ok so i've been lurking aorund these forums for over a year now, and thought i'd post at long last now i'm heading towards buying my first tank. 
the one thing i really want to avoid is some kitch generic fish tank. so that means no blue gravel, angel fish, or walt disney backdrops with picutres from 'under the sea'.
the other limitation is space. i have a very sturdy chest of drawers which i think will hold a lot of weight, the dimensions are 90cm (35 inches) wide, 45cm (17 inches) deep, 40cm (15 inches) heigh. the height isn't that sctrict, but if its any taller i'll have to move a shelf.
i'm totally open about what fish i should buy, although i'd love to have a tank full of clown loaches, i realise that this would be cruel without a bigger tank. so i've decided to focus on plants, and have the fish as the secondary reason for the tank.
the best tank i've seen that i'd like to have something close to is LondonDragon's planted tank, nice work! (http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8058/pict0521zw9.jpg)
i've been doing some research on planted tanks, and have come to the conclusion that for real success i will need purchase a system for maintaining CO2 levels, a high output light, and then various fertilisers.
so my first question is how much is this all likely to cost? i'm looking to spend between £200 and £300 for everything, is this realistc? how much will this cost per month once its 'finished'? (yes i know it never ends :grinyes: but i mean the cost to just maintain a 40-50g planted tank)
also, how difficult is it to maintain and plant a tank like LondonDragon's? bearing in mind i have no personal experience in setting up fish tanks, but i'll read and read before starting anything so i'm prepared for a difficult start!
and finally, do you cycle the tank differently for planted aquarims? i'm leaning towards fishless cycling, and so should i introduce plants 'slowly' as with fish, or at the beginning during/before cycling?
sorry for the longish post, but i felt it was about time i started asking questions.
Phil
PS: the most useful guide i've found so far is on monsterfishkeepers, http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49718
the one thing i really want to avoid is some kitch generic fish tank. so that means no blue gravel, angel fish, or walt disney backdrops with picutres from 'under the sea'.
the other limitation is space. i have a very sturdy chest of drawers which i think will hold a lot of weight, the dimensions are 90cm (35 inches) wide, 45cm (17 inches) deep, 40cm (15 inches) heigh. the height isn't that sctrict, but if its any taller i'll have to move a shelf.
i'm totally open about what fish i should buy, although i'd love to have a tank full of clown loaches, i realise that this would be cruel without a bigger tank. so i've decided to focus on plants, and have the fish as the secondary reason for the tank.
the best tank i've seen that i'd like to have something close to is LondonDragon's planted tank, nice work! (http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8058/pict0521zw9.jpg)
i've been doing some research on planted tanks, and have come to the conclusion that for real success i will need purchase a system for maintaining CO2 levels, a high output light, and then various fertilisers.
so my first question is how much is this all likely to cost? i'm looking to spend between £200 and £300 for everything, is this realistc? how much will this cost per month once its 'finished'? (yes i know it never ends :grinyes: but i mean the cost to just maintain a 40-50g planted tank)
also, how difficult is it to maintain and plant a tank like LondonDragon's? bearing in mind i have no personal experience in setting up fish tanks, but i'll read and read before starting anything so i'm prepared for a difficult start!
and finally, do you cycle the tank differently for planted aquarims? i'm leaning towards fishless cycling, and so should i introduce plants 'slowly' as with fish, or at the beginning during/before cycling?
sorry for the longish post, but i felt it was about time i started asking questions.
Phil
PS: the most useful guide i've found so far is on monsterfishkeepers, http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49718
