45g set up. Kinda Wall of text..

[irdajoh]

Hello all. I've just gotten a free 45 gallon tall tank with filters and lighting. I was given 2 whispers for 40 gallon and I currently have 1 running in my 20 gallon along with its own filter to seed the new.

Maybe some have seen my 20 gallon on here with a bonsai tree and "weeping moss".
Aquaeon hood lamp 24" with a bulb for plant growth.
Marineland c130 canister filter (30 gallon)
Airstones for fun

Imgur

My idea is to move everything from the 20g to the 45g. But the difference I want is dwarf hair grass "DHG" carpet and dirted tank. I've done some research and see that you should cut small pieces of the grass and fix them to a plastic mesh sheet to secure in the substrate about 1 inch or so apart and trim weekly to promote filling out and not up.

I'm considering a DIY co2 system but probably will try a liquid co2 since many say co2 helps DHG.

My main questions would be; what's the best substrate, I read a 50/50 mix of floramax and gravel/sand is perfect for rooting plants such as DHG. The substrate should take care of most of the nutrients but not all from what i read. Now I want to move the tree to the 45, doing this I want to make sure the tree is stable, how could I make the tree stable in dirt? I was thinking of putting some river rocks on the bottom to put pressure on the trunk and then cover the rocks in substrate, is that okay? I know I have more questions but for now we'll stick to a few.

TD;LR:- I want DHG I need advice on substrates, aquascape such as securing the tree with rocks then fill with dirt and make a hill.
Will my 20g light/30g filter+one of the 40 g whisper be too much filtration on a 45g.
What's the best substrate/mixture

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[Hooked on Fish]

Hi irdajoh,

I don't have experience with carpet plants and their specific requirements but I can share with you my experience in setting up a dirted tank. Below is a photo taken as I was adding the "dirt" to the aquarium. I did things a little differently in that I placed a layer of course river sand down first so that I could build the substrate up at the back of the tank by an inch or two. Next I added a mix consisting of about 3/4 of a 25 litre bag Miracle-Gro Organic Choice garden compost (compost with no fertilizer), with about half of that again in volume of river sand and a 1 kg bag of Trill Shell grit (to help neutralize the acidification of the organic matter and to act as a slow release source of CO2). In the photo you can see that I've added it in "pads" (of about an inch thick) to help keep the thickness the same across a sloping base. After that I filled in between and then topped it with about another inch of course river sand.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/members/100168-albums14356-picture68814.jpg

If you haven't had experience with a soil substrate before then the first few weeks are going to be a bit scary. Despite capping with an inch of course river sand I still had a lot of turbidity. This I solved by adding filter floss (polyester pillow stuffing) to a secondary filter. By adding about a half strength dose of a flocculating agent like Seachem Clarity every day or two I managed to clear the water and keep the excess nutrient in check. Mind you I had to change the filter floss daily and perform a 25% water change twice weekly for the first few weeks. It took about 12 weeks to settle down during which there was a fair amount of gas bubbling up from the substrate and quite a bit of brown slimy algae.

One change I would make when I do it next time is reduce the amount of shell grit by half. The shell grit is buffering the water holding the pH level between 7.2-7.4. I'd prefer to be around 7.0.

Another thing to do is make sure you plant heavily from the start or you are going to have issues with algae. This is what it looked like when a couple of weeks after planting. You can see my secondary filter in the back left hand corner.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/members/100168-albums14356-picture68876.jpg

And this is what it looks like now...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/members/100168-albums14356-picture68815.jpg

You can see that I'm trying to achieve a natural look but if you are after the Dutch aquarium style then I'm not so sure I would use this approach. Probably better to proceed down the high tech path, refer Tom Barr.

 

[irdajoh]

I just saw some Tom barr forum posted to reddit. Thank you for the advice. I feel like I messed up but only time can tell right now.

I felt rushed to move to the big tank so I went ahead and set up the 45g. I layered washed gravel as a type of filler then I did a 50/50 mix or patches of fertilizer and gravel. Kinda like you did but not really.

After I set the substrate up I tied hair grass to plastic mesh screen squares and poked them down into the substrate. I'll put picspics a at the end. what I really wanted was to cap the 50/50 mix with sand but I forgot to buy it lol. Well now I'm stuck with rocky substrate and I'm not sure if I should just empty the tank and cap it with sand.

Others things I think could be wrong is my lighting. The lid is for the 20 gallon but I've placed it where if is on a majority of plants. I'm thinking on upgrading to led.
Another thing is I believe I put too much grass in clumps but I couldn't really ID their root system...

http://imgur.com/a/suIqc

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[ImACoolguy]

If it's the same 45g I have and are think of its around 30 inches high. You are going to need some serious lightning for DHG.


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[irdajoh]

If it's the same 45g I have and are think of its around 30 inches high. You are going to need some serious lightning for DHG.


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That's right. It's a tall aquarium; what lights will I need?

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[ImACoolguy]

If run 2 Finnex Planted Plus+


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[irdajoh]

If run 2 Finnex Planted Plus+


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I won't need c02 right? Technically a low tech aquarium?

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[ImACoolguy]

I won't need c02 right? Technically a low tech aquarium?

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If you want DHG you will need co2.


Caleb

 

[irdajoh]

If you want DHG you will need co2.


Caleb

So... I heard you don't need it but it helps alot. A pressurized system would be costly so a diy or liquid co2. What system and why?

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[Bichir Bro]

Honestly over time I'd imagine a liquid co2 regiment would cost much more long-term than pressurized.
Of the two DIY is probably better but there are of course options.


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[icydeath]

Well you could get the tank running and always save up for the pressurized (imho the cheapest in the long run). Or you could shop around, find parts here and there for cheap.

Liquid CO2 is going to be expensive in the long run and it's effectiveness is debatable. DIY may end up being messy and a pain. It may also be hard to get a reliable amount of CO2

 

[irdajoh]

Well you could get the tank running and always save up for the pressurized (imho the cheapest in the long run). Or you could shop around, find parts here and there for cheap.

Liquid CO2 is going to be expensive in the long run and it's effectiveness is debatable. DIY may end up being messy and a pain. It may also be hard to get a reliable amount of CO2

I was thinking of a diy with 3 or even 5, 2L bottles to make up for the lack of reliability. If I were to get a pressurized system would a 5 or 10 pound tank do, and how long could it last?

Now my lighting can't be good too. It's a 15-18 watt aqueon hood lamp with a full spectrum, or a floramax T8 florescent.

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[ImACoolguy]

I was thinking of a diy with 3 or even 5, 2L bottles to make up for the lack of reliability. If I were to get a pressurized system would a 5 or 10 pound tank do, and how long could it last?

Now my lighting can't be good too. It's a 15-18 watt aqueon hood lamp with a full spectrum, or a floramax T8 florescent.

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T8 is automatic no with this tank. I run a t8 on mine and it keeps Anubias and a really tall strand of bacopa (because it's closer to the light). I'd do an LED or stack T5 bulbs.

I use a 24oz paintball bottle for my 75g. $6 refill at dicks sporting goods and lasts around 2 months running 8 hours a day


Caleb