New Tank, Post Move Set up

[vance71975]

Well, i am moving to Seattle, i will be setting up a new tank Post move. My and the wife to be have decided on a 40g Long Planted High Tech Tank.
I am in the process of scoping out hardware.So i figured i would Post some of the stuff i am looking at and get input and opinions on it! I know there is a lot of info below but i would love to hear from The Planted Tank People on it, and hear your input,advice,product knowledge,tips etc!

Lighting:

48 inch Current USA SunDial T5 HO 4x54W w/ Timers & LED

Sundial T5HO

Lighting System – Total Control

* Individually contoured reflectors for maximum light intensity
* Dual integrated timers and automatic photocell for dawn/dusk and lunar lighting control
* Cool running, performance-driven electronic ballasts
* European style high output T5 lamps
* Rear-mounted fans designed for standard aquarium canopy installations
* Dimensions 48.125" x 9.5" x 3.75"

The Sundial high output T5 lighting system brings total control and extreme versatility to a variety of aquarium configurations. Whether it’s mounted on top of an aquarium or inside of a canopy or hood, you can rest assure that it’s designed to handle a variety of aquarium setups and still deliver professional results. The SunDial’s low-profile aluminum housing fits easily under most open-back canopies or hoods, and with only one power cord for total lighting control, the SunDial takes up less power outlet space.

The Sundial features the SlimPaq 10,000k and 460nm Actinic High Output T5 lamps, offering the longest usable lifespan and highest output efficiency of any aquarium lamp. Each unit also includes photocell-controlled Lunar Lights with interchangeable color lenses for automatic nighttime viewing, rear-mounted fan(s) for improved heat removal with canopy installations, dual integrated timers for dawn/dusk applications, splash lens, and docking mounts.

Bulb Replacement Choices:

Blue Life USA SPS T5 Compact 48 Inch -54W Surface V-HO Bulb

Benefits:
SPS HO T-5 Lamp "Surface" 6,700k Warm White. High Output intensity lamp, ideal for freshwater or saltwater aquaria. Provides warm morning/afternoon spectrum of light. Gives off proper light spectrum for photosynthesis in plants. Brings out rich natural colors of both fish and plants.

D-D Giesemann Powerchrome Midday 54W 48 inch T5 High Output Fluorescent Lamp

The D-D Midday 6000 T5 bulbs have full a 5 point color spectrum and 6000K color temperature which exactly recreates natural sunlight.

Suitable for salt water and fresh water. Midday is a 6000 Kelvin tube with a 5 point spectrum which recreates sunlight. It is suitable for salt water, fresh water, and reef planted or fish only aquariums.

D-D Giesemann Powerchrome Aquaflora 54W 48 inch T5 High Output Fluorescent Lamp

This tube is specially designed for Freshwater use. It brings out the blue and red colors in your fish whilst enhancing plant growth.

AND i plan to leave One of the 10k bulbs that comes with the fixture in.

CO2 Unit: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ry~FICOCY.html

Specifications

CO2 Deluxe Regulator System:

* Most compact & sturdy construction
* Dual gauge pressure indicators
* Industrial-grade Precision Needle Valve (upgradable to Super Precision Metering Valve)
* Integrated 110V Solenoid (Magnetic) Electrical Valve
* Compatible with various sizes of US & Canada CO2 Cylinders (from 12 oz to 20-lb).

5lb. CO2 Cylinder:

5-pound brushed aluminum cylinder. Made in the US. Brand new and empty. Equipped with Sherwood Cylinder Valve w/ black hand wheel. CO2 regulators and CO2 cylinders have CGA 320 fittings for USA & Canada. A CGA-320 fitting has a 0.825-14 NGO-Right Hand Thread.

17.5" Tall, 5.25" Diameter.


CO2 Reactor:

Red Sea CO2 Reactor 500

Efficiently dissolves CO2 into aquarium water

This fully adjustable, power driven, super compact CO2 reactor will simply and efficiently maintain the desired level of CO2 in a wide range of planted aquariums. The turbulent flow CO2/water interface inside the reactor ensures almost complete dissolving of available CO2 while non-dissolved gases are gently vented to the water surface.

* Highly effective vortex reaction chamber
* Adjustable flow 250 l/h (65 gal/h) pump
* Super compact design 9.5 x 4 x 5.5 cm (3.75” x 1.6” x 2.2”)
* Dissolves CO2 at flow rates of up to 180 bubbles per minute
* Suitable for planted aquariums 40 to 500 Liters (10–125 gal)

Filtration :
Marineland Magnum 220 C-Series Canister Filter

Description
Main Features

Magnum C-Series Canister Filter

The revolutionary design of the new Marineland Multi-Stage C-Series Canister Filter forces water to pass through the filter media trays and not around them. With virtually no bypass and a three-stage filtration process, only sparkling-clean water can recirculate into your tank—regardless of size or type of aquarium. The key to this process is our special internal design and three-stage approach that passes the water through a series of specialized filter media. It’s a design that delivers the best available technology in mechanical, chemical and biological filtration… and it’s a design that is unmatched for capturing particulates.

Substrate: Will be One of or a Mix of the following:

CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate
Description
Main Features

Caribsea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Contains Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sulfer plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate contains all the mineral nutrients needed for luziriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae! The Eco-Complete is Iron rich which eliminates the need for laterite and is also Nitrate and carbonate free which will not increase pH or carbonate hardness. There is no artificial dye, paint or chemical coating because it`s real! The Eco-Comlete also contains live Heterotrophic Bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. The Eco-Complete also creates a natural biological balance which makes cycling in a new aquarium faster and safer. With it`s unsurpassed MacroPorosity for healthy roots and bacterial efficieny - you would have to buy 4 bags of ordinary gravel to equal the surface are of this one bag of Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium! Spherical grains for optimum diffusion performance.

Red Sea Flora Base Plant Aquarium Substrate

Description
In nature, aquatic plants flourish where the river or lake bed provides a regular supply of vital minerals and organic substances and a permeable yet solid rooting foundation. Flora Base is a patented, scientifically formulated substrate produced from natural volcanic ash-based soil, sintered with other minerals into a soft, porous, granular structure. It contains all the nutrients required by plants for proper development and lasting growth, while enabling growing roots to penetrate and anchor themselves firmly to the substrate. The unique porous structure of the Flora Base granules optimizes oxygen penetration and microbal propagation and allows plant nutrients to be released into the surrounding water, obviating the need to add root nutrient supplements for at least 6 months. In addition, Flora Base serves as an excellent filter media when combined with an under-gravel filter, as its granules enable it to actively absorb floating particles, removing cloudiness from the water. Flora Base acts as a pH buffer, maintaining a stable pH between 6.5 and 7.0, which is ideal for almost all aquatic plants. Each 11 lb. bag of Flora Base provides the right quantity of substrate for a 10 gallon aquarium.


Seachem Flourite Black

Description
Flourite™ is a specially fracted stable porous clay gravel for the natural planted aquarium. Its appearance is best suited to planted aquaria, but may be used in any aquarium environment. Flourite™ is most effective when used alone as an integral substrate bed, but it may be mixed with other gravels. Gravel modifiers such as laterite are not necessary. Flourite™ is not chemically coated or treated and will not alter the pH of the water. Although pre-washed, it should be rinsed before use to remove residual dust. Dust can also be minimized by filling tank slowly and dispersing water so that the Flourite™ bed is not disturbed. Slight initial cloudiness is normal and will clear rapidly (2–12 hours). This bag is sufficient for about a 5 cm (2 inch) deep bed in a typical 40 L (10 gallon) tank. Recommended use is 1 kg (2 lbs) for approximately each 200 cm2 (31 in2) of tank bottom at a depth of 5 cm (2 in).

Although planted aquariums are often considered to be too difficult for the beginning hobbyist, we believe that planted aquaria are actually ideal for the beginner. With the right substrate the beginner can have a successful aquarium with a minimum of maintenance. As the beginner becomes more comfortable in the hobby they will feel inclined to experiment a bit and thus build on the solid foundation they have already established.

It won`t always be necessary to dose your aquarium with each of the products in the Flourish line, but as an example, we have developed one possible dosing regimen using all of our plant products. This is by no means the only way to dose your aquarium; it is merely a suggestion. Your dosing regimen will depend greatly on a variety of factors, including lighting, initial water quality, how heavily stocked your aquarium is, substrate selection, and types of plants; so don`t be surprised if getting the results you want takes a little experimentation.

Aqua Medic pH Neutral Aquarium Freshwater Volcanit Gravel


Aqua Medic Volcanit pH-neutral aquarium gravel for fresh water

Volcanit is a pH-neutral aquarium gravel of volcanic origin developed specifically for use in modern live-plant aquaria. The fine pore structure of this structure encourages bacterial activity that enhances the biological release of nutrients from within the gravel. The results are superb plant growth. Volcanit is mixed with 10% ferrolit, a natural long term iron fertilizer derived from Laterite. The resultant black and red colors enhance the beauty of the aquarium plants and the hues of the tenant fish.



Aquarium Pharmaceuticals First Layer Pure Laterite

Description
Main Features

All natural planting media for aquatic plants.Granular form which is ideal for aquarium use and is better than aquarium gravel alone. Perfect for naturally-planted aquariums.



Ferts: Will be the Seachem line of plant ferts. Yes i know they are a bit more expensive but i want the convenience of liquid and easy to dose ferts without having to mix them myself!


Thats what i have so far, if anyone sees anything i am missing let me know!

[redfalconf35]

judging by the research and description, this'll be an amazing tank!

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by redfalconf35

judging by the research and description, this'll be an amazing tank!

thats what i am hoping for!

[mott]

Seems like a little too much light but I could be wrong depending on how you run them.
Scrap that co2 500 reactor it's useless, I would go with www.sumo.com for the regulator, they are very helpful and will help you with everything you need regarding your Co2 setup.
Or another reputable company is http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/ and they both are on these forums frequently.

Instead of the marineland go with the Eheim 2217 it's a proven workhorse that will last you for many years.
Dry ferts are the way to go no need to mix, dump em right in the tank!
The Seachem line will work but 20.00 of dry ferts will last you years.

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by mott

Seems like a little too much light but I could be wrong depending on how you run them.
Scrap that co2 500 reactor it's useless, I would go with www.sumo.com for the regulator, they are very helpful and will help you with everything you need regarding your Co2 setup.
Or another reputable company is http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/ and they both are on these forums frequently.

Instead of the marineland go with the Eheim 2217 it's a proven workhorse that will last you for many years.
Dry ferts are the way to go no need to mix, dump em right in the tank!
The Seachem line will work but 20.00 of dry ferts will last you years.

Cool ill look into the CO2 set up you suggested and the Eheim filter! i just personally don't like messing with dry ferts, i have had them, and personally didn't care for them, i am willing to pay more to have the convenience of not messing with powdered ferts. I have also considered the ADA line of ferts.
As far as lighting, it comes out to 5.4 watts per gallon, the tank will also be placed to have some sunlight some of the day, BUT i dont plan on running all 4 bulbs all the time, i am going to run 2 bulbs 12 hrs a day and then have a "noon burst" with all 4 lights for 4 to 6 hrs.Unless someone reccommends a better length for the burst.

[Hoppy]

You have way too much light, so much the tank will be unmanageable. One single 54 watt T5HO bulb will give enough intensity over a 21 inch high tank to grow plants well with CO2, and you have about a 17 inch high tank, so a single 54 watt bulb will give about 50% more light than that. The 40L tank is also only about 12 inches front to back, so, at most 2 bulbs if spaced 6 inches or so apart will give uniform lighting. Four bulbs will be far more than you can hope to cope with.

You could raise the light fixture 6-8" or more and reduce the intensity quite a bit, but not enough to be able to use all 4 bulbs.

If you do use the Seachem liquid fertilizers, be sure to use Flourish Nitrogen, Flourish Potassium, Flourish Phorsphorous, and Flourish, and dose them at considerably more than what the Seachem directions call for, since those directions are for low light tanks.

Get a drop checker, and use it to help you be sure you are providing enough CO2 concentration in the water, and, use something like a Koralia style powerhead to maintain good water circulation all over the tank, with some surface rippling over the entire water surface.

I think you will have a much better chance to succeed with that particular tank if you don't use T5HO lighting. A sinngle 55 watt AH Supply bright light kit would still be enough lighting that you would need to raise it at least 6 inches to have a reasonable chance to avoid algae problems. I use that on my 45 gallon tank, raised to about 20 inches above the substrate and I still have moderate light intensity, enough that I often have algae problems.

[vance71975]

Ok how bout this, if you all had WITHIN reason, a fair amount to spend on a 40g long tank, High Tech, How would you set it up? what equipment would you personally buy? What substrate would you personally use? etc!

[epicfish]

You're back!

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by epicfish

You're back!

lol i never really "left" i have just been busy with things changing in my life, an engagement ending, meeting a new woman and a new chapter in my life starting, so i haven't posted much anywhere lol!

[Spork]

I have a Rena x3 and find that it gives me great flow for the a tank that size and has large media volume. I'm not bagging on Eheim as I have 2 of them but I am enjoying my X3 more. Have not had good luck with keeping Marinelands up for long and their flow is sub-par for the cost.

I would look at http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/ for your lighting. You will save money ordering from them and they have the best customer service I have delt with. They will change out bulbs for you depending on what you want and will work with you on what type of lighting you want to the point of putting together a package for you. Sold build and solid customer service.

[bartak]

Originally Posted by vance71975

Ok how bout this, if you all had WITHIN reason, a fair amount to spend on a 40g long tank, High Tech, How would you set it up? what equipment would you personally buy? What substrate would you personally use? etc!

first of all, I would reconsider the 40 long. the 12" depth is rather limiting. a 40 breeder is way cooler for plants, and I think 78 watts of t5 is perfect for a high tech 40. for the rest, I would use flourite black, an eheim 2217, a GLA choice regulator and a diy pvc co2 reactor. also dry ferts are the way to go. you only have to premix the trace, and that takes about one minute. the rest just dump in dry. also with dry ferts you know exactly what you are adding.

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by bartak

first of all, I would reconsider the 40 long. the 12" depth is rather limiting. a 40 breeder is way cooler for plants, and I think 78 watts of t5 is perfect for a high tech 40. for the rest, I would use flourite black, an eheim 2217, a GLA choice regulator and a diy pvc co2 reactor. also dry ferts are the way to go. you only have to premix the trace, and that takes about one minute. the rest just dump in dry. also with dry ferts you know exactly what you are adding.

ok i have to ask, and i am not being sarcastic, i just haven't been keeping up, did something change as far as high tech set ups go? because twice now i have been told that the unit i was looking at is too much light, once directly and once in so many words. I was under the impression that with a High Tech Set up,the goal was 4.0 wpg or higher. But in this post the poster recommends 1.95 wpg in a high tech set up. so i have to ask did i miss something in my absence?

[bartak]

Originally Posted by vance71975

ok i have to ask, and i am not being sarcastic, i just haven't been keeping up, did something change as far as high tech set ups go? because twice now i have been told that the unit i was looking at is too much light, once directly and once in so many words. I was under the impression that with a High Tech Set up,the goal was 4.0 wpg or higher. But in this post the poster recommends 1.95 wpg in a high tech set up. so i have to ask did i miss something in my absence?

the t5ho's put out so much light that it negates the wpg rule, and power compacts are close IMO. also if you are adding co2 and ferts, you can grow anything under less light and it's a lot easier to manage your tank and to find a good balance.

[kid creole]

One more vote for the Red Sea CO2 diffuser stinks. Once it fills up, it bubbles out all the CO2 that goes in. It doesn't create enough turbulence or mixing to diffuse the CO2.

[Hoppy]

You asked what happened in the past year or so: first, I think one thing that has changed a lot is our perception of what "high tech" means. Tom Barr did some testing of ADA beautifully planted tanks, and found that the light intensity was much lower than we had all been assuming, based on the wattage of ADA light fixtures. This led to more testing with PAR meters, and the realization that almost all plants will grow very well with what we had assumed was much less than "high light" as long as CO2 was supplied abundantly, with adequate circulation in the tank to get CO2 to all places in the tank. Again, Tom Barr did some testing with a $2000 CO2 probe he purchased, and found that the variation in concentration of CO2 in a tank, even with very good water circulation, was much greater than any of us would have predicted. This resulted in more of us realizing that our real emphasis for "high tech" has to be a very good CO2 system, not light wattage.

Many people have noted that they can grow almost anything they want with a 55 gallon tank with a single 54 watt T5HO bulb over it, one having the typical highly polished individual aluminum reflector for each bulb. I have verified to my satisfaction, using a PAR meter, that the light intensity from a tubular bulb drops off somewhat more slowly than with the inverse square of the distance from the bulb. This allows us to use something besides watts per gallon to guess at how much light a given fixture will supply.

Your other question was what would we get for a really good "high tech" setup. I would start by selecting an open top "rimless" tank, as big as I could be comfortable with in my house. Then I would have the tank drilled so I could run the filter hoses down through the bottom, instead of over the top. Next, I would work up a way to make water changes require no more than opening or closing a couple of valves, preferably right at the tank. Then, I would get a good two stage CO2 regulator, with a good needle valve, and a solenoid valve. And, I would do more research to find what I would consider to be the best method, for that size tank, to mix the CO2 into the water. Now, I would consider myself to have a "high tech" tank.

I would look for a light that I could hang above the tank, and adjust the height of to regulate the light intensity. Of course I would buy a PAR meter to make that work better. I would want the light to be about a foot above the rim of the tank, because that makes the light intensity more nearly uniform throughout the tank. My choice for a light fixture would very likely be a LED fixture, because it spreads the light source over the entire top of the tank, greatly reducing the increase in intensity as the plants grow towards the surface.

Next I would select a substrate that I really like the appearance of, but would lean towards ADA Aquasoil Amazonia.