Possible New Freshwater Tank (Im a newbie)

I like the Hagen Aquaclear brand of HOB, IMO I would use a 30 or maybe a 50 depending on tank setup. As for the light it depends on the plants you want to grow and how fast you want them to grow. A word of caution on the lights the more light you put in the tank the more things you'll need to use (ferts,co2). Tell us what plants you're looking at.

Hi Bradly, welcome to AC!

The specific lighting recommendation for a planted tank will depend on the size of your tank, and also on what kind of plants you want to keep. If you're keeping it simple, I'd recommend researching some low light species of plants like java fern, anubias, java moss, vallesneria, and cryptocorynes. All of these are easy to grow and should do fine under power compact lighting- single strip will work. There are a lot of members here on AC that sell low light plant packages at a great price so I'd recommend browsing the classifieds.

For filtration, I also like the Aquaclear brand a lot. I'd go with the AC 50 for a 20 gallon, or an AC 70 for a 30-50 gallon. Media is included and consists of a sponge block, carbon insert, and a small bag of ceramic rings. I usually add a second sponge block stacked on top of the other, use the ceramic rings, and toss the carbon... how you want to use the media is up to you though, it's all good stuff.

Post any other questions you might have and I'm sure you'll get a ton of great info. Good luck!

Bradly88 said:

To start off with I would want to keep low light plants that are simple to keep, but pretty looking at the same time. I will do some research on those plants severum mama.

So seems like the Hagen Aquaclear HOB filters are a popular choice. Il read up on the AC50/AC70. Is it the same in freshwater aquariums as it is in marine tanks that you want to get a filtration system that is overrated for you system?

Also severum mama suggested that I toss the carbon that comes with the filter. Is there any pro's to doing this? I think the carbon would help with water quality and coloration.

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You do want to choose filters that are overrated for your tank size IMO... I tend to disagree with the manufacturer's rating most of the time. However, you don't need nearly the turnover in a FW tank that you do in a marine tank. 8-10x turnover per hour should be plenty for a FW tank.

If you want to run the carbon in your filter, that's totally fine. I just don't use it myself unless there is a need to remove medications or something to that effect... but it all boils down to your personal preference. If you have driftwood that leeches tannins into the water, it's great for removing the tea color, but tannins never really bothered me much. Again, it's totally up to you and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

Basically water is drawn through your substrate where the bacteria resides and pushed up a tube where it mizes with the rest of the aquarium.

UGF's aren't necessary per se but I find them to be an excellent filtration method as long as you do your regular gravel vac's. There is more advanced filtration out there (hang-on-back, canister) but it's going to be more costly.

you do not need an under gravel filter. IMO, they do nothing but cause problems. Some people like them, because of the 'clean' look of the tank. It minimize the 'stuff'. IMO, if you don't want to see the filter, you are better off with a canister filter. I would reccomend a can anyway, because they are more adaptable. You can pick where you put the suction, and discharge, and whether it is a straight stream discharge, or a diffuser/spraybar. You can also have more control over the media that you run, and the water level you maintain. They also generally produce less ambient noise, because they are in the tank stand.

Carbon is offered as media for its ability to adsorb trace elements from the water. You don't want to do that if you have plants since it removes things they need to grow.

I've never heard anyone recommend 8x turnover as a minimum. That's crazy, especially in a planted tank. Everything will be all bent over in the current. 4-5 times an hour has always been the recommendation I've heard.