20-25 gal setup

[mr.amateur45]

i wanna get a 20 or 25 gal to replace my 10gal this summer. i want an UGF and already have a PF. but its the setup im thinking about. i want brown and white pebbles for gravel, plenty of plants, and driftwood and a rock cave or something with rocks.

ps, i found another fry in my baby tears plant! yeah!(but ill let'm run free)

 

[Oddball~]

PF??? What's that?

If you think the tank will look good that way, then go for it!

 

[Kasakato]

Why not get a nice canister, and toss the other stuff!

 

[Emg]

A whole canister for such a small tank ? :huh:

PF I believe is "Power Filter"

Personally, I wouldn't do the UGF thing.....I find them to be more of a pain than a help...but, to each his/her own..

I find the bio-wheel filters to be excellent and more than worth thier cost. The only prob I have with them is the filters they sell for them..you can't just replace the carbon/media...you have to buy all new filters. Of course that can be remedied by using media filter bags instead.

Go for the bigger size if you can....you know you will later anyway !!

Decide what types of fish you want and go from there...might check your PH and hardness and research which types of fish would prefer your type of parameters. Makes everything much much simpler and your fish will most likely fair better in the long run. :dive2:

Go for it and enjoy the experience !! Share with us here what you eventually come up with...we'd love to see it ! :dance:

 

[mr.amateur45]

yes, pf is power filter. and i heard UGF are best for plant growth, whats so difficult about UGF's?but could i just use my PF, along with an airstone? and could i use sand with a UGF, or would it be sucked up? :shark:

and heres what i have in mind for new fish
M+F ram
M+F forktail rainbow
3 glowlight tetra(i already have 3)

in addition to the 12 i have(and 7 fry)

 

[Kasakato]

A whole canister for such a small tank ? :huh:

PF I believe is "Power Filter"

Personally, I wouldn't do the UGF thing.....I find them to be more of a pain than a help...but, to each his/her own..

I find the bio-wheel filters to be excellent and more than worth thier cost. The only prob I have with them is the filters they sell for them..you can't just replace the carbon/media...you have to buy all new filters. Of course that can be remedied by using media filter bags instead.

Go for the bigger size if you can....you know you will later anyway !!

Decide what types of fish you want and go from there...might check your PH and hardness and research which types of fish would prefer your type of parameters. Makes everything much much simpler and your fish will most likely fair better in the long run. :dive2:

Go for it and enjoy the experience !! Share with us here what you eventually come up with...we'd love to see it ! :dance:

Ys sure why not. I find that canisters are the eaiset kind of filter ever, so I use one my my 20g.

 

[Radek]

UGFs are if anything pretty bad for plant growth, as the water movement beneath the surface usually disturbs or even ruins the roots, so the plants aren't able to pull nutrients as efficiently out of the substrate.

 

[mr.amateur45]

ok so no UGF, :rant: but if i did use sand, wouldnt it kick up a mini sandstorm everytime me or a fish disturbed the bottom? :argue: if so, brown and white pebbles it is. so is about 2 inches good 4 sand/pebbles good enough for the bacteria and plants?

 

[Kasakato]

You want small stuff for plants. Sand is ok.

 

[Blinky]

Before you decide on a substrate, you may want to do some reading about planted tanks - there are specialized substrates like Flourite and Eco Complete that are great for heavily planted tanks. If you decide to go with gravel, see if you can find a smaller grain size than the standard 'pea' gravel. Sand is also great, and once it's settled in the tank with some bacteria on the surface you shouldn't have to worry about the filter kicking up little 'storms' in the tank. I have a planted tank with sand and a HOB, no problems
UGFs aren't ideal for planted tanks, though some people seem to have success with reverse-flow UGFs - where the water is directed down the tube and up into the tank through the gravel via powerhead.
If you haven't purchased the setup yet, it's a good idea to read up on the types of plant you're interested in keeping, then select lighting based on their needs - many plants won't survive with the fixtures that come standard with most tanks, they just don't provide enough light.