My first aquarium - 5ft low tech

[Paul195]

Hi all

As many here have given me advice so far, I thought it's only fair to keep you all updated how I get on.
I have been busy building a new hood for the tank as the old one was a metal one which was badly painted and also had no easy access for maintenance etc. It's all ready now and the tank has been cleaned and moved into position ready for the exciting bit!

Here is the tank:-


162Wx42Hx28D cm

I think I might need to add a background and was thinking black. what do you reckon?

I have also been to buy some decor:-



I think the largest piece of mopani is too big. It only just fits in the depth of the tank, so will probably take this bit back. I was looking for some 'leggy' bits but everything in my LFS's where similar to these. These were the most interesting pieces I could find.

I bought the rocks as I thought they would contrast well against the brown moler clay, but I have no idea what rocks these are (possibly wood rock?) but I would be glad if anybody can confirm what these are and if they are all the same type?

Next job is to start aquascaping...which is a bit daunting, I know about the golden ratio but apart from that I'm clueless! any advice welcomed!

Plan to order some hairgrass and plant it this weekend. Will keep you posted.

Paul

 

[Palm Tree]

Do you have a particular plan then except for the hairgrass foreground ? Are you going for a jungle style?

 

[Paul195]

To be honest, I haven't put that much time yet into thinking about what I want to do layout wise. Now the tank is ready, the planning starts now!

I do quite like the dutch style tanks, I have a concave shape in mind with open space in the middle.

 

[Lindy]

Redmoore root is really nice. You can find it on ebay and I've had some nice pieces from 'the green machine' online shop where you can choose a specific piece.

 

[Paul195]

In the end I took back the mopani wood and purchased a lovely piece of redmoore root, which cost me an arm and leg but I think it was worth it now its in the tank. I bought 8 pots of hairgrass, which unfortunately wasn't quite enough so I will have to order another 2 pots for the weekend. Apart from that, everything went fairly smoothly, so good times!

I've got the lights (138W T8) set for a 16 hour photo-period so hopefully that will give the grass plenty of opportunity to spread. I haven't trimmed any of it yet, I think I might let it take hold for a couple of weeks first. The water in the third picture has now soaked down so the level is just level with the top of the moler clay. The only shame is that the tank was given to me with quite a few scratches on the rear pane of glass, but I am really hoping these will not show too much once the tank is filled, and anyway I will be planting so hopefully that will hide the damage.

I would love to hear some opinions on my scape and if you think I could make it better in any way.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Paul195]

With Eleocharis, should I consider trimming it back straight away, or should I leave it to root for a while first? the tips of some of them are looking slightly brown. If so, how far back should I trim them?

Also when trimming using the dry start method how do you remove the trimmings without causing too much disturbance?

How important is it to keep the humidity up? I have installed a hygrometer that seems to be around 50 - 60 % when the lights are on but around 80% in the mornings after a period of darkness (only based on 2 days observation). Should I try and completely seal the tank if possible?

I'm currently spraying with conditioned water twice per day - the spray bottle that I have does not really 'mist' its more like small droplets, does that matter?

Your advice appreciated!

Paul