Newbie - low tech tank.

[johnchor]

hello folks,

i am a newbie planning to start a low tech tank.
below are the stuff i am planning to start with. are the ok?

Tank: 4ft 67gallon
Stand: 4ft iron stand position near to window for some sunlight
Cover: 2 piece thin clear acrylic with some drilled holes to prevent fish jumping out
Light: 3ft Cool white LED light 7watts - is this good enuff?
Filter: 2 air-driven corner sponge filter - is this good enuff?
Background: blue or black - which color is better?
Soil: 1inch garden soil from nursery
Gravel: 1inch black gravel
Decor: Driftwood or Bogwood - i like to lower the PH a little to 6.5. which type of wood is better?

Plants: some low tech plants i have in mind.
floating plants - Tropical Hornwort
background plants - Jungle Val
midground plants - Windelov java fern, Crypt Beckettii (purple color?)
foreground plants - Java moss

Fish:
Clown killifish
Threadfin rainbow fish
Oto or dwarf cory - which catfish is better?
Cherry red shrimps
Neon green shrimps
Aura blue shrimps
Malaysian trumpet snails

please advice thanks folks

[ony]

Originally Posted by johnchor

hello folks,

i am a newbie planning to start a low tech tank.
below are the stuff i am planning to start with. are the ok?

Tank: 4ft 67gallon
Stand: 4ft iron stand position near to window for some sunlight
Cover: 2 piece thin clear acrylic with some drilled holes to prevent fish jumping out
Light: 3ft Cool white LED light 7watts - is this good enuff? Not unless you want a sun powered tank. Have a look at under-cupboard lights and shop lights as cheap alternatives. If you do decide to get better lights it would be easier not to have any sunlight on your tank at all.
Filter: 2 air-driven corner sponge filter - is this good enuff? Probaby not, filtration is really important so its worth spending a bit more here and getting a canister filter.
Background: blue or black - which color is better? Personal choice
Soil: 1inch garden soil from nursery make sure its organic and not full of manure
Gravel: 1inch black gravel
Decor: Driftwood or Bogwood - i like to lower the PH a little to 6.5. which type of wood is better? bog oak releases a lot of tannins but its really down to what looks best. you can add leaf litter or peat to lower the PH

Plants: some low tech plants i have in mind.
floating plants - Tropical Hornwort
background plants - Jungle Val
midground plants - Windelov java fern, Crypt Beckettii (purple color?)
foreground plants - Java moss

Sounds good to me

Fish:
Clown killifish
Threadfin rainbow fish
Oto or dwarf cory - which catfish is better? Very different fish and inhabit different areas of the tank so its really down to what you like best. Otos are lovely fish but very sensitive to poor water quality and need a mature tank so would be best added a few months after everything else. Cory cats need a soft substrate as anything sharp can damage their barbels so if considering these make sure the gravel is ok for them.
Cherry red shrimps
Neon green shrimps
Aura blue shrimps
Malaysian trumpet snails

I wouldnt go for all the different coloured shrimps,it would look very strange.

please advice thanks folks

You will also need a good heater as the threadfins and clown killi have a very small temperature overlap so you would have to be careful to keep it at a stable 22-24*C. Might be hard if the tank is also being warmed by the sun.

[johnchor]

hello ony

thanks for your great advice.
i live in a tropical country,singapore and temp is hot stable around 28-30 degrees.
i did not want a power filter as they will raise the temp higher than 28degrees. as shrimps cannot take high temp.
but then again, as you have advice. i have a 1600L/hr 4ft (over head)OHF filter which i might re-used again for this planted tank.
i really like the LED lights but was worried than it is too weak therefore i plan to plac my tank near window for some sun daylight and compliment by the LED.
i bought IKEA LEDBERG 3ft LED lights but they are warm white yellowish and very weak.

thanks i will use bog oak to lower PH
as for shrimps i will go for cherry red shrimps first

[ony]

In my experience cherry shrimp do badly at 28 degrees and start dropping like flies at 29-30*C. Never tried a sun powered tank myself but you may want to monitor the temperature while you cycle and make your stocking decisions once you know what the tank temperature will be. In that time you can also see if the light is strong enough to grow plants, if not at least you don't have animals to worry about while you make any adjustments.

[Green_Flash]

I would look into a chiller.

I also wouldn't try natural lighting it will cause all sorts of problems if you place it in a heavily lit area.

[GMYukonon24s]

Originally Posted by Green_Flash

I would look into a chiller.

I also wouldn't try natural lighting it will cause all sorts of problems if you place it in a heavily lit area.

I agree

Natural light could potential be a big problem just starting out.