New Planted Setup

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saxenamohitm

AC Members
Apr 16, 2007
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Hey all,
I'm setting up a new planted tank and I want this to work well so i'm taking it slow and trying to get everything right. So i'm planning to start a log right here.

Here goes:

Tank Dimensions: 48x24x20 (LxHxW)
Approx 120 gallons or 400 liters.

Substrate: I'm going for a homemade substrate... The bottom layer is laterite soil, and then i have another layer of river soil, and topping it off with sand. The lateriate soil is very fine and when mixed with water forms a homogenous paste. So after I laid it i let it dry a bit before adding river soil. iver soil that i found was granular.. but not too big... I've recently come across the problem of it compressing. I'm still trying to figure out now to overcome it. All i can think of right now is to poke the 2 layers with a toothpick like thing all across the bed before topping it off with sand. I havent put in the sand yet.

Lighting: I'm using 2 of my old T3 56W osram fluoro lights, and 5x8W Osram 65000k LED bulbs... I'm just too curious to know how they will fare in this type of tank.. I havent used LEDS yet.. heres a link http://www.shopclues.com/osram-8w-led-bulb.html?gclid=CMmsgZDTmLsCFe4F4godBGUA7w
based on the results I may switch a few of these lights back to 6500K cfl. These Leds however have a tinge of blue to them, i think they should do well... Tank is also situated right in front of a west facing window and receives strong sunlight between 3pm and 6-7pm. Although i have blinds to limit the exposure... but not completely... Its India and its tropical... so you get the idea...

Filter: I already have an internal filter, but i dont want this tank to have a strong current.. so i'm thinking of getting an external overhang filter. I've never used it and I dont have space for external canister filter... so I need ur advice on that.

So this is where i've reached so far... I'm planning on making a moss background, and the tank would be medium/heavy planted... based on the plants i finalize later on i'll be deciding if i need CO2 and ferts.

Mohit
 

calivivarium1

Finished the fight
May 5, 2008
1,432
25
51
Fresno, California
Personally, I've decided that I prefer to NOT use CO2 in a tank. I enjoy not HAVING to necessarily trim the tank every weak, leaving on a trip and having an algae farm when I return because whoever was watching my house forgot to dose the tank for a few days, etc. I also had a regulator (albiet a cheap one, but still) fail on me and kill all my fish once.. Its your tank, obviously do what you like but I'd urge most anyone to consider a non-CO2 tank. Since you have such a large tank, Metricide 14 or a similar product may be a good way to still dose some carbon if you like but leave it somewhat affordable.

As for your filters, someone with more knowledge may have to chime in on best hang on back ones. I personally like Aquaclear, but I would really, really try to use a canister on a tank of that size. Magnum hang on tank filters might be worth looking into.
 

authmal

Pseudonovice
Aug 4, 2011
2,621
62
51
Phoenix, AZ
Generally speaking, internal filters aren't powerful enough for a tank that size. I'd recommend a pair of AC 110s as HOB filters. I know you say you don't have room for a canister filter, but if you can find it (check the dimensions on some models, they're not necessarily huge) but if it were my tank, I'd pair my AC 110 with a canister of some sort.

I'm not familiar with T3 lighting.

High tech vs. low tech (pressurized co2 or not) is dependent on how much maintenance and tweaking you're willing to do.
 

saxenamohitm

AC Members
Apr 16, 2007
27
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Thanks for your replies.

I'm sorry about the light... its actually a pair of 58W T8 not T3.. here is a link for it.. http://www.osram.com/osram_com/prod...sions/fluora-t8/index.jsp?productId=ZMP_60391
I'm planning on installing the light fixtures this Sunday.. will post a few pics once they're up..

I'd actually browsed for some canister filters but the big ones (better gph) are ridiculously expensive, and the smaller ones dont make sense because of slower filteration..
I'm browsing through some of the DIY canister projects.. maybe with the correct tools i could try a DIY project... most of the comments usually talk about the incidents of spillages though... :p

Any comments on the substrate? Do you think theres a need to worry about laterite soil compressing and becoming unusable for the roots to get through and establish?

Havent really thought of the plant stock yet except for a moss wall because theres no background to the tank yet and i didnt want it to be blank. Once i get the substrate and lighting setup i'll start thinking about what kind of plants i wanna keep..
 

authmal

Pseudonovice
Aug 4, 2011
2,621
62
51
Phoenix, AZ
Slower filtration numbers are a bit misleading where a canister filter is concerned. The water is typically more thoroughly filtered due to the volume of media, so the higher GPH of a HOB isn't the only factor. If cost is a factor, I have an Aquatop CF400UV, which is rated for a tank that's about 100 gallons or so, on my 55. It's basically a rebranded SunSun, maybe the 304, I'm not sure off the top of my head. It does have a UV filter, but frankly, at the GPH it pushes, the UV filter is next to useless because it needs a very low flow rate to be actually effective, and I haven't had it on but for a couple days.

T8s are effective and fairly common; they just don't have a lot of penetration compared to T5HOs or some of the plant growth oriented LED rigs. Part of what you need to do is evaluate what kinds of plants you want, and what their lighting needs are.

I know nothing about laterite. However, I'd imagine having some Malaysian Trumpet snails would take care of that concern, because they spend much of their time in the substrate. That said, I don't know what availability is like in India for those.
 

Fishfiles1

AC Members
Mar 3, 2008
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Lansing Michigan/Mesick Michigan
Real Name
Ben
laterite is good for plants that use a lot of iron. i would be concerned about the sand mixing, because it is smaller than the rocks it will eventually make its way to the bottom of the tank. if it where me i would find a way to get a canister filter like a SunSun, these are very cheap and great canisters. for your lighting you could make your own DIY CPF system with 6700 and 2700K bulbs it will be a step up from the T-8s, but not be to over powering. i would not use the window for lighting. as the sun passes through the glass window and the tank glass the spectrum will change and in most cases thats going to favor algae. we all know algae is the worst thing in a planted tank, it will take over plants and make the tank well ugly. you could find a good used T-5 NO light fixture. or the HIGH output lights if you want more diverse plants.
I have had good luck with potting soil and flourite for my substrate even without root tabs. you could get seachem onyx sand and use laterite for the bottom, this would give you a nice mix of iron and mg. then you would want to does N, P, K. maybe some trace and CO2 unless you wish to avoid trimming often. as i have found some addition of CO2 helps keep algae back, and lets the plants use all left over nutrients
good luck i will be watching this thread
Ben
 

saxenamohitm

AC Members
Apr 16, 2007
27
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0
Thanks for your replies and encouragement.

So i sat and installed my lighting fixture today for the LED bulbs, and tested the T8s i had. Unfortunately out of the 2 tubes i had left with me, 1 failed to start and i was so bummed at the beginning. However, i planned to atleast finish the LED bulb setup and later on look for a T5HO replacement instead of using the remaining 1 T8.

And I am so surprised by the end result of the LED bulb itself. 5x8W 6500K LED bulbs are just too overpowering. Also they are not dimmable. Here are a few pics...

IMAG0207.jpgIMAG0208.jpg

So, basically i put the led nos. 1,3,5 in 1 series and nos. 2,4 in another series so that if needed i could control the light output and mix and match a little when i install the t5ho.

IMAG0209.jpgIMAG0211.jpgIMAG0212.jpg

So, offcourse i'm not using the best of camera because all that it could capture is the glare of these 5 bright lights, but they are really bright... the first one had all the 5 bulbs on.. 2nd pic has 3 bulbs on and the third has 3 bulbs on but taken from a higher angle to reduce the glare.

I liked my old T8s with the 7000k light... this 6500k is just white.. colourwise i liked the pink tinged lights better though...

Anyways, lets see if i can find those in t5ho around my place, if not i'll just install the last remaining T8 i have by next week.

Also, trying to source some moss for the moss wall and might drive to a nearby city for work early next week.. hoping to collect some beautiful basalt rocks on the way... lets see how long this step takes.

Also, i realized i cannot use a HOB filter because the canopy that my carpenter built me does not really have space at the back of the tank unless i cut off a piece from the canopy to fit a HOB filter. Might have to go for a canister afterall. I've been browsing for a few SunSUn models here in India and they are just charging a bomb for it... need to do a little bit of more research and find some reasonable suppliers.

IMAG0207.jpg IMAG0208.jpg IMAG0209.jpg IMAG0211.jpg IMAG0212.jpg
 
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