120 gal Setup Suggestions

[GaryPokrant]

I a new member of GWAPA and to the plant end of aquariums. A 120 gal tank is in my near future. I have plans to invite GWAPA's members to my home to assist in setting up the plants.

For now, I am looking for suggestions (and why you made the suggestion) for what I should be acquiring upfront. Any direction as to where to buy each item for a reasonable price would be appreciated also -- I live in Rockville and would like to support the local aquarium dealers, but have no problem ordering over the internet if the price is substantially lower.

So far my plans only include a tank 120 gal from Oceanic 48"x24"x24" and an appropriate stand. It will have a closed top. I already have a Python (how did we ever live without this.) The rest is a blank screen.

LIGHTING -- I am not ready for halogen lighting, so I am told compact florescent is the way to go. I would like a wide range of options for future plants, so a fairly high level of light would seem appropriate. How do watts per gal for compacts versus fluorescents compare? What would be a good range to shoot for in wpg? Also, what type or K range for the bulbs?

FILTER -- Eheim, but what size do I need if the tank is heavily planted with a medium level of fish? What types of filter medium do you use?

HEATER - Don't even know what to ask here.

SUBSTRATE -- Seachem Flourite would look good and I have read good things about it. Is that all I use, or do I combine or layer it with something else? How does Oxy Sand fit into the equation?

SUBSTRATE CABLE HEATER -- What I have read is conflicting. Some say it doesn't effect the plant growth and others say it is the greatest.

CO2 SYSTEM -- Don't even know what to ask here.

PLANT SUPPLEMENTS AND ADDITIVES -- Don't even know what to ask here.

PLANT TRIMMING & PLANTING TOOLS -- Good quality, long handles and reasonable price -- what should a starter have?

MISCELLANEOUS -- What have I not asked about that I should know?

Some of the above will depend on the type of plants I choose, but I am not there yet.

I have asked for a lot of information. But from what I have read on this site and in various magazines and from those of you I met at the last meeting, you folks really seem to know your stuff.

Thank you for whatever guidance you can provide.

[krisw]

Hi Gary,

It was nice meeting you at the last meeting! Let me take the first stab at a few of your questions:

LIGHTING: Compact Flourescents are going to give you more watts per light than standard flourescents. The Kelvin rating is somewhat a personal preference, but I like 6700K lights, with a 10000K mixed in. But, like I said, as long as you're not using "Cool Whites", it's personal preference based on whether or not you want more red, blue, or yellow tinted lights.

SUBSTRATE: Flourite is an excellent choice. You don't want to mix it with anything else. If you would prefer a different colored substrate, many folks like Eco-complete. (It's black.) Oynx sand is a nice slate colored substrate, that grows plants, but always increases the KH of your water. I'd recommend either Flourite or Eco-complete.

HEATING CABLES: Don't bother. Like you said, there's too much controversy over them as far as whether or not they really contribute anything. Why blow the extra cash?

CO2 SYSTEM: If you're going for high light, you're going to want plenty of CO2. Your only real option on a tank as big as a 120G is a pressurized system. Running a DIY reactor in-line with your Eheim would be a great solution. Ghazanfar's plans for the CO2 reactor are only here.

PLANT DOSING: I suggest you come to the October meeting. Dosing is going to be the topic this month. There are many options here from using SeaChem's extensive line of additives, to mixing your own solutions from dry chemicals. If you have high light, CO2, and good plant growth, you're probably going to want to at least dose occasionally.

I'll let everyone chime in from here.

[fredyk]

Note that there's a PVAS Fall fish festival and auction in two weeks where you can get a variety of good things.

PVAS.COM

Cheers,
Mark

[Aaron]

LIGHTING: Do you want a pendant style light or will it have a canopy?

TRIMMING TOOLS: The best bang for the buck is the aquascaping tool kit from www.petsolutions.com. I believe it's about $30-$35.

SUBSTRATE: Flourite or EcoComplete. Onyx will mess with water hardness like Kris said and adding anything else really isn't necessary.

CABLE HEATERS: Save your money

CO2 SYSTEM: You will want a pressurized system

FILTRATION: If you want an Eheim, which is an excellent choice, I would go with either the 2260 or two 2026 Professional IIs. Check out www.bigalsonline.com for some great deals on filters. Also, check out the PVAS auction that Mark mentioned.

HEATER: Where in the house will the tank be? A lot of my tanks don't have heaters.

ADDITIVES: I plan on putting together a dosing presentation for the October meeting so hopefully you can attend. If not, we will be posting it on the website.

[GaryPokrant]

Aaron,
LIGHTING - will be a canopy.

HEATER - The tank will be located in the very center of my home. My guess is that you'll now tell me that I may not need a heater. Have not heard that advice before. Thanks.

I was looking at Big Al's site this past weekend. Interesting.

I will definitely be at the October meeting.

Thanks

[Aaron]

Lighting: In the case of a canopy I would highly recommend a retrofit kit from www.ahsupply.com Their 6x55watt kit would be perfect for your tank.

Bulbs should be somewhere between 5,500K and 10,000K. From there it really depends on color preference.

5,500-6,700K tends to be yellower
8,000k or 9325K tends to be pink
10,000k tends to be blue

I like to mix of the pink and yellow personally.

HEATER: Yeah, so long as the house stays around 70 or close to it and you're not going to keep discus then a heater is not necessary.

Hope this helps you.