New 29g semi aggressive tank set up?

[khrisNkyersten]

Hey everyone, my girlfriend is amazing and just bought me an Aqueon 29G Aquarium Kit Im really really wanting to do a pretty heavily planted tank with this one as I have really grown to like the look of live plants. Now, my question is, do I go with sand or gravel? I really like the look of sand but have heard it stinks and that it is VERY hard to clean. Anyone got a list of the pros and cons to planting (or even just using) in sand or gravel?


Any advice or input is appreciated!


Khris

 

[DragonFish71]

I have both in our tanks.

With the sand I went with a layer of Flora Base for my plants. Due to an unforeseen incident with some crayfish, I'm getting the plants healthy again.

The sand is very easy to clean and doesn't stink. In the non-planted areas I just rake mine with every water change. Supposedly you can get pockets built up, so just in case this is true, I rake it. If you get too fine a sand then yes, you will have problems. Most of us here use pool filter sand.

 

[khrisNkyersten]

ok awesome! i have been reading some around here about it and have read that a lot of people are using PFS. thats what i think ill go with. does it come in other colors or just plain white/tan-ish?

also, will i need a CO2 system for a heavily planted tank? or is that not really needed? i see a lot of people using them but i dont know if i wanna go through the trouble/money to set all that up.

 

[khrisNkyersten]

also.. what are some good plants to get and from where? so far i really like Hairgrass and Anubias Nana.

 

[daneek155]

eco complete is great i hear... thats what i am trying next.. Right now i have flora-max made by caribea sea it is nice

as for co2 what light are you planning on using?????

 

[khrisNkyersten]

i dont know, i was thinking the one that it came with... is that a noob mistake? lol what lighting should i use?

 

[tiger terror]

Most likely the light which came in the kit will be insufficient&also depends on the type of plants you'd like to grow...I also agree that eco-complete is awesome as I use it in my fluval edge& 20g high..as far as lighting goes use the general rule of thumb as far as 2watts per gallon& 6500k for best plant growth..far as co2 goes I use the DIY method of water,sugar&yeast..although cheap it takes constant effort to keep up with..for more info on DIY co2 search the web..best of luck..

 

[Bluegillfreak]

He has the same kit as me the light is a Coralife Aqualight Dual T-5 Fixture and is used with a glass top. The fixture is 40% brighter than a normal single fluorescent strip light. The Aqualight Dual Fixture comes with a 6700K Lamp that closely resembles the natural light from the sun and a colormax lamp to bring out the color of the fish.

I will see what the wattage is in the morning.

 

[khrisNkyersten]

thanks for the info guys.. ill have to look more into that. and what are the reasons for using Co2? like what are the benefits of using it as to not using it?

and blue, how do you like the tank? im excited to get my semi aggressive tank set up and running and cycled and planted... will that light be good for a planted tank?

 

[Bluegillfreak]

I like the tank itself not sure on the kit I just got it a few days ago myself. The light has two 14w bulbs in it so someone on here would have to tell us if its a good light or not as I do not know.

 

[khrisNkyersten]

oh ok ill have to see if i can find anything about lighting then somewhere on here. would it be ok to go down to the creek behind my house and get rocks and moss to put in my planted tank? or is that bad idea?