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Help with setting up my tropical fish tank!?
Hi, I have multiple tanks, but when I first set it up, I always do It wrong. My new tank is a 60 litre, it is a marina style 60. Really nice tank, apart from the big hole at the back of the lid for the filter. Ok, so I did a bit of research on the filter and found that the filter they provided me with was only for tanks up to 50-55 litres. So that was too small. So I want to my local fish store and they recommended any fluval filter that is right for the size of my tank because it has a great filtration system apparently and cleans the tanks better than most filters.... So i bought a fluval u2
Currently the aquarium is just in the box because I have no water at the moment, should be back soon. (Wishful thinking). Anyway, I know that I can't really fit much into it, it will probably be an emergency qt tank. What I mainly want help with though is how I should decorate it, live plants vs artificial, Gravel vs sand etc.
Ok, i'm going to start from the bottom. I want a heavily planted setup, all live plants mostly with maybe a little fake cave and driftwood.
So, after extensive research I have found that for a planted tank I need:
30+ watt bulb, not 18 like I have now, what wattage do you recommend??
Fertilizer substrate, such as eco-complete or seachem fluorite, I really like this one: http://www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/seachem-flouri... I definitely want a black substrate
And maybe a little bit of black sand on top of the fertiliser? Would that be ok for the plants?
Ok, I ran out of characters before so this is a continuation.
What plants do you recommend?? I got a good answer on here recommending jave fern, Java moss, Anubias, And I can't remember the other one. Are they good plants?? Also, if I can't afford a new bulb because im on a tight budget, will the plants still grow and thrive? Or is a brighter bulb a necessity?
I know that I also need liquid fertiliser stuff such as seachem flourish. I am aware that I need a few, 1 for groth, 1 for iron etc.
Is that everything?? Please tell me if I made a mistake and please tell me if I have missed anything. Thanks so much.
1 Answer
- LunaSkyLv 57 years ago
You need to have a bulb meant for plants. Depending on your lighting, they can be relatively cheap. I use flourecent and my two bulbs cost me $40 and the other $30, so that is a lot of money for bulbs but you have to consider how big my tank is. Your lighting should not cost you anymore than $30.
I use gravel for my substrate for plants. I find that the fluorite is horrible stuff and it makes your tank very cloudy. Never mix two substrates, you can make a mess and cleaning the tank will become a nightmare. I honestly just go to the store and buy a plant. If I find it pretty, I will buy it. Some people think that is a bad way of buying plants but I have never had a problem. If you are going with gravel, you will need to buy flourish gravel tabs.
Do not forget to cycle your tank first.