uneven lighting... ok or algae city?

[mellowvision]

I am considering how to redo my 20 gallon tank. it's currently a mess. the current equipment is:

eheim 2213
2 28 watt coralife 24" strips (dual daylight)
diy co2

I want to swap the tank for a 30 breeder, but I don't want to buy more lights, and I want to keep things simple... I am considering buying a second, small filter to run in addition to the eheim, primarily for water flow. it's likely to be a small canister or something... not in-tank.

I'm planning on a sand substrate, and maybe using only 1 or 2 variety of plants, like twisted vals and dwarf sag or clover... I'd like to have one end of the tank be dense with plant, and the other ramped up like a shore line... high, but not breaking the surface

If I ramp the sand, or create a terraced sand bank, will that area be more prone to algae growth, since it will in essence be higher light at the substrate level?

will I be able to grow smaller plants with higher light requirements in the shallower area? such as HC?

If I have 2 24" lights over 36" of tank, and put both lights at one end, will the uneven light cause problems?

(non light question
Is ramping up a large volume of sand going to create problems with stagnation, gas pockets, or anything else? is there anything I can do to avoid problems? I'm thinking of a good 6-8" of hill, above the rest of the substrate.

 

[mellowvision]

no thoughts?

 

[Mgamer20o0]

no problems..... just put lower light plants on the end and higher ones in the middle.

 

[mellowvision]

what do you think about the big slope gamer? any ideas?

 

[Mgamer20o0]

sounds a little hard to do. i have seen where they made like a beach line in the tank but the gravel stays low in the tank or even a stream going down. i personally woultnt want to lose that much water space and worry about it staying.

 

[mellowvision]

hmm, yeah, I know what you mean. guess I'm just tired of looking at flat bottoms...

 

[jmorris]

I'd suggest doing your scape, then growing out the HC and clover immersed for a few months so their root systems develop and can hold the substrate contours in place when water is added. when you add water, their growth will have to convert to submersed, but that should just take another month or so. It would definitely not be a quick start, but it would probably be fun.

Also, a large rock will help you build a large hill.

Just a couple ideas.

-Jared

 

[kimmisc]

If you want a hill, perhaps you can make a fake sand hill the same way people make 3D backgrounds. If so, I'd make sure it's against the bottom so gas pockets don't build up under the edges of it in the sand underneath it.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

nothing says you have to go flat. here are some award winning tanks.... TTA has a really nice step up type tank.....

http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2007/10/ada-2007-aquascaping-contest-top-10.html

 

[mellowvision]

yeah, gamer, I love those tanks, but I'm hoping to do something simple, with more exposed hardscape and concentrated plants... something more managable and low maintenance... I like the pagoda rock look and may do something with a fair amount of stone... one thing I worry about is having plants grow onto the stone, and then not being able to remove them and clean them if I need to. this was a problem in the existing 20g, with the oversized driftwood. I love the thin branchy layouts with lots of wood, but have found my 15 gallon hard to vac because of all the branches.

also, the tank is primarily for otos and hatchets, and I'd like to keep that in mind while laying it out... places for the otos to rest and nibble, and also both open surface and plants that reach the surface, to provide a fun hunting ground for the hatchets. this is why I was leaning towards the shoreline with tall grass... but without the hill, it becomes really unbalanced. I'm sure there are other options for me... just got hung up on the beach from prior plans.