My3KidsDad Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 With the help of Jason (Jvision) we acquired a good 90 gal tank for tropical fish. Now we are designing a stand that can be used for fresh now and salt later. We plan an Angel fish/Cichlid tank with suitable plants, rocks, and sand. After trying some lace rock from Canar we like the way it looks in our first tank, a 29 gal, and may repeat that in the 90. We like the contrasting colors and textures examples of plants seen at Big Al's. We are wide open to your best suggestions for the first occupants benefit as for lighting, heating, filtering equipment. What would you get now based on your experience with your equipment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 Buy from reputed sources and accept no compromise. Unless you MUST have it, do not pay retail. Use this forum's classifieds and also lf/wtb ,there is always a lot of traffic in that section. I know that is fairly generic advice; but you can apply it anywhere. As for plants - pick them up one specimen @ a time. If it works for you it will propagate itself. No sense in purchasing a dozen only to lose all of them off the bat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 The ACE auction is coming up in a month or two - you can usually get TONNES of quality plants for very good prices. Plus, there are often good deals to be had on angel fish and dwarf cichlids (often rams there) that do well w. angels. If you want to get serious about plants, you'll want to invest in a CO2 unit. Brand new from an LFS, it'll run around $250, but you can piece it together from welding shops for close to half that. Also, unless BAs has changed their practice, most of their tanks are on centralized filtration - all the tanks are filtered by 1 filter... that means if there's disease in 1 tank, it's spread to ALL tanks on that wall. Check out some of our sponsors - ie Nature's Corner - their quality for fish and plants is better IME, and their pricing is also a lot more competitive. You will also get advice that is right for you, and won't necessarily get you to walk out of the store with another product. If you can't find what you want from other hobbyists, IMO, Nature's Corner is the 1st stop. As far as filtration, you'll want at least 1 good canister filter if you're looking at a planted tank down the road. HOBs are great, but they will cause too much aggitation and gas-off your CO2. A sump has the same problem unless you can seal it completely. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I was at Nature's Corner yesterday awesome selection of angels and plants. If you go there don't forget to mention that you are an AA member and give him your screen name for a discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 As for plants - pick them up one specimen @ a time. If it works for you it will propagate itself. No sense in purchasing a dozen only to lose all of them off the bat. Self edit , , ,sorry pick up each species one specimen @ a time. No sense in buying more than one of any particular plant - until you know that it will work for you :smokey: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3KidsDad Posted January 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Buy from reputed sources and accept no compromise. Unless you MUST have it, do not pay retail. Use this forum's classifieds and also lf/wtb ,there is always a lot of traffic in that section. I know that is fairly generic advice; but you can apply it anywhere.As for plants - pick them up one specimen @ a time. If it works for you it will propagate itself. No sense in purchasing a dozen only to lose all of them off the bat. Jason will smile at this.. lol. Wait for the sales in the classified- ok good tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3KidsDad Posted January 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 The ACE auction is coming up in a month or two - you can usually get TONNES of quality plants for very good prices. Plus, there are often good deals to be had on angel fish and dwarf cichlids (often rams there) that do well w. angels.If you want to get serious about plants, you'll want to invest in a CO2 unit. Brand new from an LFS, it'll run around $250, but you can piece it together from welding shops for close to half that. Also, unless BAs has changed their practice, most of their tanks are on centralized filtration - all the tanks are filtered by 1 filter... that means if there's disease in 1 tank, it's spread to ALL tanks on that wall. Check out some of our sponsors - ie Nature's Corner - their quality for fish and plants is better IME, and their pricing is also a lot more competitive. You will also get advice that is right for you, and won't necessarily get you to walk out of the store with another product. If you can't find what you want from other hobbyists, IMO, Nature's Corner is the 1st stop. As far as filtration, you'll want at least 1 good canister filter if you're looking at a planted tank down the road. HOBs are great, but they will cause too much aggitation and gas-off your CO2. A sump has the same problem unless you can seal it completely. HTH. Thanks Jason. I will check out Nature's Corner soon. I will research canister filters too. What is a HOB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3KidsDad Posted January 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 I was at Nature's Corner yesterday awesome selection of angels and plants. If you go there don't forget to mention that you are an AA member and give him your screen name for a discount. Good tip Sam thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3KidsDad Posted January 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 As for plants - pick them up one specimen @ a time. If it works for you it will propagate itself. No sense in purchasing a dozen only to lose all of them off the bat. Self edit , , ,sorry pick up each species one specimen @ a time. No sense in buying more than one of any particular plant - until you know that it will work for you :smokey: I got your suggestion. I love the range of textures, ie. coarse and fine, along with the colors ie. deep greens to light greens, reds, purples? It's very rewarding mixing them into a visual delight for the eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XodoK Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 HOB= Hang on back filter like an Aquaclear or such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishface29 Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 Do some research on the cichlids you wish to stock you tank with as well because many species are absolutely ruthless on plants. Many cichlids like to dig by nature and will quickly uproot all your hard work. I've not really kept SA or CA cichlids other than apistos, so not sure if they would eat the plants as well. I have kept Malawi peacocks and Haps though and they are herbivores, so plants really wouldn't have stood a chance. A planted aquarium with angels would look great though. A lot to consider when planning a planted tank. If you are doing a high light set-up (more than 2 watts per gallon) then the plants will pretty much require CO2, which is something I have not attempted thus far, mainly due to cost and time involved. I find it challenging enough to keep my low light set ups balanced! I'm trying to keep my tanks low cost and low maintenance, so have just made some minor modifications to the stock lighting (plant specific bulbs, retrofitted reflectors and replaced my black lids with glass ones) and used organic topsoil capped with a mix of regular aquarium gravel and Flourite. No CO2 being used, HOB Emperor filter, Hydor powerhead, premixed ferts dosed twice a week and things have turned out quite well. There are so many options and with a 90 gallon tank, you can really make a great set-up for your fish. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3KidsDad Posted January 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Do some research on the cichlids you wish to stock you tank with as well because many species are absolutely ruthless on plants. Many cichlids like to dig by nature and will quickly uproot all your hard work. I've not really kept SA or CA cichlids other than apistos, so not sure if they would eat the plants as well. I have kept Malawi peacocks and Haps though and they are herbivores, so plants really wouldn't have stood a chance. A planted aquarium with angels would look great though. A lot to consider when planning a planted tank. If you are doing a high light set-up (more than 2 watts per gallon) then the plants will pretty much require CO2, which is something I have not attempted thus far, mainly due to cost and time involved. I find it challenging enough to keep my low light set ups balanced! I'm trying to keep my tanks low cost and low maintenance, so have just made some minor modifications to the stock lighting (plant specific bulbs, retrofitted reflectors and replaced my black lids with glass ones) and used organic topsoil capped with a mix of regular aquarium gravel and Flourite. No CO2 being used, HOB Emperor filter, Hydor powerhead, premixed ferts dosed twice a week and things have turned out quite well. There are so many options and with a 90 gallon tank, you can really make a great set-up for your fish. Have fun! Plant hating (loving?) cichlids will destroy plants. ok. A co2 system will probably be called for. It is fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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