Newbie - advice wanted! - Page 3 - Aquarium Advice

sarahsunshine · 11-01-2009, 10:45 AM

For clarification...

What are PCs and WPGs?

mfdrookie516 · 11-01-2009, 12:32 PM

PC's are Power Compact Flourescent lights
WPG's are Watts Per Gallon- the ratio of wattage of the light to the size of the tank

sarahsunshine · 11-02-2009, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfdrookie516

PC's are Power Compact Flourescent lights
WPG's are Watts Per Gallon- the ratio of wattage of the light to the size of the tank

OK, so where can I find a list of plants that would work for the wattage I have?

My aquarium is 20g deep (24Lx12Wx16H).

sarahsunshine · 11-02-2009, 01:45 PM

OK, I have another question.
i just got an Aquaclear 20 hanging filter for the 20g tank I have ( it was under filtered and the only other filter I have is an Aquaclear 300 which is massive. I thought it was for a 20g tank because that's what the box said, but on the AqAdvisor link it says 10g. The smallest Aquaclear that it suggests is the Aquaclear 70, or 300 (which I have).

I'm just confused, I guess... I'm thinking of setting up the 25g community suggested by AqAdvisor because I'm a newbie, but if there's any slight variations on that, I would be thrilled!

Also, is there a narrower type of hanging filter, or a different type altogether that people would suggest, considering it would look much nicer if the filter could actually hang on the back (there's only 3" behind the tank to hang a filter).

Oh, and how would the fish community be afftected by plants. /if I put in live plants, would that mean fewer fish?

mfdrookie516 · 11-02-2009, 02:25 PM

The filter technically is rated for a 20g tank, but most filters dont hold up to their potential... I usually run 2 filters on my tanks, both rated for the size of the tank. If you cant run two filters, its always a good idea to run a filter rated for a tank larger, like on my 10g tank, i have a filter rated for a 30g tank... Is there any way you could move the tank out from the wall any? I keep mine at least 6-8" out so i have plenty of room to work. A canister or in tank filter would be your only other options if you dont have room behind the tank and cant move it. Adding plants wont necessarily mean less fish... Unless you have fish that eat plants, then you will get rid of them and have less fish lol.

**jsoong** · 11-02-2009, 06:52 PM

List of Low light plants:
PlantGeek.net - Plant Guide

however, most will not work with your 2x25W incandescents <except maybe Java ferns.> I think you will have a lot more success if you at least swap those for CF's. <Micro-minis are ~13W, with 2 of those, you can try some of the plants on that list.>

sarahsunshine · 11-02-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsoong

List of Low light plants:
PlantGeek.net - Plant Guide

however, most will not work with your 2x25W incandescents <except maybe Java ferns.> I think you will have a lot more success if you at least swap those for CF's. <Micro-minis are ~13W, with 2 of those, you can try some of the plants on that list.>

I'm heading to Ikea for CFs!

sarahsunshine · 11-02-2009, 11:27 PM

I never got to Ikea, but I got some 6500K mini-twisters. One fits fine, but for some reason the other doesn't (and it seems symetrical so ?!? ). I think I'm going to have to do some tinkering when baby goes to sleep tomorrow. Shouldn't be too hard...

The hard part will be goldfish-proof plants!

In the meantime, logs are in and sunk! Nitrites are under control with daily 70% changes. And I can't wait to get some plants!!!

Oh, and here's my current ideas of fish for when cycling gets established, obviously needing some paring down still:

mfdrookie516 · 11-03-2009, 02:55 AM

anubias and amazon sword are fairly 'hardy' plants... anubias is pretty much one of the easiest plants to grow, and amazon sword is pretty tough too, at least it grows back easily when eaten lol. Im sure jsoong has some better advice on those, but at least for the time being, java fern or moss, amazon sword, and anubias would be my pick. Also some of those fish are questionable in my opinion... Seems like alot for a 20g tank. Just make sure you dont add them all at once, whatever you get

sarahsunshine · 11-03-2009, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfdrookie516

anubias and amazon sword are fairly 'hardy' plants... anubias is pretty much one of the easiest plants to grow, and amazon sword is pretty tough too, at least it grows back easily when eaten lol. Im sure jsoong has some better advice on those, but at least for the time being, java fern or moss, amazon sword, and anubias would be my pick. Also some of those fish are questionable in my opinion... Seems like alot for a 20g tank. Just make sure you dont add them all at once, whatever you get

As a fish murderer (I hope that's past tense), I'm trying my best to make things easiest for finny friends. Once I get cycling established, I'll figure out which species to add first. According to Aqadvisor, that's slightly too many fish too, so I'm going to have to pare it down.

Which ones, in your opinion are questionable and why?

Oh, and if I were to go out and get some anubias, Amazon swords, and Java fern, what is the process for introducing them to my tank?