Advice on stuff gathering

[fish-oh-fish]

Hello Guys,
Glad to be part of this wonderful community. It's ocean of knowledge especially for newbies like me.
The Fishless cycling guide is so much of help, well I haven't started as stuck a bit with Requirement gathering. So far got the stuff that is mentioned in my profile the only thing I'm concerned about is additional filter & river sand

What I plan to do-
I want to setup a planted tank(but plants will be kind of Java moss & less growing plants in terms of height & also plants which doesn't need any ferts.). I will get some cuttings from friends & i've seen those needs least maintenance.
Fishes will be max. in 10 nos & mix of guppies,tetras,shrimps

Now coming to filter- The First advise on this forum will be- "GET CANISTER" but honestly in '$' it's cheaper than our currency, so point is not affordable unless & until I start working as currently I'm relaying on my Parent's money.
I shortlisted some of these-
top filter-RS-188, 288----Zhongshan Risheng Electrical Products Co., Ltd.
hang-on filter-RS-1000, 2000----Zhongshan Risheng Electrical Products Co., Ltd.

But again due to structure of Fish tank I don't know if HOBs can fit? Pics-
ImageBam
ImageBam

Some said- Top's & HOB's aren't suggested for planted tank & as they mainly dissolves CO2 so again it added to confusion

Or Should I get another Internal like the one I've got?

Now about Substrate- I got 10kg brownish River sand, when I calculated with online Substrate calculator by considering layer of 1.5 inch; I found 3 more kgs needed, so the thing is again invest money instead can I put river sand from banks which may or may not be the same as of current one?
If yes how to & how many times clean it with soak-dry process?

A cheapo siphon pump advisable? will it suck sand?

Kindly put your valuable inputs

I will post more doubts if I encounter any

 

[jlk]

Hi! Welcome to AA!!! Lets start with this. What size tank are do you have? This will help with suggestions for a filter type. You do not have to worry about CO2 and HOB-type filters either as quite a few of us run planted tanks with HOB filters without an issue. It sounds like your aiming for a low tech tank (no ferts or co2) with basic plants so no worries!

In respect to sand, it really needs to be well rinsed no matter what type it is. You want to aim for one pound of sand per gallon, a bit more if your looking for a deeper substrate base. Hope this helps- please ask any questions!

 

[fish-oh-fish]

Hi jlk, this is my profile(Aboout Me); mentioned everything pls have a look-
Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - View Profile: fish-oh-fish

Well I'm concerned about HOB's if it can be hanged due to structure of fish tank pls check out images(first post).

Yes I indeed looking for low tech plant for obvious reason- this is my very first time with fishes & step by step I want to learn about their habitat, I don't want to take burden of lot more things at the same time & waste money-yup!!....it's invested by my Parents so I'm cautious not to waste it.

Also regarding lighting I heard Lumens range needs to be at least- 6, is it so?
I'm attaching lumens calculator(Credit to original developer) which shows my CFL 18W tube gives output "2" against min. 6.

I don't know much about T5 setup but mostly prefer costlier ones which are meant for aquarium. I found this general purpose T5-
Philips - T5 Essential Linear fluorescent tube 28 W G5 Cool daylight - 927926786558 - Tube Lights - Other light bulbs - Lighting

or Current 18W CFL enough for my low end setup?

 

[fish-oh-fish]

Seems not so interesting query or i failed to ask properly
Anyways I will go ahead with whatever stuff I've got. Very fortunate to get substrate around 10+ kgs from planted tank so quite excited...hope it will boost fishless cycle

BTW is it advisable to pour water from water changes done by a hobbyist, will it add benefit?

 

[jlk]

Seems not so interesting query or i failed to ask properly
Anyways I will go ahead with whatever stuff I've got. Very fortunate to get substrate around 10+ kgs from planted tank so quite excited...hope it will boost fishless cycle

BTW is it advisable to pour water from water changes done by a hobbyist, will it add benefit?

I am honestly not sure what you are asking here. Are you asking if you should use water from another person's tank? Adding water from another tank will have little benefit as the majority of the good bacteria live on the surfaces of things. If you able to aquire some filter media from an established tank, this will be the most helpful in seeding your tank.

 

[fish-oh-fish]

I am honestly not sure what you are asking here. Are you asking if you should use water from another person's tank? Adding water from another tank will have little benefit as the majority of the good bacteria live on the surfaces of things. If you able to aquire some filter media from an established tank, this will be the most helpful in seeding your tank.

Yes I wanted to know the same ( for eg, if my friend does water change tomorrow can I add that water in my tank?)

Also as suggested by you I will try to get filter media from someone.

 

[jlk]

Ask your friend for some filter media. This will be the most helpful.

 

[aqua_chem]

Just so we're clear, the 'HOB bad for CO2' thing is only relevant if you are injecting CO2 (DIY or pressurized). Non-injected tanks can only benefit from them.

 

[fish-oh-fish]

currently my 3ft fish tank undergoing cycling, it's still little cloudy hopefully water will get crystal clear soon after next water change.

meanwhile I managed to get a small tank which I plan to utilize as well.
its size- 17/9/12(lbh inches)
same low light tech plants I will be putting in this so a single 2ft 18w fluorescent tube is enough?
Tube specs are-
Philips 18W Tubular Fluorescent TL-D 18W/54
length 60cm
Light o/p-1015lumens
6500k cool daylight
56.4lm/W

*as per light calculator chart it's crossing LOW LIT minimum range

 

[jlk]

I am not a lighting expert but you can post a new thread with your questions about this light and plants in the 'Planted Tank' section to receive more help!