Starting A New Tank

**AnneK** · 24th Dec 2001, 23:48

Hi everyone

I just got myself a new fish tank, filter, and lights. its a christmas gift for myself which i bought at a lfs shop in serangoon. when i was purchasing the tank, i saw a display tank with lots of plants and it was very pretty. I like to start a tank just like that but I have no idea where to start. Is there any kind soul that can give me some advice?

Thank you in advance, and have a merry christmas

Anne

**sherchoo** · 24th Dec 2001, 23:57

Hi Anne,

Welcome to the forum. May I ask you, where did you see the display tank... Petmart? Yes the tank do look interesting.

Before I can comment further, may I know the size of your tank, type of filter and your lights rating......

Basically you'll need:

1. Gravel
2. Base ferterlizer
3. Plants (of course)
4. CO2 system (can be DIYed to cut down cost)

**Simon** · 25th Dec 2001, 12:03

Hi Anne, firstly, ask yourself what u wanna do, concept, theme.. that will determine the things u shld get.. those basic things listed by sherchoo, including lighting fixtures is a must, at least u going for an outdoor tank which prolly get enuff natural sunlight

**AnneK** · 25th Dec 2001, 16:18

Hi Sherchoo & Simon

thank you for replying to my question.

I bought the tank at Rainbow Pet and it was the display tank just outside the shop. the tank I bought is a 3ft tank, the filter they asked me to purchase is a brand called ehiem which incidentally I had to spend 1 hr going through the instruction manual. As for the light set, I cannot remember what they called it, but it is those U-shaped bulb that looks like those energy saving type.

I inquired out of interest from the shop assistant about the display tank. That is when he started blabbering to me that I need to buy what you mentioned sherchoo, gravel, fertiliser, and CO2 system. I am not too sure about all these things, so I decided to hold my purchase. Is it really a must to have all these items? Okay, I will need the gravel for the plants, but what about the fertiliser and CO2 system?

Concept? Exactly what does it mean? I am staying in a HDB apartment which I dont think I can have my tank exposed to sunlight. I could place my tank where there is sunlight from the window though.

AnneK

**David** · 25th Dec 2001, 18:32

hi Anne

welcome to our forum and congrats on your new tank[

] the filter you have bought is a good filter..may we know which series did you buy? Is it an external canister or internal. Perhaps if you could state the model number?

The lights you have is a pl light set which is also known as the compact flouresent. This sort of light set is good for a planted tank. For a 3ft tank (I am assuming the breath and tank height is 1.5ft is estimated at 55gallons...and the rule of thumb for any planted tank is to have 2.5 to 3 watts to the gallon....this means that for your 50 gallon you need an estimate of 125 to 150 watts worth of light.

If you look at the light bulb itself you will be able to check the wattage per bulb.....As far as gravel is concern, best to get gravel grain that is 1.5 to 2mm in diameter...any finer your plants may have a problem establishing rooting system and also through time the fine sand may compact itself killing the rooting system.

Base fertiliser is the foundation of any planted tank. This fert level should be about 1in in height and best if it is soil based.

Aquatic plants like land plants need CO2. In most if not all aquarium, there is always a lack of dissolved CO2 for plants to thrive and grow. Which is why the LFS recommended the CO2 system to you. I am not saying that it is a must...as there are certain aquatic plants that dont need alot of CO2 to grow.....but with CO2, you will have a better choice of plants.

As far as concept is concern...i believe what simon is asking you is the what sort of aquascaping do you want as it can be broken down to :natural, biotope, dutch.......it is also important to know what kind of fish do you intend to put into your tank.....community or species.

**sherchoo** · 25th Dec 2001, 20:33

The U shapoe lights are known as PL tubes. Normally the each tubes are rated at 36W. As David mentioned earlier ideal lighting level is abt 3W per gallon. If there's 4 tubes of PL tubes, it should be fine at the mo.

**David Loh** · 25th Dec 2001, 21:39

For planted tank, CO2 and lighting is very important. Plants makes use of these 2 to produce oxygen and sugar during the day, a process called photosynthesis. You can start off with DIY CO2 on your own. More info can be found at www.thekrib.com for DIY CO2. Alternatively you can get those JBL CO2 bottle set from lfs for about $20. Each bottle can last about 45 days. When it's depleted, you can get a refill bottle for about $12. You can also keep the bottle cap and use it on a empty soft drink bottle. Those 1.5 - 2 litre bottle and make your own CO2. It's much cheaper. When your plants starts to florish and your interest in planted tank grows, then I would advise you seriously to consider getting a proper CO2 cylinder set. 1 whole set costs about $260 in the market, which includes the CO2 cylinder tank, regulator, solenoide valve, bubble counter and diffuser/reactor.

Cheers & have FUN !!!

**AnneK** · 26th Dec 2001, 18:03

Hi everyone

Wow! you guys are really quick

David(stkhoo?...i'm confuse) & Sherwin
The ehiem filter i purchased is called the Pro2? The model number is 2026 i think. As for the lights, it has four of those PL tubes in it at 36watts each....so if I multiple them, that would give me a total of 144watts. At 144 watts, there should be sufficient light?

David Loh
Thank you very much for the explaination and the website link. Think the DIY part is out for me (girls are not too good at this sort of things[

]). After calculating the cost for disposable and the cylinder, the disposable cost will be greater in the long run. May you let me know where can I purchase the cylinder..blah blah..from.

As for the gravel and base fert, is there any brand that I should be looking for, and how much gravel and fert should i buy? The fish i really like to have are those very colorful guppies i saw at rainbow. Perhap i start a guppy tank?

Simon, should i be placing my tank where natural sunlight is in my home?

thanks...you guys are great!

Anne

**wks** · 26th Dec 2001, 18:19

Hi Anne,
Are u going into planted tank seriously or just some plants to decorate your guppies tank? if u are into planted tank, u need to read up on quite a few of things. I 'm not out to scare u but many hobbyists do not bother to find out how to set up and manage an aquarium properly before they buy the set. This is sad as they normally face problems and give up after a while.

A good website to recommend is Chuck's aquarium pages http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/articles.htm

If u do not understand anything from his articles, write to us and we will try our best to answer. For easy to read reference books, u can get A fishkeeper's guide to the healthy aquarium by Dr Neville carrington and An interpet guide to the tropical aquarium by Dick Mills.

**sherchoo** · 26th Dec 2001, 20:30

Hi anne,

The filter youbought is a good filter indeed (I wish I had it). It will do fine for a planted tank. As for the lights, it should be sufficient at 144W.

Since you're not going to DIY the CO2, then you have no other choice but to get a pressured CO2 system.
You have 2 option of tank steel or aluminium. Aluminium is light weight but cost more. Steel is very heavy, which could be a problem if you don't have transport when it comes to topping up gas. As for the size, they commonly come in 2L, 3L or 5L. Buying a small tank would mean that you have more frequent topping up trips. I personnaly am using the 5L steel tank.

A regulator is attached to the co2. This regulator is necessary for controlling the co2 flow. Some regulators come with a solenoid, which can on/off electrically. This can be syncronized with the lights with a timer. I would strongly recomend you to get the one with the solenoid version.

**David Loh** · 26th Dec 2001, 20:33

Anne,

A CO2 set could set you back for about $250 - $260. Like what wks has said, if you are really into planted tank, getting a CO2 set is recommended. The cylinder comes in 2 litre and 5 litres. The 2 litre should last you for about half a year, after which you can bring in for refill for about $10 - $20 depending on where you top up. You can visit this lfs at Thomson called Nature Aquarium just opposite Thomson Medical Centre. It's one of those HDB flat shop. I got most of my stuff there. They sell gravels, fertilizers, and CO2 set. The boss Chan is very helpful which I am sure will answer whatever queries you have.

ck · 27th Dec 2001, 23:27

Hi

Anne,

David mentioned Nature Aquarium opposite Thomson Medical Centre, it's a GREAT place for beginners! Before u take the plunge, may be u should read AQUAJOURNAL to get some inspiration. They are altogether only 6 English issues published. Fantastic pictures & easy to understand info to start u off.

**Takashi** · 28th Dec 2001, 01:57

But i will suggest if you are getting the AQUAJOURNAL magazines, might as well just get the Nature Aquarium World books 1,2 or 3. As the magazines itself are not cheap and moreover the pictures in the magazines are got from the book.

**Jason_** · 28th Dec 2001, 08:58

Takashi Amano's Nature Aquarium World Vol 2 & 3 (not too sure about Vol 1), can be borrowed from the National Library. Check them out thru' NLB's website.

**sherchoo** · 29th Dec 2001, 00:13

Anne,
Don't think you'll be able to borrow the book of the shelves... may want to use the booking facilities at NLB.

**AnneK** · 6th Jan 2002, 16:52

Hi guys

I just like to say thank you very much for helping me......my tank is up and running and waiting to place my fish in.........

**Simon** · 7th Jan 2002, 01:00

any pics to share?

**wks** · 7th Jan 2002, 01:01

Anne,
The next thing u need after your new tank is patience. Watch carefully how the plants grow(if u are into plants) before u make any move like adding more fert, lights or CO2. Algae always start to look for impatient tank owners....