40 gallon breeder planted build w/ stand build

[Bschowa]

Hey all, I got a new tank so I thought I would let you all see the progress as I go about it and possibly get some help on making my tank fulfill its capabilities plant wise!
Here is what I have so far,
I'm thinking
Egg crate (I'm looking for a rock feature)
eco complete(black) with possibly PFS but I'm not sure how it will look? Any opinions?
I'm looking at a blue or red colored slate for my rock feature that I am thinking of putting in a corner for a possibility of an Albino Bristlenose Pleco otherwise I have a few other fish that would love the caves
The list of plants I currently have are
• Dwarf baby tears
• Red tiger lotus
• Vesuvius swords
• Wisteria
• Ludwigia Glandulosa, Peruensis
• Nesaea pedicellata golden

Also the tank that I got did not come with a stand so I am building one of my own, I found some plans online but will post pictures of the stand build as well!

Enjoy!
Brent

[Bschowa]

starting to cut the 2x4's ill frame out the top and bottom but then it might be a few days before i start to put the rest togather due to moving houses

[Bschowa]

let me know what you think about the PFS and the plant list i have going on!

im going to be running 4 39w T5 bulbs over the top 2 daylight and 2 pink freshwater bulbs same as my other 40 gallon

thanks for looking,

[ChizerBunoi]

Sure why not. Should be quite simple keeping those plants. Time to get the structure to the stand together and build a nice skin for that skeleton.

[Bschowa]

what do you guys think of the yellowish pfs or the black eco complete in a planted tank? does one look better than the other?

[fort384]

I prefer black substrate in a planted tank... especially if you go with any inverts.

[alLexX]

Originally Posted by fort384

I prefer black substrate in a planted tank... especially if you go with any inverts.

my ghost shrimp look great on white PFS...and so does everything else.

[Mr. Limpet]

+1

My fish and shrimp look amazing with the light colored PFS, dark brown DW and green plants all offsetting each other in the background. Certainly looks more natural than even the gravel in my DT and black sand would make everything kinda muddled IMO.

[fort384]

So I guess most contest winning aquascapes in the last 10 years look muddled?

PFS is a fine choice. Invert colors really do show better on a dark substrate though.

All that really matters though I suppose is what you personally prefer.

[rich311k]

I much prefer a dark substrate as well. I just am not a big sand fan. The eco will be better for the plants as well.

[mfdrookie516]

I'm also a huge fan of dark colored substrate. Black flourite, floramax, eco complete, aquasoil, etc. Nothing wrong with PFS, I've got some of that too, just makes everything kind of washed out looking IMO

[Bschowa]

I went the cheep route and got some pfs what kind of root tabs work well and also is there a good brand of fertilizers you use that works well? I would rather not waste money on testing when you all have experience!

I'll get some pictures up but I lost my job and needed to save money so no skin on the stand as of now