel tank... so the lights are built-in... I'm quite a lazy bum... thought of spending abit more & get some professionals to help me setup the plants etc...
Cheers
Larry
Originally Posted by juggler
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I reared quite a few beautiful ranchus before but they painfully departed me
So now I want to be sure that I can manage a new setup...
Guess I'll most probably go for a planted tank.. still look see look see around then commit...
Cheers
Larry
Originally Posted by nleong
In this case, I suggest not. Both marine and planted tanks need attention even after the setup. How about considering a Malawi or Tanganyika biotopes. They require lesser attention, only regular water change.Originally Posted by larry
Hi Larry,
The most interesting part about planted tank(IMO) is to be able to create the scape that you want. It is like creating an underwater garden for your fishes to swim and play around. Or when you happen to come across some rare plants and get a difficult species to grow nicely, that is when the satisfaction and joy of planted tank come in!
I believe many hobbysits here probably share the same sentiments. I think the last thing for you to do is to have a planted tank for the sake of utilising the tank. You will be wasting your effort, time and money. Do consider carefully before you take the plunge.
Cheers!
Planted tanks can be very diverse and interesting, although I admit they cannot be compared to marine tanks. However they're much cheaper, and once you learn the in-depth knowledge a planted tank can be surprisingly low-maintainence and you can actually observe much of nature, very similar indeed to our roadside flora growth patterns.
Yes, a low tech, low maintenance tank is still possible but the caveat here is in-depth knowledge of a planted tank takes precedent. Otherwise you maybe discouraged by algae etc.Originally Posted by |squee|
Once again thanks folks for your valuable feedback...
I'm seriously considering planted tank... personally like plants and really envy those setup with fishes swimming around... enjoying themselves...
Btw, do we really need to switch on the lights for quite a few hours daily (i understand it depends on the type of plant)... if i put the tank near a window which can receive some sunlight can i 'save' on the lighting part? Pardon me for asking such a dumb question...
Have a nice weekend ahead all !!
Cheers
You can, I'll being doing that too with my new tank. The downside is that you'll notice an increase in algae. That means the water will turn green if you aren't careful. Which means you might also have to spend a little extra on algae eating shrimp.
I dun understand the need to 'save' on the lights when you had invested on the tanks and plants and ferts etc...
My 2.5ft tank sits in the service balcony, directly in the sun, esp past noon time. The water is not green, but there was bad algae all over the glass. I had to introduce several zebra snails to physically remove the algae after getting tired of wiping them off every month... Sometimes I can hardly see anything thru the thick dark green algae! The tank water is warm and nothing grow very well... Even Java fern rots... And that was before I introduce the Sultan fish... Now I believe the Sultans were not responsible for failure of the fern, but the warm water itself.
If you insist of placing the tank to utilize natural sunlight, be prepared to cool the water (esp so in sunny and warm Singapore!) and to spend a lot of time beating algae... esp those on the glass!
Remember, one of the first advice from fishkeeping mags for newcomers is to NOT place the tank in the sun... There is a good reason why so.
Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/
I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii
Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...
Hi, since you have concluded that you wish to have a planted aquarium, do more reading about lighting, nutrients, layout, etc and establish a list of action items that you have to do. Look at them and see if you are prepared to put effort into achieving them. Depending on your needs, the list may not be long, you may be pleased to hear that.
Do make some visits to planted LFS to talk them. It will help you to make your decisions about start-up costs, maintenance costs as well as the different brands of accessories that you can use. There is also a wealth of information that you can find in this forum.
@ justikanz
Well in my case I always think the low tech meathod is the best. Not only because it's alot cheaper but also because it's natural(for breeders) and you won't have your tank dying on you when there's a blackout(rare as those are). I always try to be as natural as possible with my tanks, even down to the micro-organisms and worms.
Of course, if you're gonna buy a CO2 tank and ferts you might as well get one damn light =) And if your tank's too small don't put it in the sun, you'll cook your fish.
I'm currently having a mixed reef marine tank. Will be switching to planted for my new home. Reasons for my switch are;
1) Nvr tried planted before, previous expereince are arowana, goldfish, discus.
2) Cost
3) Low maintenence
4) Aquascaping - Marine tank dun really have much aquascape to talk abt. Most ppl will try to find different type of SPS with lots of colors and end up killing most of it.
However, my passion of marine is still there thus dun rule out switching back in future again.
Cheers
JC
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