First off I'd like to say hi to everyone, I'm new here and new to the hobby of aquariums. I've had a small (30 liters) tank of guppies with and anubias in it for 8 months now, and am about to buy a larger aquarium, and would love your input on the plans I currently have for the one I'm buying.
Technical details:
- aquarium: Juwel Vision 260
- lighting: standard with the aquarium: HiLite Light Unit, 2x54W
- filter: JBL e1501
- heater: eheim 150W
- no CO2 system in place, I plan to start with liquid additives and evolve to a homemade solution later.
Tank idea:
I want to do some minor aquascaping, I really love the Japanese style tanks with their large stones sticking out of hills of substrate, with the substrate covered by a carpet plant. I also really like the idea of having a piece of driftwood with java moss attached to the top to resemble a tree. Keeping in mind the golden ratio, I would build a hill on the left side, top it off with a few dragon stones (or a black type of stone, not certain yet), and a valley on the right side, containing the tree. (I would add a link to a few example pictures, but, anti SPAM rule...).
The goal is to achieve a low-maintenance tank that still looks good, and to have the fish provide the nutrients for the plants, and have the plants provide the O2 for the fish.
Plants (I specifically tried to look for plants that are easy to keep and do not absolutely require CO2):
- Java moss for the tree
- Micranthemum monte carlo in the foreground and under the tree
- Staurogyne Repens further back
- a few moss balls to help prevent algea issues when starting up (might keep them, might remove them later)
I want to use a dark brown or black gravel substrate, 1 - 3 mm, should I add a layer of sand below it to allow for better root system growth, or would root tabs suffice? I will also add Flourish Excel the first few months to start the tank.
Fish (again, simple, newbie here):
- lots of guppies
- lots of neon tetra
- a bunch of shrimp to clean the bottom
- some Anatome Helena (they did wonders to remove and keep other snails out of my first aquarium, hoping they can continue the trend)
I also still plan to buy some trimming scissors, planting tweezers, a decent testing set, and a siphon to allow me to clean the gravel and plants, plus catch the clippings while i'm trimming. Anything I'm forgetting?
I'm looking forward to your feedback, and hope to get my tank started soon! Pictures will follow once I've actually started up.
Technical details:
- aquarium: Juwel Vision 260
- lighting: standard with the aquarium: HiLite Light Unit, 2x54W
- filter: JBL e1501
- heater: eheim 150W
- no CO2 system in place, I plan to start with liquid additives and evolve to a homemade solution later.
Tank idea:
I want to do some minor aquascaping, I really love the Japanese style tanks with their large stones sticking out of hills of substrate, with the substrate covered by a carpet plant. I also really like the idea of having a piece of driftwood with java moss attached to the top to resemble a tree. Keeping in mind the golden ratio, I would build a hill on the left side, top it off with a few dragon stones (or a black type of stone, not certain yet), and a valley on the right side, containing the tree. (I would add a link to a few example pictures, but, anti SPAM rule...).
The goal is to achieve a low-maintenance tank that still looks good, and to have the fish provide the nutrients for the plants, and have the plants provide the O2 for the fish.
Plants (I specifically tried to look for plants that are easy to keep and do not absolutely require CO2):
- Java moss for the tree
- Micranthemum monte carlo in the foreground and under the tree
- Staurogyne Repens further back
- a few moss balls to help prevent algea issues when starting up (might keep them, might remove them later)
I want to use a dark brown or black gravel substrate, 1 - 3 mm, should I add a layer of sand below it to allow for better root system growth, or would root tabs suffice? I will also add Flourish Excel the first few months to start the tank.
Fish (again, simple, newbie here):
- lots of guppies
- lots of neon tetra
- a bunch of shrimp to clean the bottom
- some Anatome Helena (they did wonders to remove and keep other snails out of my first aquarium, hoping they can continue the trend)
I also still plan to buy some trimming scissors, planting tweezers, a decent testing set, and a siphon to allow me to clean the gravel and plants, plus catch the clippings while i'm trimming. Anything I'm forgetting?
I'm looking forward to your feedback, and hope to get my tank started soon! Pictures will follow once I've actually started up.