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Advice for first time setup

GarraGal

Seedling
Joined
30 Aug 2020
Messages
1
Location
London, Greater London
Hello,

I am looking for some advice on a first time Aquascape setup, in terms of the layout and plants I am feeling quite confident after spending sometime time at Aquarium Gardens however I wanted some advice on my tank and fish setup.

Fish - We've inherited 2 small fan tail goldfish and 4 garra fish, our initial goal was to give these fish a great home but this grew into an aquascaping project as well. I mention them as it may be relevant to choices we make going forward.

Tank - Currently I have a 60L marina vue but will be upgrading to a Juwel Vision 450

Aquascape - This will be centered around a hardscape consisting of Redmoor and Dragonstone as a central feature and dragon stone barrier between soil and sand

Questions I have are mainly to do with filtration, CO2 and lighting

Filtration - after much research I have decided to go with 2 Fluval FX6s, aiming for around 10x turnover rate. Is this over kill for my setup? Can you over filter? Are there any non-diy options to use a spray bar with this setup?


This also leads to my next question

CO2 - What are the benefits of inline diffusion vs in tank? With the FX6s the piping is 1" so it seems like inline diffusing is not an option. Should I be looking at other filters that may allow for this?

Lighting - Will the default lighting that comes with the Vision 450 be sufficient? I would plan on controlling this and CO2 with smart plugs.


Thank you, I appreciate any advice for my aquascaping adventure, open to suggestions on tanks, filters and lighting if my current choices are not ideal.
 
Think you may have an issue with those fish in a planted tank Maybe a member can advise on the Garra. I would read all the tutorials decide which set up you prefer according to time you have and budget Stick with AG for your plants Reading the journals will inspire you
 
What stock lighting does it come with? T5 tubes or LED? If T5 it will be 4 tubes, and I’d advice investing in decent reflectors to get maximum value from the T5s.
 
Be cautious in your plant choice. I understand that Goldfish are omniverous and will view some of the plants that we use as a tasty snack. Water filteration also seems to be particularly important as they eat quite a bit.

MD fish tanks has one if the few videos on how to build a planted tank for Goldfish.



Personally, I would rehome the goldfish. This will allow you to use a wider choice of plants and fish.
 
Personally I’d stick to Anubias and Microsorum or no plants at all, and perhaps most importantly, no soil. If you want a good old nature aquarium I’d rehome the Goldfish or you might experience quite a mess. If you go bare bones don’t spend money on a CO2 system.

Some inspiration for bare bones aquascape just hardscape or hardscape and minimal epiphytes could come from ADG. Like this:

1599414422840.jpeg


Despite the lack of flora, it’s very pleasing on the eye.

If you can keep the 60l that would make a perfect first nature aquarium.
 
Hi there,

If you intend on keeping the Goldfish then get the large tank as soon as possible and filtration to match, what ever brand you go for, longer is better than tall for Goldfish. The tank will need a very tight fitting lid to stop the Garras from escaping, personally would not keep Garras and Goldies together.
You could get away with a 240 litre tank for the goldies, a 450 litre would be nice but size wise not essential for 2 of them. If you go planted then stay away from any stem plants as they see them as a floating buffet, Anubias, and java ferns are okay, mine leave those plants alone. Also I would use rounded pebbles, large driftwood are fine but nothing spikey or sharp. Goldfish are not exactly the brightest fish in the pond.
 

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