Planted Tank Setup

[Colonel Mustard]

I am planning to set up a high tech planted tank on a limited budget. I have a plan in mind (an article in the may issue of pfk) but i have calculated that it would cost around £270! Here it is:


Presurized co2 - don't know which one yet so any suggestions?
Substrate : ADA aqua soil amazonia
ADA power sand special
Fertz: Fertz brightly K
ADA green brightly step - 1
landscaping:Midori wood
Mini landscape rock
PLants:
Glosso
Pogosteman
Anibus barteri var
Cryptocorne wendtii
Blyxa japonica
Alternanthera roseeafolia
Java Fern


I have a 125l tank with good ex. filteration. and 3wpg of lighting

Does anyone have any idea of how to cut costs, while keeping the same image. PErhaps i am attempting a challenging setup?
thanks

Colonel Mustard

 

[Dave Spencer]

Get the CO2 off eBay from either Aquaticmagic or Aquarinversand. There may be cheaper ones, but I haven`t shopped around recently.

Forget the ADA Power Sand, you won`t need it.

Replace the Brighty K and Step 1 with dry ferts form Aquaessentials. There is somewhere even cheaper, but the name escapes me.

If you are lucky enough to find any, you could replace the bought rocks with some you find on your wanderings. I`ve not yet bought what I can pick up off the ground. The majority of my wood is what I have found lying around, too. Admittedly, it does take a while to accumulate this stuff.

Get your plants from buy and swap on this forum or UKAPS.

Filtration wise, look for a high turn over to move nutrients all round the tank.

Costs you haven`t taken in to consideration are a CO2 drop checker with reagent and 4dKH solution, and CO2 diffusion.

I`m sure other people will be able to pipe up with some more help.

Dave.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I was aware that you can buy a fire extinguisher (co2) and then put a reg. on it.

If this is posible is it recomended?

And how would i do it?

 

[Ian H]

Yep its what im doing at the moment. I believe arronnorth has a link to it in his profile

a quick price list of what i've just bought (mostly off ebay)

2kg Fire extinguisher - £24 posted
reg with solenoid/needle valve and bubble counter - £64 posted (with insurance too)
2 x glass diffusors - £6 posted

then from aqua essentials (i was buying ferts from there anyways):

3m of co2 tubing (JBL i think) ~£3
20x suction hooks (were only 5p each so thought i would get a few! ) - £2

So a full pressurized kit delievered to my door for under £100!! not bad at all. I've had them delivered to my mothers house though since im a bit lazy and never up in the morning if i got the day off and she's just sent a text saying theres a big and small parcel arrived (assuming the reg and diffusors) so just waiting on the FE now

 

[aaronnorth]

Replace the Brighty K and Step 1 with dry ferts form Aquaessentials. There is somewhere even cheaper, but the name escapes

are you on about Garden Direct for powders??

the FE link is in my sig

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I was thinking this
Ebay item

It does seem cheap but I asume it will do the job.

Thanks guys, really helpful

 

[aaronnorth]

thats ok, i t isnt that cheap, once you price evrything that is included it comes to near enough the same price!

 

[fozziebear]

I was thinking this
Ebay item

It does seem cheap but I asume it will do the job.

Thanks guys, really helpful

i have this reg its very good hasnt failed me yet.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

IS the ADA aqua soil much better than cheaper products?

I know many pros. use them but are they really what they are cracked up to be?

I would deffinitely use them if they were infact excellent but are they?

thanks in advance

 

[aaronnorth]

yes

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Just a quick question, I have a flucal 205 with a 125l tank. is that enough circulation or would I i need to ad another 205?

thanks

 

[aaronnorth]

aim for 10 - 20x turnover this usually provides enough circulation to push the nutrients and CO2 around and it helps not to create any dead spots.

 

[Wolfenrook]

IS the ADA aqua soil much better than cheaper products?

I know many pros. use them but are they really what they are cracked up to be?

I would deffinitely use them if they were infact excellent but are they?

thanks in advance

No, just some reckon it's a bit better. Eco-complete and seachem flourite are supposed to be almost as good. ADA AS also comes with a caveat in that it goes through a phase of releasing ammonia into the water column when first used. Tropica and JBL are also quite highly rated, but aren't usually considered a complete substrate.

Too be honest though given good water column dosing the substrate quality kind of becomes less relevant. Better substrates just give you more of a buffer zone. If it's a choice of spending more on a substrate, or more on filtration or CO2 equipment I would go with the filtration and CO2 equipment every time.

Ade

PS. Re the 10-20x turnover, the 20x is serious overkill. The folks that advise 10x do so because they are factoring in reduction in flow caused by media, head and even just manufacturers been overly ambitious with their flow rates. The aim is actually to achieve 6x turnover, spread out not in a narrow column from the outlet! Too many folks but a huge filter on their tanks then wonder why their fish are pinned to the opposite end by the flow. I actually favour the use of small internal filters or flow pumps to improve circulation, as this allows greater versatility, and less risk of fish pinning/surfs up syndrome.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Do you know the names of the other cheaper substrated by Jbl, ect.?

 

[aaronnorth]

I use JBL Aquabasis in my 60l (see sig) It gives good results. I dont know if it is cheaper for you but tetraplnt from here is extremely cheap:

http/www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/tetrap...58kg-1055-p.asp