setting up a planted tank

[mickey15]

Hi everyone, im new to aquarium stuffs. I saw those beautiful tanks photos and i wish to setup my own planted tank also.

But there are some questions i would like to ask before committing myself to setup a tank. I was thinking about the size of 1-2ft tank

1)Is it very time consuming to look after a planted tank? do i have to change water regularly if i decide to keep a few fishes with it?

2)With the pump, filter and light, is the electricity consumption very high? how much does it add to the monthly bills?

3)I live in the West region, jurong west to be specific, is there any reputable shop around there which i can shop for my equipments?

4)Roughly how much is needed to setup a basic planted tank? and the maintenance? And what basic things do i need for the setup ?

Thanks in advance.

[jacian]

Welcome to AQ.

Let me try to answer your queries.

1. It depends on whether you are going for a high tech or a low tech setup. A high tech usually means higher maintanence. Usually we recommend 20-50% of water change weekly dependly on your setup and bioload.

2. You may make use of the aquarium calculator link to roughly gauge the electricity consumption.

3. At the west, you may want to try the C328 LFS.

4. Read this link to understand what are the things needed to start a planted tank.

[Aquaculture]

Welcome to AQ Mickey15.

Allow to me to relate to your questions;

1)Is it very time consuming to look after a planted tank? do i have to change water regularly if i decide to keep a few fishes with it?

Actually the initial part is quite time consuming but the rewards you get when you have set it up is priceless. You've started on the right track of browsing and seeing what you like. Use it to plan on how you want to scape your tank, what plants to use, etc. Personally I particular love this portion as I've lots of room to create something of my own.

Water change (WC) is usually done once a week. Not much work there... There's also pruning of plants according to your scape. No worries on how you cut it. It'll just grow back. Yup, very forgiving unless you totally cut the whole thing.

2)With the pump, filter and light, is the electricity consumption very high? how much does it add to the monthly bills?

Let's complicate the equation by adding solenoid & timers to give you the upper percentile of how much you may spend on bills. The most energy consuming items you'll be looking at are the filter canister and being overtaken by your lights. The higher the flow rate, the more energy it consume, so goes with lights. Through trusted brands like Eheim has proven to consume lower electricity but still produce an equal flow rate as compared to other brand. Being a consumer of lower electricity, the motor head would also be less heated up, thus less heat being transferred into your tank. Temperature is also another concern we have, we would try to keep it between 24 to 27 degrees if possible. If no choice, a chiller would be needed but let's not go into that at this initial stage.

For lights, it ranges from PL to T5 to MH lamps. The spectrum/intensity of the lights increases which is related to the amount of electricity & heat being produced.

As a reference, my electricity bill increase by about $15 to $20.

3)I live in the West region, jurong west to be specific, is there any reputable shop around there which i can shop for my equipments?

Lots of bros live around the west. There a good one at Blk 328 Clementi, Ave 2... which we refer to C328. Not only that, you're also living very close to the farms. AQ is also ever revolving and upgrading, they have added a directory. You can make use of that to find the exact location and its always been updated by bros if there are any changes.... you'll never be lost in AQ http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...splay.php?f=72

4)Roughly how much is needed to setup a basic planted tank? and the maintenance? And what basic things do i need for the setup?

Very much depends on your planning stage and most importantly what your pockets allow. There's a range of products you may use from an entry level to using branded stuff like ADA or Gex substrate...

As being new to this hobby and probably unsure on how long this interest would last. I highly encourage your to keep a lookout in the Marketplace

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...splay.php?f=27

Thought the products are pre-loved, quite a no. of them are reasonable priced. It'll help you cut cost. As for quality, you'll be quite surprise that the products can most of the time look like new.

Best way is to not rush into it head on. Read more and plan on how you want to scape it. From your specs, bros are able to provide you quite a more accurate estimation.

[mickey15]

Thanks a lot for the advices here, very useful for beginners like me.
I would like to ask again, sorry...

1)Is pump necessary? for e.g, i would like to rear some fishes (e.g low maintenance guppies / shrimps) or would the plants provide enough O2 for the shrimps / fishes ?

2)How do i clean the tank? with all the gravel / sands / stones.

3)i saw some photos which has pants growing on the false wood, do you guys stick on it?

4)For a 1ft tank, how much light would i need for the plants ?

[Aquaculture]

1)Is pump necessary? for e.g, i would like to rear some fishes (e.g low maintenance guppies / shrimps) or would the plants provide enough O2 for the shrimps / fishes ?

Any form of pump, filters, is a necessary especially when you're thinking of a 1ft cube. Being a filter, its a column where beneficial bacteria (BB) is being produced. BB is used to break down harmful element like ammonia, nitrite, etc. Hypocritically, you may also discount the pump/filter but much more wc is needed.

2)How do i clean the tank? with all the gravel / sands / stones.

The gravel / sands / stones is known as substrate. You use a pipe to sort of 'vacuum' the debris from the substrate. There are quite no. of makes in the market but the function is the same.

3)i saw some photos which has pants growing on the false wood, do you guys stick on it?

We tie it via a string, fishing line. Its noticeable during the initial stage but the plant would outgrow it. Adding to that you may also notice plants which are grown like a lawn at the foreground, these are tied to wire mesh. Again the plants would do its job of covering it and making the mesh 'disappear'.

4)For a 1ft tank, how much light would i need for the plants ?

Regardless of tank size, as a guideline, we usually measure 3wpg (watts per gallon). Note that this is only a guideline and has been debated a no. of time. How much light is needed is highly dependent on what is your depth of tank as as you would consider the spectrum or thrown distance. Secondly, what are the requirements of the plants. Whether does it need high light or low light.

Understand that its quite a lot of infor you may need to absorb as aquascape is sort of like science coupled with creativity. I do hope I have not scared the interest out of you...

[Aquaculture]

Welcome to AQ.

Let me try to answer your queries.

1. It depends on whether you are going for a high tech or a low tech setup. A high tech usually means higher maintanence. Usually we recommend 20-50% of water change weekly dependly on your setup and bioload.

2. You may make use of the aquarium calculator link to roughly gauge the electricity consumption.

3. At the west, you may want to try the C328 LFS.

4. Read this link to understand what are the things needed to start a planted tank.

As bro jacian suggested. Do a read up, most of the questions have been brought up before and the experiences shared by other bros will save you lots of trouble and obstacles to avoid.

[mickey15]

Thanks guys...
i happen to come across this photo..
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/galle...hp?i=5073&c=36

it seems that this nano tank can operate w/o filter and such and even can rear some fishes..

so this is feasible? i was thinking of simple setup like this before i upgrade myself to bigger tank n more maintenance....

[mickey15]

hey guys, was wondering if this package from mizu world is worth it?
care to give advice?

http://www.mizuworld.com/index.php?t...etail&pid=1367

[bryan]

That package should cover most of it. Saves alot of trouble running to and fro the fish shop. You might want to check with Ben on the suitable plants they have in stock. Don't over do on the live stock for a tank this size. Some teeny weeny fish and shrimps will do fine.

[jacian]

it seems that this nano tank can operate w/o filter and such and even can rear some fishes..

so this is feasible? i was thinking of simple setup like this before i upgrade myself to bigger tank n more maintenance....

Without a filter is feasible but you can keep your bioload real low. Do note that sometimes we remove the filter so that the photograph looks nice.

The package from Mizu World looks good for a startup.

[mickey15]

thanks everyone ! i will look around here and decide what i want before i start my own tank.....

thanks for all the advices given...

[mickey15]

Morning everyone, im back with more questions today... hope you guys dun mind.

I have somehow decided on the size of tank and the plants which i going to get.

Size of tank : around 30x30x25cm
Plants intended :
1)Anubias Nana
2)Crypt - Green Geko
3)Crypt - Lutea
4)Taiwan Moss (on drift wood)
5)Japanese Hairgrass

I intend to make the crypts as background plants, and the japanese hairgrass as forground plants.

I have some questions in my mind

1)I wonder if my procedure is correct, first i lay a layer of soil (how high should it be?) then i lay a layer of white sand (how high should it be?) correct?

2)As the nana need to be tied down, can i tied it to small stones?

3)As for the crypts, it should be inserted all the way down to the soil layer?

4)How much light is needed for such setup? e.g Watt required and hours of lighting required.

5)What filter should i get to prevent overkill ? e.g how many watt ones any recommendation?

6)I've plan to go C328 for the shopping. Are the people there helpful? and such setup, roughly how much is it going to cost me?

6)What kind of nutrients should i get for those plants mentioned above?

Thanks for any advices given...

[jacian]

Good Morning, great to see you getting things moving.

A 1ft cube tank will be a easier to get tank size, do check out the Market place as there may be people selling their tank.

If you intend to use white sand to create a seashore effect, I suggest to partition it from the soil instead of laying the white sand on top of the soil.
Here is a link on how this can be done.

You can tie the nana to small stones but my preference will be wood.

You just need to insert the roots of the crypts into the soil layer.

I will recommend 2x11w or 2x13w lights for your setup. Start with 4hours and slowly increase to 8hours daily

If you budget permit, I recommend Eden 501 filter for your setup. A very quiet and reliable filter IMO.

C382 will be a good place for shopping just that the people there may be too busy. NA at thomson is another place you can do your shopping. $200 should be enough to get what you need, excluding the CO2 set.

Fertilization wise too many to choose from, I will leave it to others to recommend.

[mickey15]

Thanks a lot Jacian...

Initially i thought the soil would pollute the water that's why the sand are there to cover it.

Plants like nana being tied to stones / woods, and hairgrass. How are they going to get the nutrients from the water ?

[FishSoup]

Hairgrass are root-feeders i think, i.e. they take nutrient through the roots. Nanas get nutrients from the water column, similar to java ferns and mosses.

[Aquaculture]

To broaden your perception of nanas, I have mine planted just like any other plants, into the soil. Been doing that for years, no problems encounter.

[mickey15]

oic...thanks a lot for the clarification....

[mickey15]

Hi everyone...
more questions to ask today... thanks in advance...

is it possible to setup a low tech tank within $100 budget? exl floras & faunas....

Things needed:
1)1ft cube tank
2)Hang on filter
3)18w light
4)Soil
5)Sand
6)mini thermometer

Bros here can recommend me the brands to get from LFS ? possible shopping area would be C328 or Y934.....

thanks alot

[bryan]

You'll need a fan as well. Plants need low temperature. For all the stuff you listed, it shoud come up to around a hundred. You can even go without the soil if you want to stick with just moss , ferns or anubias.

[mickey15]

hmmm, if i stick with anubias, ferns and moss then wat should i need if not the soil ?

any particular brands i can lookout for? e.g the filter and light?

as for fan, i got a few left over 8" fan from my pc hobbies last time, can DIY a dc fan......