Your Recommendations Please

[LongS]

Looking to really sort out my tank and have it nice and HEAVILY planted and natural looking. At present i'm running two internal filters in my 100 litre, 2.5 ft aquarium.

An elite stingray 10 and an elite jetflo 100. The jetflo 100 hundred doesn't run very well anymore and is very noisy and does not have the same flow as it used to. I'm going to keep it as a spare.

So first things first, can someone recommend a really good internal filter that is suitable for my aquarium?

NEXT up, i would like to plant my tank and have really healthy looking plants. From what i have read the greener the plants the easier they are to keep under simple conditions. can anyone confirm?

So for a nice planted tank, what lighting should i go for? Is a Co2 injector necessary and if so how much are they and how do i set it up?

I know water movement is important to distribute nutrients to all areas of the tank, so would a powerhead be necessary even though im running two filters?

A bit question heavy but please help and point me in some sort of direction.

Thanks in advance

 

[Tizer]

I would ditch the two internal filters to make some space and get a decent external filter that can give you good water movement too. CO2 isn't necessary but some plants do require it so do your research before planting.

 

[tribalbrit]

+1 and may be a koralia circulation pump too.

 

[LongS]

Really? The impression i got from externals was that it was a bit pointless using them on aquariums under 40 gallons.

I have never used an external filter before so not exactly sure on how they work. The reason i was going to go for to internals is so that i could keep more than one filter (or filter Sponge) cycled at all times, and rotate them as necessary when using quarantine tanks if that makes sense?

What are the pros and cons of using an external may i ask?

 

[fluttermoth]

You can always keep the sponges from your internals in the external to keep them cycled in case you ever need them (I do this all the time!).

They work by syphoning the water from the tank into the canister and pumping it back in.

Pros; much, much more room for media, easier (and less frequent) maintenance, frees up tank space, usually better water flow, less places for fish to get stuck

Cons; um....well, you do have to have a place underneath or next to the tank to put them.

 

[LongS]

Ah i see. So i'd basically put the filter sponges in the canister?

So if i went down this route, i dont want to go overkill and have the fish blown all over the place, how powerful does the filter need to be? Like a litres per hour or what?

 

[fluttermoth]

I think for heavily planted tanks, you want the tank volume turned over about ten times per hour.

That is potentially a lot of flow, but it's easily reduced enough for the fish to be comfortable by fitting a spray bar; you can turn that to face the back wall to disperse it even more, if needs be.

My veiltailed angel doesn't like fast flowing water, and he's in 180l with an APS 2000lph filter (although, to be fair the actual flow is less than that, about 1200lph) and he's perfectly happy.

Edit; sponges. I put the old ones at the bottomn to start with, to seed the rest of the filter (externals usually filter from the bottom of the canister to the top) and move them up to the top so they're easy to get at as the months pass.

 

[Tizer]

^^ what flutter said

 

[LongS]

Ok thanks for the replies, i'm looking at an external filter at the moment on ebay, the make is pond solutions, says 1000ltrs per hour. Anyone know the make? recommendations?

Over the weekend i decided that i'm going to go with a southeast asian setup, trying to research the plants and fish from the Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand area (but this is in no way restricted).

I have researched a few plants that i have read that don't require hi-tech setups. Vallisneria, Cryptocoryne and possibly Hygrophila corymbosa? I'm going to go the low tech route, no Co2, low light and low ferts.

My aquarium is around 24-25 gallons i believe and has a single 18 watt bulb. Obviously a little less than 1 watt per gallon. Is there any need to add extra lighting for these plants? If so what is the best way of adding lights?

 

[OldMan47]

You have plenty of options to filter a tiny tank like that. I use a sponge filter with a power head on a 40 gallon "breeder" tank (about 150 litres). What makes it a breeder is that it is shorter than average and deeper from front to back than other tanks with the same displacement. My sponge has been the sole filter on that tank for many years now. I often post pictures of that tank because it has a very robust plant population. My tank is only low tech from the standpoint of artificial fertilizers. It has a potting soil substrate and gets plenty of fish food that breaks down to provide fertilizer. CO2 is simply not added to this tank. I feel that proper growing conditions and plenty of light can provide all that I need for good plant growth. Note all of the fish near the front glass. This is the result that I have seen in my own tank.

 

[LongS]

Nice, i'm glad someone is having success with this plant in similar conditions. I'm going to heavily plant the tank along the back a and mid ground with purely vallis and then have some crypts along the front with maybe a carpeting plant of somesort.

I've also decided to add an extra light and have ordered a 24 watt T5 tube and starter unit and awaiting their arrival. I've chosen T5 simply because of its slimmer profile and i have to attach it to the underside of the existing hood. (room is scarce).

I'm quite lucky in a way with my aquarium as its 2.5ft in length which gives the impression of a slightly bigger tank. Most other 100 ltr tanks i have seen have been much shorter and have more in terms of depth.

So just waiting on the other 40 vallis plants to arrive, and the light unit and i can really get started.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/393121-indochina-biotope/page__pid__3303222#entry3303222

This is the link to my planted journal incase anyone wants a quick look.

Now its just deciding on filtration. Continue with the to internals OR bite the bullet and buy an external. Gonna have to modify the cabinet as it is completely closed at the back

 

[tibbs]

Hello mate, im really new to the game but im running an external filter on my 125lt tank and its so simple to look after. The set up was easy too.

cheers

tibbs

 

[LongS]

Yeah i have read they are pretty simple and require less maintenance. But my problem is i'll have to dismantle the good oak furniture! haha