The big return - help needed

[cookie87]

Hello to each and every one of you.

I am new here, hence being post #1 - ha.

My name is Martin, 15 miles out of Manchester and lucky enough to have the Abyss 5 minutes away.

I have always enjoyed fish keeping and in the past kept both fresh and salt water aquariums, my last being salt. We sold up when we moved houses about 5 years ago. I would like to say that things are calming down now... they are not! still a building site. Anyway, its time i got back into the hobby.

I am here today looking for help, advice and inspiration on A Planted Aquascape with a real mixture of plants - we want bright and active fish so likely to be a tank of tetras and rummy noses with some fillers - really am open to suggestions etc.

We are about to have an extension drawn up and plans submitted to LA, the tank will eventually be moved into another room so we could class this as a dummy run for my first scape BUT ideally i would like to try and be happy first time and worry about the weight and moving later down the line.

So, here is what i have just bought:

Eheim Incpiria 330
Eheim pro 4 600 (was a toss up with the FX6 but couldn’t be bothered with the maintenance set back on the fx) i will get some BioHome ultimate and new sponges for the filter
2x Eheim Quick Release double taps - for either side of my UV - Do i need these... really? £30 each i can take back for credit.
JBL pro 500 inline heater
JBL m502 co2 kit
JBL in-line diffuser
Tmc vectron 600 uv
2x JBL volcano mineral (18l)
3x JBL Aqua basis plus (15l)
1x JBL mando (21l)
2x Juwel Stone Granite 3D backgrounds

I only went into the shop for a "look" and came out a lot of cash down, oops. So, i dont even know if what ive come away with is the best for needs really, i guess that is the first question, should i take anything back to change it?

related to my first aforementioned question, i dont think i want A 3D background, i like the look of some of the tanks i have seen where you can see the glass back, what are your thoughts on this? for NOW the tank is sat in an internal window area and can be viewed from all 4 sides - if i opt for the background, can it be added later down the line?

I plan on building up some raised sections with the Volcano min followed by a layer of basis plus and topped off with natural mando - am i on the right path with this?

the Eheim tank comes with the two LED lights but no controller - do you think i would benefit from the controller? it is an extra £110 but will allow me to set sunrise and sunset and moon lighting etc.

UV - I have always had UV on my salt'ys but never fresh - is this required/beneficial ?

Finally, for now. my M502 kit... should i have spent the extra money and gone with the M503 and taken onboard the computer? - i have the chance to pay the difference and swap over.

What else do i need to think about guys? Have i missed anything?

I know i need testing kits and chems etc, i just need to go over what i have here before i commit, JBL the way to go for testing?


Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this and even bigger thanks to those who take their time to respond ;-)
My setup:






Hoping for something like this:

 

[the loach]

That picture with your daughter is great ! It looked like a small tank but she could literally take a bath in it.
It's 330 liters (72,5 gallon)? You really bought a lot of stuff, you can make the hobby as expensive and complicated as you want, but since you asked..
You don't the quick release double taps... cause you don't need the UVC anyway.
Depending on your room temperature and fish you want to keep you might not even need a heater.
I can't see what's in those bags but for plants and maintenance it's best to have a gravel size of around 2-3mm.
It also seems there is an internal filter in the tank? 3 filters seems like an overkill...

 

[fishorama]

Ha ha! I think your tank is overstocked already with your daughter in there. I'm going to need to think about your UK products (many of us are in the US). I, too, think you got a bit carried away at the shop ( but it was fun wasn't it?).

I would have a temporary background to block some of the window light. Sunlight can lead to algae issues...

I have a UV but only use it very occasionally not all the time, it's optional at most.

I like 2 filters on most tanks but like tl said, 3 seems too much. Internal filters take up a lot of tank space & are not pretty. They're fairly uncommon here but I know Brits use them more often.

That's a very nice goal tank! I wonder how long it actually looks like that...& I would not keep livebearers, just my personal opinion.

 

[cookie87]

That picture with your daughter is great ! It looked like a small tank but she could literally take a bath in it.
It's 330 liters (72,5 gallon)? You really bought a lot of stuff, you can make the hobby as expensive and complicated as you want, but since you asked..
You don't the quick release double taps... cause you don't need the UVC anyway.
Depending on your room temperature and fish you want to keep you might not even need a heater.
I can't see what's in those bags but for plants and maintenance it's best to have a gravel size of around 2-3mm.
It also seems there is an internal filter in the tank? 3 filters seems like an overkill...

HAHA! it is a large tank, that is for sure - she wanted to get back in today and "help" build my substrate up.

It will work out at 88 US Gallon. Here in the UK we are cold most of the time and thus i will need the heater for sure, it is an inline jobbie and will sit on the flow return.
I took the UV back to the store today to get a credit note, they gave me the note AND the UV!!!! - coz i spent to much money with them, shall i hook it up or sell it for a quick buck (UK Pound)

There is no internal filter, that is a dry weir, all the cables and pipes go down that to the base so none are on show or going over the top of the tank to create a seemless and rimless tank. GREAT idea.

I do however only have one filter, the single Pro4 600.

 

[cookie87]

Ha ha! I think your tank is overstocked already with your daughter in there. I'm going to need to think about your UK products (many of us are in the US). I, too, think you got a bit carried away at the shop ( but it was fun wasn't it?).

I would have a temporary background to block some of the window light. Sunlight can lead to algae issues...

I have a UV but only use it very occasionally not all the time, it's optional at most.

I like 2 filters on most tanks but like tl said, 3 seems too much. Internal filters take up a lot of tank space & are not pretty. They're fairly uncommon here but I know Brits use them more often.

That's a very nice goal tank! I wonder how long it actually looks like that...& I would not keep livebearers, just my personal opinion.

it was mighty fun, yes. Until i came to pay and i nearly had a heart attack. haha. i think in the end it will be worth it... maybe.

As in my last reply, the 3D background has gone and the UV has now become free so i will plumb it in for the sake of it, right?

I have only the single filter, the Pro4 600, i plan to add a second filter later down the line IF i need it? the black thing at the back is cable and plumbing weir.

 

[Lalo J.]

This will be a great construction, welcome back to the hobby, one will simply never be able to leave it, huh? I like your tank, it seems that you really felt a lot of emotion when entering that store, I don't blame you, that is inevitable, you bought magnificent things, but in my opinion, Aquabasis plus and JBL Manado are a magnificent combination, I don't think you need the Volcano Mineral (Just my opinion). If your idea is a densely planted tank like the one in the photos you added, then you have the rest in order. I would also remove UV, and I agree that you should not overdo your filtering, there is a guy in my town who keeps discus and he has over the top filtering equipment and his plants don't work very well on his system. If you are near Manchester you will definitely need heaters in your tank. Good idea to remove the 3d background, I always go more natural side!, great start and good luck Martin!