Help on tank setup

[c00l]

Hi
I am a newbie to fish keeping & aquascaping. After much persuasion my financial controller had finally agreed.

I had been thinkin of the following setup

Tank Dimensions: 2 or 3 ft.
Filter : canister. Thinking of Eheim. Model??
Type of CO2 (DIY/Cylinder) : Cyclinder
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor) : ???
Substrate : Seachem onyx


Kindly advice.

Thank u in advance.

[Fei Miao]

Read up on the stickies, they'll be useful

[Weirong]

I guess your choices will be limited to how much room your "financial controller" allows you!
Welcome to AQ! You will find most of the answers in past posts. But the main thing is don't rush yourself and read up more before you commit. Cheers!

[benny]

Welcome to AQ!

A few considerations/queries...

Are you considering a tank and stand set up or a cabinet with hood? There are a variety of options for both.

Are you going for a simple low light set up or going to experiment with all sorts of plants? This will determine the type of lightset you need, be it FL, PL, MH, etc.

With CO2 fertilisation, especially from a pressurised cylinder, it will be much more managable. And you can decide between internal or external CO2 reactor and can also choose between a reactor or a diffusor.

As for filtration, there are a variety of options. If you prefer Eheim, then there are several models to choose from, including the Ecco series (with a lower flow rate) and the usual Classic (2215) and the Professional series (Pro II 2026) etc. There are also a lot of other Asian brands around for a fraction of the cost to help you keep to a budget that your financial controller will be happy with.

And for substrate, some will opt for ADA's Aquasoil, especially if you are interested in Tonina species. Others have successfully grown beautiful plants even in lapis sand.

Let's hear more about your ideal setup/budget and we can give you suggestions to a better start.

Lastly, welcome to the planted community! It's always heartening to see more folks getting into this hobby!

Cheers,

[c00l]

Thks for the reply guys.

Are you considering a tank and stand set up or a cabinet with hood? There are a variety of options for both.
Just the tank. Would like to ask my carpenter to custom make the cabinet to blend with my decor.

Are you going for a simple low light set up or going to experiment with all sorts of plants? This will determine the type of lightset you need, be it FL, PL, MH, etc.
Would like to experiment with all sortsof plants


Let's hear more about your ideal setup/budget and we can give you suggestions to a better start.
My finacial controller ie my wife(hahaha) had not give me a budget to work with. As I am new to this cant figure out the budget. Need to do some research on it.

Cheers

[anttz]

Alternatively, you can go for the non CO2 set-up. You save a few hundred dollar and less trouble from your financial controller for exceeding your budget.

[albert]

I would recommend 3ft if possible because the larger the amount of water, the lesser flunctation for the water parameters. Eheim is a good choice for filter though is more expensive. Worth the price. I personally prefer 2026 for 3 ft.

As for CO2, it depends on high or low-lighting. High lighting, C02 cylinder is highly recommended. For low-lighting, it depends on the choices of the plants. More demanding plants will need C02 supplement (probably DIY will do).

I have been using internal C02 reactor for the past years and seems fine to me. However, I am intending to swap to diffuser for my new tank. For diffuser, DIY might not produce enough pressure to make it work properly.

Hi
I am a newbie to fish keeping & aquascaping. After much persuasion my financial controller had finally agreed.

I had been thinkin of the following setup

Tank Dimensions: 2 or 3 ft.
Filter : canister. Thinking of Eheim. Model??
Type of CO2 (DIY/Cylinder) : Cyclinder
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor) : ???
Substrate : Seachem onyx


Kindly advice.

Thank u in advance.

[celticfish]

if you're getting your own carpenter to do your cabinet i'd suggest a minimum size of a 3 ft tank. since you are going through the trouble of a custom cabinet.

another point is that a larger tank will be more tolerant of any mistakes as there is more water. i.e. an overdose in a 2 ft would be more severe than a 3 ft.

you can try the DIY CO2 injection first (do use two bottles an alternatly change one bottle to minimise CO2 production fluctuation from the yeast.)then as the plant grows for you to show "results" to the finance minister you can lobby for more budget!!

[Green Baron]

The size and type of setup will depend largely on how much $$ you plan to spend and how committed you are to this hobby. This can be anything from $200 for a low tech setup to more than $1500 for a 3ft high tech setup.

Personally I would recommend beginners to start with a simple 2 ft setup and once they are more familiar with the plants and accessories, they can decide if they want to go all out for a 3/4/5ft.

While I agree that bigger tank is more tolerant of any mistakes and there will be lesser fluctuation in water parameters, it also requires a lot more water (more water to change and time commitment), more plants, more fish and bigger disaster if anything goes wrong.

You decision will also depend on you and your CFO's expectation - will it be a center piece 'display' tank with minimal maintenace which blends with your expensive decor or one which you can tinker with and need not be in presentable state all the time

[c00l]

Thanks

Now looking at the cost.
You are right should prove something first. Maybe will setup a lot maintenance tank first or with DIY C02.

Thanks and Gong Xi Fa Cai

[|squee|]

Welcome to AQ! May I humbly suggest the following:

- Standard 2ft tank sold at all LFSes (approx $16)
- Tank stand (approx less than $20)
- Small internal filter, the Eden brand is a good and nice-looking choice. (approx less than $20)
- Lapis Lazute sand (approx less than $20 for a bag, one bag is enough)
- 36W PL light (white in colour,6500K or 8000K) (approx less than $30)
- Driftwood, hardy plants like Java fern, Java moss, Anubias, along with fish (approx total less than $50)
- Ferka Aquatilizer and Balance-K (not sure price)
- Fan (not sure price)

Random tips:
1) Don't use CO2, so don't do water changes. Keep a small to medium fish load.
2) Plant heavily at the start. Buy your plants en masse. Make it look like it has already grown in and matured. It'll help in algae fights and stablizing problems at the start.
3) Feed fish everyday, or every other day.
4) Using the fan, keep your temperature less than 28 degrees. With good water circulation, low temperatures, moderate lighting, fertilisation, Java fern and Anubias will thrive for you easily.

If you're feeling adventurous, read up the Tom Barr's Non-CO2 method. Ignore the KNO3 and KH2PO4 mentioned inside however. Also read up the link in my signature to get properly introduced to planted tanks.

Any questions, just shoot. It's best to get everything in order before you start... because once you start it's a biological chain reaction that continues on and on in your tank until you get fed up and thrash everything

[lorba]

If you ask me, I say you should set aside a budget and buy the better stuff within your limits.

You wouldn't want to create a half dying planted tank and let it become an eye sore of your CFO!

- Go for easy-to-apply maintenance so as not to tax yourself too much at the begining.
- CO2 is important. Get a good system.
- Good, reliable and easy to start canister filter.
- Use either HOT5 or PL sets, bright enough. You can play with the timing for different types of plants.
- Chiller, if you can afford it. There will be a great difference in plant health.

All these will help in prolonging your "lifespan" and "expiry date of passport" in this hobby.