How Do People Build Their Tank?

[Smells a bit fishy]

I'm just wondering how people build their tanks to get it how they want it to be.

I'm asking this as I am slowly aquascaping my tank, and I have now got half my tank looking how I want it, but the other half is empty, apart from a ship.

Just curious whether people spread the plants they have got, or get one part looking good and then fill the rest of the tank.

Look forward to hearing your way of doing things, I will upload pics later

 

[Tizer]

The only lesson i've learnt myself is that less, is more

 

[Didge007]

I am constantly changing and re-arranging. At the moment I like my tanks but I'm sure I'll get bored soon

 

[StandbySetting]

Plan hard scape and place it in the tank dry, scape substrate and hard scape, then plan plants around the substrate bearing in mind their final size.

 

[festo]

Sorry for jumping in
but what do you do about your hardscape and plants if your
doing a fishless cycle.

 

[StandbySetting]

There's no real need to cycle planted set ups, the plants uptake most of the ammonia as a source of nitrogen, any spare ammonia from the fish is removed with Purigen and water changes, most of my set ups have mature media from the start however, as I tend to rescape within a day, the key is to stock lightly and do plenty of water changes for the initial few weeks, then just up your numbers slowly.

There's no real need to test your water parameters on a planted set up anyway, the plants are very good indicators.

Further info is available in the planted section in the PARC, see Dave Spencer's article on 'Why we shouldn't fishless cycle planted tanks'

Fishless cycles encourage algae in planted set ups due to the high levels of ammonia.

 

[festo]

THanks for quick reply
but what if you cant get any mature media?
this is what i want to do,ending up with a shoal of 20-30 harlequin rasporas
and other fish,
so what would be a reasonable amount of harlequins to start off with as maybe
20-25 all in one go may be too much,
the tank will be 200 ltrs.

 

[StandbySetting]

I'd start with about 15-20, however if you're new to plants I wouldn't recommend it, but if you've kept plants before then you should encounter no issues.

If you can't get any mature media that is no problem, on a new planted tank you're doing very frequent water changes anyway to get rid of waste from plants that are making the transition from emmersed to immersed growth, these water changes remove ammonia, you're talking 50% every 1-2 days.

 

[festo]

Never kept plants before,but you got to start somewhere,
i'm thinking carpet plants and lots of mosses,
these 50% water changes every 1-2 days for how long?
sorry to be a pain but like your opinions as you seem to
know what your on about.

 

[StandbySetting]

For the first few weeks, just until the plants become established, a lot of plants are grown in an emmersed form hydroponically as it is cheaper, when they are placed into your tank they go through a transition phase where they become to use to being aquatic. It's really important that you dose any CO2 and nutrients from the off with good circulation, it will be worth your while letting the plants become established prior to introducing fish.

Take a read:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/299827-why-we-should-not-fishless-cycle-planted-tanks/

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

Well this is my tank at the moment, I still need to get some plants for the right hand side, and I am waiting for my carpeting plants to grow, they arent very fast, despite my LFS giving me one for free, as he said he throws it away as it grows too quick, but what are your thoughts?

 

[Proxo]

I have the same problem when it comes to doing tanks, i get 1 side how i want it and then the other side fails.

You could keep the right side heavy planted like you have and try to
'fade' them down abit into the left (if that makes sense)?

Ahh i don't know

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

Yeh I know!! It's like they are 2 seperate tanks lol. One done by my and the other by my missus haha!!

I will await payday and see if I can get any more plants to look good in the left side, I also think I I do this I will then need more plants on the right lol. I will see what I can do lol

I'm also thinking of moving the plant in the centre to the corner, as that's the tallest plant, I can't remember the name of it

 

[james_fish]

Nice Angel! It looks huge!

James.

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

He's not that big, just the pics make the tank look bigger than it actually is lol