This Is My Plan, Help Steer Me Right!

[Ribber]

I've been doing plenty of reading lately and, for the most part, think I am on the right track. Going to share my plan as it stands right now, maybe the good folks here can tell me where I'm going wrong. Nothing but the tank is written in stone.

The tank:

It's 90 gallons. It is currently the only thing "fishy" I own.

Filtration:

Fluval FX6. Discussed in another thread, this one is certainly a winner. I like the features and would be hard pressed to consider another, but I am open.

Co2 delivery:

DIY contraption running off of paintball canisters, thinking I may need a couple diffusers spaced about the tank, or maybe placing a single one below the filter in-flow will get the co2 caught in the current and distribute it nicely across the tank...

Light:

Fluval Aqualife & Plant Full Spectrum Performance LED Strip Light, 46W - is 2 of those units too much light?

Substrate:

Not overly concerned with color as I intend on carpeting the bottom of the tank. I've seen plenty of good results without going ADA, so I've been looking at Flourite and EcoComplete.

Heater:

Research in progress, reading reviews.

Plants:

Something low and leafy (dwarf baby tears?) carpeting the front, definitely don't want a grassy carpet, and then all the rest of the fun plants filling in the mid and back.

Habitants:

Bamboo shrimp, another variety of shrimp, possibly a third. A couple schools of small fish, one will definitely be 20-30 (I don't think that's unreasonable for a large tank?) neon tetras.

So yeah, that's my shopping list so far.

How am I doing?

Edited December 20, 2013 by Ribber

[Traffic66]

Don't see a heater in that list....but other than that it's not bad. I would go with either the baby tears or glosso. They both look good

[Ribber]

Ah yes, heater is still being researched, not forgotten. I'll add a blank entry to my list to prevent further confusion The glosso looks nice, certainly adding that to my list!

[flyfisher]

Another option for filtration would be two smaller canisters.In my 75g I use two Eheim Classic 2217's .One discharges at the surface,the other is discharging through a DIY set up just above the substrate also have Hydor ETH hooked to this one so warm water is blown across the substrate.Even with two large pcs. of wood and lots of plants I still have good flow with very few dead spots.With two canisters running it also gives me options for media set up & maintenance.

[Ribber]

flyfisher,

I had initially considered 2 smaller canisters (and those Eheims do look sharp!) but really became sold on the FX6, especially for the drain spout. It has adjustable dual output so I'm thinking I can get good control over the flow direction with it. Appreciate an alternate suggestion, but the Fluval is still winning

[Fisher]

You're doing a fine job Ribber.

Drive on Captain Ahab!

[jvision]

I wouldn't put the CO2 bubbling into the intake of a canister filter - it could come out of solution and cause gurgling. I like bubbling it into the intake of a powerhead, which creates a fine mist. There are some good DIY threads for the FX5/6 - if you T your outtake off and make 2 spraybars, you'll have decent flow, but nothing overpowering.

[Ribber]

Sorry for the confusion jvision, I mean to place the co2 bubbles into the stream of water entering the tank from the filter, letting the flow carry it across the tank rather than placing it at the intake and having that mist of bubbles get sucked into the filter right away. Going to search out some of the DIY you allude to, I love "fixing" brand new products!

Edited December 20, 2013 by Ribber

[fishclubgirl]

Ribber,

First off, I'm a big fan of "you've got to learn to walk before you learn to run" as we all want to see you succeed in fish keeping. I would suggest getting your tank setup and start with easier plants(vals, hygros) and no C02. Get it up and running (and don't forget the fertiliser) and then once you get the hang of it, add the CO2 and try some of the more difficult plants. The aquatic world needs more "planty" people and we want you to join us!!!

[cullymoto]

Many can help you more than I about plants. Nuff' said.

I do recommend, since your running a canister anyway, to use a hydor inline heater. A single 300w unit should be all you would ever need. Install it on your canisters return line, get it set and forget about it.

Never seen a more beautiful heater in a tank... Than a hydor heater that hides underneath it lol.

[Traffic66]

All I can say is I experienced trial and error with everything fish related. Started with fake gravel and fake stuff. Now I have a planted tank with everything real and will never go back to fake. With that said, I don't run a Co2 setup (yet), I just liquid dose and seem to be doing fine.

I do agree with fishclubgirl though. Start small until you get the hang of things or you will lose plants and money.

Don't worry too much, so many people on here will help with advice and good prices on plants and livestock.

[Deano85]

You may want to look into finnex lights also.

[McTurtle]

If you're going to start off with a lot of light & CO2, the best advice I can think of is to make sure you plant as heavily as possible right off the bat. You can always change the plants out later, but without many plants to start off with you will grow algae.

+1 Dry ferts are also a score, especially since you're looking at a large tank. Maybe think of how you're going to fertilize/ how much water you plan on changing each week. Having a water delivery system, even a pump to go from bucket to tank makes life much much easier.

[Ribber]

Thank you all, for the words of advice, encouragement, and warning. I am now in the process of researching the shiny new things mentioned in the thread. I'll be back in a few days

[blink]

Aqueon pro heaters are probably my favorite but I'm using a Hydor ETH external on my smaller display tank and so far it seems pretty good except for the temperature markings on the adjuster are not even on the same planet as the actual tank temperature. I've got it set to 79 or 80 degrees to get my tank to 76... this isn't to say the heater is insufficient, it just needs to be checked after setting.

I also second (third? fourth?) the people suggesting to not start with demanding plants, high light and CO2.
I would suggest one of the T5HO lights at first and I'd get a boat load of cheaper, hardier plants to get the tank started and after you've gotten past the first 3 months, I would then add CO2. I would suggest using a 5 or 10 lb bottle, paintball bottles don't last very long on big tanks.
After a couple months watching your beginner plants absolutely EXPLODE with CO2, I would step up to the tougher, more demanding plants.

It's really beneficial to get things growing before you move to those tough plants because it's been my experience that if you can keep the tank algae free for the first few months it'll stay algae free unless someone tips over the applecart, as long as things stay generally the same you'll have less maintenance and less ferts/light/CO2 balancing which is nice, steady and stable makes me happy.