Planted Tank Newbie Journal

[BoSelecta]

I have the very same tank and have it planted too, mine was set up last November and this pic was a few months ago (Must take some fresh ones)

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Thanks for all your kind words guys
Good idea about black background, I'll go for that.
Radar - The tank is 750mm high. seems quite a bit taller than most, but I think all Rena ones are that tall in this range.

 

[Qays]

Thats amazing bo!

Very nice work Fillet!

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Paul Ebs , I would recomend JAVA. They took about a week and a half to get here, but good quality plants, all labled and even with suggestions on location...i.e. foreground plant, midground and background. Well worth it.

Nice setup Boselcta...I would be more than happy if mine turns out like that. Do you use Co2?

 

[PaulEbs]

nice one fillet..

..I spose it takes that long as they ship them across from somewhere else - then check them all for quality - and then finally send them to the customer, which in my opinion is an amazing service, because they quarantine them for you.

Cheers, will have to start using them.

Keep us updated with your tank - really interested to see how it pans out..

Paul.

 

[RadaR]

BoSelecta, your tank is stunning! Really made my mouth drop. Im so jealous haha.

 

[BoSelecta]

Nice setup Boselcta...I would be more than happy if mine turns out like that. Do you use Co2?

Thanks, its changed abit now but you get the idea, I use 3 home made C02 Reactors and wet ferts. I hope to upgrade to pressurised C02 in the future.

I would also suggest some fast growing steams like cobomba and some onion plants in the back corners which will grow fast and reach the surface.

Great size tank though and you have made a great start!

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Well Chaps...Followed your advice and got some black background, and it looks great !!
What do you think now?

 

[Themuleous]

Tank looks great the added plants really help too. should look nice once its filled out

Just out of interest is this a high light or low light tank?

Sam

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Hi Sam
Sorry, Im not sure what you mean by High Light or Low light?
My lighting spec is in the first post on this thread.
Basically 4 x 36" 30w strip light bulbs on light brackets just above the water inside the hood.
I have put reflectors on 2 of the strips.

Is that what you meant?

regards
Brian

 

[Themuleous]

Yeh kind of, I see its 450lt which makes it 120 USg, which gives you about 1WPG (watt per gallon) so its a low light tank. Just wondered thats all

Sam

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Do you think I should increase the lighting? Change the bulbs?

 

[Themuleous]

Have you read the pinned article on the Estimative Index? Low light tanks are generally at or below 2WPG. Over this and you're getting into serious planted tanks like the EI ones, which I think you'd be best of avoiding for the time being. That said a bit of extra light always helps the plants and you could add two more of the same tubes which would give you 1.5WPG which would probably help the plants grow.

So it really depends on if you have any spare cash?

Sam

 

[lljdma06]

If this were a smaller tank, Sam, I'd be in total agreement (sp), and I second the reading of the EI article and the other articles pinned here as well. But since Fillet's tank is so large, WPG is generally of little use. The larger the tank, the less light you can get away with and achieve the same results as a smaller tank with more light. There's a mathematical ratio thingy for this, but it's too early to turn on the scientific portion of my brain at this time and I need more Cuban coffee. A 120g with 1 WPG has considerably more light than say a 55g with 1 WPG. I would suggest not upgrading the lighting for the time being and sticking to hardy species. It'll save you, Fillet, some money too. Hardier species will do very well with the lighting he (sorry assigning gender) already has and will still look great in your huge setup, which will look great anyway, because the tank is just HUGE! Any upgrade, and he'll have to consider pressurized CO2, which he may have to do in the future anyway, unless you, Fillet, are like me, a yeast lover.

Your tank, Fillet, looks very nice. The black background was an improvement. The reddish plant in the center left might give you problems with the lighting you currently have. A general, and I mean general rule is that the redder the plant, the more light it requires, but there are always exceptions, which I have discovered . I would also consider adding root tabs, especially for your amazon swords, which one looks a little pale and transparant to me. They tend to feed from their roots rather than absorbing nutrients through their leaves at the water column. Seachem makes a great root tab that lasts for three months, which I use for my crypts and root feeders, like barclaya (a flowering plant) and the lotus that you have in the back right (an example of a red plant that does pretty well in lower light). I don't think you have a nutrient rich substrate, right? Just gravel?

If you don't mind, I'll make a plant suggestion that will very useful if you can find it. Consider Egeria najas, a slender-leaved anacharis or elodea species. It has lovely, serated leaves and is very hardy and able to withstand higher temperatures. It also grows quite high and will provide a lovely dark green contrast to the background. Just an option. I loved it in my 15g in IL, and still miss it. I wrote a profile for it at TFF and really recommend it in a first-timer's planted tank.

I'm officially done now. Everybody breathe a sigh of relief!

llj

 

[Themuleous]

I hear you Llj on the light front, perhaps any more would be risking it, but just thought 1PWG even on a 120g was still a bit under but you're probably right, never had a tank over 20g so what the hell do I know!

Oh and yeast on a 120g? You'd be changing 1 or 2 mixes every day!!!

Sam