Things I wish I'd known

[aaronnorth]

save up for everything you need before setting up, it makes things so much easier rather than trying to miss out on things then adding them at a later date.

everytime someone else posts something another pops into my head lol 🙄

 

[Tom]

High tech tanks go wrong and waste lots of money! Low tech FTW!!!! OK, now dodge bullets!

 

[Aeropars]

Things i wish I'd known.... err pretty much everything!

The flow thing was somethign i never kmnew about until recently and as such my tanks suffered.

 

[Superman]

Don't buy too many plants, they'll grow in quick enough.

 

[Mark Evans]

Don't buy too many plants, they'll grow in quick enough.

thats a strange one :?:

 

[Superman]

Don't buy too many plants, they'll grow in quick enough.

thats a strange one :?:

I always buy too many pots from shops, I go crazy and then realise I've got a few pots too many. I still use them but its a bit of a squeeze, hence the jungle feel to my 180ltr! Just a few pounds would of been saved.

 

[Mark Evans]

I go crazy and then realise I've got a few pots too many

good point, i'm guiltyof the same, but now have the ability of taking back what i dont use. point taken mate. sorry 😀

 

[Mark Evans]

when i look back to my early days, roughly a year ago. Finding co2 and EI was the turning point for me to grow plants.

the best bits of info ever..... they may not be the originators of these ideas(they maybe) but it's these guys that changed my aquascaping life

turnover. george farmer
co2. from TFF, later fined tuned by CEG
EI. from TFF jamesc, later fined tuned by CEG

lighting for 6 hours on start up. believe it or not rich from AE

lastly....discovering amano. i wished i'd found him sooner

dose enough EI and co2 you dont need your blades and scrapers

 

[glenn]

stock tank filters suck. i wish i knew this befor i started. 10x turnover FTW. 🙂
also i wish i knew about the importance of very large water changes at start of a new set up to avoid algae.

 

[JamesM]

Double Clutching can save gearboxes on track days 😳


ok, so its slightly off topic, but I still wish I'd known beforehand

 

[Garuf]

haha, on my tank (a 54l) it's a bucket a day keeps the algae away. I think the most important thing is getting everything stable and balanced as soon as possible. Especially co2.

 

[mjenner]

That despite it's leaden weight (and rock-like resistance to my saw), the root wood I've got in my tank actually floats!

It was pre-soaked at the shop, but I've been waiting with a dry tank for so long for my plants and looking at positioning that it dried out, a fact I'd forgotten until 50% through filling the tank at about midnight when it decided to make a bid for the freedom and the surface taking half my scape with it!

Only a hasty grab whilst grabbing the nearest safe heavyish thing (a plate I'd used for filling earlier) with my foot and somehow trying to get it back into the tank and get it on top of the root (whilst at the same time trying to avoid spilling a bucket of water on the carpet!) averted disaster! 🙂

Lesson for next-time... put a big rock on top first, just in-case, then take it off carefully AFTER the tank's filled! 🙂

Matt

 

[zalun]

Build two tanks

Two tanks would work for me much better than the one I have 🙂

Start with two tanks in mind, first create as good as you can, and learn the errors. If it is a tank in the living room family will force many things on you (put the fish too early and such). Then, after the first tank looks acceptable (a month or two after start) start with designing the second one which will not suffer from early errors. It should have size which will suite you best, you may also use plants, bacteria, test kits, etc. from the first tank which you'd be able to rescape later on.