Here as a newbie as well to see what kind of answers you get !
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Low tech Tank Newbie
Hello all,
I am a newbie into planted tanks. I reside in India & I have ordered for a glass tank with dimensions [30"x12"x12"] which would hold about 15 gallon water. I read about low tech planted tank and knowing the pros and cons decided to go ahead with it. I would like to have a low tech & low cost tank.
I am planning to do as mentioned below but as i am a newbie need help with these:
Substrate: Eco-complete [1 pack], plan to have the substrate sloping from back to front. No other substrate. Do i need anything else? [Is ADA amazonia better?]
Filter: Canister are costly & i cant risk water leak at home [away from home most of the day], planning to buy Aquaclear filter. But not sure if its right; also appreciate suggestion on any other cheap and good filters to use.
CO2 supplement: None
Heating external: None [Weather is quite hot here]
Lighting: Since commercially available ones are costly. Planning to buy normal CFL 13 to 15 watt [from philips] with daylight [6500k] - two of them [will cost me less than 10 dollar] & fix into a holder, place it about 6 inches above water level
Plants: Need suggestion on plants which are easier to maintain. Planning to have tank heavily planted.
Fish: If plants do well, then i plan to add a few guppies [6 to 8] and pearl danios [2-4].
Water change: plan to do it once in 2 to 3 weeks [25% water change]
Please suggest changes that you think are needed. Glad to be in this group.
I am a newbie into planted tanks. I reside in India & I have ordered for a glass tank with dimensions [30"x12"x12"] which would hold about 15 gallon water. I read about low tech planted tank and knowing the pros and cons decided to go ahead with it. I would like to have a low tech & low cost tank.
I am planning to do as mentioned below but as i am a newbie need help with these:
Substrate: Eco-complete [1 pack], plan to have the substrate sloping from back to front. No other substrate. Do i need anything else? [Is ADA amazonia better?]
Filter: Canister are costly & i cant risk water leak at home [away from home most of the day], planning to buy Aquaclear filter. But not sure if its right; also appreciate suggestion on any other cheap and good filters to use.
CO2 supplement: None
Heating external: None [Weather is quite hot here]
Lighting: Since commercially available ones are costly. Planning to buy normal CFL 13 to 15 watt [from philips] with daylight [6500k] - two of them [will cost me less than 10 dollar] & fix into a holder, place it about 6 inches above water level
Plants: Need suggestion on plants which are easier to maintain. Planning to have tank heavily planted.
Fish: If plants do well, then i plan to add a few guppies [6 to 8] and pearl danios [2-4].
Water change: plan to do it once in 2 to 3 weeks [25% water change]
Please suggest changes that you think are needed. Glad to be in this group.
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
ADA Amazonia is for sure better than eco-complete.
There is a basic rule to buy a filter that pumps 10 times your tank per hour.
Currently I am using 1200 lumen 20 watt bulb for med/high light plants on a 6.6 gallon. For you I would choose more low lighting plants because you have no co2. You can take the tropica guideline which is not really accurate but may give you a start. They say for easy plants you should get 10-20 lumens per litre. Start with a 800-900 lumen bulb and see how it goes. If plants don't grow buy a higher one. If you have some algae issues buy a lower bulb. Or play with the height of the desklamp if possible. Look for a bulb with CRI of 80+ prefered 90. 6500k is fine.
List for low tech plants
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/100-low-tech-forum/56042-excellent-list-low-light-plants.html
There is a basic rule to buy a filter that pumps 10 times your tank per hour.
Currently I am using 1200 lumen 20 watt bulb for med/high light plants on a 6.6 gallon. For you I would choose more low lighting plants because you have no co2. You can take the tropica guideline which is not really accurate but may give you a start. They say for easy plants you should get 10-20 lumens per litre. Start with a 800-900 lumen bulb and see how it goes. If plants don't grow buy a higher one. If you have some algae issues buy a lower bulb. Or play with the height of the desklamp if possible. Look for a bulb with CRI of 80+ prefered 90. 6500k is fine.
List for low tech plants
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/100-low-tech-forum/56042-excellent-list-low-light-plants.html
Thanks for the reply,
Do we need to wash ADA before using it as a substrate? Also, how much ADA will i require for my tank? If we plan to remove the substrate from the tank due to some reason, can it be used again during re-planting? I was not aware of CRI, will need to look into it, thanks. What type of filter would you suggest for me, something cheap and easy to maintain.
Do we need to wash ADA before using it as a substrate? Also, how much ADA will i require for my tank? If we plan to remove the substrate from the tank due to some reason, can it be used again during re-planting? I was not aware of CRI, will need to look into it, thanks. What type of filter would you suggest for me, something cheap and easy to maintain.
Substrate:ADA Amazonia is better, and can be reused if you are replanting. For low-tech, eco-complete with some root tabs will do well and at a far lower price.Hello all,
I am a newbie into planted tanks. I reside in India & I have ordered for a glass tank with dimensions [30"x12"x12"] which would hold about 15 gallon water. I read about low tech planted tank and knowing the pros and cons decided to go ahead with it. I would like to have a low tech & low cost tank.
I am planning to do as mentioned below but as i am a newbie need help with these:
Substrate: Eco-complete [1 pack], plan to have the substrate sloping from back to front. No other substrate. Do i need anything else? [Is ADA amazonia better?]
Filter: Canister are costly & i cant risk water leak at home [away from home most of the day], planning to buy Aquaclear filter. But not sure if its right; also appreciate suggestion on any other cheap and good filters to use.
CO2 supplement: None
Heating external: None [Weather is quite hot here]
Lighting: Since commercially available ones are costly. Planning to buy normal CFL 13 to 15 watt [from philips] with daylight [6500k] - two of them [will cost me less than 10 dollar] & fix into a holder, place it about 6 inches above water level
Plants: Need suggestion on plants which are easier to maintain. Planning to have tank heavily planted.
Fish: If plants do well, then i plan to add a few guppies [6 to 8] and pearl danios [2-4].
Water change: plan to do it once in 2 to 3 weeks [25% water change]
Please suggest changes that you think are needed. Glad to be in this group.
Filter: For HOB filters I always buy and recommend Aquaclear. The Aquaclear 30 should be perfect.
Heating: It may be hot where you live, but that doesn't necessarily mean you don't need a heater. Because of evaporation, tanks will often be slightly cooler than the air temperature in the room. Secondly, Heaters allow for greater consistency in temperature which is vital to fish. If the tank is place where it will never fall below you target temperature (say 24C), then it will definately get too hot on a warm day. Keep that in mind.
Lighting: I use a similar setup on a similar size tank and it works very well. You'll probably want to go with the 15w, then adjust the height accordingly.
Water Change: Plan on doing more initially. Once the tank is stable, assuming you don't overstock the tank, then you can go a couple weeks.
If I were you, I would think about going with sponge filters. They can be really cheap, and you only need to run a small air pump. Best choice a newbie can make IMO. I use at least 1 in each of my tanks, even if I have a HOB filter as well.
Sponge filters are hands down the best low-tech options for a newbie, agreed.
Here is a very basic list of plants in that order -
https://petofy.in/magazine/plant-for-low-tech-planted-tanks/, I would also include a couple additional foreground plants that are possible if you do DSM or ferts & excel. Such as: staurogyne repens, dwarf hair grass, glosso, pearlweed, marsilea minuta, and hydrocotyle tripartita.
Just get started and make some mistakes! lol
Here is a very basic list of plants in that order -
https://petofy.in/magazine/plant-for-low-tech-planted-tanks/, I would also include a couple additional foreground plants that are possible if you do DSM or ferts & excel. Such as: staurogyne repens, dwarf hair grass, glosso, pearlweed, marsilea minuta, and hydrocotyle tripartita.
Just get started and make some mistakes! lol
@Alf2Frankie Thanks a lot for the list.
Is a sponge filter really enough for a 15G tank? Will it cycle the tank at 10times the total volume? Then why is there so much advise on cansiter or HOB filters online? i am confused help me
I am planning now to have a single desk
study lamp for my aquarium with a bulb attached.
I am attaching the specifications of three bulbs below, which of these would be better for my tank?
A. Philips Base B22 17-Watt LED Bulb (Cool Day Light)
Bulb Base: B22, Color Temperature: 6500 K
Warranty: 1 year on product from date of invoice
Wattage: 17 watts; Operating Voltage: 220-240 volts
Includes: 1 LED Bulb
Low energy consumption and non-dimmable
Lifetime of 15,000 hours and UV and IR free light
Up to 40 percent energy saving (compared to CFL)
1700 lumens
B. Philips Stellar Bright 20-Watt LED Bulb (Cool Day Light)
Bulb Base:B22, Color Temperature: 6500K, Lumens: 2000lm
Warranty: 1 year on product from date of invoice, Wattage: 20 watts; Operating Voltage: 220-240 volts, Includes: 1 LED Bulb
Low energy consumption and non-dimmable, Lifetime of 15,000 hours and UV and IR free light
Up to 40 percent energy saving (compared to CFL), Up to 85 percent energy saving (compared to GLS)
2000 Lumens
C. Wipro Garnet 18-Watt LED Bulb (Cool Day Light)
Color Temperature: 6500K, Lumens: 1800Lm
90 percent brighter than CFL equivalent wattage
Replace 150 watts GLS bulb with 85 percent energy saving
Relace 36 watts CFL bulb with 50 percent energy saving
LM80 tested LEDs
1800 Lumens
I am attaching the specifications of three bulbs below, which of these would be better for my tank?
A. Philips Base B22 17-Watt LED Bulb (Cool Day Light)
Bulb Base: B22, Color Temperature: 6500 K
Warranty: 1 year on product from date of invoice
Wattage: 17 watts; Operating Voltage: 220-240 volts
Includes: 1 LED Bulb
Low energy consumption and non-dimmable
Lifetime of 15,000 hours and UV and IR free light
Up to 40 percent energy saving (compared to CFL)
1700 lumens
B. Philips Stellar Bright 20-Watt LED Bulb (Cool Day Light)
Bulb Base:B22, Color Temperature: 6500K, Lumens: 2000lm
Warranty: 1 year on product from date of invoice, Wattage: 20 watts; Operating Voltage: 220-240 volts, Includes: 1 LED Bulb
Low energy consumption and non-dimmable, Lifetime of 15,000 hours and UV and IR free light
Up to 40 percent energy saving (compared to CFL), Up to 85 percent energy saving (compared to GLS)
2000 Lumens
C. Wipro Garnet 18-Watt LED Bulb (Cool Day Light)
Color Temperature: 6500K, Lumens: 1800Lm
90 percent brighter than CFL equivalent wattage
Replace 150 watts GLS bulb with 85 percent energy saving
Relace 36 watts CFL bulb with 50 percent energy saving
LM80 tested LEDs
1800 Lumens
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
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