I know. Most tanks are at home, so it's hardly a title. Well, I have been running a 500 litre reef tank at my office for the last 2 and a half years, as well as (helping with) my daughter's 2-foot tropical community tank. About a year ago, I started looking into a planted tank (After Aquatics Live 2012).
My then plan was to get a 45*45*45cm TMC signature tank, but things got in the way, and I forgot the plan. Then, about a month ago, my wife and I were in a garden centre, and she said "You know, it would be nice to have fish-tank in the living-room". Needless to say, I pinned her down and made her sign an oath in blood before purchasing her various bath-bombs and smelly candles. So, this is the tank I am allowed at home, rather than the one I allow myself at the office.
Because it's my first planted tank, I have lots and lots of questions, and there are many things I don't know. I'm slightly suspicious of myself, because I fear I have knowledge from the reef side that I will get confused with planted. So I'm hoping that I will be able to ask questions here, and keep all the info in one place.
Location
This tank is going to be in the living-room, and there is only one place for it to go:
This is a pretty good location - it is away from the door, radiator, TV, and doesn't get much sunlight. More importantly, that is my armchair, so I will be able to sit and gaze while nominally watching X-Factor - which my wife does from the sofa facing that tank location. The alcove, at it's tightest, is 103 cm wide. There is only one problem, and it is this:
^^ This is not a ceiling I am going to be allowed to drill into: no hanging pendants.
The Plan
There are in fact two plans, and I am hoping you guys will be able to help me choose between them.
Plan 1: A 90*45*45 tank. (180 L)
Plan 2: A 90*60*45 tank (240 L)
Either way will be topless, braceless.
The two plans will be identical, except that Plan 2 will include a couple of Discus (hence the extra height).
My intention is to have a fairly heavily planted tank. It will attempt to mimic a canyon running between 2 cliff-walls/hills. On each hill will be planted background plants which will emerge from the tank, hopefully flowering on occasion. The foreground will be a grassy lawn, with bushes on the slopes running up to the 'show' plants at the tops of the hills.
Fish Stock
12-20 Neon Tetra Shoal
12-20 Another tetra shoal/Werneri Rainbows/Boraras Merah (Possibly 2 of the 3)
8 Otocinclus
5 Glass Cats
1 Male, 2* Female Pearl Gourami
2 Discus (240 L tank)
Non-fish:- Amano Shrimps
Plant Stock
Background
Peace Lily OR Hygrophilla
Anubias Congensis
Nymphea Lotus
Aponogeton Crispus
Echidnorus Grandiflorus
Ludwigia (red)
Mid-Ground
Rotala Macranda
Anubias Barteri
Nuphar Japonica
Foreground
Cryptocoryne Parva
Eleocharis mini
Lighting
I know this is not the most important part of the triumvirate of Light-Nutrients-CO2, but it is very important for my marital relationship. My wife is quite short, and sensitive to light, so if she is sat on the sofa with, say, Aquarays or T5s 6" above the tank in a luminaire, it is highly likely that it will upset her. I am therefore planning to get 2 Kessil 150W Sun, alog with the goosenecks - these are 24" long, and will enable me to have the two Kessils pointing firmly away from my wife. This also gives me the height above the tank to light plants growing above the water without being so close as to burn them. What I am not sure of is whether they are good enough to penetrate both 18" of air and 24" of water...any views would be welcome. I'm also hoping that I will be able to use these as part of the aquascape, drawing the eye initially above the tank.
CO2/Circulation/Filtration
One of the many areas I am very uncertain about is how to get CO2 circulating around the tank. My current plan is to to have an inline CO2 reactor connected to an Eheim 3 350T (Which I hope will be adequate). That will then feed into a spray-bar running across the back of the tank. I am very unsure whether this will work as a solution - I am worried about the spray getting through background plants, and worried whether it will be adequate to get down to 60cm depth as well.
My then plan was to get a 45*45*45cm TMC signature tank, but things got in the way, and I forgot the plan. Then, about a month ago, my wife and I were in a garden centre, and she said "You know, it would be nice to have fish-tank in the living-room". Needless to say, I pinned her down and made her sign an oath in blood before purchasing her various bath-bombs and smelly candles. So, this is the tank I am allowed at home, rather than the one I allow myself at the office.
Because it's my first planted tank, I have lots and lots of questions, and there are many things I don't know. I'm slightly suspicious of myself, because I fear I have knowledge from the reef side that I will get confused with planted. So I'm hoping that I will be able to ask questions here, and keep all the info in one place.
Location
This tank is going to be in the living-room, and there is only one place for it to go:
This is a pretty good location - it is away from the door, radiator, TV, and doesn't get much sunlight. More importantly, that is my armchair, so I will be able to sit and gaze while nominally watching X-Factor - which my wife does from the sofa facing that tank location. The alcove, at it's tightest, is 103 cm wide. There is only one problem, and it is this:
^^ This is not a ceiling I am going to be allowed to drill into: no hanging pendants.
The Plan
There are in fact two plans, and I am hoping you guys will be able to help me choose between them.
Plan 1: A 90*45*45 tank. (180 L)
Plan 2: A 90*60*45 tank (240 L)
Either way will be topless, braceless.
The two plans will be identical, except that Plan 2 will include a couple of Discus (hence the extra height).
My intention is to have a fairly heavily planted tank. It will attempt to mimic a canyon running between 2 cliff-walls/hills. On each hill will be planted background plants which will emerge from the tank, hopefully flowering on occasion. The foreground will be a grassy lawn, with bushes on the slopes running up to the 'show' plants at the tops of the hills.
Fish Stock
12-20 Neon Tetra Shoal
12-20 Another tetra shoal/Werneri Rainbows/Boraras Merah (Possibly 2 of the 3)
8 Otocinclus
5 Glass Cats
1 Male, 2* Female Pearl Gourami
2 Discus (240 L tank)
Non-fish:- Amano Shrimps
Plant Stock
Background
Peace Lily OR Hygrophilla
Anubias Congensis
Nymphea Lotus
Aponogeton Crispus
Echidnorus Grandiflorus
Ludwigia (red)
Mid-Ground
Rotala Macranda
Anubias Barteri
Nuphar Japonica
Foreground
Cryptocoryne Parva
Eleocharis mini
Lighting
I know this is not the most important part of the triumvirate of Light-Nutrients-CO2, but it is very important for my marital relationship. My wife is quite short, and sensitive to light, so if she is sat on the sofa with, say, Aquarays or T5s 6" above the tank in a luminaire, it is highly likely that it will upset her. I am therefore planning to get 2 Kessil 150W Sun, alog with the goosenecks - these are 24" long, and will enable me to have the two Kessils pointing firmly away from my wife. This also gives me the height above the tank to light plants growing above the water without being so close as to burn them. What I am not sure of is whether they are good enough to penetrate both 18" of air and 24" of water...any views would be welcome. I'm also hoping that I will be able to use these as part of the aquascape, drawing the eye initially above the tank.
CO2/Circulation/Filtration
One of the many areas I am very uncertain about is how to get CO2 circulating around the tank. My current plan is to to have an inline CO2 reactor connected to an Eheim 3 350T (Which I hope will be adequate). That will then feed into a spray-bar running across the back of the tank. I am very unsure whether this will work as a solution - I am worried about the spray getting through background plants, and worried whether it will be adequate to get down to 60cm depth as well.