9 replies to this topic

[geemaril]

hey,
i was considering setting up a moderate-heavily planted tank in a 6x2x2 in my room. i have been on the outskirts of the cichlid zone looking into the quiet world of planted tanks for some time now and i was wondering what equipment id need to make it look spectacular and the approximate cost. i dont want any shonky gear or faulty co2 systems cause that @#%$ can kill (literally). just hit me with the big figures and a list of what ill need. also are there any alternatives to metal halide or should i just hit it with the best and add like 4 extractor fans to the ceiling .
are there any good sites where i can find the recipe for PMDD and is it dangerous to have a co2 gas bottle in your bedroom.
Thanx
Elliot

Edited by: geemaril at: 12/23/03 8:26 pm

[Brett4Perth]

Hi Elliot and welcome.

Well that is a very big question and I have no chance to answer all of it.

It sounds like you are aiming for the high light/CO2 injected/nutrient supplimented +/- heating coils, everything grows like crazy, planted tank. These can be truely awesome, but I hope you like pruning and trimming as they quickly become overgrown if not adequately maintained.

Try this Planted tank link to get heaps of technical info.

Light - Retrofitted hood with flouros or metal halides are probably your best bets. MH are best from hydroponic stores or lighting specialists. Try a bulb with color temp about 6000-7000K.

Heating coils for substrate - some people swear by these, but I have no experience with them. Quite expensive and optional.

Substate - There are some very expensive ones like Flourite, which does work very well and is re-usable. Substantially increases the start up cost and are LOTS of cheap alternatives that work better than gravel (but maybe not as well as Fluorite).

CO2 injection - State of the art is the regulated Dupla system, but this is big bucks. A big cost of the system is the controller that automatically regulates the CO2 injection to maintain the pH of your tank. Very nice, but not strickly necessary. Several DIY systems around that seem to work. This link shows a system similar to the one Vince uses. Couldn't find his post tonight.

Fertiliser - This is the cheap bit, Heres the link for the original. I have heaps of ingredients if needed as you have to buy way more than you need. For substrate fertilizer use Manutec plant food spikes for ferns and palms (Big W)

As for specific prices, best to ring the people who sell them. Let your fingers do the walking!!

Properly set up CO2 system is safe

I'm off to prune the tank

Cheers
Brett

[SiF n00b]

that looks like it says 6000-7000k ell, oh, really . told ya
catchas bro
happy planting
btw, u worry too much bout htat co2 tank i wouldnt care if I could get one

[Just2Nasty]

CO2 easy, ya ready for the easiest way,

1.25 coke bottle,
air line and air stone,

800ml of 30 deg c water,
200 gms sugar,
1 tea spoon of bakers yeast,
1/4 tea spoon bakers powder.

Put sugar and water together and mix till dissolved.
add yeast and bakers powder and shake.

i bought an air line kit, i got air line, stone, small inline tap, and t piece.

Drill hole in lid push through air line into airline push t piece and push back into hole in lid to jam it in tight. Put tap in line to control the CO2 flow and thats it.

This is setup on a 5x2x2 and it runs real well, will last for about 2 weeks.

Thanks,
Stuart.

[vishy101]

Hi,

just2nasty i have just set up a new 4x2x2 tank with 2 fleuros one aquastar the a other a phillips. i have planted the tank an like the look of it but the plants dont seem to happy. I was wondering how much of a difference the co2 system made to your tank?

Thanx

[Brett4Perth]

Hello Vishy,

By my calculations your tank contains about 400l or 100gallons of water. Standard 4ft flouros are 36W, giving 72W or 1.4W/gallon.

This is a low light level and probably the reason your plants are not happy. What sort of plants do you have? Some do better in low light than others. Adding CO2 can be very beneficial, but only if your lighting is adequate.

Do you know any of your water parameters? pH, hardness, nitrates, etc. These can also influence plant growth.
Fish, filtration ... a bit more info would help

Brett

[vishy101]

Hi,
me again my filter is an aqua clear 300 sonn to be a resun (1500 lph) or otto (1800 lph) by the way what would u recomend. i have vallis, java fern, cabomba and simalar, a purple plant whin thin leaves and another with thick brosd leaves. two amazon swords and some big tall thing and a few other randoms. The ph is 6.8 to 7. Lights are sylvania aquastar and a phillips aqua relle by the way how long should they be on for. I've got 16 neons, 6 angels, 4 bristlenose, 10 rummynose, soon to come congo tetras, pleco, blue ram.
P.S. could you be more precise with the co2 recipe please and would it suit my tank.

[Brett4Perth]

Hi Vishy

Nice selection of fish, but those neons are going to get nervous as your angels grow! Not sure I would proceed with the Congo's. Love the fish, but they prefer a shoal, grow quite large and I am not sure you will have the space when your current fish grow to full size.

Vallis, Java fern and Amazon swords are the ones most likely to survive in lower light. Purple and red leaved plants invariably die in low light tanks.

If you are going to use DIY CO2 then any filter that stirs up the water surface is going to result in lost CO2. Your best bets are canisters or internal powerheads.

Here is a very comprehensive link about CO2 production by yeast. Also discusses the role of light.
In my 4ft tank I use two 2l bottles, each with 1.5l water/2 cups sugar/ 1/2 teaspoon brewers yeast connected to an underwater bell (whisky glass).

Brett

[vishy101]

Hi,
Brett4perth i've been thinking about you're formula for watts per gallon and it doesn't work seeming if you have 50 watts in a 100 gallon tank you get 2 watts per gallon. And if you have 100 watts in a 100 gallon tank you have 1 watt per gallon.
thanx

[Brett4Perth]

Sorry Vishy, my error.

Your tank has 72W over 100gallons, that is 0.72W/gallon

Problem is the same though, not enough light.

Brett