Hi fellow aquatic gurus, I'm living in singapore, been following the forum for a week already and this is my first post. I'm very interested in setting up my new planted tank but I'm lack of experience and would like to seek advice with fellow aquatic gurus out there. How much fund would be expected ? I already got my tank from a friend and a tank light, the color of the light is purple-ish and I'm expecting to change to white light tube instead.
My tank : rectangular shape. Length 2ft
Width 1ft
Heights 1.5ft
Currently no equipment yet as I'm planning ahead before buying. I understand that there is something call the low tech tank that doesn't required much maintainance nor co2 etc... I don't really understand the dosage of what tom barr has mention in one of the stickies. How do I mention it to the LFS? What's the price of the aqua soil, fertilizer for low tech tanks in singapore ? Should I go to pasir ris farmway instead shops like rainbow in serangoon Which is cheaper?
Just a curious should it be aqua soil on top of sand or vice versa?
I've plan to plant carpet grass on the base eg hair glass. and some xmas / java ferns for the backgrounds. Should I add drift wood? What other plan can I add to make it greener? With cardinal tetra, crown loaches, cherries shrimp, snail assassin, oto. What else can I add to make the tank more variety ?
For the specification of my tank, how much watt filter is needed? I'm intending to add rain bar to either side of the tank where the stem plants are, possible ? How many watt lighting do I need ?
I'm planning ahead for my tank in my room putting it near my windows. will be executing the project when I have sufficient funds and info as I don't want my fish or plants to die horribly.
Please advicE
Best regards,
VK
Welcome to AQ and this wonderfully crazy hobby! How about you tell us how much you allocated for this hobby? We can then advice you accordingly.
Probably this will help (using old tank and lightset):
1) $75 to $149
2) $150 to $249
3) $250 to $399
4) $400 and beyond
Hi vainkid,
I too have just started on this hobby. As for budget wise, you are better off buying from NA opposite Thomson Medical center which is cheapest i've seen so far. Rainbow is very expensive (eheim 2213 quoted to be more expensive by one blue note) and parsir ris farmway has larger variety of plants and fishes but equipment not very cheap too imho. Hope it helps.
Hi there, I'm a students now and only put a budget of 100 to 150 for the tank equipment as I've already got a tank + lighting from my friend. I think low maintainance tank filter system does not cost as much as high tech isn't it?
Hi bro, how do u go there by public transport ? I think its kinda inconvenientOriginally Posted by deon
Hi vainkid,
I too have just started on this hobby. As for budget wise, you are better off buying from NA opposite Thomson Medical center which is cheapest i've seen so far. Rainbow is very expensive (eheim 2213 quoted to be more expensive by one blue note) and parsir ris farmway has larger variety of plants and fishes but equipment not very cheap too imho. Hope it helps.
you can try http://www.thomsonmedical.com/visiting.htm once u get there its just opposite the road at balestia shopping center (which is not exactly a shopping center- more like shop houses)
Thanks deon, anymore tips available on my question ?
filtration is important. it helps break down waste, maintain water quality and ensures water circulation so this is an area that requires some thought.
the eheim 2213 that bro deon mentioned is a german made canister filter with flow rate suitable for a 2 ft planted tank. it quite ex but it lasts forever. worth considering and saving up for. its a solid piece of equipment. reliable, quiet, 3 yr warranty and spare parts and accessories easily available.
u have to think through how u want to set-up your filter. internal or external? hanging? overhead? canister?
each type got their pros and cons. u have to be clear about what u want to achieve, and find a solution that suits your budget
Thanks for the advice bro,The ehiem canister filter how much does it cost? Maybe could u list the pros and cons for each filtration system ? Personally I have no experience using filter so I've no idea. I read up that we could use aqua soil for such tanks, how about the fertilizer, any advice? Once again thanksfiltration is important. it helps break down waste, maintain water quality and ensures water circulation so this is an area that requires some thought.
the eheim 2213 that bro deon mentioned is a german made canister filter with flow rate suitable for a 2 ft planted tank. it quite ex but it lasts forever. worth considering and saving up for. its a solid piece of equipment. reliable, quiet, 3 yr warranty and spare parts and accessories easily available.
u have to think through how u want to set-up your filter. internal or external? hanging? overhead? canister?
each type got their pros and cons. u have to be clear about what u want to achieve, and find a solution that suits your budget
Last edited by Vainkid; 14th Mar 2009 at 20:52. Reason: Typo
the 2213 will use up abt 2/3 of your budget... check NA or C328... they have good prices for that one.
if on a budget can try for a 2nd hand eheim but make sure u inspect thoroughly before buying...
can check the eheim website for their full range and decide if its what u're looking for.
http://www.eheimasiapacific.com/prod_eheim.html
a few things u need to explore also:
tank size: if confirmed 2 ft tank, u will need a filter that can cycle your tank's volume abt 4 - 6 times per hr. average volume of 2 ft tank is 50 litres so a filter with flow rate of abt 200 litres / hr might be sufficient. note that eheim is capable of much more than that... be careful not to get anything too strong... it'll stress your fish.
bio-load: what fish? how many? there are no absolute right or wrong answers because every tank is unique. the type of fish u're keeping, how many, how often u feed them and how u maintain the tank will have an impact on your tank condition and whether your filter is adequate.
type of scape and possible obstacles: try to visualise... would an internal filter get in the way of your aquascape? where would u place the pipes for an external filter? does your tank have bracing that can get in the way? what other equipment needs to be accommodated? CO2? surface skimmer? thermometer?there are always tons of gadgets and thats what makes this hobby so interesting.
these are questions that needs to be thought through... u don't want to buy tons of equipment and find that u can't use them due to some issues which u didn't forsee.
Vainkid,
The bulk of your budget will go to filter, followed by C02 then substrate and light... it would be best if you could get 2nd hand as mentioned by Detrius which should cut down on your budget... For a 2Feet tank best is to have an external filter as normal Hang-on filter usually dont circulate water fast enough... As for soil most people prefer ADA or Gex and all good substrate in my opinion should have enough nutrients to last you through your initial phase before you need to start dosing ferterlisers... there are alot more information in other threads which you might want to read too... hope it helps
maybe u can go for HOF instead of 2213
2213 is definitely out of your budget...
can... camp out at the buy / sell forums and find a decent 2nd hand one...maybe u can go for HOF instead of 2213
2213 is definitely out of your budget...
concern is HOF flow rate not strong enough.
i would consider an OHF... larger medium tray. quite flexible and economical also.
Wow very nice advice. Other than the 2133 or hof, any filter cost around 50 to 70 ? don't need too good ones as my main concerns is growing plants instead of putting loads of fish, I'm doing a low tech aqua scape tank.
Regards,
Vk
Hi vainkid,
HOF will fit your budget nicely and there are cheaper brand of external filter similar to the 2213 that will fit your budget... if you are going to NA im sure they have...
Well actually for student I would not even recommend Eheim. As the pricing is relatively high and you may or may not be long in this hobby no one knows.
My recommendation for students would be to buy Atman canister filter with a decent flowrate of 900 L/H costing just below seven red notes. As for the media is about another 2-3 red notes. This filter will last easily 2 years. Until you are certain in this hobby then you invest in it. As for Eheim with media you need about fifteen red notes at least i think.
Place to buy this will be seletar farmway 1 at seaview, I believed the 15% for CNY is still on thanks to the nice boss.
Btw. this is the wrong thread to post this, should post in equipment thread or beginners thread.
VIPER
Hi bro VK
I'm using a tank same size as yours since Jan 2009 and I've survived to date with an Eheim Liberty 2041 filter. I modified the inserts a little. Instead of using the included Eheim inserts, I bought cheap filter sponges from my LFS and cut them to fit the filter box. I also placed about 300g of BioHome inside the Liberty, and attached the filter intake to a generic surface skimmer.
Search for my thread of my new 2-ft setup to see results which can be achieved using a simple HOF. My Liberty 2041 cost just under $50 new. I plan to use an Atman CF-800 or CF-600 by the end of this month, but now I'm asking myself what is the purpose of this change. My fish and plants are all healthy and my water is relatively clean. No surface film thanks to the skimmer, but I guess the main reason I'm getting a canister is to filter my water even more thoroughly.
The HOF demands slightly more maintenance. I rinse the filter sponges once a week or once a fortnight (depending on time) else my water will have noticeable suspended particles. I hope to achieve ADA-like crystal clear water with the Atman and suitable mechanical filter media!
Yecch!
Can also try Atman HF-0600 (think it is 600L/H). At $15 it comes with build-in surface skimmer. Should be more than enough for a 2ft tank.
aqua scape needs decent filtration for water circulation... otherwise dead spots = algae
agree with some of the bros here... if u're just trying out and not too sure, can consider more budget solutions and upgrade from there gradually when u're more sure of what u need / want.
for $50 to $70, there are many choices u can consider, including some affordable canister filters. a good place to look see is sea-view... a lot of equipment on display
but when buying canisters, make sure u factor in the costs of the medium... if the canister doesn't come with medium, need to invest in ceramic rings or bio-home. that also adds to cost.
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