Setup for a NEW Planted Tank

[AquariumFreak]

Hi All,

I am going to be buying a new fish tank within the next week or two and wanted to get some advise on the setup. I am either going to purchase a 75 Regular 48 x 18 x 20in, 75 Show 60 x 18 x 16in, or a 100 Show 60 x 18 x 20in.

I want to make it a freshwater planted tank but I am just not sure on what types of filters I should get or if I should use an under gravel heater.

I an open to any advise.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[TankGirl]

Congrats on the new tank - I love planning them!!

An important factor here will be your lighting. That will determine what kind of plants you will keep and kind of set the stage for your design. Some have had success with the gravel heaters but I have never used one. I am happy with 2 Ebo-Jagers or Visitherms, one on each end, hidden.

As far as filters go I am a big fan of the Rena Filstar (XP3 for that tank) as it is cheap and is a very easy to manage tray system. You will want to avoid the HOB bio-wheel type filters, as they tend to spash the surface and you lose CO2 much more quickly, which you want in the tank for the plants.

 

[Mr Burns]

hey jeff

i second the XP3. also, get as much lighting as you can afford or more than you think you need, unless you want a low-light set up. be aware that pressurized CO2 systems become more of a necessity as you get into higher light levels because plants will demand it and it will help keep algae at bay. the 85gal tank that i'm building up is going to have between 3.5 and 4 watts per gallon (2x55 and 2x96), so pressurized is the way for me to go because i need to be precise about parameters. it isn't cheap, but i've set aside enough money to meet these demands. undergravel heaters aren't necessary, imo. like TG said, a good submersible heater (or two) with an accurate thermostat will work just fine.

are there any plants in particular that you really want to grow?

 

[AquariumFreak]

Thanks for the info Burns and TG -

I have a little more info tonight on what I am getting. Found out that a 65gal Reg is the same price as a 75gal Tall, I loose 3" in depth but I gain a foot in length and 4" in height so I think I'll go for the bigger of the two (75gal Tall).

The guy I am getting the tank from has some used canister filters and he said I could have one... not sure the model but free is free and if I am nice enough maybe I'll be able to get two of them.

I am not getting the standard light hood with the tank, instead I will be mounting lights on the inside of the canopy, I am thinking of 2 36" (VHO, T12) 6,500 Trichromatic, 95W - Coralife lights, You think that will be enough?

By the advise I am getting I'll pass on the undergravel heater, but my new question is what type of subtrate should I be using?

 

[betowess]

Hey Mr. C.

IMO, Flourite (a Seachem product) or Eco Complete are both great substrates...best used at 100%. Steer clear of Flourite "Red" as it requires tons of washing. Flourite does too (tho purportedly not as much), but its cheaper than Eco complete. Eco complete has a nice dark look and contains all the trace elements. I use flourite on my tanks with nice results.

IMHO, check out AH Supply Lights. A lot of folks here use 6700K lamps. AH Supply lights are much better than any Coralifes and cheaper to boot. They are absolutely the best bang for the wattage buck and a nice small company. Kim (owner) will answer any questions you have. They are very popular with many serious hobbiest in this game. I second the 75 Gallon tank vote and the XP3. But depth is nice for aquascaping. Here is a link to AH Supply. http://www.ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm
P.S. If you haven't read Rex Grigg's sticky at the top of this forum, it is a treasure of valuble info and has helped me alot. Good luck, Sounds like fun!

 

[BrianNY]

I agree with everything betowess says. I chose the Eco-Complete for my 125 just because I didn't have to rinse it at all. Straight from bag to tank. Drs Foster & Smith had the best price @ $17.99/bag plus shipping.

 

[TankGirl]

If you can get 2 canister filters for free, snag 'em!

 

[Guest]

use regular heaters. sorry for being lazy/tired/sick, but there are a couple threads about undergravel heaters here, please do a search, if it do ya.
basically, more trouble than they are worth.

 

[TankGirl]

I want to second Betowess about AHSupply - when I ordered some things one time they actually called me up before filling my order, to make sure I was not confused about what I needed (I was ordering for 2 separate projects). You can't beat the price, and all you have to do is call them up and tell them what you have in mind, and they will be able to set you up - for cheap! Especially if you already have a canopy that just needs the bare bones lighting fixture to go into it. Their reflectors are the best.

 

[Mr Burns]

i'll third AHS... as i mentioned before, i'm going to have a lot of lighting. i've already purchased the 2x55 and i'll be purchasing the 2x96 in a month or two...or whenever my tank starts to reach completion. so basically i'm dropping over $300 just in lighting. actually, i went ahead and wired up one of the 55w lights over my current 29gal...it looks great!

this past monday i picked up six bags of eco-complete for my 85 gal. it's a great product from a lousy company, imo. caribsea majorly sticks it to the consumer and the retailer. they used to be really good - good products at a fair price per volume. now, they've reduced the quanity of the product and jacked up the prices. eco-complete is sold by WEIGHT...not VOLUME of substrate. you're paying for water. whether all that good live bacteria that helps cycle your tank is actually in there or not, i have no idea. it could be smoke and mirrors for all i know. you're still paying for water. correct me if i'm wrong. oh, and eco-complete isn't the only product that done stuff like this to, but i don't want to hijack this into a rant over lousy business practices. the only reason i went with eco-complete is because it's darker than seachem onyx, seems to have a good amount of nutrients and CEC rating, and is easier to deal with that flourite or laterite. i also have a huge hook up as far as prices go, so i didn't have to pay anywhere near the $20 per bag most shops ask for. if you have the funds available, go with eco-complete. you won't be dissappointed. hell, i think with the extra money you spend on the EC, you might save over time instead of having to buy fertilizer tabs...who knows...

 

[PrettyFishies]

Just want to clarify on the lighting... (I am setting upa 29Gal) - I know very little of the plants, but I have an affinity towards an amazon sword as my tanks focal point. Basically, what I'm getting is that a strip light system won't work because they only make 20W bulbs for 24" setups. So, I basically need a 2x55W Power Compact setup. is that true? And if so... what's the most cost/effective, yet efficient brand fro teh PC and what brand of bulb have you seen the best results with.

Next: I don't want to do CO2. Is it going to be neccesary by the shear fact that there will be 110W in teh system? Or is it a function of the type of plants? I plan on using the Fourish Excell and Flourish Iron ... am I on the right track here?

 

[TankGirl]

Just another note on substrate- I agree with Mr Burns that you should go ahead and spend the money on quality substrate. When I set up my 55 I was not planning on serious plants, and went with pea gravel. As I have upgraded lighting, nutrients and CO2 I have had to swap out the gravel here and there after the fact, and that is for the birds. If you even suspect you might want to upgrade lights and get into a serious planted tank, go ahead and put in quality substrate in the beginning, even if you don't take advantage of it right away. Much better than trying to fix it up later.

 

[BrianNY]

Note on Tankgirls suggestion.

www.aquatic-store.com is selling Eco-Complete for $14.99 a bag. That's a great price

 

[TankGirl]

I have ordered from aquatic-store.com and they have incredible prices (got the Kasselmann book for $60!).

 

[mikemou]

hmm..., so eco-complete also does wonders on cycling a new tank? is it safe to say if i use eco-complete i don't need bio-spira? i have a 48X13 55 gal and if i only plant, say, a quarter of the tank, how much of it do i need for both planting and cycling need?

 

[betowess]

Pretty Fishes, You might talk to Kim at AH re: 2x55s. It might be a bit more than you need. I was going to do the same for my 26 Bow and he steered me to one 55 watt which keeps my Alternanthera Reineckii very bright red. The AH Supply reflector is of such a superior design that I'm thinking one 55 watt will do ya fine.
I had a Echinodorus bleheri sword which went gang busters in my tank with an AH 55 watt, until black brush algae pretty much wiped it out. But now my pressurized CO2 controls any remaining BBA now that I've got it up to about 30ppm... I just never replaced my Amazon Sword because it got so large and my Java Fern is gigantic now.

I imagine the Excell will work fine too. Good luck, Bob