Jump to content

Kayen's Planted 33g - Up and Running


Kayen
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hell i got bored so i started planning :

Stuff for 33g:

Lighting:

[x]4x32watt CFL 6500k bulbs - $17 (Army&Navy)

[x]Sockets x4 - $10 (Rona)

[x]Power Cord x2 - $5 (Rona)

[x]Can of white spray paint - $3 (Rona)

[x] Timer - $7 (Rona)

[x] Dual plug thing -$3

Filtration:

[x] Elite Mini (Already have)

[x]Maxi-Jet 400- (Already have)

[x] Aquaclear 50 w/ AC30 motor.

[x] Spare AC sponges to cover intake

Hardscape:

[x]$6 Rocks (PJ's)

[x]$45 Driftwood (Manzanita wood (: from GillsNFins ;D)

[x]$17 2 bags/10kg of Shultz's Aquatic Soil (Good cheap stuff)

[x]Some plain gravel to mix in that i already have. (Hagen Geosystem substrate)

ETC:

[x] Plywood 36"x14" $7 (Rona)

[] 2 litre pop bottle

[x] Silicon tubing

[x] Jar of Yeast

[x] Black background (PJ's) $10

[] Buckets x2 for water changes ~5 gallons

-The tank itself is a standard 33g made by Hagen, so it includes a canopy, which i will be retrofitting.

[x]Hair needs to get riccia down - $2

That's the stuff i need.

33g, dimensions 36x12x18

Stand dimensions: 32x16x25.

So i position the plywood right and move the stand over a bit and try and get a balanced 2" hanging off each end supported by a piece of plywood.

Objective: Decent planted tank - Able to grow Riccia & HC.

Fish: Not guppies? Who wants guppies?

Plants:

[x]Hygrophila Polysperma

[x]Limnophila Sessiflora

[x]Rotala Rotundfolia

[x]Java Moss

[x]Java Fern "Narrow"

[x]Java Fern (Normal)

[x]Echinodorus Tenellus

[x]Riccia sp?

[x]Hemianthus callitrichoides

[x]Pennywort

[x]Some other stem plant - I believe it was hygropghila compacta?

Edited by Kayen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 71
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

For your lights make sure that you get the 6500K lights, they are the best for plants. Also if you want fish with lots of blues and greens in them you could add a third light and get a black light from Canadian Tire, I think the thay are like $6 for a 13W CF bulb.

Every sound good looking forward to seeing some pics of this tank up. :thumbs:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, i was planning to do this with the Phillips Marathon Daylight Bulbs, as i've had good results with them over my 2.5g.

Also nice suggestion wit the black light.

I'm thinking that 2x27 watt isn't enough, and i might add another 13 watt 6500k bulb + the 13 blacklight bulb in the future.

As for filtration, i'm going with a very basic 2 powerheads approach, and there will be total of around 400gph being pumped out by both, which should be plenty of flow, and prevent deadspots, also providing good flow for nutrient distribution.

Also plants, not sure what to use, but i think i should be able to grow a pygmy chainsword carpet in the front with moss carpets here and there too. Midground of woodwork and rockwork w/ moss and ferns, Looking for a nice centre piece of wood with branches coming out, and a nice rocky base.

In the back, I'll have stems, Rotala, dwarf hygro, and ambulia, unsure of placement yet, also i want to slope the substrate a but as well with in one corner some slate making a nice retaining wall and another species of plants there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick trip to Rona, first up what my lighting is:

Picture073.jpg

So basically a timer with 2 powercords coming out and 2 sockets at the end of each.

Total cost of this was $21.21

I will be documenting the costs in the initial post, and materials that i buy.

Edit: I still need bulbs unsure of the configuration...

4x27 watts or 4x23 or 4x15 ....

Edited by Kayen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you go with the 4x27W you'll have around 3wpg, wich will grow pretty much anything you want.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick Question ... would 40 pounds of gravel be adequate for a 33g? Some parts will be really really low, and also i need suggestions on how to make a riccia carpet, and i want to use riccia & moss matted on my driftwood instead. Also i'll have some pics coming up tonight of my aquisitions tonight!

EDIT:

Picture087.jpg

The 3 bags of substrate that i will be using in this tank.

Picture089.jpg

E Tenellus

Picture090.jpg

Some VERY healthy looking java ferns, way better looking than the ones i'm growing in my nano.

Picture091.jpg

Not sure what this plant is - Hygrophila Compacta i believe ( i think that's what he said )

Picture092.jpg

Pennywort - Dwarf.

Picture088.jpg

Also, this is ALOT of Riccia, if i can find proper meshing i probably have half my tank carpeted with this stuff ! Also perhaps one of my branches will be a riccia branch.Also how do i go towards making a riccia carpet? Or should i just do with slate and have multiple mounds of riccia?

All these plants courtesy of devocole - Thanks again! If you ever need more moss just should, it's growing like mad in my nano(albeit with hair algae tangled within, but i guess that's the cost of beaming 64watts over 2.5g ...)

Will get this tank setup sometime this week!

Another edit:

What the tank current looks like with stock lighting etc - no mods done yet, will start gutting the hood tmr - any precautions?

Picture093.jpg

Edited by Kayen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kayan. As for the Riccia. Its quite simple. Get flat shaped rocks. Then go to the dollar store and buy a cheap clear/white colored luffa. Pull it appart and stretch if over the riccia. It works perfectly, the holes are not too far apart, nor are they too close. So it should only cost you a dollar to make a foreground out of it.

Regards

Devon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, i plan to do that, here's what i plan to put the riccia on for a nice field of riccia -

Picture097.jpg

Also planning to use some riccia on the higher branches of the woodscape i'll be doing, and leave mosses to the lower levels of the wood structure with the ferns.

Oh yeah finally got the new lights up and running:

Picture094.jpg

And on the tank:

Picture096.jpg

Alot brigher than before IMO, but the hood needs some work on it IMO.

Not sure when i can get started on the tank though, just waiting on some manzanita and off to work i go, but i'll need to get rid of some guppies, so anyone interested? I'll let some go for free ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you don't want to add CO2, you could try Excel; but, last time I added a full dose to a tank w. Riccia, the Riccia went away. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be doing DIY CO2. 2 litre bottle being diffused by a hagen elite mini. But for DIY CO2, the water i use to create the solution, does it have to be dechlorinated or .. no ?

Edit: Oh yeah Jason - i ended up going with 4x32 watts, and i'm accounting for ht fact that spiral bulbs aren't too effective, and i did a crappy job painting the reflector, so i'll stick with around 2.8-3.2 wpg, not sure, but at this point the tank will be high tech most likely, so i may eventually get myself a pressurized setup, depends on how my DIY Co2 + excel combo goes.

Edited by Kayen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd set up a coule 2L CO2 units that are offset by a week - that way you won't have huge CO2 swings when one starts to slow down. If you can find a good deal on pressurised unit, go for it - there is no comparison, IMO. See if you can find a paintball canister and a simple regulator that'll fit - it'll set you up for 4-6 months of CO2 on a 33.

Your CO2 bottles don't need dechlorinated water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Where can i find a regulator for the paintball system, because i can get an empty 12 ounce tank off a friend for $15, only problem is where toget it filled and regulator...

Also how much would it cost for me to get a 2.5lb tank w/ decent regulator, and other stuff i need to get it running safely?

Because at the light i'm running, i'll be needing CO2 for sure.

Edited by Kayen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...