Gio's Planted tank journey

Hello

So I finally have my tank inside and am prepping things to set it up. I am fully aware that I am being overly ambitious to start but I'll just have to learn the hard way.

Please jump in with any tales of caution or suggestions, I'm going to make many mistakes with this one so a heads up will be appreciated I already know that I'll be nagging some of you for advice as I go.

So what I have right now:

Tank
Custom built from LFS, no hood
900w x 450d x 500h 8mm bottom and centre bracing

Filtration

• Tidal 55 + matrix + purigen (possibly under on this one, will be just over 5x flow)
• One day when I grow up I'll replace with a cannister of sorts

Lighting
Zetlight MS90F (also maybe under? have some DIY options at home, 4x 10w or 2x 30W LED floods @6500k) but would prefer to start with the actual aquarium light.

Heating

• 250W aquael gold heater rated for 180-250L

Substrate and Hardscape

• Driftwood from LFS + some found in garden - submerged for over a month and any soft parts scoured off after a week with a wire-brush attached to a drill (no more soft spots since then)
• 24L Langa + 2kg la plata for the path
• Rock: Have some quartzitic sandstone which I am tempted to try and break apart at home rather than forking out for something at the store, we'll see how that goes
• 2x small bags lava rock

CO2

• 2kg CO2 Extinguisher
• regulator and
• diffuser
• + some ugly not so transparent tubing for this.
• I also have a non-return valve: question on this though do you need a specific one that's rated for CO2? or is a gewone one okay?

Ferts
Read a thread on the sister forum about items to pick-up at local stores and mix for macro and micro EI dosing, I'll give it a go - probably jumping in too deep here, but I'm not afraid of a bit of maintenance.
Question here too - at what point should I consider root tabs?

Other Stuff
Submersible pump and dechlorinater for water changes

Inspiration - I really like the u-shaped scapes with colour contrast toward the back. And I think I lean towards the ominous side when it comes to wood and hardscape layout rather than the usual calming theme.

Something along these lines:




This has already turned into quite a long post so please let me know if there something obvious I'm missing (other than livestock I'll get onto that later)

Oh here's the rock I'll attempt to break down for the hardscape


TBC

 

Hi @Gio


Cant remember if we welcomed you... if not... welcome to the forum

Sounds good so far and i love the pictures you basing your ideas on
As said, just do the vinegar test on the rocks to be safe

I have also never done CO2 but many of our member have are will help if you need

Look forward to seeing the progress

 

Thanks @MariaS and @A new day I've chatted to a geologist mate and have done the acid test all is fine .

My first go at the hardscape:

 

With proper EI dosing, apparently you don't even need a nutrient rich substrate. The dosing will provide the plants with all they need, and keeping up with the 50% once a week water change it recommends will keep everything in balance.

Seeing as the rock is safe, i don't see any issues with the setup. The Zetlight might be a little low on power, but that will just result in slightly slower plant growth as all other needs are being met.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

Thanks for this @fux940510 Something that concerns me about 50% water changes is the pH differential, Rand water seems to be somewhere between 7.5 and 8 where the LanGa will reduce the in tank water below 7. Should I be adding a Ph buffer with the dechlorinator during a water change?

 

I don't have any advice to offer but wanted to wish you luck with your setup. I'm very excited to see how this tank progresses.

 

I don't think this is too necessary - best to keep it as simple as possible. It can take a while for active soils to pull out the carbonate that reduces pH swings. By doing 50% weekly you keep it close to an equilibrium point

 

Great, and agreed, I'd prefer only to add what I have to and no more.

 

A question for those in the know:

I'm quite satisfied with my driftwood layout (even though the path will be quite centred) and am about to lay down the lanGa, do the rockwork and remove most of the Styrofoam.
As you can see in the pic below there is the possibility of large voids under the driftwood. Do I attempt to fill and seal them off or do I allow allow for entries / exit that the fish / shrimp can access. My main concern is that I wont be able to access these during maintenance.

 

I'd leave the little voids - shrimp and fish like having safe spots to hide in case they are stressed. There will probably be some mulm build up there, but i don't think it will be enough to be a problem

 

An update:

I think I'm happy with the hardscape and layout, I managed not to crack the tank when adding the rock which was my major concern! (unfortunately I did manage to break my glass diffuser in an unrelated incident so I'm in the market for another one of those if anyone has pointers as to what to look-out for?)



Made a schoolboy error and forgot to wash the decorative sand first time around, luckily a vacuum cleaner and stocking came to the rescue.
I'm pleasantly surprised with how the rock turned out even though I didn't really get the height I initially wanted.

Hopefully I can figure out how to get some moss to attach to it. My other concern is whether I have left enough space for planting behind, I have about 2-3cm of width to play with at the back:


Ultimately I have a lot more research to do on the plant side, I'm looking to have some form of carpet in the front on either side, some rhizome type plants and moss on the hardscape and then a u-shaped backdrop with some colour to emphasize points of interest something along the lines of this:



Anyway let me know your thoughts, Have I made a rookie error along the way that I haven't picked up? is what I am thinking achievable? What am I going to regret about the current layout?
Any thoughts on dry vs wet start welcome too

I've used up all of the LanGa, but still have more rock and decorative sand to add if needed.

 

Gel superglue is great for moss - it turns white over time, but usually by then your moss has overgrown it and it's not an issue

Love the scape! You may have some trouble with plants at the back but it depends on what you stick in there. The clear back will help, if you can get some light down there your plants will be a bit happier.

What's your plans plant and fish wise?

 

I nice trick i found, get gel superglue. put a small dot where you want the moss and lightly spread it with a paper towel. You have to quick otherwise you will get paper towel on your wood

 

Thanks - I have the option of adding in some additional LED floods which I guess I could tailor to assist with getting light to the back, Will need to play around a bit. Also have some 'privacy screen' backing that I may apply to the back of the tank, but I'll consider what you mentioned about the light and see what works.

With the superglue, would it be a case of apply glue (and smear quickly with paper towel - thanks @Cecil ) , stick on the moss, and then fill with water, or would I need to mist it for a couple of days first?

I'm just beginning to delve into the options when it comes to plants have a lot to learn before I can really comment, besides from the normal light and space parameters it seems availability will be a limiting factor too. (Oh and price - turns out I'm not filling all the holes with buce ) The first image I posted above is probably the one that most aligns with my taste. But the community can expect many questions from me as I navigate this one!

Also haven't really made my mind up on stocking. I'm looking for small busy community with varying character. Was thinking along the lines of small schooling fish like chilli rasbora + black stripe tetra and some form of Neocaridina Shrimp. I'm looking at this as a project that changes all the time rather than building towards an end goal. As long as the ecosystem is accommodating and the fish are compatible with each other I'm open to suggestions.