Penny - 45cm - My first tank

[Damian J Ray]

Hello,

After drewling over tanks on UKAPS for the past year i have finally taken the plunge and started to work out my own tank.

I hope to have it all up and running in the next month or so (funds willing) and will be updating the thread as i go so any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated as this is my first tank. Exciting!

Purchased:
Tank - ADA 45-p 38L (45x27x30)
Lighting - 2 x TMC AquaRay Mini 400 Led Tiles 12w each (will eventually have it hooked up to a controller as I'm worried the lights will be too intense when starting out)
Heater - Hydor 200w Inline (overkill i know)

Not Purchased But Planned (open to suggestion):
Filter - Eheim Ecco Pro 200
Co2 - I really have no idea too much choice
Ferts - hope to be dosing using Elos liquid ferts, have heard some good things and sounds a bit easier to use than EI. I think George Farmer has used them before to great effect.
I'm $ure this list will get much much longer.

Please forgive the pictures i can see reflections and all sorts, first time using this old Olympus DSLR.

I have purchased some decor already in the form of Redmoor Root Wood and Manten Stone as for the arrangement i have no idea yet. I'm thinking i'm going to have to chop some of that large piece of Redmoor as the large bit on the bottom left bugs me and would give me more room. Not sure yet i'll see where i end up when i place it in the tank.

Another small bit of Redmoor.

Manten stone on top of all my catalogs and mags, been doing my homework.

Well thats it so far, look forward to hearing your thoughts and infinite wisdom as we go.

Oh and when i complete the tank I'm going to hold a special de-stickering ceremony where i peel of the ADA sticker and take pictures bit by bit.

Thanks.

Damian

 

[Lindy]

I always tie my redmoor onto a heavy slate. There is nothing more annoying than doing maintenance in your tank and snagging your wood by accident. Plants get moved, shrimp squashed and before long your wood is not where you put it. Remember when you put your substrate in it will be a couple of inches or more of the root being hidden. Personally I like the emerging wood. You could do a really nice twin island with that wood and rock.

 

[Damian J Ray]

I always tie my redmoor onto a heavy slate. There is nothing more annoying than doing maintenance in your tank and snagging your wood by accident. Plants get moved, shrimp squashed and before long your wood is not where you put it. Remember when you put your substrate in it will be a couple of inches or more of the root being hidden. Personally I like the emerging wood. You could do a really nice twin island with that wood and rock.

Great advice thanks. Yeh the idea was to create some twin island with a sandy setting at the front. I think the hardest part will be creating a smooth transition from the sandy / beach bit to substrate etc. I'll be using varying sizes of gravel and sand as well which should aid the transition. Also debating having a narrow sandy path between the two.

Damian