My 4ft x 1.5ft x 2ft tank

[hk75]

Hi bro/sis,

Has been looking ard around for 4 footer tank for quiet some time. Looking high and low, Finally got it last week and arrived on 25092007.

Also bought 3 pcs of ada driftwood. Today went shopping for filter canister at NA, got myself a Atman cf1000, is that enuf enough flow rate?

More shopping next week for gravel and other equipments.

i will definately need help and advise from all shifu here.

cheers

[eddyq]

I go out and get what is needed while waiting for new tank. Have you thought out the scape you want? This help what you will need to buy. Maybe get more ada driftwood, it will look nicer. It better to have 2 filter running to better water circulation.

[hk75]

Was thinking to have more open space, intending to keep few discus. Hair grass as base and some drift wood. Probably would like to have a moss wall, but seem quiet tough.

Will be looking for another filter, and also gravel. which type should i use ada or Gex, have been thinking for some time but still cant make decision.

I go out and get what is needed while waiting for new tank. Have you thought out the scape you want? This help what you will need to buy. Maybe get more ada driftwood, it will look nicer. It better to have 2 filter running to better water circulation.

[David Moses Heng]

Will be looking for another filter, and also gravel. which type should i use ada or Gex, have been thinking for some time but still cant make decision.

i suggest gex cos i'm using it too. the results are comparable to ada but the advantages are that it doesn't cloud the water, comes in different packaging and i suspect that it can be cheaper than ADA if you know where to look.. for filter, if you have not bought anything yet, i would recommend Fluval FX 5 from Hagen as it will offset you with only around
$450+ complete with media.

then how about your lighting? what would you be using?

[hk75]

Really cant make up my mind Gex or ada????
Fluval over my budget. Will be looking at others.
AS for lighting, I got a set of old Hopar brand T5 55w x 4, is that sufficient?

i suggest gex cos i'm using it too. the results are comparable to ada but the advantages are that it doesn't cloud the water, comes in different packaging and i suspect that it can be cheaper than ADA if you know where to look.. for filter, if you have not bought anything yet, i would recommend Fluval FX 5 from Hagen as it will offset you with only around
$450+ complete with media.

then how about your lighting? what would you be using?

[illumnae]

i'd highly recommend Gex. slightly lower on your budget, no cloudy/yellow water problems and very good results

[hk75]

Is Gex colour and size of gravel same as ada?

i'd highly recommend Gex. slightly lower on your budget, no cloudy/yellow water problems and very good results

[hk75]

Could you recommend where i could get better price for Gex. As for Ada, i know Aqua star (yishun) sold cheaper for 3 packet

i suggest gex cos i'm using it too. the results are comparable to ada but the advantages are that it doesn't cloud the water, comes in different packaging and i suspect that it can be cheaper than ADA if you know where to look.. for filter, if you have not bought anything yet, i would recommend Fluval FX 5 from Hagen as it will offset you with only around
$450+ complete with media.

then how about your lighting? what would you be using?

[illumnae]

do you have an email address, since you don't have pm yet? i'll send you the location for the cheapest Gex that i've found

[hk75]

U can send to [email protected]
Thank you

do you have an email address, since you don't have pm yet? i'll send you the location for the cheapest Gex that i've found

[David Moses Heng]

Really cant make up my mind Gex or ada????
Fluval over my budget. Will be looking at others.
AS for lighting, I got a set of old Hopar brand T5 55w x 4, is that sufficient?

I believe you are referring to T5HO 54Wx4
get a new set. the price is retailing at ony around $180. Plus for a depth of 2 feet, you will need 6 tubes. but then again ,it all depends on what plants are you intending to have.

Also, just go for gex.

The GEX followers here is recruiting members, right Yi Xiang?

[wildfish]

Hi HK75,
if you're thinking of keeping discus, my suggestion is not to get the adult fish. It is tougher for adult discus to acclimatise to planted tank condition.
Afterall ,ost of them have been raised from bare tank since young.

I have tried 1.5" fish and it grows very well. It's about 3.5 inch now after 7 months. Also I think it's better to have a school of them.
The last time I kept only two and the weaker one was hiding in drift wood most the time.

Just a suggestion.

[wks]

Hi hk75, mind letting me know where you bought your tank?

[hk75]

Will be visiting NA to check out the lights they have.
GEX followers shld i join u guys???hahaha

I believe you are referring to T5HO 54Wx4
get a new set. the price is retailing at ony around $180. Plus for a depth of 2 feet, you will need 6 tubes. but then again ,it all depends on what plants are you intending to have.

Also, just go for gex.

The GEX followers here is recruiting members, right Yi Xiang?

[hk75]

Wildfish,
Thanks for your advise. Any place recommend to purchase those juv discus?

Hi HK75,
if you're thinking of keeping discus, my suggestion is not to get the adult fish. It is tougher for adult discus to acclimatise to planted tank condition.
Afterall ,ost of them have been raised from bare tank since young.

I have tried 1.5" fish and it grows very well. It's about 3.5 inch now after 7 months. Also I think it's better to have a school of them.
The last time I kept only two and the weaker one was hiding in drift wood most the time.

Just a suggestion.

[hk75]

Got it 2nd hand. Tank was purchase from NA, Still under warranty

Hi hk75, mind letting me know where you bought your tank?

[illumnae]

Will be visiting NA to check out the lights they have.
GEX followers shld i join u guys???hahaha

you won't regret using Gex

i have a different recommendation concerning introducing discus into a planted tank. i would highly recommend introducing adult discus instead of juveniles. this is as planted tank maintenance is very different from maintenance of a discus growing tank. to promote discus growth, you need to do large frequent water changes (some discus owners do multiple 100% daily changes) as well as feed high protein content food that easily fouls (another reason to do frequent water changes). both these practices are anathema to planted tanks. if you introduce juvenile discus into a planted tank, you will find that they grow extremely slowly and will never reach their full size potential.

on the other hand, while it is true that adult discus do not acclimitize as easily as juvenile discus, acclimitization is but a 1 time event. once you get the discus safely into your tank, the acclimitization process is done and you don't have to worry about it anymore. you can then carry on with maintaining your planted tank as it should be maintained, and feed food that doesn't foul so easily as your discus no longer needs the high protein food to grow. dried food would serve just as well. just make sure you spend abit more time and effort in acclimitizing them at the start.

i made the mistake of using juvenile discus in my planted tank 8 months ago, and up till now i still sorely regret it.

[wks]

What happen to your juvenile discus?

[illumnae]

if i feed them beefheart, the water fouls as i can't do frequent large water changes in a planted tank. if i don't, they grow slowly and don't look nice. catch-22

[luenny]

Agree with what Illumnae says about discus. Juv discus needs to eat a lot more than adult discus to get the nice shape. Not really recommended for planted tank. Furthermore, if you have no experience on discus, adult discus is easier to care for - stronger, higher resistance, etc. And lastly, you do not need to keep such a big school of adult discus in your tank. 6 - 8 adult discus should fit nicely in your 4 ft tank.

In fact, if you are not familiar with discus and planted tank, best not to mix those 2 up. Better get the basics right before doing so.