Help with setup

[funkymonk1984]

Hi guys,

Looking for a bit of advice.

Just picked up an Aquascaper 600 tank and cabinet with the twinstar 600S iii light. I’ve used white vinegar to remove most of the water stains but there is some algae/grime stains where the glass is siliconed together. Is there a good way to remove this? I don’t want to compromise the seal obviously. (Was using an algae foam scrubber for glass).

Also I was wondering how much rock in kg you’d recommend purchasing for the scape. I know it’s good practice to get a bit more than required for options and I plan to do a traditional nature scape with wood and lava rock most likely.

Substrate wise I was thinking some nutribase topped with Amazonia but do you think I should cap with the smaller grain size as it’s not a massive tank I thought it might look more pleasing. Will have sand in foreground.

Any thoughts, suggestions and inspiration welcome 🙂

 

[Wookii]

Just picked up an Aquascaper 600 tank and cabinet with the twinstar 600S iii light.

Congrats - I have an EA 600 too, it's a nicely proportioned tank.

I’ve used white vinegar to remove most of the water stains but there is some algae/grime stains where the glass is siliconed together. Is there a good way to remove this? I don’t want to compromise the seal obviously. (Was using an algae foam scrubber for glass).

First try your vinegar with a stiff toothbrush, scrubbing up and down the corners. If that fails you can try some thin bleach (i.e. the runny, non-thickened, non-perfumed stuff in the supermarket) or citric acid solution, both of which will remove most things, again let it sit on the stains for 10 minutes, and then scrub with the toothbrush, and then thoroughly rinsed off afterwards.

Also I was wondering how much rock in kg you’d recommend purchasing for the scape. I know it’s good practice to get a bit more than required for options and I plan to do a traditional nature scape with wood and lava rock most likely.

That's a bit of a 'how longs a piece of string' question - you are best off having an initial approximate design in mind. Look up some other scapes to get some inspiration if you haven't already, then maybe visit a decent LFS that has a good hardscape selection, and have a go at putting some rock and wood together to see if you can achieve your design in dry form (you are only half an hour from Aquarium Gardens which would be a good option, and they will assist you with the scaping side and have 'dojo' boxes for putting your materials together).

Substrate wise I was thinking some nutribase topped with Amazonia but do you think I should cap with the smaller grain size as it’s not a massive tank I thought it might look more pleasing. Will have sand in foreground.

I'm a sand fan, so perhaps a bit biased, but I'd go with sand throughout - particularly as you are planning a sand area anyway - perhaps with some Amazonia in some mesh bags under the sand if you want to add some nutrient store/buffer.

I wouldn't bother with the Nutribase. Whilst I've not personally used it, it looks a dubious product at best, and I wouldn't add anything that purports to contain calcium and magnesium as there would be no way to control the release of those elements into the water column, plus presumably the carbonates that likely come along with them - all of which will increase the hardness of the tank water. (I'm intentionally ignoring the fact that their marketing claims that the stuff contains "all the necessary nutrients for plant growth", but then only lists 3 of the 17 essential plant nutrients).

 

[richardcunliffe]

how much rock in kg you’d recommend purchasing for the scape

My personal preference is 'go big or go home'. And the answer is 'more than you first think'. That said I'm also a cheapskate so I'd aim for used and then let the rocks inspire rather than nail down a particular layout top precisely in your mind before seeing what you have to work with.

A top for the seals (which works great with the bath too!) is to use toilet paper soaked in bleach to stick on. It helps the bleach stay in contact and not just run down the side. As mentioned you want to avoid anything thickened or perfumed.

 

[funkymonk1984]

Cheers guys. I didn’t actually mean nutribase, I meant Ada power sand advance where it’s slopes up to prevent anaerobic bacteria.

I’ll try the vinegar toothbrush approach first. It’s not horrendous I just wanted to give it as good a clean as possible before setting up.

Need to get a filter yet and get everything set. I’ll prob put substrate and hardscape in for a week or so first to keep playing with it before ordering plants and filling.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

where it’s slopes up to prevent anaerobic bacteria.

You don't need to worry <"too much about the substrate">, some bits of it will be anaerobic, and that isn't an issue, it is <"entirely natural">.

Problems can occur when you have <"large amounts of oxidisable material"> in the substrate, like <"green waste compost">, where you could potentially get <"hydrogen sulphide (H2S) production"> etc.

The problem then is that, if you disturb the substrate, it can <"potentially strip the dissolved oxygen"> from the water column, with disastrous results.

cheers Darrel

 

[MarcusA]

Have you tried melamine foam on the spots?