Help! Help!!i want to set up my new ada tank

[biy220977]

HI, can anyone help me on this, im a begginer, i am going to buy a ada tank which is 17 gallon, 14" height, 24" width, 12" deep, i think i will use eco-complete for my substrates, i would like to growth glossostigma at the foreground, but i dont know what kind of light i should use. anything else that i need to add in tank? what is the amount of substrates do i need for this 17-gallon tank? where i can buy those wood for my tank? anything that i need to do about the water ph or kh?? do i need to change the hard water to soft before i put in the tank? if yes, how? do i need to use heater for my fish, i will put in topical fish, thank you!

 

[TraceyB4602]

HI, can anyone help me on this, im a begginer, i am going to buy a ada tank which is 17 gallon, 14" height, 24" width, 12" deep, i think i will use eco-complete for my substrates, i would like to growth glossostigma at the foreground, but i dont know what kind of light i should use.

Grows to a height of 3/4 to 1.2 inches (FOREGROUND)
The width of each plant is about 1.2 inches, based on leaf growth
Medium high to very high lighting (2.5 - 3.5 watts/gal)
Optimum growth temperature is 72 to 79 degrees

Glossostigma elatinoides is much in demand in Japanese-inspired aquariums. It is one of the smallest aquarium plants, and thus a good foreground plant. A difficult plant demanding a lot of light. Grows upwards if light is poor. Make sure larger plants do not overshadow it. When planting in the aquarium small clumps (approx. 1/8 pot) should be placed at intervals of a few centimetres to help the plants grow together more quickly. CO2 addition and soft water promote growth significantly. (Excerpt From Tropica)

anything else that i need to add in tank?

Co2

what is the amount of substrates do i need for this 17-gallon tank?

Substrate with iron for your plant and about a 2" layer

where i can buy those wood for my tank?

local fish store and online

anything that i need to do about the water ph or kh?? do i need to change the hard water to soft before i put in the tank? if yes, how?

yes you need to change the hard to soft for that plant it prefers soft water but I dot know any way to do that without chemicals which should be avoided at all times.

do i need to use heater for my fish, i will put in topical fish, thank you!

yes you do

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[biy220977]

im using diy CO2, do i need to use co2 counter?? thanks

 

[BigJim]

For glosso, go with T5HO or LED lighting.

 

[fort384]

Agreed on the lighting. Glosso needs some high light to get it to grow compact and in a carpet effect.

I would want to have some kind of bubble counter on my co2 system... how else do you know when it is time to change the mixture? With DIY CO2, unstable co2 injection can be worse for algae than having no co2 injection at all. The other thing I would get is a CO2 drop checker so you can tell how well your injection is doing. If it isn't consistently reading above 20ppm, adjustments should be made. With high light over a tank (the kind you need to grow compact glosso), algae will get out of control quickly if you aren't watching the CO2 injection.

As for water hardness, it won't much matter for glosso. It will grow in soft water or hard water.

Are you planning to dose fertilizers? Again, with a high light tank, and a carpet of glosso, it will be necessary, or you will end up with a big glob of hair algae and spot algae instead of nice healthy glosso.

A heater is probably a must, depending on what fish you choose.

I would do some more homework before you jump in, or it could be very frustrating... high light tanks are not easy to maintain without a decent knowledge base on the requirements, the signs of nutrient deficiencies, and some experience.

Congrats on the tank... I am sure it is beautiful!