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Planted setup virgin UK

RichardJW

Member
Joined
29 Oct 2013
Messages
101
Location
Shaw, Oldham
After many years of having a Marine setup I've decided to go back to my first love of S American tetras , catfish and dwarf cichlids . I'm very enthused by the developments in planted aquaria and would like some guidance on starting up . My setup is 50cm w x 48cm deep x 76cm long approx 175 l , lighting is by a 4 tube Arcadia pendent ( which of course works with 2,3or 4 tubes {t5}) my water locally is naturally soft and comes out of the tap at 6.5 .
What is a good beginners substrate , CO2 unit and fertiliser . Additional recommendation on plants would be appreciated !

Fish wise I'm fancying a nice school of tetras , pair of dwarfs , otocinclus and some nice corydoras


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Have a look at what you want 'scape wise and then read, read, read! Just one thing - the Corys will rip up anything with shallow roots so if you want a carpet you may have to think again about them.

Cheers
 
Thanks Manrock , that's the beauty of Forums - you get a variety of helpful hints - real skill is picking out what is relevant to your situation . So Yes , I'll be taking that on board - I did wonder why the catfish of choice was Otocinclus , now I know !
 
Welcome richard, a great idea is add a picture of a tank you like that is similar to what you wish to achieve. You may find that you may actually be better off having a mud base and no co2 or the reality of what you need to buy, maintenance needed etc to run high tech may mean you alter your plans slightly.
I think that there are a lot of people who jump right into high tech planted aquaria without realising that a well planned low tech tank would suit them far better and can be equally stunning. With most publications showing pristine high tech tanks its easy to be tricked into thinking that in order to grow plants well you need co2.

Personally i think a well thought out SA biotope(ish), sandy bottom, drift wood, leaf litter and hardy plants like ferns and crypts can be just as impressive as a lush green HC carpet around fancy stones....

So after all that jiberish what im actually saying is be more specific of what you wish to achieve then we will be happy to help you achieve that :thumbup:
 
Thanks Ian - bottom line is definitely walk before you can run . My plan is to start off Lo-tech and see how it go's !
I've been keeping fish ( or as my mate says keeping water) for 40 years and things have changed unbelievably , the concept of what is underwater gardening interests me and I look forward to replicating some of the concepts so ably demonstrated in this forum ! Being intrinsically a fish keeper I ultimately look forward to the day when the tank looks good and I put some fish in it . Watch this space !


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Equally, low techs are not for everyone, the slow growth & the more subdued approach for a motivated person can be frustrating.

Smallish tanks, say under 100lt are from my experience pretty easy to operate as a high tech, if you do enough revision that is, but I think the decision between low & high is quite defined & well documented on this forum.

Whatever you choose, you will get positive support from the forum members :)
 
Most impressed by the help and +ve comments on this Forum .
In my attempts to strip down my Marine setup and find a good home I went on a Marine forum and offered some fish and soft corals for free - I was accused of selling and was banned for life !! How's that for helpful and friendly ?


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Most impressed by the help and +ve comments on this Forum .
In my attempts to strip down my Marine setup and find a good home I went on a Marine forum and offered some fish and soft corals for free - I was accused of selling and was banned for life !! How's that for helpful and friendly ?


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Get up your 25 posts and offer them here I sure someone will find them a home.
 
Thanks Ollie , following my brush with the Marine forum I approached my LFS and he offered to take all livestock , quarantine it and assess its value and give me credits . I'm quite happy as I can use the credit towards setting up my planted project . As long as they go to a good home I'm quite happy !

As a footnote I noticed someone was offering excess plants for sale without getting up to 25 posts - this forum just said hurry up and get your 25 posts in and do it legit !! That's how you treat people ! Well done !


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Welcome and good luck. You've come to the right place; I've found this forum to be very helpful.
 
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