# New to Planted aquaria. 1000L Tank



## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

Hi everyone,

I'm new here. I am hoping to create a heavily planted aquarium with a few Altum Angels and a few Discus. My tank dimensions are 1850 x 700 x 800 and it is currently under construction. So far i have bought these:

4 x 120W LED light units ( 2 units: 112 x 1W 6500k bulbs, 2 units 80 x 1W 6500k and 32 x 460nm Blue bulbs. Blue bulbs are mainly for the look, will NOT run these for long periods at a time, these units have an option to have these on or off) )

2 x Ehiem 2260 (Pump output approx 2240L), one canister with Seachem Matrix ( Matrix not purchased yet), the other mechanical (sponge) filtration.

100kg of Aquasoil Amazonia Normal

Substrate heating: Dupla Therm Set 1000 and a Dupla T control Alpha.

Still researching on (which to purchase) automatic dosing units, UV sterilization units, CO2 units.

I have a few questions (sorry came across this forum today, after i have purchased some of the equipment already),

What do you guys think about my filtration?

LED lights are relatively new to the hobby so i understand this is a big gamble..! Any thoughts on these units?

http://www.bsled.com/led-aquarium-light/led-aquarium-light-bs-56a

I am planning on adding a 1cm layer of play sand before i set up the substrate heating system, i've read this is a much effective way of doing this, any advice?

Do i need to mix anything else with Aquasoil?

Tank and stand will be ready in a week. Thank you in advance, i would greatly appreciate all your advice.

Waruna


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## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

It's going to be a bit longer than a week for my cabinet to finish i should say, however i'm extremely happy with all the hard work my Cabi has done. Very neat, he has even built in an optional shelving space in front where the two Eheim's are going to be. It's a shame i can't use them, but i need room for the Co2 unit.

Ordered an Aqua Twist 25 UV unit today and also a back up heater, Hydor ETH 300W.










The stand is 2400mm long even though my tank is 1850mm. The tank is curved in at the front, two corners are 500mm deep and the middle is 700mm deep, height is 800m.

Dupla Therm set and the controller will be here in about two weeks.


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## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

Instead of a heavily planted tank i decided on Crypts, Anubias and ferns, sort of a "slow growing plants" type of tank. I want to give as much swimming room for my fish as possible, they are the main attraction. I want a tank with minimum maintenance, my tank is pretty deep so i want to keep things simple.

The tank should be here within the next few days. 
I'm still waiting for my Co2 system and the substrate heating system to arrive.

This is where its at now...


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## Snakeskin Discus (Feb 14, 2011)

That tank is going to be Hot ! Looks like a great set-up so far cant wait to see it finished .


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## faltaren (Apr 30, 2010)

Update?

Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk


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## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

Pictures speak thousands of words










I'm using "BryceM method" to distribute Co2 in to the tank. Even though the left hand side black PVC pipe looks like it is connected to the spray bar siting on the soil, it is not. This is the inlet from the 2 x Eheim filters, i drilled holes on each side of the pipe so the water is sprayed towards the left and right hand sides of the tank.










The rocks are there to hold the wood in place, after soaking for weeks for some reason the wood decided to float again once placed in the tank










The day after










A week after adding more plants, quality of some of the plants i managed to find here in WA was shocking. We are not allowed to bring plants from even another AUS state, so not much of a choice here. Some small ferns died and i had to replant again.










This is where it is now, i have 12 WC beautiful Green Discus










I have a fair bit of BBA which i'm trying to get rid of. This has (still is) been a great learning experience for me. I think when i over come this algae problem i'll finally get to enjoy this tank to the fullest.

Any advice is much appreciated.


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## Peterjay (Mar 4, 2011)

Waruna, that's well on its way to being one stunning tank. Wish I had the room for something that size, not to mention the expertise. Maybe it's time to start thinking about a fish room in the basement. (LOL) Congrats!


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## Bunnie1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

That tank is so awesome I can hardly stand it! Beautiful stand and I just love non-rectangular tanks!


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## SergioTheFishDude (Mar 8, 2011)

Waruna, those are some gorgeous Discus :hail:


See, it's people like you that never allow me to save any money . I spend like, all my time now daydreaming about new biotopes n stuff :loco:


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## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks peterjay, Bunnie1978 and SergioTheFishDude, appreciate your feedback

Sorry for not posting, my tank went through an ugly algae phase..

Here's a pic of it @ 12 weeks.. After some research i decided to cut old leaves from some of the ferns, it definitely made the tank look a bit neater..


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

:welcome: Welcome to APC!! I love these big tanks!! What a beautiful set up. Great cabinet! Great plumbing! Great equipment. Looks like your plants and fish are enjoying it! You are the first person I have heard of using TWO 2262 Eheims! Quite a massive amount of filtration! I will stay tuned!


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## thlim (Apr 2, 2011)

Wow.. i love this big tank! i really like the driftwoods too =]


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

Very nice tank; wow that's a lot of filtration, but I guess it keeps the water clear, plus the tank size is pretty impressive to begin with. The discus are fantastic!


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## gwenschuck75 (May 25, 2011)

I love everything about it. The lighting, the plants, the cabinet, and even the plumbing. Although I think its maintenance can be a bit rough. But that's always been a problem with big tanks.


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## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

Hey Tex Gal, thank you for the welcome and for your kind words. 

Thank you thlim, mudboots and gwenschuck75, appreciate your input.

I know it's a lot of filtration but i kind of had to hope for the best and plan for the worst. I am still hoping to house 6 to 8 Altums in my tank, one day, so i wanted to have very good filtration. I upgraded the two Eheim pumps that came with to two 3400l Eheim pumps, i was hoping to get a bit more water circulation without using any power heads which would look ugly. Unfortunately this wasn't enough, I was hesitant to get rid of the return spray bar since it is holding one of the pieces of wood on the left (i accidentally moved it once and oh man that was a big big mistake), i am using two Tunze Power heads for circulation as well now. 

I'm struggling to get rid of some algae, mainly BBA. Aquasoil must have stopped altering my PH and KH, my Co2 levels have fluctuated heaps. I cleaned the drop checker and re calibrated my PH controller. Phosphate and Nitrate levels were very low too, i have adjusted the dose rates of these now. I also added 15 Siamese algae eaters and they seem to be doing a good job so far.

I made the mistake of not testing my water when everything seemed good, then when i started testing again it's too late, algae jungle!! Lesson learn t. I'm using a GHL auto dosing system now, it's fantastic.


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## dabrybry (Jun 27, 2010)

Holy lord in heaven that driftwood is epic! If you ever grow tired of the left piece PM me lol. But seriusly....i want it. . Tank overall is great as well. Congrats


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Keep us updated on your tank growth. I'm sure when your swords and such grow up it will be fantastic. Loving the blyxa. It really is such a nice plant.

I just saw the Tunze powerheads for the first time the other day. Is there any upgrade in using them instead of the Koralia brand? I've seen the brand (escapes me now) where the cord is on the outside of the tank which is preferred by me, but they aren't directional.


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## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

Hi dabrybry, Thank you for your comments. There are two pieces of wood on the left, it does look like one. I was lucky to have a collector in Perth locate these pieces for me, to collect drift wood you must have a license. No probs i'll post them out to you if i get tired of looking at them

Hellooo Tex Gal, Swords are growing out of control, i prune them regularly. They kind of block light to all the surrounding lower plants. I'm considering removing one on the left, there is a Crinum that is not getting enough light, i'd rather have a nicely grown Crinum than a Sword. Crinums are very very rare to come buy, i paid $130.00 for it!! Perth is the most isolated city in the world, and quarantine is very strict. 

Koralia is made by Hydor from memory, i've never used one. I've used a few Tunze in my previous saltwater tank, never had a problem with any of them, very quiet. I love the single and multi controllers that are available through Tunze. If you are considering on getting a Tunze pump get a controllable pump and go for the next size up than what you need, this way you can reduce the flow as much as you want. But if you buy one and at a later date want a bit more flow you are going to have to get another pump, it'll be worth the extra few dollars. Single controllers are quite cheap.

Regards,


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Can you post another px of your tank with your swords grown some? I'd like to see it with the new height. Funny how we all want what is hard to get. Crinums are cheap, cheap, over here. You can get them for under $10 in many online stores. They are beautiful plants.

I couldn't find where you stated how many gallons/liters you tank is. Can you tell us?


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## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

Hi Tex gal, sorry for the late reply.. My tank is 1000l, 1850 x 700 x 800H.. $10 is very cheap, lucky

I haven't done any pruning for weeks, here's a pic of the tank at four months.. Blyxa is growing like weeds.. My Narrow leaf is struggling though.. I'm starting to think the whole bottom will be covered by Blyxa very soon, both ends are completely covered now and the leaves are touching the front glass now. I think my tank lacks a bit of red... I'm thinking of keeping it all green and maybe adding a WC colony of (type) Red Discus or a few Altums..!


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## Matt_shanahan (Jul 21, 2011)

Gorgeous!


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## waruna (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks Matt

Here's the tank after a re-scape:

Night time, with viewing lights on









During photo period










All feed back good or bad welcome


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## ElodeaC (Jan 7, 2012)

this is absolutely gorgeous!

I personally liked the bushy looking plants on the sides before you re-scape but I agree, the new look looks so much cleaner! More open on the sides and the front.


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## scolling007 (Feb 1, 2012)

waruna, what is the ground cover plant you are using, I am fairly new to aquascaping and I really likem that look, also where did you find your driftwood? online or at a local store?


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## wiredconcepts (Jan 4, 2012)

Absolutely stunning sir!!!


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