Hi everyone. I had purchased a "50 gallon" tank over Kijiji, which after a measurement yesterday, proved to be less than half that volume. Shame on me for not measuring it before I purchased it!
Regardless, I plan to take advantage of a tent sale a LFS is having and have made up a rough draft of the components i'll be picking up. I also had question relating to a low maintenance planted tank, but i'll ask those after. Build will either be a 40 or 50 gallon tank, standard dimensions:
TANK:
Lighting: See planting section
Filter: Aquaclear 70 (or should I get the 110?)
Heater: I need to warm my room up about 9 degrees, so it needs to be at least 150W if i've researched correctly. I'll probably go for a submersible model
Thermometer: Would a stick-on mercury thermometer for aquariums be enough? I've seen little sticker-looking thermometers that some people put on the front of their tank, are they any better?
Substrate: I plan to go for some dark coloured gravel, smooth, no bigger that 3mm as I plan to stock Corys. See planting section as well
Water Conditioner: Something that will get rid of the chlorine and chlorides from my tap water. That should be enough right?
Vacuum: Everyone seems to recommend the Python, so i'll probably look into that
Then other accessories like nets, buckets (for aquarium use only!), an algae scrubber and some sort of air stone
FISH:
Haven't settled on exact quantities, but I have a rough idea of what I want to stock:
For my bottom feeders, maybe 6 or so Sterba's Cory. I like the patterned ones over the solid colour/shiny ones. I think they'll pop nicely on the dark substrate.
In terms of schooling fish, I wanted to pick a couple of species. Have yet to decide for sure, but i'm thinking either Harlequin Rasboras and a type of Tetra, or just two types of Tetra. I'm liking the Black Neon, Penguin, and Serpae Tetras, but am open to other options! I figure i'll do at least 7 of each species once I decide.
Because of the dark substrate, I think at least one Lace Gourami would look really nice in the tank. Would they co-operate if I got two? I know gender may determine if that'll work or not, should I go for a male/female, or two females?
And finally, if room permits it i'd like another showpiece species, something a bit larger with beautiful colours, but still a good community fish.
PLANTS:
Last section, I promise
I've decided that I at least want some live plants in my aquarium, but not interested in running a CO2 setup in my first tank. What could I setup that would survive without the added CO2? I was hoping for some taller background plants, as dell as some Java Moss and some Anubias. If I did 3/4 of my substrate with the nutrient enriched stuff, as well as added nutrients and maintaining proper lighting, could I pull off my desired setup without my real plants being affected by the absence of added CO2?
Apologies for the long winded post, but i plan to have it setup and cycling by the weekend, and any opinions from seasoned vets would be greatly appreciated!!!
Regardless, I plan to take advantage of a tent sale a LFS is having and have made up a rough draft of the components i'll be picking up. I also had question relating to a low maintenance planted tank, but i'll ask those after. Build will either be a 40 or 50 gallon tank, standard dimensions:
TANK:
Lighting: See planting section
Filter: Aquaclear 70 (or should I get the 110?)
Heater: I need to warm my room up about 9 degrees, so it needs to be at least 150W if i've researched correctly. I'll probably go for a submersible model
Thermometer: Would a stick-on mercury thermometer for aquariums be enough? I've seen little sticker-looking thermometers that some people put on the front of their tank, are they any better?
Substrate: I plan to go for some dark coloured gravel, smooth, no bigger that 3mm as I plan to stock Corys. See planting section as well
Water Conditioner: Something that will get rid of the chlorine and chlorides from my tap water. That should be enough right?
Vacuum: Everyone seems to recommend the Python, so i'll probably look into that
Then other accessories like nets, buckets (for aquarium use only!), an algae scrubber and some sort of air stone
FISH:
Haven't settled on exact quantities, but I have a rough idea of what I want to stock:
For my bottom feeders, maybe 6 or so Sterba's Cory. I like the patterned ones over the solid colour/shiny ones. I think they'll pop nicely on the dark substrate.
In terms of schooling fish, I wanted to pick a couple of species. Have yet to decide for sure, but i'm thinking either Harlequin Rasboras and a type of Tetra, or just two types of Tetra. I'm liking the Black Neon, Penguin, and Serpae Tetras, but am open to other options! I figure i'll do at least 7 of each species once I decide.
Because of the dark substrate, I think at least one Lace Gourami would look really nice in the tank. Would they co-operate if I got two? I know gender may determine if that'll work or not, should I go for a male/female, or two females?
And finally, if room permits it i'd like another showpiece species, something a bit larger with beautiful colours, but still a good community fish.
PLANTS:
Last section, I promise
I've decided that I at least want some live plants in my aquarium, but not interested in running a CO2 setup in my first tank. What could I setup that would survive without the added CO2? I was hoping for some taller background plants, as dell as some Java Moss and some Anubias. If I did 3/4 of my substrate with the nutrient enriched stuff, as well as added nutrients and maintaining proper lighting, could I pull off my desired setup without my real plants being affected by the absence of added CO2?
Apologies for the long winded post, but i plan to have it setup and cycling by the weekend, and any opinions from seasoned vets would be greatly appreciated!!!
