Intro
This is my first attempt at a planted aquarium. I previously had a 20 gallon aquarium that was fish-only with fake plants. I had to take it down when I moved two years ago. I had the itch to set it up again for a while, but I couldn’t find a stand that I liked (or that the wife would approve of). So, I waited.
My boss has a 30 gallon saltwater aquarium, and he was in the midst of upgrading to a 65, when his wife became pregnant. Needless to say, the upgrade was abandoned, and he was left with a brand new Marineland 65 Gallon Corner-Flo aquarium and stand. I went over to his place to take a look at it, and knew it would fit perfectly in my apartment. So, I bought it and brought it back home.
Set-Up
Display Tank: 65 Gallon with Pre-Drilled Interior Overflow (36”x18”24”)
Substrate: Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix (MGOCPM) capped with Pool Filter Sand (PFS)
Lighting: AquaticLife Dual T5HO 39w (1x 6000K & 1x 650nm Roseate)
Filtration: 20 Gallon Long Sump with 3 Compartments (30”x12”x12”)
Flora (Ordered from aquariumplants.com. Expected delivery: Friday, February 1)
Vallisneria Spiralis (Leopard Vals)
Microsorium Pteropus (Java Fern)
Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Red
Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Green
Anubias Barteri v. Nana
Egeria Densa (Anacharis)
Didiplis Diandra (Diandra)
Hygrophila Difformis (Wisteria)
Echinodorus Amazonicus (Amazon Swordplant)
Java Moss
Fauna (Undecided at the moment)
Big school of 10-20 small rasboras/tetras
A small school of Cories or Otos
Lots of Red Cherry Shrimp
A couple of Nerite/Trumpet/Assassin Snails
2 or 3 Angels or maybe a Gourami/Betta as centerpiece fish
Goals
I have a friend who has been running a Walstad setup for about 2 years now that was my main inspiration. He has had a few setbacks, but overall his plants grow like wild and his fish are very happy and healthy. He actually recently had his German Blue Rams spawn, which was pretty exciting considering he wasn’t even trying! Either way, I’ve always been jealous of his tank and decided to go for a similar setup. Maybe even show him up!
My main goals with this tank are to keep it as low tech and low maintenance as possible. I am willing to add fertilizers and do some kind of DIY CO2 system, although I would like it best if it could be kind of a “Set it and forget it” type of tank. I really do like the overgrown/jungle look, so that is what I am shooting for. I even like the look of some types of algae; I’m not trying to go for a picture perfect Amano artistic aquarium. I kind of want to just see what the plants want to do, trimming when things begin to “get out of hand.”
Concerns
I am concerned that my lighting may be too low light. It comes in at only 1.2 watts per gallon, although I know that is not an effective way of gauging lighting anymore. According to Hoppy’s research on the PAR of certain light fixtures, I would put my light at about 45 PAR for the distance it is from the substrate. From what I understand, this should be sufficient for most low to moderate level plants. I do have a glass canopy for aesthetic, noise, and anti-cat reasons, so I am hoping that as long as I am good about keeping it clean, it won’t affect the level of lighting too much. If anyone wants to chime in on their theories considering the plants I have picked in conjunction with my lighting, I am all ears.
I guess my overall biggest concern is failure. Some people make the low tech approach seem so simple, but I understand how easy it can be to spend 90 bucks on plants and have them all look like crap and then die in a month. I have a tendency to be very hands on, especially in the beginning. I worry that I will be constantly troubleshooting, rather than just “letting things be.” Hopefully, you all will be able to offer advice when I need it, and tell me to chill out when I’m overreacting.
Future Plans
I am expecting the plants to arrive on Friday. Between now and then, any suggestions on where to plant which species would be very helpful. Also, any tips on how to plant each type of species would also be appreciated. I got a nice pair of 10” tweezers, so that should hopefully make planting such a tall tank less of a hassle.
I will probably start adding fish towards the end of February, once the tank has settled and finished its cycle.
Thanks for reading and I will try to be vigilant about updating the journal as I go.
Pics to come!
This is my first attempt at a planted aquarium. I previously had a 20 gallon aquarium that was fish-only with fake plants. I had to take it down when I moved two years ago. I had the itch to set it up again for a while, but I couldn’t find a stand that I liked (or that the wife would approve of). So, I waited.
My boss has a 30 gallon saltwater aquarium, and he was in the midst of upgrading to a 65, when his wife became pregnant. Needless to say, the upgrade was abandoned, and he was left with a brand new Marineland 65 Gallon Corner-Flo aquarium and stand. I went over to his place to take a look at it, and knew it would fit perfectly in my apartment. So, I bought it and brought it back home.
Set-Up
Display Tank: 65 Gallon with Pre-Drilled Interior Overflow (36”x18”24”)
Substrate: Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix (MGOCPM) capped with Pool Filter Sand (PFS)
Lighting: AquaticLife Dual T5HO 39w (1x 6000K & 1x 650nm Roseate)
Filtration: 20 Gallon Long Sump with 3 Compartments (30”x12”x12”)
- Intake: Pond Filter Sponge Material, BioMax, and Filter Floss
- Refugium: Emergent/Emersive Plants
- Substrate: MGOCPM capped with PFS
- Lighting: Dual T8 17w 6500K
- Heater: 200w set to 76 degrees
- Return: Rio 2500 Submersible Pump
Flora (Ordered from aquariumplants.com. Expected delivery: Friday, February 1)
Vallisneria Spiralis (Leopard Vals)
Microsorium Pteropus (Java Fern)
Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Red
Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Green
Anubias Barteri v. Nana
Egeria Densa (Anacharis)
Didiplis Diandra (Diandra)
Hygrophila Difformis (Wisteria)
Echinodorus Amazonicus (Amazon Swordplant)
Java Moss
Fauna (Undecided at the moment)
Big school of 10-20 small rasboras/tetras
A small school of Cories or Otos
Lots of Red Cherry Shrimp
A couple of Nerite/Trumpet/Assassin Snails
2 or 3 Angels or maybe a Gourami/Betta as centerpiece fish
Goals
I have a friend who has been running a Walstad setup for about 2 years now that was my main inspiration. He has had a few setbacks, but overall his plants grow like wild and his fish are very happy and healthy. He actually recently had his German Blue Rams spawn, which was pretty exciting considering he wasn’t even trying! Either way, I’ve always been jealous of his tank and decided to go for a similar setup. Maybe even show him up!
My main goals with this tank are to keep it as low tech and low maintenance as possible. I am willing to add fertilizers and do some kind of DIY CO2 system, although I would like it best if it could be kind of a “Set it and forget it” type of tank. I really do like the overgrown/jungle look, so that is what I am shooting for. I even like the look of some types of algae; I’m not trying to go for a picture perfect Amano artistic aquarium. I kind of want to just see what the plants want to do, trimming when things begin to “get out of hand.”
Concerns
I am concerned that my lighting may be too low light. It comes in at only 1.2 watts per gallon, although I know that is not an effective way of gauging lighting anymore. According to Hoppy’s research on the PAR of certain light fixtures, I would put my light at about 45 PAR for the distance it is from the substrate. From what I understand, this should be sufficient for most low to moderate level plants. I do have a glass canopy for aesthetic, noise, and anti-cat reasons, so I am hoping that as long as I am good about keeping it clean, it won’t affect the level of lighting too much. If anyone wants to chime in on their theories considering the plants I have picked in conjunction with my lighting, I am all ears.
I guess my overall biggest concern is failure. Some people make the low tech approach seem so simple, but I understand how easy it can be to spend 90 bucks on plants and have them all look like crap and then die in a month. I have a tendency to be very hands on, especially in the beginning. I worry that I will be constantly troubleshooting, rather than just “letting things be.” Hopefully, you all will be able to offer advice when I need it, and tell me to chill out when I’m overreacting.
Future Plans
I am expecting the plants to arrive on Friday. Between now and then, any suggestions on where to plant which species would be very helpful. Also, any tips on how to plant each type of species would also be appreciated. I got a nice pair of 10” tweezers, so that should hopefully make planting such a tall tank less of a hassle.
I will probably start adding fish towards the end of February, once the tank has settled and finished its cycle.
Thanks for reading and I will try to be vigilant about updating the journal as I go.
Pics to come!