Hi everyone:
I've been reading and trying to synthesize an idea of my first tank (in a long time). So I thought I'd float the concept/plan.
I looked at the gwapa "Bulletproof Planted Aquarium" page, and think that is a good springboard to start out from. This should provide experience and some stock for the 75G I have been thinking of.
So here are some questions and the plan so far:
Tanks size/depth: How much difference should I expect between a 20 and 29? I once had a 20 Tall, and H. difformis grew like a weed with no special lighting. I kind of like the height of a 20H.
Substrate: I am thinking of Ecocomplete instead of Flourite substrate.
Lighting: as recommended, I think. Any thoughts that amend the original article's recommendation?
Filtration: I am thinking of a smaller cannister, like the Marineland C-160 or C-220. Would the C-220 be too much for a 20G tank?
Plants: A couple of moss type plants perhaps floating: Fissidens fontanus, Taxiphyllum barbieri, Riccia fluitans.
Taller plants: Hygrophylla difformis (Since it was successful before for me), H corymbosa, Rotala rotundifolia (for the reds possible), Sagittaria subulata.
What might be a good rosette plant - avoiding Cryptocorynes and Anubias (they are slower growing and I am a chicken beginner...)?
Tiger lotus is pretty but I fear it could overwhelm everything else.
Other plants that are available at setup time from Scales.
Fish: I really like Nannostomus species (Pencilfish). It looks like N. beckfordi is a good possibility, but N. trifasciatus, N. unifasciatus and N. espei are all very neat. This is a reason for floating, emergent plants, since the sites say Pencilfish like shaded places to hang out in. There is a somewhat large caveat in this choice: I would like to get tank raised specimens, both for hardiness and eco-friendliness. Has anyone had experience keeping Pencilfish?
Maybe some Corydoras (reticulata, sterbai, schwartzi).
Algae control: Otocinclus spp., algae eating shrimp.
This is a somewhat long post, sorry for that. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Matt
Matt's First tank concept flotation
You're on the right track Matt! I'd suggest that you go for the 29G, as it'll give you a bit more gallonage, and is really a nice dimension for a medium sized tank. I'm not familar with the Marineland canisters, but in general, since plants obstruct the flow of water in the tank, it's better to get an oversized filter than undersized. For a 29G, you could probably go for something rated up to a 55-75G tank.
Any of these floating plants will work fine, but keep in mind that they often quickly cover the surface, so you'll want to clear it off every so often to avoid impacting the growth of the plants below.
Most any of the Hygrophylla species will work for you. Similarly with most of the ludwigias, and they will provide some color. Crypts and Anubias are fantastic plants for this kind of setup, but some of the smaller swords could work okay, such as Compacta Sword, or Chain sword. Even those can take over a tank though. Tiger lotus is one of my favorite plants, and it could be quite nicely in a 29G, but you need to stay on top of trimming the leaves before they reach the surface. If you do that, they'll stay small, and provide a very nice accent.
Corydoras are a nice catfish, but note that they will uprooted shallow rooted plants, particularly foreground plants. They'd be fine with a Sag. Subulata or Chainsword, but might make marsilea quadrifolia or liliapsis brazilis difficult to establish. Ottos and shrimp are perfect additions to any tank.
Hopefully this helps a bit on most of your questions... Good luck!
Any of these floating plants will work fine, but keep in mind that they often quickly cover the surface, so you'll want to clear it off every so often to avoid impacting the growth of the plants below.
Most any of the Hygrophylla species will work for you. Similarly with most of the ludwigias, and they will provide some color. Crypts and Anubias are fantastic plants for this kind of setup, but some of the smaller swords could work okay, such as Compacta Sword, or Chain sword. Even those can take over a tank though. Tiger lotus is one of my favorite plants, and it could be quite nicely in a 29G, but you need to stay on top of trimming the leaves before they reach the surface. If you do that, they'll stay small, and provide a very nice accent.
Corydoras are a nice catfish, but note that they will uprooted shallow rooted plants, particularly foreground plants. They'd be fine with a Sag. Subulata or Chainsword, but might make marsilea quadrifolia or liliapsis brazilis difficult to establish. Ottos and shrimp are perfect additions to any tank.
Hopefully this helps a bit on most of your questions... Good luck!
On lighting:
It took me a long time to listen to everyone about t5's. I'm a believer now.
Coralife makes a nice little NO fixture that is very budget conscious, and Current makes a NOVA fixture that is inexpensive and decent on the HO end.
Plants:
Not sure how fissidens reacts to lower lighting levels - others may know. Should it not work, though, there are several more attractive options to java moss. You'll find Tiawan and Peacock moss in the club, I'm pretty sure, for instance.
It took me a long time to listen to everyone about t5's. I'm a believer now.
Coralife makes a nice little NO fixture that is very budget conscious, and Current makes a NOVA fixture that is inexpensive and decent on the HO end.Plants:
Not sure how fissidens reacts to lower lighting levels - others may know. Should it not work, though, there are several more attractive options to java moss. You'll find Tiawan and Peacock moss in the club, I'm pretty sure, for instance.
Dave
I would go with the new FLourite Black for substrate. THe EcoComplete tends to buffer the water more than necessary. THe Flourite is nice and inert.
Kris makes a good point about the restricted flow due to overall plant mass in a tank. Go bigger on the filter than you might initially think you need. Extra flow never hurt plants.
I'm with Dave on lighting. I love T5s. Either the NO Coralifes or the Nova HO fixtures would be great. Make sure you get the ones for freshwater as their bulbs as better suited to growing plants.
Pencilfish are cool. Personally, I like fish that school so I stick to Rasboras, rainbows and tetras mostly. The pencilfish tend to be territorial. As Kris said, you'll want to consider a "clean-up crew" as well. Ottocinclus, Amano shrimp, nerite snails and cherry shrimp are all good choices. There are also some suitable plecos...and some not so suitable.
Fissidens fontanus wouldn't work all that well as a floating plant. It's best tied to rocks or wood. A warning concerning Riccia. It's gorgeous, but make sure you REALLY like it because it's nearly impossible to remove from a tank once it's in there.
Kris makes a good point about the restricted flow due to overall plant mass in a tank. Go bigger on the filter than you might initially think you need. Extra flow never hurt plants.
I'm with Dave on lighting. I love T5s. Either the NO Coralifes or the Nova HO fixtures would be great. Make sure you get the ones for freshwater as their bulbs as better suited to growing plants.
Pencilfish are cool. Personally, I like fish that school so I stick to Rasboras, rainbows and tetras mostly. The pencilfish tend to be territorial. As Kris said, you'll want to consider a "clean-up crew" as well. Ottocinclus, Amano shrimp, nerite snails and cherry shrimp are all good choices. There are also some suitable plecos...and some not so suitable.
Fissidens fontanus wouldn't work all that well as a floating plant. It's best tied to rocks or wood. A warning concerning Riccia. It's gorgeous, but make sure you REALLY like it because it's nearly impossible to remove from a tank once it's in there.
Built the first tank.
Well, I built the first tank!
Here are the specs:
20H tank
2.3 WPG lighting: Coralife T5 NO 28W and Coralife Mini-Freshwater Aqualight Compact Flourescent 18W = 46W total for 2.3 WPG.
Substrate is Flourite Black (I have found it rinses very easily. I used a large kitchen strainer and rinsed 3 cups or so of gravel at a time. Total time to prepare almost 2 bags of flourite was maybe an hour. SHould take less next time around).
Plants - initially at least:
Echinodorus sp (Compact Sword)
Anubias barteri (var barteri?)
Cryptocoyne wendtii 'Green'
Ludwigia palustus (I think)
Ceratophyllum demersum (this is more for a Griggs style silent cycle than for permanent use)
Bacopa carolina (also mostly for startup I think)
Sagittaria subulata
Microsorum pteropus - narrow leaf
Microsorum pteropus var Windelov
Started Flourish Excel on Sunday evening after planting the tank.
There is already visible change in the plants. The Anubias is unrolling a new leaf, the babies on the sowrds are dropping roots in open water (I put two into the sibstrate to see if they take), and the Cryptocoryne has lost a couple of leaves (due to transplantation or maybe going from emersed to submersed form?).
No animal life yet. I am weighing what to do with that aspect. I'll be away for a week at the end of February (scuba diving!) and am a little worried about new fish in a new tank without supervision.. Maybe I should just put shrimp in?
Seems like a good start. Thanks for the ideas and help so far!
If there appear to be dangers in this setup, LMK.
(Oh, no pictures yet, since I've avoided owning a digital camera up till now. I think I need to fix that ASAP).
Matt
Here are the specs:
20H tank
2.3 WPG lighting: Coralife T5 NO 28W and Coralife Mini-Freshwater Aqualight Compact Flourescent 18W = 46W total for 2.3 WPG.
Substrate is Flourite Black (I have found it rinses very easily. I used a large kitchen strainer and rinsed 3 cups or so of gravel at a time. Total time to prepare almost 2 bags of flourite was maybe an hour. SHould take less next time around).
Plants - initially at least:
Echinodorus sp (Compact Sword)
Anubias barteri (var barteri?)
Cryptocoyne wendtii 'Green'
Ludwigia palustus (I think)
Ceratophyllum demersum (this is more for a Griggs style silent cycle than for permanent use)
Bacopa carolina (also mostly for startup I think)
Sagittaria subulata
Microsorum pteropus - narrow leaf
Microsorum pteropus var Windelov
Started Flourish Excel on Sunday evening after planting the tank.
There is already visible change in the plants. The Anubias is unrolling a new leaf, the babies on the sowrds are dropping roots in open water (I put two into the sibstrate to see if they take), and the Cryptocoryne has lost a couple of leaves (due to transplantation or maybe going from emersed to submersed form?).
No animal life yet. I am weighing what to do with that aspect. I'll be away for a week at the end of February (scuba diving!) and am a little worried about new fish in a new tank without supervision.. Maybe I should just put shrimp in?
Seems like a good start. Thanks for the ideas and help so far!
If there appear to be dangers in this setup, LMK.
(Oh, no pictures yet, since I've avoided owning a digital camera up till now. I think I need to fix that ASAP).
Matt
Sounds like you are in good shape.
As far as adding shrimp, they seem to be more sensitive to water prams then fish are, so you may be better off adding some fish first. You could add a few fish now, planted tanks are a little different then your fish only tanks when you do a fishless cycle or wait until its all established. Plants will 'eat up' the bad stuff and grow faster they you would think in the early stages of a new tank. Dont fully stock the tank but you could add a few fish right now
As far as adding shrimp, they seem to be more sensitive to water prams then fish are, so you may be better off adding some fish first. You could add a few fish now, planted tanks are a little different then your fish only tanks when you do a fishless cycle or wait until its all established. Plants will 'eat up' the bad stuff and grow faster they you would think in the early stages of a new tank. Dont fully stock the tank but you could add a few fish right now
Jeff U.
Marge,
GWAPA used to have a "Bullet Proof Aquarium" handout for workshops, but currently it's a little bit outdated. The best "beginner primer" for planted aquariums that I know about is by own our Ben Belton, and can be found here:
http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/
GWAPA used to have a "Bullet Proof Aquarium" handout for workshops, but currently it's a little bit outdated. The best "beginner primer" for planted aquariums that I know about is by own our Ben Belton, and can be found here:
http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/
