NEED help asap!! please..

[0000]

Ok I have started buying a bunch of stuff to setup a new aquarium.

I have some questions

1. I bought a fluval 205 40 gallon canister filter, but i have a 36 gallon bowfront tank. Just today i found out that ur supposed to have a filter rated 10 gallons over ur size?!? Am I fine with the fluval 205 or what??

2. I would like to setup live plants, can they be setup in just gravel or sand only? what is the proper way to put plants in? Is it hard to maintain plants?

3. The most important thing im trying to figure out is the lighting! Im trying to buy a lighting fixture. I want a really bright one, preferably be able to change colors on it, and somewhere under $100? please name some good brands for me if possible

ALSO I NEED SOME SIZE HELP!

The length of my 36 gallon bowfront is " 30 1/4" inches. What size is the lighting fixture supposed to be then??? is a 30 inch one fine??? or does it have to be exact size?

really confused

PLEASE HELP ME IF YOU CAN!

thank you

 

[Markstanfill]

1) I use a canister rated for about 5 gallons higher than my tank and a powerhead. Works just fine. I run a 56g column tank.

2) If fertilizing properly substrate is really last on your to-do list. Though I am a fan of mixing flourite and eco complete 1:1. And there are some plants that require a lot of help and some that require none. Just do your research.

3) Lighting really depends on what plants you keep. If you want to keep java ferns, then the lighting you have will probably work just fine. If you want to keep something like Swords, Hairgrass, HC, Cabomba, etc, then you will want higher lighting. For something like your tank you could pick up some dual T5 6700k fixtures for under 100 dollars easily. But with higher light comes other aspects, like extra carbon in the water like co2 injection, more fertilizers, and of course, more algae. So it really just depends on how much you want to spend and what you want to keep. And no, the lighting doesnt have to fit the tank exactly. My metal halide pendant is a quarter of the surface area size of the tank.

 

[0000]

thanks for the info, so for my 30 1/4 inch length tank, should I get a 30" lighting fixture or a 24"?

 

[mfdrookie516]

30"... 24" would not give direct light over 3" on each side of the tank... and it wouldnt fit right either since most fixtures have legs on them that sit on the edge of the tank

 

[Markstanfill]

If you dont have any obstructions over the tank like a brace, then a 24 should be just fine. Also, most T5 fixtures at a store will be equiped to mount without a lid on the tank, so being a little higher than normal over the waterline it should spread enough light over the top and bottom of the tank evenly. And I wouldnt go much higher than about 80 watts. Also, pendants are a great solution too, because you can raise and lower the lighting to fit your specific needs. Find that 'Sweet Spot'.

 

[0000]

would this be a good light for me??

link>

AQUARIUM LIGHT 30" REEF ODYSSEA 130W POWER COMPACT #U5 - eBay (item 270452868332 end time Oct-06-09 10:18:52 PDT)

 

[Markstanfill]

If you were to get that, just pull out the actinic bulb and replace with a daylight bulb. And remember 130w would put you in the 'High light' range.

 

[johnny_zanni]

the fluval 205 is a perfect filter for your tank

its got a flow rate of 180gph (gallons per hour) so it will be tourning your tank over about every 12 minutes

 

[JustOneMore20]

If you get the 130w fixture and replace it with a daylight bulb (replace the actinic) then you will most definitely need to inject co2 or you'll have an algae explosion. If you want to avoid co2, then leave the actinic bulb in and you'll have around 65w of usable plant light. The actinic bulb will add some blue color to the tank atleast.

I would go with a 30" fixture. If you decide against co2, then you could just buy a 65w fixture and save some money.