Sam's Planted Tank

[Sam Tan]

Good sunday bros.

I just move in my new flat. And I am going to have a fish tank =)

the house CO 'permited' me to place a fish tank, i measured the length to be about 110cm after allowing space for the switches/sockets on the left side.

despited having budgets, I think Im gonna go all out to customise make a tank c/w cabinet. regardless how long im gonna buy things by bits and pieces.

bro, please comment how would i maxmised the space, and what should the size of tank / the cabinets, and seriously the height of the cabinet + the height of tank. (high enough at level of sight?) should I make those with tank top covers?


thanks!

[Shadow]

you can get the standard 90x45x45cm tank. Typically cabinet height would be 70cm.

Is this suppose to be planted tank, aquascaping or fish only tank?

[leonard6july]

110cm x 3 tier rack would maximize the use of this space.

[Sam Tan]

Thanks guys,

Im doing planted aquarium

how much would a 90x45x45cm roughly cost?

should i buy one without cover? like those from ADA?

and there are few types of glass right? crystal clear glass etc.

thanks.

[mincedmeat]

there are a couple of vendors that do customised tanks. i believe there's a list somewhere. i have been using N30. prices will differ based on glass used, thickness and dimensions of glass. you probably don't need a cover if you are having a planted tank.

[Sam Tan]

Hi guys,

what do you think of the dimension and size of the tank & cabinet?

not sure what equipments I will need but base on my readings the cabinet should probaby have;

1. external filter 2. CO2 tank and assembly 3. pump?


I should be approaching N30 for quote ba.

[Shadow]

is this going to be for planted tank? if yes, are you planning for carpet plant? if yes, don't make 60cm deep tank, your light cannot penetrate unless you use MH

[mincedmeat]

Yup, I would think 2 ft high tank is pretty high and would require a high light output for carpetting to take place. You would also encounter problems with other plants. I would rather have you put the height to 1.5 ft at most.

[Sam Tan]

Sounds like MH lamps are discouraged. why?

[Shadow]

Not discourage but many people don't like it because it generate more heat, heating up the water.

[mincedmeat]

Which then translate to high rate of evaporation, and then translates to harder to keep the right water conditions.

[Sam Tan]

really thank you guys for such prompt assistance.

for heat problem, does a $300 chiller solve the problem?

[Shadow]

yes chiller will solve y our problem but you probably need bigger chiller though for your tank size, 1/4 hp maybe.

[mincedmeat]

and a 1/4 chiller wouldn't be cheap. so it's a give and take scenario.

[deric79k]

with chiller will solve the problem, but you monthly electricity bill will be high .
another thing is your house temperature will become more high.

[Sam Tan]

Alrighty !

Kena $500 4d last Wednesday, after so angbao to my wife, got my first tank 3ft

Ok now, pay day soon, probably will buy soil first where i can spend another some time doing the layout or rather getting any idea on the layout...

so whats the soil should i get? just read someone had bad experience with GEX green.
2 bag? price? sorry asking too many spoon feeds questions, cause i want to bring enough money to go buy whats needed...

thanks all brother in advance.!

cheers.

[Shadow]

get ADA Aquasoil amazonia, you need about 3-4 packet of 9L bag depending on how high you want your slope.

[mincedmeat]

Each bag costs about $60, so 3 bags about $180. Don't forget you might want to add in dry fertilizers to improve growth conditions of your plants

[Shadow]

not that expensive lah, $36 - $43 per bag depend on the shop

[josephogk]

so far cheapest ADA amazonia soil I enquired is from NA. you can try