Let it grow - New tank setup...

[Hsteve]

Hey, Folks,
I'm setting up my 1st planted tank in the next couple of months, and I think I've come up with a pretty good selection of equipment. Tell me what y'all think.

-I'm going to go relatively low-tech with my first try.

-I'm going to use 3 DIY CO2 bottles w/ a DIY diffuser.

-38G 36X12X20
-2 AHsupply Bright kits(PC)
-1x36W 6700K (on 6 hrs/day)
-1x55w 5500K (on 12hrs/day)
-3" Turface MVP substrate

-200GPH Hagen power filter w/bio-media in "sump"

Now come a couple of questions:

-Would it help to mix in some laterite into the lower 2" of Turface to help with plants' rooting? I've heard that turface is kind of lightweight.

-should I add an airstone to come on at night to help dissipate the CO2?

-I figured that with my lighting, I'll get about 2.4WPG total lighting. I honestly have no idea what I can grow in this tank, being 20" deep; would 2.4WPG be considered low light?

Thanks in advance
-Steve

 

[Purrbox]

2.4 WPG on a 38 gallon with CO2 is anything but low tech or low light. This will be more of a medium high light aquarium and high tech.

Generally sumps and CO2 injection don't work well together. With DIY CO2 I wouldn't even try a sump. I'd probably either ditch the sump or cut back on the light and ditch the CO2. Unless you have problems with the fish gasping at the surface in the morning, there's no need to run an airpump at night. Oh and you'd probably need four 2 liter bottles or two 1 gallon bottles for the DIY CO2.

With as lightweight as the Turface is I wouldn't use the laterite for fear of it getting into the water column and causing a mess. If you want to give the Turface a jump start I'd put a dusting of mulm or peat moss on the bottom or use some root tabs.

If you stick with your current light and CO2 plans, you'll need to make sure that you remember to pick up the necessary fertilizers for micro and macro nutrients.

 

[Hsteve]

Thanks, Purrbox...

When I said "sump", I meant the water reservoir on the hang-on back filter - I won't be using a traditional sump.

As far as co2 is concerned, will 3 bottles refilled 1 bottle every 10 days to keep the production @ maximum. Is that enough?

Lastly, I'm afraid of biting off more than I can chew as far as higher light levels; from what I've gleaned off the web, it's better to start off low light, minimal fertilization and CO2. My plan is to start slowly and upgrade my equipment & plants as my experience grows. Does my planned setup kind of fuzz the lines between easy/hard maintenance? I don't want to end up with a tank full of melted plants covered with an incredibly robust collection of algae.

 

[Purrbox]

With more frequent change outs that might work. You can try it and see. Easy enough to add another bottle if you need to.

If you truly want a low light low maintenance setup, I'd recommend cutting back to between 1-1.5WPG and skipping the CO2. Your current plans would work too, just not the low light low maintenance setup that you say you want. You'd need to keep up with the maintenance and dosing, but you'd also have more options for plants.

Whichever route you decide to take, you're still likely to end up dealing with various types of algaes. It's part of the learning experiance. You'll pick up on the causes and what needs to be done to resolve them. Eventually you'll reach a point where you'll be able to make adjustments without even having to think about it, and algae outbreaks will be relatively minor and likely the result of neglect when other things in your life demand you attension.

 

[FishEggs]

hi Steve. i have the same tank and thought maybe i could give you some insight.
i have 78 watts over my tank that are on from 10 am to 9 pm (11 hours)
i used eco complete substrate with some pea gravel scattered on top
i only have one 2 liter diy co2 diffused by a micro bubbler air stone
i found i dont have to dose ferts too much except potassium but i think that is due to the eco complete
i get a little bit of the green spot algae on the glass when my co2 drops and a little bit of hair algae. of course i am a little bit lazy in keeping the co2 changed as soon as it needs it. so i got a couple Siamese algae eaters (aka flying fox) to help. i will be going to 2 bottles soon so its easier to keep it up.

just a few pics of the tank i just took a few minutes ago.

 

[brutus]

sounds like will be nice set up steve...fisheggs your tank looks great..im also useing diy co2 2x2 litre bottles on a 90 is plenty for my set up...try a few otto cats as well them sae get lazy when big

 

[FishEggs]

i have 2 oto's also but they didnt seem to be keeping up plus they're very shy and the sae are more visible. i thought i read that the sae have a better appetite for hair algae and the red algaes. i had some black fuzz forming on some gravel that nothing was touching (snails or oto's) but 2 days after i put the sae in it was gone.

 

[Hsteve]

If you truly want a low light low maintenance setup, I'd recommend cutting back to between 1-1.5WPG and skipping the CO2. Your current plans would work too, just not the low light low maintenance setup that you say you want. You'd need to keep up with the maintenance and dosing, but you'd also have more options for plants.

Thanks, Purrbox
I basically want to set up a first tank that I can experiment with a wide array of different plants without having to mess around with the water chemistry too much - I'm eventually thinking I'll set up different habitat tanks when I gain some more experience. I know there will be a learning curve, I just don't want ti to be too steep...


Fisheggs - Beautiful tank, looks like what I'm hoping to acheive...

BTW, I read that Seachem Flourish excel is a good carbon source, but as a supplement to CO2. Any experience with this stuff or is CO2 good enough?

I was also thinking of using Seachem Flourish in the water column and tabs for the plants that need it...

 

[FishEggs]

Thanks for the compliments. it's a jungle in there and i need to trim some stuff since its blocking too much light. any root feeders like crypts and swords will always benefit from root tabs no matter what the substrate is. i put one under each plant that needs it when i plant it.
i was using the excel b4 i did the diy co2 and the plants grew but not the best. not sure if it was something else lacking but i was using the flourish comprehensive at the same time. then when i set up the diy co2 the plants seemed to explode with growth. now i only use the excel when i need to kill some algae that comes out when the co2 drops. if you keep up with the co2 maintenance i dont think you need to bother with excel. the Flourish comprehensive is easy to start with when fertilizing but expensive and you would still need to get phosphate, potassium, and nitrate too. you might want to go with the dry ferts right off and save a little coin.

 

[Hsteve]

Flourish comprehensive is easy to start with when fertilizing but expensive and you would still need to get phosphate, potassium, and nitrate too. you might want to go with the dry ferts right off and save a little coin.

Thanks,Fish,
As far as DIY fertilizers go, where can I pick up the ingredients?
Are there any links out there to calculate/mix them?

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

http://www.bestaquariumregulator.com/ferts.html
get the combo pack, theres also some info on that site about dosing. Many do EI or similar
http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/2819-ei-light-those-less-techy-folks.html