Zero to hero

[iknownothing]

As a quick intro.

I know nothing. Never had a tank ever in my entire life. Stayed at an airbnb a couple of months ago and the guy who rented to the room to us had a fish tank that was aqua scaped. Which I loved and he showed me the ADA website.

This peaked my interest. I started browsing the internet and I love the look of these tanks. Then my friend emails me and tells me he is getting rid of one of his tanks - a 60L and enquires as to whether I know if anyone wants it.

So I now have a 60L tank 60cm x 30cm x 36cm and I want to start something.

Bearing in mind I know nothing and have never had fishes or had a tank, whilst I have read the "internet" one will never know what is correct or whether I have understood things correctly until you start.

So starting right from the beginning. What do I need - below are my thoughts and my list of equipment. Please let me have your thoughts. Bear in mind that the visual appearance of everything is important to me - so I don't mind paying a bit more to get something beautifully constructed and detailed.

Equipment:

Tank - already own a 60L
Filter- Eheim Professional 3 250T (I like the fact it has a built in heater). Was told that I should change some of the filters to make it more suitable for a aquascape.
Pump - ? no idea
Lily pipes: ADA Metal pipe. Concerned that if I go glass they will be difficult to keep clean
C02 - considering ADA C02 Advance - or maybe go for a big canister which I can hide but then I need to by the C02 diffuser separately?
C02 bubble counter - ADA ?
(or should I get the TGM C02 kit?)
C02 checker - Aqualabs nano checker
Thermometer - ?
Light - Like the ADA Aquasky 602. But I may go ceiling hung. But regardless it needs to be LED
Cabinet - I need to design something and get something built! Going to wait till I have all the equipment and understand how everything connects together first.

Water changes:
- bucket
- length of hose

Been told I should buy RO water and not use tap water even if I de-chlorinate it.

Am I missing anything?

Substrate
Some big rocks
ADA Power Sand Special S - is this really necessary with the soil powder on top?
Aqua soil powder Amazonia
Some substrate supports

Should I put in additives?
ADA Bacter 100
Tourmaline BC
ADA Clear Super

Run the tank for 3 weeks with frequent water changes. To remove ammonia.

Plants

Need to look at plants. But was told that I could plant them immediate whilst I am scaping as they are not affected by the ammonia.

Was going to go for carpet plants and grow in size towards the rear.

During this 3 week period do I need to add additives? How long should I light the tank for?

Fish

After the 3 weeks I will beginning to add shrimp to keep the tank clean and a small shoal of fish.

During this time do I need to add additives?

 

[ceg4048]

Am I missing anything?

Hello,
Yes, you're missing everything. The worst thing a newbie hobbyist can do is spend a lot of money unnecessarily and focus on the wrong things. It would have been better if your friend had shown you images of less expensive tanks because spending all that money will not guarantee success and will not automatically make your tank look like any of those images.

Just you choice of substrate materials alone would fund the economy of a small nation. Only the Amazonia is a worthwhile purchase. All of that other stuff is unnecessary.

And who told you that you should use RO water only? It could only have been someone in the RO supply industry.

Adding fish after only three weeks is another formula for disaster. Someone who knows nothing should be spending their time learning how to grow plants and how to solve the riddle of plant health and growth. You don't just add water to a fancy setup and have everything turn out peaches and cream. Adding fish to a new tank too soon is probably the second worst mistake someone could make.

Of course, on the other hand, if one has the means to purchase all this stuff then why not? The thing is that it's much more important to understand the how and why of plant growth and then to be able to determine for yourself what works, what doesn't and why.

My advice is to navigate to the Tutorial forum section and read all the articles threads there thoroughly.

Cheers,

 

[Martin in Holland]

It looks like you are going to buy to much, to expensive.....
You really don't need all this as Clive already mentioned. Bacteria you could get from a friend with a tank which has a matured filter. I use cheap as chips gravel under my Amazonia substrate to make a bit of a hill in the back this saved me 2 bags of 9 liter, never used super clean of any kind of brand, only used active coal or purigen, but most of all planted as much plants from the start. Powder substrate could be useful if you are planting a carpet, but even without it it's still good to grow a perfect carpet.....
Read up about what you really need, as Clive said, will help you get started.

 

[nickmcmechan]

Love your enthusiasm, go for easy plants

You can add the additives if you like, however you don't need to.

I would stick to hardier species of shrimp and fish to start, such as low grade bee shrimp or cherry shrimp.

 

[iknownothing]

Thanks for all the feedback already. With all the reading I have done I thought this was the norm. With all the additives. I am in no rush with the fish.

I want to make sure I can sustain the plants first like you say.

I will continue making my way through the tutorials and understanding what plants I want and what are suitable for me.