Hey all! I am planning on setting up a planted tank. I used to have one about 6+ years ago. Now I am seeing all these new things to use that i never saw before. I just want to start off right and not deal with all the frustrations i had to deal with setting up last time. I plant to have it planted on the heavier side. nice and lush with greens and reds. What would be some good equipment to buy? How are those LED lights? is it cost effective on electricity? The only thing i have bought aside from the tank and stand is a coralife digital thermometer. I was thinking of doing a 5lb co2 setup but maybe that is overkill for this size tank? also was thinking of using a canister filter but i read a lot about aquaclear's hang on filters. I might go that route? It has been a while. and while the initial setup was frustrating, the pleasures of having a planted tank is priceless.Looking forward to all the help and advise!
new 28g bowfront. What to buy?
- Thread starter truenoob
- Start date
LEDs are more up front but will save money on the electricity bill. Make sure they are suitable for plants though. How much a CO2 weights doesnt determine if its over kill or not rather the amount of CO2 released over a period of time will determine that. Some people run 20lb tanks of CO2 on their tanks. I dont know much about pressurized CO2 but i see alot off people doing roughly 1-3 bubbles a second which i guess is a good area to start around. But with adding pressurized CO2 you may want to look into macro and micro fert dosing because an imbalance of light, CO2 can lead to an ugly mess of algae.
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would you suggest another method of co2? just liquid? what are other members on the forum doing? can anyone chime in with their setup? I want it to be as low cost as possible but also done right.
also, do the t-5 lighting fixture, or any lighting fixture increase electrical bill at a lot? do any of these fixtures require less power than the other?
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My setup is just low light lowtech right now. Just a dual T5NO, liquid ferts(micros only), and liquid co2. Everyone goes about planting tanks differently so i cant vouch for anyone else. Do what you can maintain/afford. To be as lost cost as possible youd probably want to look into low-mid light lowtech/notech. That would reduce the need for ferts and co2 but you wouldnt be able to keep some of those stunning plants you see on youtube videos and pictures. My setup is very easy to maintain. I just clip any extra growth or dead leaves to keep it looking nice.
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API's liquid CO2 and Seachem's Flourish Excel are forms of "liquid CO2". I use Metracide 14, which is a glutaral product.
In regards to electricity usage, watts is what determines how much juice they use. An LED fixture may only use ~20W for your size of tank, where a T5 fixture might be double that. Totally negligible in this small a scale IMO.
So far this is what I have in mind for purchasing.
AquaClear 110 Aquarium Power Filter
Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus Light for Aquarium
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 100W
3x 20lbs Eco Complete Substrate.
goal is still med light plants. I want a good mixture of red and green. near heavily planted.
With this all in mind. How should I go about the co2.
AquaClear 110 Aquarium Power Filter
Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus Light for Aquarium
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 100W
3x 20lbs Eco Complete Substrate.
goal is still med light plants. I want a good mixture of red and green. near heavily planted.
With this all in mind. How should I go about the co2.
I would just use liquid CO2 booster in the tank. Compressed CO2 injection requires a significant amount of maintenance (DIY yeast form can be messy and a pain to change out every week, 5lbs tank systems require understanding of regulators, bubble counters, and 20gram/88gram cartridges last for a short time and are expensive to replace. Also, with the fixture you wish to purchase the plants will not demand as much CO2 as they would if you were using a high PAR output LED (µmol 76-130). I run a low tech tank with that LED fixture and the only outside CO2 source is from my daily dose of Flourish Excel, I have good success with all my plants except for carpeting plants like HC and glossostigma.
Truenoob, I'm ALL for over-filtering, but an AC110 on a 28g tank?? Even dailed-back, that's a lot of filter for a small tank. An AC50 or 70 would be plenty for 28g IMO.
True that. I ran an Aqueon 55/75 (400GPH) on my 29 gallon and the flow was too much at times for the plants and fish. The water level of the tank had a lot to do with it (when the water level is closer to the return there is less disturbance on the surface). AC 110 is rated at 500 GPH, your tank will have a turnover of almost 18 times per hour, that means all of the water in your tank will travel through that filter every 3.33 minutes. You are better off running two filters each at 200GPH with one dialed back a bit depending on the species of fish you decide to stock. I would fill one entirely with biological media like cinders or ceramic rings and the other with sponges and filter floss.
Wow, Good catch gentleman! Lol, I don't know what I was thinking when I chose that. Alright, I think this will be it then. What are some good hardy red plants i can plant in this setup? I ordered an aquarium plant encyclopedia but it still has not made its arrival. I will get an AC50, and if that is not enough I will purchase a second. And what combination of chemicals/tablets do you fellas normally use to feed and give co2 to the plants? I am hoping to place the order tonight! Actually, what are all the chemicals i should purchase? I dont plan to add fish for about a month after the plants.
I really appreciate all the help!
I really appreciate all the help!
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