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108 Posts
It has been a few years since I have had an aquarium, due in equal parts to living places with no pet policies and reluctance to try again after my previous experience which did not go well. My last tank was a 12 gallon JBJ Nano Cube deluxe in which I tried to grow HC and Anubias nana petitie. I had little plant growth, problems with the plants floating away and algae bad enough to become a running joke. Eventually I started some DIY CO2, a decent fert schedule and saw a little progress. Then the tank leaked and that was that.
So, now that I have an aquarium allowed in my lease its time for me to try again. I have some clear ideas about what I want to do and would like some help figuring out the how. One important point i decided on is that I want to put together a solid system (also, it will be my only one because of how my lease is written).
What I am sure about (but will take comments):
Tank: a 20gallon long, Acrylic (I understand the pros and cons on this fairly well I think and care about leaking most)
Filter: Ehiem 2232, seems there is a fairly good consensus that this is quality and I know I cant do a HOB which splashes as it will kill the co2. Also, never had a canister filter, I assume that setup correctly it is not likley that a tub will fall off somewhere and my tank will get drained in 10 min onto the floor, right?
Layout/Plants: Iwagumi or close, HC in the front, dwarf haigrass in the back.
Startup: 'Dry' start for HC at least, hairgrass too if I can.
Stand: I have a stand which is an old desk which should work well.
Livestock: I am quite fond of lemon tetras, so those and shrimps of some sort. Some other small, active, colorful, social fish might do though.
The problem i am having is it seems very difficult to find reviews of products, comparisons of brand qualities, or detail about some products. In particular there seem to be many brands and many more online stores (no car so LFS is not ideal) making it hard to get a good idea of what is available. As a rule, I am willing to pay for quality, especially if im getting something that will last.
What I need help with (feel free to point me to other resources that will answer my questions):
Tank: I have been looking at the clear for life 20 gallon long with a black back, but know there are a number of companies and dont have any feel for the differences between them. Also, i am not clear on what cutouts I should expect on the top of the tank. I have seen one for the light in the center and one in the back for filters and similar, so is feeding acomplished by moving the light or is there usually another cutout?
Canopy: I am thinking about a wood one, both for aesthetics of concealing wires and the very practical part where I live with an unruly cat who I should allow acces to the water. Also, the cat needs to be able to jump on it without causing harm, cause he will jump. I have been having a lot of trouble finding one for a 20 long acrylic tank. I might end up having one custom made but I would prefer the simplicity of just ordering one.
Hardscape: No car makes it hard to get out an collect rocks, does anyone sell the really craggy kinds of rocks that I see so often in competition tanks?
Light/CO2/Substrate: These are clearly tied together. CO2 would be DIY if I use it. I want to get these all set so I dont have the disaster like before with algae after the tank is flooded. (this is assuming that growing HC and dwarf hairgrass is a reasonable thing to try, I hope that getting a clean start will help, but I would like some input on that.)
My plan for going forward is to get the aquarium, sediment, plants, rocks and maybe the light settled asap so the emmersed growth can begin. Any help is really appreciated.
Thanks, Chaos
So, now that I have an aquarium allowed in my lease its time for me to try again. I have some clear ideas about what I want to do and would like some help figuring out the how. One important point i decided on is that I want to put together a solid system (also, it will be my only one because of how my lease is written).
What I am sure about (but will take comments):
Tank: a 20gallon long, Acrylic (I understand the pros and cons on this fairly well I think and care about leaking most)
Filter: Ehiem 2232, seems there is a fairly good consensus that this is quality and I know I cant do a HOB which splashes as it will kill the co2. Also, never had a canister filter, I assume that setup correctly it is not likley that a tub will fall off somewhere and my tank will get drained in 10 min onto the floor, right?
Layout/Plants: Iwagumi or close, HC in the front, dwarf haigrass in the back.
Startup: 'Dry' start for HC at least, hairgrass too if I can.
Stand: I have a stand which is an old desk which should work well.
Livestock: I am quite fond of lemon tetras, so those and shrimps of some sort. Some other small, active, colorful, social fish might do though.
The problem i am having is it seems very difficult to find reviews of products, comparisons of brand qualities, or detail about some products. In particular there seem to be many brands and many more online stores (no car so LFS is not ideal) making it hard to get a good idea of what is available. As a rule, I am willing to pay for quality, especially if im getting something that will last.
What I need help with (feel free to point me to other resources that will answer my questions):
Tank: I have been looking at the clear for life 20 gallon long with a black back, but know there are a number of companies and dont have any feel for the differences between them. Also, i am not clear on what cutouts I should expect on the top of the tank. I have seen one for the light in the center and one in the back for filters and similar, so is feeding acomplished by moving the light or is there usually another cutout?
Canopy: I am thinking about a wood one, both for aesthetics of concealing wires and the very practical part where I live with an unruly cat who I should allow acces to the water. Also, the cat needs to be able to jump on it without causing harm, cause he will jump. I have been having a lot of trouble finding one for a 20 long acrylic tank. I might end up having one custom made but I would prefer the simplicity of just ordering one.
Hardscape: No car makes it hard to get out an collect rocks, does anyone sell the really craggy kinds of rocks that I see so often in competition tanks?
Light/CO2/Substrate: These are clearly tied together. CO2 would be DIY if I use it. I want to get these all set so I dont have the disaster like before with algae after the tank is flooded. (this is assuming that growing HC and dwarf hairgrass is a reasonable thing to try, I hope that getting a clean start will help, but I would like some input on that.)
My plan for going forward is to get the aquarium, sediment, plants, rocks and maybe the light settled asap so the emmersed growth can begin. Any help is really appreciated.
Thanks, Chaos