Hello Newbie Here With Query On Tank Setup....

[Cheffi]

Hi I've just bought an Aqua One 300L tank to set up for tropical. I really want to keep marine but have never kept fish before so lfs advised to keep tropical for a couple of years to get experience. However I would like my tank to 'look' more marine so is it ok to use sand, bogwood and rocks as opposed to gravel and living plants although not discounting maybe a couple of plants?
Thanks

 

[caino]

Yes its fine to use sand, bog wood and rocks, there are plenty of threads about using them

for sand
for rocks
and for wood

presonnaly i prefer the look, but i like plants hope that helped.

Tom

 

[jayjay]

yeah that's what alot of people do.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Hi I've just bought an Aqua One 300L tank to set up for tropical. I really want to keep marine but have never kept fish before so lfs advised to keep tropical for a couple of years to get experience. However I would like my tank to 'look' more marine so is it ok to use sand, bogwood and rocks as opposed to gravel and living plants although not discounting maybe a couple of plants?
Thanks

Its perfectly possible to go for a more architectural tank with less plants. Pick your decor carefully thou. With a tank as big as yours you should go for a fairly huge piece of wood IMO as well as some other interesting smaller bits. I dont go for naf ornaments as I prefer my tank to look more natural but it's whatever floats you boat to be honest. Try and get some fairly big rocks or ones with interesting shapes as well as smaller. I try not to mix lots of different types together as it doesnt look as realistic. Sand as a substrate is fine. Get children's sand pit sand as its far cheaper than fish store stuff and perfectly safe to use. The only problem with going for less plants is algae. Plants are far and away the best controller of algae and without them in a new tank you are at risk from the green stuff.

ps I presume you're fishless cycling.

 

[Cheffi]

Hi I've just bought an Aqua One 300L tank to set up for tropical. I really want to keep marine but have never kept fish before so lfs advised to keep tropical for a couple of years to get experience. However I would like my tank to 'look' more marine so is it ok to use sand, bogwood and rocks as opposed to gravel and living plants although not discounting maybe a couple of plants?
Thanks

Its perfectly possible to go for a more architectural tank with less plants. Pick your decor carefully thou. With a tank as big as yours you should go for a fairly huge piece of wood IMO as well as some other interesting smaller bits. I dont go for naf ornaments as I prefer my tank to look more natural but it's whatever floats you boat to be honest. Try and get some fairly big rocks or ones with interesting shapes as well as smaller. I try not to mix lots of different types together as it doesnt look as realistic. Sand as a substrate is fine. Get children's sand pit sand as its far cheaper than fish store stuff and perfectly safe to use. The only problem with going for less plants is algae. Plants are far and away the best controller of algae and without them in a new tank you are at risk from the green stuff.

ps I presume you're fishless cycling.

Brilliant thanks guys/guyess's. Re the ps Haven't unpacked it yet and yes will be doing fishless cycling once I've read enough to start filling the tank.
Regarding rocks...will any do or are there ones I should avoid using? Have been nosying at some of the pic's of members tanks and will def be putting in a few plants specifically for the algae control. Oh and it will all be natural looking I def don't go for novelty sunken ships etc.

 

[jayjay]

don't use calcium containing rocks unless you want hard water and don't use rocks containing matal ores.

 

[Cheffi]

Thanks have just read the rocks and wood links.