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Planted Tank Newbie

502 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Sharkfood
Hey guys! First post on The Planted Tank after a good bit of reading. Just wanting some of your guys professional opinions. I just ordered a rimless 17.4G Mr. Aqua tank and Eheim 2213 canister filter. I am wanting to do a fairly high tech heavily planted tank. What do you guys suggest I use for my CO2 system and lighting. I want to have a nice set up and the only things I have right now are the filter and actual tank. I'm fairly unsure about what types of plants I am wanting to grow. I assume better lighting means that you would want high light type plants? I'm new to the planted tank scene and am very intrigued with the beauty they possess and am wanting to get one started. Any information you pass on to me would be greatly appreciated.
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Welcome!

I would really suggest putting together a plant list before deciding on the rest of your equipment. Higher light will open opportunities for plants. Basically spending more money now on lights and Co2 setup will help you in the long run instead of upgrading everything eventually....
Are all CO2 systems basically the same or is there a brand or type that would be better for my 17.4 g?
I'm not sure what you mean by "system" when you refer to CO2. Most of us bought a regulator and built ours from there. I'd suggest you avoid the yeast based systems that aquarium companies sell. If you really want to go that route, a couple 2L bottles are just as good if not better. Your tank is small enough to use DIY, but if you want to go with a higher light level you'll be setting yourself up for less dissapointment if you just start right out with pressurized CO2. It really can't be beat.

The easiest way to get set up is to buy a regulator/solenoid/needle valve/bubble counter combo. The cheapest or most customizable way is to piece everything together yourself. There are loads of combos that will run in the $80-$300 range. After that you get a tank and you're off to the races.

Since you're running a canister, it will be easy to diffuse the CO2 into the tank. You can run the CO2 directly into the CO2 canister, or get a reactor. Some canisters will burp air if you diffuse directly into the input. A Rex Grigg style reactor is what I use, and what I would suggest. I won't go into the details on this type of reactor, as there is lots of info already on the forum. You can buy one someone else put together, or build your own. Again, buying one is easier, but building your own gives you street cred and makes you cool, and we all just want to be cool deep down.

There's a good sticky Darkblade wrote in the equipment forum. If you have any specific questions, just post them there. Forum members are generally helpful and willing to answer anything you might ask. Welcome to TPT by the way.
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