Doing all the right things.

[JamesMJ2]

I am going to set up a 46 gallon Bow Front. I want to avoid making the mistakes I made when I set up my 20gal tank. I have learned a great deal thanks to this forum and my own research, but there is always something I don't know. So again I am turning to you guys. I have it down to three sections. Equipment, Fish, and Plants.

Equipment: Obviously we have the 46 Gallon Bow front(36x20x15) . Now to filter this bad boy I have my Emperor 280, which by the numbers can handle the volume of the tank. It is going to be planted though and I plan on having quite a few fish, so should I make the jump to a canister filter, and run that in conjunction with the Emp 280. Suggestions on Canister filters would be appreciated as well, since I have no experience with them. Lights.. I have a pretty good PC lamp. Problem is it's only 24 inches long and the new tank is 36 long. Maybe this isn't a problem? Also following the two watts per gallon rule I would need a more powerful lamp 96watts instead of 65watts, maybe this isn't a problem either? On to heaters I already have a Visi-Therm 100 watt, obviously I need another heater, my question is, per 5 watts per gallon for heaters I would have to have a total in 230watts of heater power. Would 200 watts be acceptable, I could just add a second 100watt heater. Should I consider getting power head, I am raising plants and maybe the extra water movement would be bad for the plants?

For Fish I am keeping mostly community. I have the list of my current fish(in my sig), and then I was thinking of adding a few Harlequin Rasboras and 2 Neon Blue Gourami. I can't remember what the rule of thumb is for fish, I assume though that 46 gallons can handle quit a bit o fish.

Finally plants, nothing too extravagant I have three Amazon Swords, would like to add a few Anachris, and some Cabomba. I have a 25lb bag of regular gravel, and a 10lb bag of Schultz Aquatic Soil. I think I have enough gravel to cover the substrate, but I am positive I will need a second bag of Schultz. I am using a Hagen CO2 system. One should be enough I would think. Have a nice piece of drift wood, and was thinking of adding some slate to make some caves.

Don't think I have left anything out, please let me know if I have. Also please let me know what you think about this whole set up. I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Allivymar]

I would add the canister as well; you want a filter which turns over 6-10x the tank amount. The 280 barely meets the qualification and you have a big bio-load. Not sure which to recommend as I don't use them, but I'm sure someone with experience will chime in.

I would add an additional heater as well. A 50 would suffice, although with the 100 if one blows, the other will keep the tank temps from changing too quickly.

No power head; the clowns would love it, but angels require calm slow moving water.

 

[TankGirl]

For canister filters I have heard a lot of good things about the Rena Filstar, and have just ordered one for myself. The Magnum filters have a good rep, also. I think you should get another 50-watt heater, like Allivymar recommended, and that way if one fails you still have another. If you keep your house at a steady temp you should not require 230 watts. You should aim for 2-3 wpg for lights, if possible. Also, if the strip does not cover the entire width of the tank you will suffer some shadowy low-light areas that will struggle if planted. If you have a glass top on this tank you should be able to find a 36-inch strip to go with what you have, maybe, if you can hide the mismatched strips in a canopy. Check this for yourself, but I believe Hagen recommends one CO2 unit per 20 gallons, so maybe hook up with another one. (BTW, make your own recipe for this unit with 1/2 tsp yeast, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 cup of sugar).

I adore planning new tanks!

 

[Guest]

To add to what has been said above, yes, go with a cannister, I have an Eheim, love it, but it's expensive. In reading this and various other boards, I'd prolly get a Rena Filstar. I also have some Magnums (which are good), but I've heard the Renas are better. Also with a cannister you can keep the outflow well below the surface, reducing surface agitation, which causes co2 loss.

Substrate, gor for 3+ inches deep for a planted tank, so yeah at least one more bag of schultz.

Slight disagreements with some of the above, I'd go for 3-4 wpg, for best plant growth. Also, if you end up planting heavily 2 hagen units will be needed. Again, if planting heavy, the powerhead is a good idea, you place it mid level or towards the bottom. The plants will break up the water flow, and it won't be bad for the angels, except right in front of the power head. The plants will enjoy extra circulation, it keeps nutrients and co2 constantly flowing around them and therefore readily available. I'd go for the type where you can adjust the strength of the current, and keep it set at a good flow level.
With a medium to heavily planted tank, you can have a heavy bioload, the plants handle a lot of nitrogenous waste, use it for food!

 

[JamesMJ2]

OK, So far so good. For a canister I will go with a Magnum 350. I realize that it might not hold as much filter media, but it does have the water polishing cartridge, and 350GPH is pretty good. For heaters I checked on prices and it's a $ difference for twice as much heater. So I will pick up an extra 100w. The ambient room temp is never lower then 65-ish and never higher then 80-ish. For power heads I have two in mind. Rio-Aqua 200 @ 138GPH or a Penguin 550 @ 145GPH. I would think less is actually better since I just want a gentle current. Let me know what you guys think either way. The only problem I am having is the light. I can't return it to get the 36inch and there are no PC bulbs in 96watts for my 24 inch fixture. I am not sure how many plants dictates "heavily Planted" I was thinking around 7 or 8 plants. So if thats heavy then I will need to get the second hagen CO2 unit, shouldn't be a problem though. I need to figure out what to do with this light though. Any suggestions?, so far only thing I can think of is sell the old one on Ebay, to make up the difference in cost.