Want to start a planted tank!!

[aloaring]

Hi Guys
I've recently been given a lovely 12 UK Gallon tank/ 54 Litres. The dimensions are:
L:18inches
W: 12 INches
H: 15 Inches

And since being inspired by the beutiful photos on this website I've decided i'd like to take my time and set up a proper planted aquarium.
So after researching loads of different products on the internet these are the thing i'd like to invest in (once i get some money!!)
Lighting: Interpret Compact lighting 16 inche, 36watt £12.99
Interpret Convertager £17.99
C02: Dennerle, bio line Compact C02 unit £8.5
Dennerle Deponit £9.95
Black Quartz Gravel £6.45
Heating: Dennerle heating cable 4 watts/ 2.5 metres £22.5
Total: £78.38

So now here are my questions, Dennerle recommend a thermostat for the heating cable but at £129 its a out of my budget. Do i really need one? And do i still need a normal heater?
What test kits should i be buying for a planted tank?
and what do you guys think of the above products?
Sorry for such a long post but since i'm on a limited budget i want to get this right?
Thank you very much

 

[kenneth_kpe]

the thermostat for the heater? depends gf uses one and his tanks are really great i guess its all with the initial planning i never used a heater because its already quite hot here

about the planted tank test kits
standard issue IMO are
a PH KIT
KH kit
Nitrate
and other test kits for your other trace elemts, but i guess those 3 are the most impt thats what i think

 

[George Farmer]

Good to see we have a convert!

Your equipment is a great start and you should acheive good results.

I recommend you get the Interpet Daylight Plus lamp rather than the Triplus or Beauty Lamp. Use a reflector too.

Your substrate sounds great - it should do as it's the same as mine!

You should get away with leaving your heater-cable on all the time as it is such low wattage. You will probably need a seperate heater too - 50 to 100W. However if you have central heating in your house and the tank is kept in a warm room with a fairly constant temp. i.e. 20C then you MAY get away with just using the heater cable. If the water temp. gets too high then you can regulate the heater-cable using a plug-in-timer (£2.79 from Morrisons or £4 for two - if you buy two you can use the other for lighting). I would recommend a seperate heater though - for back-up.

I'm not too familiar with the Dennerle yeast-based CO2 systems. I use the Nutrafin units and can recommend them. They are more expensive at £15 but the running cost is very low as they use bread-making yeast (£1 for about 6 months worth) and bi-carbonate of soda (very cheap too). I'm not sure of the running costs of the Dennerle system i.e. replacement mixtures.

Test kits should include Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate for basics i.e. cycling the tank. A pH and KH kit would be useful to test for CO2 levels.

I would also buy some liquid fertiliser - the Dennerle range are expensive but good. You will need S7, E15 and V30 minimum. You could always get a cheaper brand though. API Leaf Zone is good as are many others.

I'd recommend buying a plant collection from Greenline to start with.
http/aquaticplants.eu.com/acatalog/copy_...ollections.html

This will give you a good choice of plant and you can see what does well in your set-up.

Feel free to ask any more questions, we're here to help.

 

[aloaring]

Your beautiful tanks have converted me Gf225 my current 18 gallon is planted but i don't have the right equipment so the only plants that are thriving are Amazon swords and algae!! while all the other plants just die on me!! So i want to get it right on this new tank

Thanks Gff25 you've saved me £129 already!!

I was planning on getting the Daylight plus as i read it was the best.
I already have a normal heater for it so thats okay

Alreay got the basic test kits ..so again saving me some money. just have to get a PH and KH kit. Any brands recommended?

And i'll defineately be buying form greenline i've had plants form there before and they were great!!
And i'll get the nutrafin unit instead since you recommend it!

So now i just have to find £100 from somewhere. Wonder who i can rob?

 

[George Farmer]

I'm sure you'll have more success with your planned equipment. I look forward to seeing the progress.

I use the Nutrafin Low-Range pH kit (pH 6.0 to 7.6). You will need this low-range kit unless you have very hard water - even then CO2 will drop pH to below 7.6 I imagine. It is simple and accurate to use. They're about £5 and do 225 tests.

I also have the Nutrafin GH/KH kit which is a little more expensive. I can recommend it though.

Good luck and keep us posted.