Dekz
Aquarium Advice Activist
Ok so it looks like I'll be getting a 55 gallon tank a lot sooner than I thought. I want to get all my planning and everything done now so that when I get the tank I can dive right in.
I've never done a planted tank before but my friend just started getting into it with his so we've been doing a lot of research together.
So I'm thinking a mix of Eco Complete and black gravel for substrate, think 2 bags of Eco Complete will be enough? Stuff is pricey.
What are some economical ideas for CO2? My friend just has the homemade thing going on with a milk jug reactor and an old gravel vac diffuser. It works, but I'd prefer to have as little clutter in the tank as possible. What about getting a tank, is that expensive? What is a good/cheap method for testing/monitoring CO2 levels?
I think we've got the lights figured out, he got his from a good local place so I will do the same and retrofit them into the stock hoods.
I'm definitely going to do fishless cycling, I did my other 3 tanks with fish and I didn't lose a single one but man doing daily water changes gets old real fast. Is it better to put the plants in before the fish, can I have the plants in there while it's cycling, will ammonia/nitrite hurt them?
Thanks in advance for your help!
I've never done a planted tank before but my friend just started getting into it with his so we've been doing a lot of research together.
So I'm thinking a mix of Eco Complete and black gravel for substrate, think 2 bags of Eco Complete will be enough? Stuff is pricey.
What are some economical ideas for CO2? My friend just has the homemade thing going on with a milk jug reactor and an old gravel vac diffuser. It works, but I'd prefer to have as little clutter in the tank as possible. What about getting a tank, is that expensive? What is a good/cheap method for testing/monitoring CO2 levels?
I think we've got the lights figured out, he got his from a good local place so I will do the same and retrofit them into the stock hoods.
I'm definitely going to do fishless cycling, I did my other 3 tanks with fish and I didn't lose a single one but man doing daily water changes gets old real fast. Is it better to put the plants in before the fish, can I have the plants in there while it's cycling, will ammonia/nitrite hurt them?
Thanks in advance for your help!