# Low Tech - Soil Tank Help



## russchilds (4 Jan 2016)

Hi,

I want to set up a low-tech aquarium that requires minimal work. Ideally a 20% fortnightly water-change and a monthly trim of the plants.

This is my current tank. Juwel Rio 240L. I dose 15ML of Easycarbo & 15ml of  ProFito every day. Weekly 50% water change.


I'm still keeping my 240L but wanted to set something up that's cheaper and less work. I haven't decided on what aquarium to get. My budget is around £300. I already have a spare 150W heater and an Ehiem Ecco Pro 300 filter. I would like a closed top tank with a low-medium light. I was tempted by the Juwel Rio 125 but I think the twin T5's are too strong for a low tech?!

My main questions are:

Which soil is good? Garden or potting compost?
Whats best to cap it with? Gravel?
Any recommendations on an aquarium with low light and around 120ish litres?

My plan is a shoal of around 15 tetras, a few ottos & amano shrimp.

Many thanks!!
Russ


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## Tim Harrison (4 Jan 2016)

Nice scape and healthy looking plants...strictly speaking adding Easycarbo makes it hi-energy, but maybe that's being pedantic
Go with compost...it's safer and predictable.
You can cap it with anything you like, within reason, especially if you use a soil retainer/gravel tidy.
I'd go for anything with T8 lighting or dimmable LEDs
Check out the tutorials section for more detailed info.


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## russchilds (4 Jan 2016)

Troi said:


> Nice scape and healthy looking plants...strictly speaking adding Easycarbo makes it hi-energy, but maybe that's being pedantic.


No not at all - I agree! For this tank I don't want to use Easycarbo because of the hassle of daily dosing and the cost of it.

It's more difficult to find T8s these days. Its all T5s or high out put LED. I like the idead of dimmable LEDs becuase they are much cheaper to run.

Thanks for the advice Troi!


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## Andy D (4 Jan 2016)

The Rio 125 is a nice tank but that lighting can be a pain. One way to compensate is to buy some reflectors (or use tin foil) and use them underneath the lights to limit the amount of light going downwards.


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## russchilds (4 Jan 2016)

Thanks for the tip Andy!! Yes the twin T5s are a bit too much. I wish Juwel would offer LEDs or the old T8s. They have a deal this month with a free cabinet and my LFS is selling for £289.99.


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## Andy D (4 Jan 2016)

russchilds said:


> I wish Juwel would offer LEDs or the old T8s.



Me too!

I had a Rio 125 many years ago running T8s and I had a thriving low tech tank with no algae.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I had two Rio 125s with the T5 tubes. Whilst I was fairly happy I was always battling some form of algae.


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## Martin in Holland (5 Jan 2016)

Great looking tank....I wouldn't change a thing...if it ain't broken, don't fix it.


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## Clint Hewitt (5 Jan 2016)

I would suggest topsoil, compost is fine as long as it's 100% organic, no added stuff, you would want to get rid of all the wood chips etc and consider mineralising it, a cheap cap is pool filter sand (silica sand) 3mm grain size.


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## EnderUK (5 Jan 2016)

I think the Roma 125 is still t8? Most of the ones with hood built LEDs are not very powerful.


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## zozo (8 Jan 2016)

Troi said:


> but maybe that's being pedantic


Troi  i love the way, reading your replies always make me reach for the dictionary and learn new english words and their meaning.. 

But i'm still confused why adding glut makes an aquarium High Energy or High Tech?? Where ever you go this stuff is called Glutaraldehyde.. Only in the LFS it is called Liquid Carbon and in secrecy they (say to) add some extra to the poisson, but main contents is glut, the cheff doesn't reveal his recipes. But after doing some research and reading on it, it's actualy not even adding carbon to the water, nobody actualy knows how the darn stuff realy works. I couldn't get much further than the expainantion that glut possibly makes the already naturaly available carbon in the water more accesible for plants. But since nobody realy knows how it actualy works even that stays a big question mark.

I realy wonder where the general consensus originated that adding glut converst a planted tank to high tech.. Did it originate by the misconseption the LFS gave us to call this stuff Liquid Carbon?? Where ever i search i can't seem to find it. It isn't carbon, it doesn't add carbon and it isn't a fertilizer.. It only makes plants grow faster and tanks high tech??

Not that i feel bad about it, i don't realy care, if people want it to be High Tech let it be that way. But still it makes me scratching behind my ears and wonder about this one.


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## Tim Harrison (8 Jan 2016)

Haha...you may well be right. Seachem which sell Flourish Excel have this to say - it's a bit vague...

"The reason plants need CO2 is to produce longer chain carbon compounds also known as photosynthetic intermediates. Photosynthetic intermediates includes compounds such as ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, and 2-carboxy-3-keto-D-arabinitol 1,5 bisphosphate. Although the names are complicated, the structures are quite simple (5 carbon chains). Flourish Excel™ does not contain these specific compounds per se, but one that is quite similar. By dosing with Flourish Excel™ you bypass the involvement of CO2 and introduce the already finished, structurally similar compounds. It is in its structural similarity that Flourish Excel™ is able to be utilized in the carbon chain building process of photosynthesis. Simple chemical or enzymatic steps can easily convert it to any one to any one of the above named compounds (or a variety of others)."

But then there is this http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/flourish-excel-yes-or-no.29085/ 
and this on the Barr Report http://www.barrreport.com/forum/barr-report/co2-enrichment/4356-glutaraldehyde


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## PARAGUAY (8 Jan 2016)

zozo your setting the among the pigeons here every liquid carbon manufacturer will be expecting trading standards round any time soon I think glu whatever is a "source" of liquid carbon


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## PARAGUAY (8 Jan 2016)

Lovely looking tank Russ I would definitely keep that set up a smaller clearisil or similar as well low tech and maintenance


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## zozo (8 Jan 2016)

Thanks Troi,  i missed the first read in my search, nicely explained by Ceg.. The tom bar article i did already read.. But after reading all this and especialy this.


> Only Seachem and Tom Barr know the details of this mechanism, and Tom is not permitted to disseminate the details.


 I kinda back to scratching again where it originated to call the use of that stuff high tech.

But if there is any ground to the story this would only mean we should review the aquascaping categories and add one or two more..
Low Tech -  None just ferts
High Tech - excel + ferts
Super High tech Pressurized Co2 + ferts
Super Duper High Tech - Pressurized co2 + excel + ferts

So not to put people on the wrong foot i have to update my stove journal.. And sincerely admit i have a high tech tank.   

Indeed Russ beautifull tank sorry for the of topic..


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