Newbie Help

wickedcichlid

wickedcichlid

Aquatic Addiction
Aug 5, 2008
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Fort Wayne, IN
www.premiertechnologyservices.com
I have been raising cichlids for a while which are undoubtedly anything but plant friendly. I would like to take a stab at setting up a planted tank,, because I truly do appreciate the way they look. I need advice on where to start and what to do. I will buy whatever I need to buy, so please feel free to give any advice at all. Im a firm believer in you get what you pay for, and the best materials will produce the best results. Im going to start by purchasing a 46G Bowfront tank. I would like to put in a large piece of driftwood as the centerpiece and thats as far as my preferences go. I will need the green gurus to chime in and help me with the rest. Any assistance would be great.
 
The following should be good also: 135w of light (more or less 3w per gallon), a good substrate (I prefer Eco-complete but Flourish is also good), pressurized CO2 since it's a big tank and DIY CO2 would not be adequate, and some good fertilizers such as the ones from the Flourish line (I like Flourish, flourish tabs and Flourish K (usually for after the tank is established) I used to substitute Flourish K with API's Leaf Zone which is high in potassium). Good luck!
 
what set up are you going towrsd high tech or low tech.

High tech= usually high light (above 2 WPG), Co2 injected and lost of fertilizers. you basically can grow any thing in a high tech tank but you have to keep an eye on it. and make sure you have the right balance between light, firtz, and CO2 other wise you might spiral down into a algea out brake. these tanks are alos a lot of work.

Low Tech= usally less light (below 2wpg but above 1wpg), require no CO2 (but it does not hurt ether) and not much in the way of firtz. you are more limated in what you can grow but there is still a nice selection and these tanks are much easier to maitian.

once you deside what tank style you want to go with we can beter help you with other stuff.
 
Thanks guys for the helpful info. So what I have established so far is I need good lighting above 2w per gallon (To answer your question Ozy, I wouldnt mind doing a little extra work so High tech is fine). I also need good substrate and Co2.

Gustavo, you said 'after the tank is established'. Do planted tanks need to be cycled like a regular live tank?

What kind of lighting is good, and what are the recommended Co2 systems out there for a 46G?

How do I come up with a layout of the plants I want and the placement?
 
I have a 46g planted bow front high tech tank. Below is my current setup with comments.

1)Light: Coralife Aqualight 2x96w 10,000k bulbs. I run one bulb for 10 hours, and the other only 6. 192w is a bit much for a 46g tank, so that's why I do partial light for some of the day. Overall, this is a good fixture for this tank. Ahsupply.com also has a nice retrofit kit if you want to put it in a hood. If you already have a hood, installation of the ahsuppy kit takes about 30 minutes.

2)Filter: I have an Eheim 2128. It's overkill. I would recommend Eheim 2026(or 2126 with integrated heater) or Rena XP3. Cannister filter only, no HOB.

3)Heater: I have the Eheim 2128 with integrated heater, works well. Either an integrated heater in your filter like the Eheim 2126 or get a Hydor Inline heater 300w. It's nice not having a heater in the tank.

4)Substrate: I use 50/50 Seachem Flourite/Soilmaster Select. If I were doing it again, I would go 100% ADA Aquasoil. ADA recommends the use of powersand underneath the Aquasoil...I wouldn't do this, I would do 100% Aquasoil. Aquasoil releases ammonia so it requires about a 2 week cycle. Aquasoil grows the best plants, hands down, no discussion.

5)CO2: Pressurized 10-20# cylinder. You can get a good price on an empty cyilnder from beveragefactory.com or you can look locally. Typically, you can find somethingi cheaper and filled locally. Milwaukee Regulator with integrated bubble counter/needle valve/ and solenoid. Ebay is a good place for the regulator. Milwaukee pH controller, I have it, it's not required but nice. I run my co2 line directly into the intake of my cannister filter. Dissolves well.

7) I do diy fertilizers from www.aquariumfertilizer.com, cheap and easy.

8)Get a drop checker off of ebay for measuring co2.


For setting up a tank, research EI Dosing. Also, read everything you can about all types of algae.

Plant heavy with fast growing stem plants in the beginning, and then later on switch out if you want. This will help you adjust to high light, high co2, high nutrient levels and it'll be more forgiving(regarding algae outbreaks).

Algae happens. Amano shirmp, Siamese Algae Eaters, Nerite Snails, and Oto's really help. In tanks 46g and large it's easy to keep all of these at once. Conventional Wisdom is that Nerites don't do so well in co2 induced tanks but I know people that keep them with no problem. I'm recieving my first nerites today, so I'll see how they do in my pH 6.4 tank.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Searching this forum can also be great for quick, perhaps more in depth answers.
 
wickedcichlid said:
Gustavo, you said 'after the tank is established'. Do planted tanks need to be cycled like a regular live tank?

What kind of lighting is good, and what are the recommended Co2 systems out there for a 46G?

How do I come up with a layout of the plants I want and the placement?
Click to expand...

Okay, what I mean with after it is established is that: according to Takashi Amano, the guy is a genius if you can find information on this and plant placement your tank will look awesome, plants need certain amounts of certain fertilizers depending on how long have the plants been established in the tank. For example if they're less than one month old he says that you need some fertilizers but not others and after a year you would need some that you have already used, some of those not but some new also (You could look into this in Google or something). In CO2 systems I can not help you because I had a 20g and used a DIY CO2, sorry. And in placement look at a Takashi Amano book in the internet or at a bookstore and I'm sure you will fall in love with one of his tanks and will like yours to be just like his; I know I did, and tried, but almost jejeje. Mine had tall plants in the back, going smaller to the front, I had driftwood on the left side and rocks on the right (still do but I have artificial plants now) and also I tied to create perspective in the tank by placing driftwood, rocks and plants in a triangular form (for example like this: / \; the bottom being the front of the tank and the top being the back. Look at the picture #1 in this month's Tank of the Month competition.) Good luck!!
 
Newbie- Awesome tool. This will make things a little easier figuring out the placement. Thanks for the great link.

jmhart- Its great that you have the same size tank and I have specific item to look for now. Your advice is invaluable and I thank you.

Gustavo- I searched google images for Takashi Amano, and his tanks are reeeediculous. It gives me some examples to try and mimic.

Thank you all for your wonderful help. What are some really plant friendly fish that make the foliage stand out? Any recommendations?
 
hay Wickedcichlid you might also want to check out these guys too. thay sell really nice CO2 regulators and various other planted tank equipment. thay also have wonderful costumer service.


SUMO regulators - based in NJ thay are small (i think like 2 people) but i feel make the best regulator around.

Rex Grigg - also makes a vary good regulator, he also sell some other stuff like reactors and firtz.

Green Leaf Aquarium - thay sell alot of stuff dealing with planted tank and you can get the whole pressurized set up there along with a bunch of different choses on regulators.

for fish i would look to a larger school of something like a Rasboras sp. also get some ottos cats to help with algae and some bottom dwellers. and with you tank you could look into something like German Blue Rams
 
As far as livestock:

A good cleanup crew is really helpful. In my 46g, I have ~20 Amano Shrimp, 2 Otos, 3 SAE's, and I just added 6 nerite snails. I also have a handful of Red Cherry Shrimp and MTS that help out too.

As far as other livestock, A good school is always nice. Cardinal tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, and Celestial Pearl Danios are all very popular. As far as ornamental fish, apisto's are very nice. German Blue Rams are the most popular but there are many apistos that make wonderful additions to a planted tank. I have very soft water, so I have 6 Chocolate Gouramis which I really like. Cory cats are also always a nice addition.
 
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