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New to planted tanks and would appreciate help with a set up...

Okay cool. Thanks science fiction

I couldn't find the videos of that members positioning of his powerbeads. You don't have a link do you?

Had another look around at plants using the Tropica site and sticking to the 'easy' section. I want to maximise my chance of any success by picking plants that are not to demanding and working my way up as my experience grows. Pretty much exactly what I did with corals in marines.

So I am thinking of....

Eleocharis parvula for the foreground
Penthorum sedoides and/or Echinodorus quadricostatus for the mid ground (at the base of a piece of bogwood that will be central in the scape)
Microsorum pteropus for attaching to the bogwood itself
Unsure as to whether or not I will add anything to the background but I do like the look of Rotala rotundifolia.

Does that sound sensible?

Reference the substrate, there are literally so many it is tough to know which one to go for. I appreciate that aqua soil is the best but is it really worth the money? If so maybe this is an area where I will invest.
 
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GregP said:
couldn't find the videos of that members positioning of his powerbeads. You don't have a link do you?
Click to expand...

I can't seem to find on which one it was visible myself but I'll tell you what I saw. He has a U4 internal filter in the right back corner of the tank blowing horizontally to the left. The wavemaker seems to be just next to it(behind it next to the glass I think) but pointed downwards towards the left, that's it. I've never seen such a simple flow outlay to work so well. Must be the wavemaker.
 
Okay cool. Any thoughts on the plant choice after your initial suggestions?
 
Yep, saw that. Just wondering if people think the aquasoil is worth it or if there is a mid range product that is good enough for a new starter?
 
GregP said:
Okay cool. Any thoughts on the plant choice after your initial suggestions?
Click to expand...

Not really. I'd just pick a combo of fast and slow growers to ensure some sort of balance. Most stem plants are fast growers and can go in the back as a background plant. And check their requirements to plant them in the right spot. For example anubias, java fern don't like much light and should go in shady places such as sides/corners, at the base of décor such as wood and avoid planting it near the surface.
Others that like lots of light should go in well lit parts of the tank not obstructed by décor, or the middle of the tank, etc.
And you need to check what grows how tall so you can arrange them.
Also, driftwood and such can obstruct the flow to certain plants. With no flow there won't be adequate CO2, nutrients reaching them which can affect their health.

Obviously, if you use a wavemaker positioned like in the tank I mentioned above it would blow away all the plants in its way and they'll grow like spaghetti.

I'd presume it's a lot easier planting a tank to look nice than achieving what you've done in your marine so you should be just fine.
 
Big clown said:
Some people think its worth it, i just cant afford it so I just use john innes 3 compost or pond soil with a sand cap but it can be a bit messy when moving plants around though
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Is that effective? Just using soil? Does it alter the use of ferts or co2 at all?
 
Greg there is huge discussion about substrate & people have there own theories as to how or why they are the best!
Soil is often used in low tech set ups because it is believed that certain mixes will give off Co2 as it decomposes.
Amazonia is a very popular choice because it looks great, it is easy to handle, is loaded with fertiliser & is a very proven product however you could in theory use plan gravel & get fantastic results!
If you use the estimated index method (EI) then you don't have to worry about ferts in the soil or sand or gravel or whatever ...
Having said that I personly think aqua soil .. Amazonia is just fantastic stuff.
Just keep reminding your self that co2 grows plants, you get some plants that prefer more co2 than others but they will all ajust to the lighting .. If there is enough c02.
Have you thought about how you will get the gas into the water, in tank defuser, external atomiser or reactor?
 
I mean just a power head to assist in water circulation, not a wave maker.

Aqua soil seems to have all the bases covered but I think I'd need more than one 9kg bag and that means a good £50 on substrate which is more than I anticipated. Having said that, if it gives the plants the best chance then I think it may be worth it.

Tetra plant complete caught my eye. Seems to get good reviews, but I'm not keen on capping the substrate as I want a soil type look.

Co2 is something I'm trying to get to grips with, and something I'll probably learn more from by using a decent starter kit to understand it better. I'm at a loss with all the valves and diffusers etc. I'm just looking for a small kit that can be operated through a timer. I don't want to be playing around with fire extinguishers etc to be honest. I have seen some aqua grow ones by tmc but I'm not sure what I'm looking at and really need to try and get a grip of it.

My LFS is pretty good so I may go down there and have them explain all the different parts and how they work, advantages etc.

Any advice on the workings of co2 kits is probably what I need the most right now.
 
Well FE is the way to go & the cheaper option too:)
Co2 is so important, you will need the two kg size bottle or you will running out of gas in no time!
The whole co2 thing is pretty basic, you won't have any issues understanding the equipment.
There are fantastic slicky threads on the main forum page.
 
Hi Greg, welcome to the side where the grass is greener :)
I would strongly recommend a pressurised co2, 2kg FE is ideal and fairly simple to set up, as many people have said before, not enough co2 is far less forgiving and tank full unwanted algae is disheartening. Most ups and downs in a tank are co2 related and mostly due to too much light and not enough co2 and lack of ferts so don't over do the lights unless your pumping good levels of gas.
I've only ever used ADA Aqua soil Amazonia and I would definitely recommend it especially during your learning stage as you may fall short on your ferts and the aqua soil should cover any shortfall but it's more of a back up so don't scrimp on the ferts.
Make your own fertiliser solutions for EI dosing as it not only saves a lot of money but it's proven, aquarium plant food uk sell all the ferts you need and have videos on what and how much to mix, I would also mix up a bottle of "Dan's Special N" there is a sticky thread on the fertiliser section on this forum, also it's good to have a bottle of easy carbo just in case you need to fend off any stubborn algae.
If you follow these steps most plants will be easy.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing your progress
 
foxfish said:
When you talk about a wave makes do you mean a powerhead or an actual osilotiting or on-of every few seconds proper wave maker?
Click to expand...

I presume you asked me about the wavemaker. I was referring Greg to Peisaj's journal in terms of flow setup because Greg wants to use the internal filter that comes with the tank in conjunction with additional flow devices.
From what I read from the thread below Peisaj is using a wavemaker, not a powerhead or am I mistaken? He said he uses an internal Juwel filter(not sure why I thought it was a Fluval Uf) and a SUNSUN JVP-100 Wavemaker 2500 l/h to achieve what he's achieved which is pretty amazing.

Here is the thread I am talking about:
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/peisaj-landscape.25906/
 
Vito said:
Hi Greg, welcome to the side where the grass is greener :)
I would strongly recommend a pressurised co2, 2kg FE is ideal and fairly simple to set up, as many people have said before, not enough co2 is far less forgiving and tank full unwanted algae is disheartening. Most ups and downs in a tank are co2 related and mostly due to too much light and not enough co2 and lack of ferts so don't over do the lights unless your pumping good levels of gas.
I've only ever used ADA Aqua soil Amazonia and I would definitely recommend it especially during your learning stage as you may fall short on your ferts and the aqua soil should cover any shortfall but it's more of a back up so don't scrimp on the ferts.
Make your own fertiliser solutions for EI dosing as it not only saves a lot of money but it's proven, aquarium plant food uk sell all the ferts you need and have videos on what and how much to mix, I would also mix up a bottle of "Dan's Special N" there is a sticky thread on the fertiliser section on this forum, also it's good to have a bottle of easy carbo just in case you need to fend off any stubborn algae.
If you follow these steps most plants will be easy.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing your progress
Click to expand...

Thanks Vito. Thats some great advice.

I am going to start off with a simple kit from CO2 art and use some disposable canisters to start off. This is just the way I feel more comfortable starting off. Looks like the ADA substrate is a great choice, but at £70 to fill the tank I am a little unsure if the budget will stretch that far. I don't think one 9kg bag will be enough for a 120l? But if it is that good of an investment then maybe it just needs to be done.

I looked into the EI method and found a couple of good sites. Will look at the one you recommended as well and get to grips with it all.

I hear excess light is a main cause for algae which is why I thought I would start with the 2x20w T8's and see how it goes before considering adding anything additional.

Thanks again for your help.
 
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