thinking of getting an other

[WhispTech]

K im thinking about getting an other aquarium but was wondering if I had enough money. Also take note i am in good ol Canada hey


k

I have about 250 dollars cdn

was thinking about getting a 20 gallon but not really sure how big that is or if I can get bigger.

The demensions of the stand that I am going to reinforce is 26 3/4 length and 15 6/16 width in inches. I was thinking for height (depth) 20 inches. No idea how big of a tank that might be. Im estimating 20 gallon but that might be even bigger like a 30 gallon. Still also have to find out the weight that teh tank would be once I know the gallon since no idea even if i reinfrce the stand if it will hold it lol. Should be ok though once I put some l brackets and a center board throughout the unit.

Now i wanted a planted tank, thinking of going with the seacham onyx sand again since I really like it.

So since I am pretty new to this what type of lighting and other equipment would I need for this size of tank?

Also what would be a good filtration system?

Thanks for any info.

 

[kamel_007]

hi

if u can get a bigger aquarium that is better..

i advise you to start with 55 gallon.. coz the hydrogen cycle wikll be activated!

with :

1.biological filteration
2.brulux lamp
3.drift wood (optional for tropical fresh water )
4.heater
5.gravel is more better than sand


and good luck

 

[chkltcow]

hi

if u can get a bigger aquarium that is better..

i advise you to start with 55 gallon.. coz the hydrogen cycle wikll be activated!

with :

1.biological filteration
2.brulux lamp
3.drift wood (optional for tropical fresh water )
4.heater
5.gravel is more better than sand


and good luck

*blink*




WHAT?

You can get a 20g tank to fit on that. That's a 20g high, not long. 20g high is 24".... 20g long is 30".

For a planted tank, see if you can find a cheap power compact light in the range of 55-65w and around 6500-6700K color temperature.

And for substrate, Onyx Sand is nice.... but make sure you wash it VERY thoroughly before you put it in. Alternately if you just like the nice black color, get some CaribSea Tahitian Moon sand. Very black, very dense.... you don't even have to wash it, it just settles down and doesn't cloud the water.

And finally for filtration, I'd get an Aquaclear filter..... Aquaclear 30 is the model I believe would do well for your tank. They're cheap, very effective, and easy to add carbon/phosguard/etc. to... just drop it in the media chamber.

 

[WhispTech]

Well I have the seachem onyx sand in my 6 gallon and like it very much. Plus it has all the nutrients. when i was buying teh sand i wanted originally the craib sea tahitian black sand but ws told that it is more a decorative sand and that I needed a flourite substrate for a planted tank.

That was my understanding to it

Thanks for teh lighting info.

As for the filter since I have plants I dont think i would want to use anything with a carbon filter. Probably just use filter floss or something and some sponges.

Anywya shave any opinion son this when it comes to a 20 gallon planted tank.

Ill check out teh aqua clear filter.

for a heater thinking of getting an other visi therm since very happy with my first one.

Probably get a 100 watt one so thats 34 bucks

Also the sand is like 29 bucks a bag so looking at 60 bucks for the sand.

Thats roughly 100 bucks for that and leaves me 150 for the tank, plants and lighting. Also will need some rocks.

As for a 55 gallon that is way to big lol


Now for teh measurements was wondering.

20 gallon tank is 30 inches for length across the front. Height isnt an issue.

What about a tank like a bow front.

Guess this is just something i will have to go to teh fish store and look.


as for gravel being better then sand i would think that is personal prefernce and maybe depends on its inhgabitants.

-sand is easier to clean then gravel I have found.

-Plants are easier to plant in sand

-cories like sand

- I like sand


thats me though

 

[WhispTech]

Oh I forgot. How powerful of a filetr do i need for gallons it pushes or has running through it.

And what about that skimmer attachment. Is that useful?

 

[chkltcow]

If your stand is 26" wide, you can't fit a 20g long on there. The dimensions are....

15g - 24" x 12" x 12"
20g high - 24"x 12" x 16"
25g - 24" x 12" x20"

or, if you did have a stand that could accomidate a 30" tank without it hanging off the edges...

20g long - 30" x 12" x 12"
29g - 30" x 12" x 16"
37g - 30" x 12" x 22"

Now, with that in mind, the only thing you're likely gonna find regularly stocked are the 15g, 20g, and 29g tanks. If you want one of the 25g or 37g... you'd most likely have to have the store order one for you. They're one of these oddball sizes that nobody buys much.

As for the filter, I understand you not wanting carbon with a planted tank. That's why I recommended the Aquaclear filters. They're as modular as a canister filter in regards to filter media. With most filters, you buy the little bag and it has carbon in it already.... well with the Aquaclear you have a filter sponge that you put in, then a little bag with ceramic media for the bacteria to colonize, and finally you can toss in a little bag of carbon or whatever right on top... or take it out if you want. You don't even have to turn off the filter to do that (big advantage over canister). If you go with the 15g, the Aquaclear 30 would serve you well. Anything above 15g, I'd go ahead and step up to the Aquaclear 50. They do make a "skimmer" attachment for the Aquaclear filters, but you won't need it. The water coming in should be enough surface movement to break up any gunk that the skimmer would help suck off. I'd only put one of those skimmer things on a canister.

And I don't know who told you that you "need" flourite for a planted tank... but that's bogus too. It surely wouldn't hurt to have flourite or onyx sand... but it's certainly not mandatory. You can also try to find Caribsea Eco-Complete. It's supposed to be good and have all the same nutrients as Onyx sand, but less messy.

 

[WhispTech]

Thanks for the info.

It probably had to do with that I am new to planted tanks so perosn wanted to make it easier for me. Also the techs at big al's told me that.

I personally wouldnt mind the carib sea black since it looks a lot finer then the sand I have now. teh onyx just looks liek a very fine gravel lol. Still nice though. Cleaning it took me a couple hours just for half a bag lol.

Anywasy still looking into it.

What about a co2 unit. Will I need one of those?

 

[chkltcow]

Thanks for the info.

It probably had to do with that I am new to planted tanks so perosn wanted to make it easier for me. Also the techs at big al's told me that.

I personally wouldnt mind the carib sea black since it looks a lot finer then the sand I have now. teh onyx just looks liek a very fine gravel lol. Still nice though. Cleaning it took me a couple hours just for half a bag lol.

Anywasy still looking into it.

What about a co2 unit. Will I need one of those?

CO2...... that's a tricky subject. Before you do anything with CO2, you need to know what the KH of your tank water is. I have been one of the unlucky ones that had a PH crash due to insufficient buffering (low KH) and too much CO2. If your KH is under about 5dKH... CO2 can be a risky thing. For me, in a 55g aquarium, I had 3dKH and left my little DIY CO2 thing going overnight after having just filled it up. I woke up the next morning to a pH of 6.4 (dropped from 7.0) and 2 dead clown loaches, 3 dead rasboras, 2 dead black neons, and a dead zebra danio

Get your tank established first before you worry about CO2. See how much light they're actually getting from your fixture, see how much they're growing, and see what your water parameters are at once the tank has matured for a few weeks.

 

[yvez9]

I have an aquaclear 30 on my 20g high tank. It is just fine. The sponge alone holds enough bacteria to properly filter my tank.

I aslo added in some Seachem Purigen. Works like ccarbon, but better, and leaves the plant nutrient sin the water. Plus, it lasts about 6 months, then can be refreshed to last another 6 months and so on... It cost me like 20 bucks at a store in montreal.

An aquaclear 50 would create too much turbulance on the surce IMO, ehich you want to avoid in a planted tank with CO2 injection.