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My wife and I started doing the planted tank thing in late 2019, and we've individually and collectively done, well... several tanks since then. We share a border-collie-with-frisbee disposition when it comes to hobbies, and we've gotten in pretty deep with it during this pandemic. I have to say - it's been a wonderful, enriching hobby that I'm glad we are sharing. I think what makes it so enriching is that it's super hard. Not in an off-putting way - more that there's so much to it, there's lots of room to grow (pun intended).
Anyway, we have three planted tanks up and running at the moment, the longest and most successful of which has been going for ten months. That one has sort of become my tank these past several months as my wife took on the role of homeschool teacher while continuing to work part time (we both telecommute). I've learned a lot from that tank. Gutters and strikes for sure, but it's in a good place now. I would like to do a journal for that one, but so much has happened with it that it's a bit much to sit down and chronicle at this point.
That brings me to this tank and this journal. My wife has in her office (increasingly her fish room - ha) a UNS 60A that she has recently taken down. She decided that the all-in-one was really not ideal for a high tech planted tank. So, she's replacing it with a 60U and I offered to help out. It's turned into a joint project, and we're both using it as an opportunity to try new things!
All of our planted tanks to date have been pretty nature-scape-y. This one is going to be different:
-no hardscape
-spraybar instead of lily pipes
-T5s instead of LEDs
-black film on back and sides
Okay, here's the equipment list:
tank: UNS 60U (with white UNS stand)
filtration: Fluval 307 + spraybar (DIY)
co2: pressurized with co2art regulator (3 manifold blocks for other tanks in the room) and cerges reactor
lighting: 4 bulb 24" T5 (currently have 2 hortilux FS+UV, 1 powerveg 660, and 1 powerveg 420)
heater: inline Ista 150w
substrate: Tropica aquasoil
fertilizers: dry ferts mixed into liquid and dosed daily (I stole parameters off of @Greggz 's TPT member dosing spreadsheet and they're working well in other tanks)
Not sure which plants we'll be starting with. Fish will come later after things are settled.
Pics to come.
Anyway, we have three planted tanks up and running at the moment, the longest and most successful of which has been going for ten months. That one has sort of become my tank these past several months as my wife took on the role of homeschool teacher while continuing to work part time (we both telecommute). I've learned a lot from that tank. Gutters and strikes for sure, but it's in a good place now. I would like to do a journal for that one, but so much has happened with it that it's a bit much to sit down and chronicle at this point.
That brings me to this tank and this journal. My wife has in her office (increasingly her fish room - ha) a UNS 60A that she has recently taken down. She decided that the all-in-one was really not ideal for a high tech planted tank. So, she's replacing it with a 60U and I offered to help out. It's turned into a joint project, and we're both using it as an opportunity to try new things!
All of our planted tanks to date have been pretty nature-scape-y. This one is going to be different:
-no hardscape
-spraybar instead of lily pipes
-T5s instead of LEDs
-black film on back and sides
Okay, here's the equipment list:
tank: UNS 60U (with white UNS stand)
filtration: Fluval 307 + spraybar (DIY)
co2: pressurized with co2art regulator (3 manifold blocks for other tanks in the room) and cerges reactor
lighting: 4 bulb 24" T5 (currently have 2 hortilux FS+UV, 1 powerveg 660, and 1 powerveg 420)
heater: inline Ista 150w
substrate: Tropica aquasoil
fertilizers: dry ferts mixed into liquid and dosed daily (I stole parameters off of @Greggz 's TPT member dosing spreadsheet and they're working well in other tanks)
Not sure which plants we'll be starting with. Fish will come later after things are settled.
Pics to come.
