Need advice for 2 tanks

[brennae]

I have large snails( golf ball sized) and I use liquid Calcium and Iodine for Marine tanks. Been doing this for years in small doses and never had a problem. One bottle has lasted me a long time because like I said small doses. I tried the cuttlebone thing and so far I havent noticed any shell problems with my snails. Just throwing another option out there as I too am a poor college student.

 

[GodFan]

I have large snails( golf ball sized) and I use liquid Calcium and Iodine for Marine tanks. Been doing this for years in small doses and never had a problem. One bottle has lasted me a long time because like I said small doses. I tried the cuttlebone thing and so far I havent noticed any shell problems with my snails. Just throwing another option out there as I too am a poor college student.

Thanks! Poor college kids gotta stick together! Lol

 

[aqua_chem]

You would also be amazed at the reasonably priced equipment that comes up on eBay and CL if you're willing to stay on top of it. I've seen complete dual stage regulators on eBay for $40 and about the same on CL. You also have people breaking down tanks to move that will be giving away substrate by the bucket. Of course luck and timing are pretty important factors in this.

 

[jmay33]

Thanks! Poor college kids gotta stick together! Lol

Lol. Ain't that the truth!!

+1 on watching craigslist. You can get some good deals and if you're careful and lucky find other fish hobbyists in your community. Then you have a basis for trading! Great, especially in saltwater!

 

[GodFan]

Lol. Ain't that the truth!!

+1 on watching craigslist. You can get some good deals and if you're careful and lucky find other fish hobbyists in your community. Then you have a basis for trading! Great, especially in saltwater!

Thanks yall. Ill see what CL has for lights. Another question. The 56 is 30 in wide. Would a 24 in dual bulb t5 at 14 watts per bulb grow the vals?

 

[jmay33]

Thanks yall. Ill see what CL has for lights. Another question. The 56 is 30 in wide. Would a 24 in dual bulb t5 at 14 watts per bulb grow the vals?

I'm not sure if that will be enough light. It has a lot of water to move through to get to the bottom. Hope someone will know more and have better information for you!

 

[CorallineAlgae]

If you have a hood you may consider checking out what I did for lights over my tank. You could get two 20 watt daylight LED floodlights and have no problems with it reaching the bottom of the tank. I use one 20w and one 10w on my 20 gallon and that gets me high light but it would likely be medium light on a tank as large as yours. My plants are growing beautifully but I wouldn't use them without either a hood or a wooden box to house them above the tank a little. You could also use 26w CFL daylights placed into cone pendants that are available at a hardware store. Most people paint them black. They also penetrate well and are affordable.

If you want to go cheap but use an aquarium fixture check out the dual lamp T5HO lights from FishNeedIt.

 

[GodFan]

If you have a hood you may consider checking out what I did for lights over my tank. You could get two 20 watt daylight LED floodlights and have no problems with it reaching the bottom of the tank. I use one 20w and one 10w on my 20 gallon and that gets me high light but it would likely be medium light on a tank as large as yours. My plants are growing beautifully but I wouldn't use them without either a hood or a wooden box to house them above the tank a little. You could also use 26w CFL daylights placed into cone pendants that are available at a hardware store. Most people paint them black. They also penetrate well and are affordable.

If you want to go cheap but use an aquarium fixture check out the dual lamp T5HO lights from FishNeedIt.

Isnt that too much light!? I have some dim light preferring fish. I did find a 10W LED floodlight but Im really afraid it will be too much or wont look good. Ive never used anything but aquarium products. How much light do I need?

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Well, if you're gunning for dim lights a pair of 10 watt lights would fit the bill. I have a dual T5 light fixture that was over the tank before using the floodlights but I much prefer the LEDs.

Now, a Finnex FugeRay may be ideal to fit your tastes. They won't grow much beyond low light plants over a tank as large as yours but the fixtures are sleek, cast a beautiful light, and aren't expensive for what you get. I use one over my small planted tank. LEDs last years and need no bulb replacements. I know I'm hitting you with a lot of options but there really are a lot of choices in lighting a tank. If you want dim, plant friendly and something made just for aquariums the FugeRay is a very popular choice. I can't say if there's a 30" model but amazon would have it if there is. That's where I bought mine.

 

[GodFan]

Well, if you're gunning for dim lights a pair of 10 watt lights would fit the bill. I have a dual T5 light fixture that was over the tank before using the floodlights but I much prefer the LEDs.

Now, a Finnex FugeRay may be ideal to fit your tastes. They won't grow much beyond low light plants over a tank as large as yours but the fixtures are sleek, cast a beautiful light, and aren't expensive for what you get. I use one over my small planted tank. LEDs last years and need no bulb replacements. I know I'm hitting you with a lot of options but there really are a lot of choices in lighting a tank. If you want dim, plant friendly and something made just for aquariums the FugeRay is a very popular choice. I can't say if there's a 30" model but amazon would have it if there is. That's where I bought mine.

Amazon.com: Finnex FugeRay Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch: Pet Supplies
Is that a good one? I wish there was a cheaper option. I just want to grow vals! lol

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Amazon.com: Finnex FugeRay Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch: Pet Supplies
Is that a good one? I wish there was a cheaper option. I just want to grow vals! lol

That's the one. If you want a really cheap aquarium light setup you can just get an Odyssea 24" 2 T5 light fixture for around $40 with bulbs and shipping included. Nothing cheaper than that other than maybe DIY lighting. They're HO but because if the reflectors they produce closer to NO light. That really is the cheapest fixture I know of. Google Odyssea T5

 

[Java_moose]

Oh ok I understand about the sand cap, and if you like the potted look go for it Ecocomplete does not need to have any additives in it except for your root tabs. Dwarf clover is also a good option.

Yep things like ecocomplete, fluorite, and fluorite sand have high CECs which means they retain nutrients very well even though they don't contain them alone
I personally just set up a 5 gallon with a .5" layer of miracle grow organic (sifted, rinsed, and drained like 5 times) then a very thin layer of plain gravel from an established tank to seed the substrate, then capped that with a little less than 1" of fluorite black sand.
I added "clover" a week which is usually called quadrifolia or quadrifolia marsilea. Of course, I just planted it but this morning I woke up to new little leaves! They seem to like the substrate.

Just a note-ecocomplete and fluorite are pretty similar in function. IMO the fluorite sand/gravel looks better. Also people report much more diatom bloom with ecocomplete

Good luck with your tank!

 

[GodFan]

That's the one. If you want a really cheap aquarium light setup you can just get an Odyssea 24" 2 T5 light fixture for around $40 with bulbs and shipping included. Nothing cheaper than that other than maybe DIY lighting. They're HO but because if the reflectors they produce closer to NO light. That really is the cheapest fixture I know of. Google Odyssea T5

I looked into odyssa but they had such bad reports of catching on fire I cant use them. I have a coralife 24 inch fixture that actually produces more light than both t8s on it now but if it cant grow vals...... could it at least grow anabias and tall java fern?

 

[GodFan]

Yep things like ecocomplete, fluorite, and fluorite sand have high CECs which means they retain nutrients very well even though they don't contain them alone
I personally just set up a 5 gallon with a .5" layer of miracle grow organic (sifted, rinsed, and drained like 5 times) then a very thin layer of plain gravel from an established tank to seed the substrate, then capped that with a little less than 1" of fluorite black sand.
I added "clover" a week which is usually called quadrifolia or quadrifolia marsilea. Of course, I just planted it but this morning I woke up to new little leaves! They seem to like the substrate.

Just a note-ecocomplete and fluorite are pretty similar in function. IMO the fluorite sand/gravel looks better. Also people report much more diatom bloom with ecocomplete

Good luck with your tank!

Thanks! I meant to ask before how much do I need in a 25 gallon tank?

 

[aqua_chem]

The catching fire thing was mostly with their old PC or MH fixtures, and it was only a few incidents many years ago. They've since both increased in quality and many, many more people have used them since with generally good results, assuming you're not super attached to any moonlights it comes with....

 

[GodFan]

The catching fire thing was mostly with their old PC or MH fixtures, and it was only a few incidents many years ago. They've since both increased in quality and many, many more people have used them since with generally good results, assuming you're not super attached to any moonlights it comes with....

Lol my mom would kill me. She is always worried about me causing a fireb (there was an incident with an rc plane engine and a model car probably best not mentioned lol) what kind of wattage am I aiming for?

 

[jmay33]

Lol my mom would kill me. She is always worried about me causing a fireb (there was an incident with an rc plane engine and a model car probably best not mentioned lol) what kind of wattage am I aiming for?

Hahaha. Your little plane/car comment literally made me lol! I've only sparked one fire. One of my filters sprung a leak directly over a power strip where two different tanks were plugged in. I missed that it was happening. The "little" spark that came from it let me know. Lol! I don't have much info on the lights, as I'm still learning. I will say that I've heard that T5s are the best for saltwater. I've also heard that about LEDs. The best idea I've ever heard was to get T5s and supplement them with the LEDs.

 

[GodFan]

Hahaha. Your little plane/car comment literally made me lol! I've only sparked one fire. One of my filters sprung a leak directly over a power strip where two different tanks were plugged in. I missed that it was happening. The "little" spark that came from it let me know. Lol! I don't have much info on the lights, as I'm still learning. I will say that I've heard that T5s are the best for saltwater. I've also heard that about LEDs. The best idea I've ever heard was to get T5s and supplement them with the LEDs.

lol well when you come charging down the stairs with a flaming frankencar followed by an electric smoke smell Moms dont usually appreciate it. Thats been awhile though lol
Yea lights still confuse me. I know more about fish than most petstore employees (even at mom and pops LFSs) but lights confuse me lol
Im starting a new thread in the DIY section to see how to make my own substrate. I wanna see the cost difference but I will probably buy ecocomplete. How much do I need for a 25 gallon tank?

 

[jmay33]

lol well when you come charging down the stairs with a flaming frankencar followed by an electric smoke smell Moms dont usually appreciate it. Thats been awhile though lol
Yea lights still confuse me. I know more about fish than most petstore employees (even at mom and pops LFSs) but lights confuse me lol
Im starting a new thread in the DIY section to see how to make my own substrate. I wanna see the cost difference but I will probably buy ecocomplete. How much do I need for a 25 gallon tank?

Hey, my brother burned our whole back yard one time, if that makes you feel any better. Lol!
Lights are what I know least about, I think. So I understand that. Most people use the 1lb per gallon rule. Usually works for me! Maybe more for planted tank since you want more depth for roots.

 

[GodFan]

Hey, my brother burned our whole back yard one time, if that makes you feel any better. Lol!
Lights are what I know least about, I think. So I understand that. Most people use the 1lb per gallon rule. Usually works for me! Maybe more for planted tank since you want more depth for roots.

I would like to hear that story! lol Thanks! I want extra because I want to give it some cool hills and such.