Newbie Advice on new set up, Please !!

[markl]

Hi There,

I have been reading through the forumsfor many weeks trying to learn as much as possible and gain as much knowledge, i am in the process of setting up a new tank, my aim is to have a nice planted display aquarium with selected fish.

My set up will be (aquarium is not being delivered until Thursday so below are my purchases so far ready to set up)

Tank is 72" x 24" x 18" - 118 Gallons - 537 Litres
Lighting is 3 X 54 Watt Cool White 840 and 3 X 54 Watt Skywhite
6 X Juwel T5 Reflectors
2 x 300w Heaters
Filtration is - 2000ltr ph - All ponds external filter, 1200ltr ph Aqua One and a 1600ltr per hour internal circulation pump.
Fire extingusher CO2 setup with an in line difuser.
Substrate - 50kg - 2-3mm Black quartz gravel.

Could you please advice me,
1. Is this set up ok?
2.Will there be any barriers or problems that you can forsee with the equipment that i have listed, will i grow more algae thank plants?
3. Re the substrate - if i just use the gravel, and fertilise with sustrate fertiliser tabs, will this be adequate? If not can you sugest anything else that is not going to cost to much money? (I am running out!)
4. Can you please sugest any reading for me to learn about physically how to set up as in when to add the plants, when to start up the Co2 etc?
5. Any advice on what a good starting level would be for the CO2 as in how many bubbles per second?

Many thanks for any help in advance and apologies for if any of the qusetions above are a bit basic!

Many Thanks
Mark

 

[markl]

Anyone, please?

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Hi there. Welcome to the forum.

Tank is 72" x 24" x 18" - 118 Gallons - 537 Litres

That is a monster. What plants are you planning for this scape? Planting this bad boy isn`t going to be cheap. Were you the winner of that £95,000,000 on the euro millions last Friday?

Joking apart though. It sounds like you`ve been researching lots and the filtration/circulation side of things should work well for you. Maybe 6 x 54 watt T5`s is slight overkill, especially in the early stages whilst your plants are adapting. I would also research using cat litter/Moler Clay as an alternative to the Quartz gravel.

Good luck to you, and don`t forget to share your experience in a journal. I wan`t to see this one.

 

[Fran]

Hi Mark, I know how you feel. I've just set up a five foot tank as my first planted tank. You will learn as you go. You might want to consider the substrate as gravel only may limit your choice of plants. The circulation of the co2 is very important and it really needs to get all around the tank. I have found inline difussers to work well. You should stick to plants that are easy for beginners and research what size each will grow to. Once your ammonia levels are at zeor, try and get some algae eaters in your tank like Siamese algae eaters ans Amano shrimp. You also need to decide on a fertilizer method. I am using EI. You should also research your water parameters and see if you need reverse osmosis water. The bubble rate is different for every tank. Depends on your waters ph and hardness etc. There is a lot involved in this hobby and sometimes its hard work with a big tank but I hope you find it enjoyable and rewarding as i do. Good luck.

 

[Manrock]

I'd try to get some tank water from a good, planted tank to help speed up the fishless cycle in that monster of a tank! If you can find someone nearby who is doing a filter clean they might let you have some filter media , sponges or ceramics (coated in bacteria) and some mulm would help too! Get some cheap, fast growing stem plants until things settle down and you have more of an idea as to what your tank needs. CO2 from the get-go and try to keep the drop checker green-lime.
Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[ceg4048]

1. Is this set up ok?

No, you have too much light for a beginner.

2.Will there be any barriers or problems that you can forsee with the equipment that i have listed, will i grow more algae thank plants?

Yes you will have problems because you have too much light.

3. Re the substrate - if i just use the gravel, and fertilise with sustrate fertiliser tabs, will this be adequate? If not can you sugest anything else that is not going to cost to much money? (I am running out!)

Please go to the Tutorial section of the forum and read EI DOSING USING DRY SALTS which was written especially for people who have too much light.

4. Can you please sugest any reading for me to learn about physically how to set up as in when to add the plants, when to start up the Co2 etc?

Yes, please go to the Tutorial section of the forum and read Setting up a high tech planted tank

5. Any advice on what a good starting level would be for the CO2 as in how many bubbles per second?

Yes, please go to the Tutorial section of the forum and read CO2 MEASUREMENT USING A DROP CHECKER

You should also research your water parameters and see if you need reverse osmosis water. The bubble rate is different for every tank. Depends on your waters ph and hardness etc.

No it doesn't. bubble rate is totally independent of water parameters. The bubble rate depends only on the size of the tank and on the amount of light. The OP does not need to use RO, does not need to study any parameters, and should not even consider it at this point.

Cheers,

 

[markl]

Thank you for all your replys, much appreciated.

Re the lighting - this is not a problem, i can just use less bulbs then i have purchased at the begining, could you suggest how many 54w bulbs i should start with maybe 4?
Little confussed by this though as my intention was to try and get around 3 WPG mark which i achieved with the 6x54w bulbs?

Re starting to cycle the tank, I have a pond in the garden with a large filtration system on it, would you suggest that i use some of the filter media and maybe some of the waste that has collected in the filtration to kick start the new tank?

The reason why i am using a large tank is because it is being used as a room divider between my living/dining room, so it need's to be long! I havent won the lottery i am now just proper skint!

Thanks for all your suggestions, looks like i need to do some more reading, i am finding it hard to establish what's right and whats wrong with so much conflicting information over the net.

Many Thanks
Mark

 

[ceg4048]

...Thanks for all your suggestions, looks like i need to do some more reading, i am finding it hard to establish what's right and whats wrong with so much conflicting information over the net...

Hi Mark,
Yes there is a lot of inconsistency because most hobbyists don't actually test or verify the theories in a logical, controlled or scientific manner. They simply regurgitate old wives tales which have passed down from generation to generation. Adding to the confusion is the fact that plants are adaptable to many different scenarios. Without understanding the fundamental nature of their behavior it's difficult to untangle the apparent conflict in plant response. The best way is to get a firm foundation in understanding the basics of chemistry and biology. When you have a better idea bout some of the relationships that plants have with their environment you will start to unravel some of the mysteries and you will start to see consistency between cause and effect.

...Re the lighting - this is not a problem, i can just use less bulbs then i have purchased at the begining, could you suggest how many 54w bulbs i should start with maybe 4?
Little confussed by this though as my intention was to try and get around 3 WPG mark which i achieved with the 6x54w bulbs?

Well, again, you have to consider the "WHY" of this intention. The primary misguided concept that you will find on 99.9% of websites in the aquatic plant world is that somehow, more light is better. In actuality, more light is worse and in fact it is THE single worst mistake a beginner can make. The reason? Light triggers algal blooms. It is the primary trigger. So when a beginner starts their tank off with lots of light they actually set up a series of events that causes no end to grief, and since they never suspect that the light is the cause of their problems, they exhaust time, energy, emotion and money trying to fix everything else EXCEPT the thing that is causing their grief. Have you ever gone on a summer beach holiday in a sunny country like Spain? What happens if, on your first day you spend 10 hours catching some sun? Do you turn into a red lobster and is it painful? Does the skin disintegrate and peel off later? That's causes by too much light and that's exactly what happens to the plants. They disintegrate and fall apart under conditions of high radiation.

The method by which we prevent that from happening is complicated. It involves competent use of CO2 and water flow, and it takes some time to master the fundamentals of the technique, so that's why as a beginner, 3WPG is typically a death sentence for the plants.

If you are dealing with ferns and mosses you almost don't even need to turn any of the bulbs on, just open your window shades, but this makes for a boring looking tank. Start with some hardy plants such as these and turn on 2 bulbs for the first month or so. Then gradually add 2 more. You'll find that you will have much fewer problems while you learn the application of CO2. Of course, growth rates will be agonizingly slow, but the plants will not disintegrate after a week either. Have patience and you will be rewarded. When you r CO2 and distribution skill improve, you will find that you are able to use as much light as you want because you will understand the relationship between light, CO2 and water.

Re starting to cycle the tank, I have a pond in the garden with a large filtration system on it, would you suggest that i use some of the filter media and maybe some of the waste that has collected in the filtration to kick start the new tank?

Just go to the pond and scoop up some of the detritus and muck. Soak your filter media in the muck, replace the media in the filter and then pour the remainder of the muck in the tanks gravel. Insert the plants as you like. Add water and start the filter. Wait a minimum of 6 weeks before adding any fish. End of scene.

Cheers,

 

[markl]

Ceg4048 - Many thanks for the advice, of which i am definatley going to follow to the word.

The tank got delivered today (i would put a picture up but not sure how to)

I have been messing about with pipework and trying to figure out how best to do the return flows.

Due to the build of the tank, my two external inlet pipes are very close together, with regard to the return flow, i was intending on using the 2000ltr p'h pump to be returned via a spraybar at one end of the tank.

But the other 1200ltr ph pump will have an inline UP Diffuser, but this will be returned to the tak just via a single pipework pushing the CO2 infussed water up the 6ft length of the tank,

Does this sound ok to you returning the water this way?

Many Thanks for everyones help,

Mark

 

[krazypara3165]

markl, i find that its easy to upload pictures if your on a photo sharing site like photobucket of flickr...... if the file is saved on your computer all you need to do is log into photobucket/flickr click upload and select the file, and once its uploaded copy and paste the 'img link' to the right of the picture and paste it on to your next comment! its easier than ive made it to be. plus they also have phone apps so you can upload pics straight from your phone!