Need Advice. New start.

[Tauseef]

Hi All,

Looking for some advice Please. I have an approx budget of about a £1000 and i need everything from an Aquarium to the smallest accessory. So far after doing at least 2months research i have managed to compile a list of things that i think may suffice.

The aim is to obviously enjoy the experience of creating and maintaining a beautiful piece of art. I understand that there may be hurdles in the way but am willing to put my effort into it.

So in order to have a good time i thought i ask you lovely, experienced people of what you think of my following shopping list? Any information/advice will be greatly appreciated.

So here goes:

Aquarium:

900mm long x 450mm high x 500mm wide braceless aquarium.
All 10mm Glass Pilkington's Glass
Optiwhite glass front and two sides
Clear Silicon
Cerium polished edges (Super gloss finish to edges) price £160 inc Del

External filter:

All Pond Solutions Aquarium External FIlter 2000 L/H + 9W UV price £90

Reason for 2000 L/H is because i am opting for a Co2 Reactor and from reading the threads i believe the flow tends to struggle with the reactor. So the more the merrier in my opinion. Love to hear your opinion on this.

Co2:

FE 2kg- 5kg with all the bells and whistles. I will have a chat with Co2 art and see what they suggest but input will be appreciated. Price not sure yet

Lighting:

All Pond Solutions
T5 Aquarium Light (4 bulbs) 90cm
Power: 156W (4 X 39W)
Tubes supplied: 2 x Growth red, 2 x 10k white (Tropical) Price £170

Substrate:

ADA Substartes ( Amazonia) 2 types Price around £100
2 x 9kg bags of Aquasoil
2 x 2kg bags of Powersand special

Plants of choice:

Ammania Bonsai;
Alternanthera Reineckii 'Mini'
Ranunculus Inundatus
Hemianthus Micranthemoides
Eleocharis sp. mini
Ludwigia Arcuata
Hemianthus callitrichoides

Iwagumi style is my favourite, so i might be going down that route. I understand that i need to plant heavy so at the moment i have no idea on how many pots of what i need.

Other bits include:

Hydor external heater 300W + Hydor Digital Heater Thermostat. price £100 for both approx
Co2 Reactor not sure yet ( recommendations )
Lilly pipes ( recommendations )
Timer switches ( good quality/ recommendations )
Test kits (any recommendations )
A drop checker (recommendations)
Tools (recommendations)

The reason i have chosen the above is because of what people have said in the forums and i believe this stuff will help me on my journey to creating something special. I am in no rush but i know the January sales are here and i believe i may be able to get some stuff on discounted prices. Worth trying!

Please advice if I am missing something or should replace something. Anything will be appreciated.

Many Thanks for the patience in reading. Looking forward to your thoughts.

Kind regards

Tauseef

 

[Sk3lly]

You'll want some hard scape materials for an iwagumi 😉 lol. In my opinion you can't beat the 31/2 hour drive down to thegreenmachine in Wrexham to hand pick your hard scape and get great advice from the guys in store.

All the major things looks like you've got covered already. In my opinion the bits you've asked for recommendations on don't matter if they are cheap eBay or pricy ADA


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Henry]

With regards to your filter, if you can afford something better, do so. While they APS filters do the job, the plastics they use are really quite flimsy. A good quality filter will last you a long time, and seeing as though it is one of the most important elements in the aquarium, it's worth buying something of high quality.

 

[Tauseef]

You'll want some hard scape materials for an iwagumi 😉 lol. In my opinion you can't beat the 31/2 hour drive down to thegreenmachine in Wrexham to hand pick your hard scape and get great advice from the guys in store.

All the major things looks like you've got covered already. In my opinion the bits you've asked for recommendations on don't matter if they are cheap eBay or pricy ADA


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks Sk3lly.

I kind of have an idea about the hard scape. I am a big fan of the fossilised wood and the seiryu stone. just need to make a choice. You are right about the drive to TGM. i will give them a call first before i make a move.

My other concern or shall we say confusion is do i go with the reactor or diffuser? I like the fact where the reactor dissolves most of the co2 in the aquarium but has the tendency to leak after reading some threads and the diffusor is a no brainer where it can just sit inside the tank and do its thing. I suppose i could buy both of them and see what works best. The diffusors are not expensive and i think they generally come with the co2 kits anyway.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Tauseef]

With regards to your filter, if you can afford something better, do so. While they APS filters do the job, the plastics they use are really quite flimsy. A good quality filter will last you a long time, and seeing as though it is one of the most important elements in the aquarium, it's worth buying something of high quality.

Thanks Henry

Any advice on what to get? Keeping in mind the flow rate if i go with the Reactor.

 

[Sk3lly]

I like the eheim filters.

Well the reactor was great for me. Less co2 needed to reach my goals and no visible co2 bubbles in the tank. Just it was pretty noisy for me. I've gone back to using my expensive ADA diffuser, although the cheaper ones work just fine


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Tauseef]

I like the eheim filters.

Well the reactor was great for me. Less co2 needed to reach my goals and no visible co2 bubbles in the tank. Just it was pretty noisy for me. I've gone back to using my expensive ADA diffuser, although the cheaper ones work just fine


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks Sk3lly,

So far i have managed to find 3 Eheim filters that i think i can manage. These things are expensive WOW!

• Eheim Professional 3 350T Filter - 2173

Robust 210 Watt Heating element
For Aquariums: 180-350 Litres
Throughput: 1050 l/h
Capacity 4,5 + 0,5 (Prefilter)
16 Watt
1,8 Max Head

• Eheim Professional 3e 350 Filter - 2074

For Tank litre: 350 ltr
Pump Output: 1500 ltr
Delivery Head: 2.2m
Power Consumption: 10-35 w
Filter Volume: 4.5l (0,5) Prefilter

• Eheim Professional 3 600 Filter - 2075

For Tank litre: 600 ltr
Pump Output: 1250 ltr
Canister Volume: 9.2 ltr
Delivery Head: 1.8m
Filter Volume: 6 ltr + 0.5 (pre-filter)
Power Consumption: 16 w

The price range for all 3 is there and there abouts. The only plus point is that the 350T comes with a built in Heater which will stop me adding more electrical equipment to the set up. The minus is that the flow is only 1050l/h and if i go with the reactor, this may bring the pressure down even further. Then again if i buy a diffusor then i do not have a problem.

Sometime Choices are a pain in the back side. lol

Anyways Thanks for the input

 

[eduard]

Hi,I've got APS 2000 on my 110l (60cm) tank.co2 via reactor and I need to run wavemaker as well.

 

[foxfish]

I would initially start with an inline atomiser & a full length spray bar, you can change around in the future but by starting with a fail safe method might help you in the long run!
Look out for wattage ratings with power filters as low watts can mean heavy flow loss when you add restrictions... no doubt a big powerful filter is a fantastic asset.
Buy a PH pen, you will need it.

 

[Tauseef]

Hi,I've got APS 2000 on my 110l (60cm) tank.co2 via reactor and I need to run wavemaker as well.

Hi Eduard,

Wow. Below are the specs for the 2000 APS

Model: 2000EF+
Flow Rate: 2000 Litres per Hour
Water Volume: 20 Litres (Approx)
Hose size: 25mm Outside diameter, 18mm Inside diameter
Hose length 1.8 Metres
Height max: 2 Metres
Voltage: 220-240v
Power: 55w
UV power: 9w

Surprising to know that the flow struggles even with 55w of power. Thanks for the info

 

[Tauseef]

I would initially start with an inline atomiser & a full length spray bar, you can change around in the future but by starting with a fail safe method might help you in the long run!
Look out for wattage ratings with power filters as low watts can mean heavy flow loss when you add restrictions... no doubt a big powerful filter is a fantastic asset.
Buy a PH pen, you will need it.

Hi Foxfish,

Many Thanks for the reply.

I guess you are right. Instead of complicating things i should keep it all simple. so i guess i can go with an APS filter as its has more power then the enheim filters have and use the inline atomiser. This only means that i will have to purchase the external heater and thermostat which is fine i suppose.

Many Thanks

 

[foxfish]

Difficult decision to be honest as a good quality external is an expensive investment!
I suggest you study the form before making an order ... Eheim is a good make with a very well proven history & a built in heater is a nice thing to have!
Adding anything in line will complicate things & reduce flow but that is also a good method.

 

[Tauseef]

Understood. I will sleep on it and think what will be the best way. I suppose i could always add a powerhead to get things moving. The aim is to get maximum distribution of Co2. Also thanks on the advice for the PH pen. That can defo come in handy.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Julian]

I have an APS filter and wasn't very impressed with it, flow was no where near what it stated. Any of those 3 Eheim will do the job, buy what you can afford. At least you won't have to buy a separate heater. I second the idea that you should run a spray bar before you buy a lilly pipe as in my experience lilly's aren't as efficient.

Only thing that comes into my mind when looking at your list is the lights, which is where a lot of people get it wrong when they first start. No doubt the pictures that inspired you to take up this hobby were lit with lights more powerful than the sun - keep in mind they aren't maintained with this much light, it's just to get a better picture. I'm not saying your lights are too much, they might well be fine, but I'd go over this area again to make sure as the consequences of too much light is often the reason people give up.

 

[Tauseef]

Thanks for the advice Julian.

Enhiem filter it is and 350T is perfect which includes the heater.

The reason I went with these lights because they come with the option of running 2 tubes instead of all four all the time. This way I can alter the strength. Also the price came into play as well.

Are there any that you can suggest?

Many Thanks

 

[Julian]

Thanks for the advice Julian.

Enhiem filter it is and 350T is perfect which includes the heater.

The reason I went with these lights because they come with the option of running 2 tubes instead of all four all the time. This way I can alter the strength. Also the price came into play as well.

Are there any that you can suggest?

Many Thanks

I can only recommend TMC LEDs. They are pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Given that you can switch 2 off if needed, I think your lights will be fine.

 

[Tauseef]

Thanks Julian.

Just been reading up on lighting
And so far I have worked out that 2 tubes should be sufficient if I go down the T5 route. The cost of electric is a factor that needs to be considered.

Regarding LEDs I see that there are many in the market but what I cannot find is which one will be best for my 90 cm tank. They are pricey and my budget is already running out.

Can you please point me to the right type of Led set that will work for my aquarium?

Many Thanks

 

[foxfish]

2 x T5 will be perfect, LEDs are very nice but certainly not essential.

 

[Tauseef]

Thanks fox fish. Understood.

 

[kirk]

I'd definitely go ehiem they go on and on and the bits are available. You can always use a korilina to up your flow as I do, a second hand is also a good option from a good source ie someone on here I think had 3 forsale. All our tanks run ehiem all second hand our 2215 is 3rd hand getting on now but I can't fault it.