# 180L (48usgal) Newbie seeking guidance



## ThePotato (Feb 10, 2013)

NB: Last thread seems glitched - can't see OP as well as delete/edit it.

Hello! I'm an 18 year old asian kid with too much free time on his hands.
I've graduated from (an asian) highschool, specialising in Physics, Chemistry and Math, so dealing with very in-depth specifics with regards to this hobby is perfectly fine, don't hold back!

Aquarium Info:

180L / 48 US gal / 40 UK gal
90l x 45h x 45b cm
2x 39w T5HO: Cool White (to balance colours out) 39W + Reddish plant-specific 39W light. (enough?)
No CO2 set up but sufficient resources to get pressurised or DIY 4x1.5L sodas.
Substrate is some knock-off plant substrate layered under standard sillica sand.
Hardscape contains no carbonate minerals, tested with nitric acid and.
Hoping to settle water chemistry as well as tank direction before getting fishes.










Plants, left to right:

CARDAMINE LYRATA
HYGROPHILA DIFFORMIS
ALTERNANTHERA REINECKII 'LILACINA'
Fanwort, can't remember sci. name, can't search APC database. Not coontail I think.
ECHINODORUS CORDIFOLIUS
MICROSORUM PTEROPUS 'WINDELOV'

Since I'm new, I'd love some advice!
My goal: A nice aquarium to look at; *I'm not looking for a crazy-growing tank that will require me to do regular trimmings.*

Should I use DIY Yeast CO2 with 4x 1.5L soda bottles? (Setup's already done, just if I should use it nor not) Or should I go with pressurised?

Because, I don't need that much carbon - I'm already targeting 10-15ppm to slow the growth rate down, also remember that my lighting isn't the greatest. I wont be going for 30ppm. (tell me if this is a bad idea!)

Any advice/comments would be much appreciated!


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Potato, welcome to APC! You are the second member today to have the same problem. As in the other case, I can see both of your threads with no problem. I think we should leave both threads up so technical support can check them.

Your tank looks good, and there is nothing wrong with your plan. It is easier to learn the basics of planted aquaria if you don't have the accelerator jammed all the way to the floor. Moderate light and no or low DIY CO2 will be fine. You can always buy the Ferrari later.

What is your "knock-off" substrate like? Does it have any nutrients or cation exchange capacity (CEC)? This will help us make suggestions.


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## ThePotato (Feb 10, 2013)

See the brownish discolouring of my otherwise nice pearl white sand? That's what happened when I accidentally mixed the substrate up a little when adding in the water.

Can't say much about the substrate - I haven't got a TDS meter to test the CEC. Either way testing the CEC would be tedious and I would need pure Na, K, Ca, Mg, etc etc salts. Which I dont, lol. It came in a transparent bag that said For Freshwater Plants - A Nutrient Rich Substrate...... and then japanese words.

It's not ADA Aquasoil, but at least it's not a china-made product that would probably cause serious ammonia issues. I haven't gotten to buying any NH4+, NO2-, NO3-, PO4 3- or pH kits yet, but the pH meter I borrowed from the lab i'm interning in read a nice 7.0

Already ran the tank bare (rocks/substrate only) to get all the initial diatoms/SiO3 2- out. Any ideas/suggestions at all? I'm completely lost as to what to do from here. The plants were bought from a local growing operation (huge farm using ponds and screened sunlight), already made the mistake of not quarantining them. Lots of bladder snails, going to see if I can get assasins in or not.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Fanwort could be Cabomba, I have heard that common name for it. Some of the Limnophylla species have a similar look. 

Most of your plants are moderate growers under the conditions you are setting up, and that is just fine.

Java Fern (all varieties) are not generally grown rooted in the substrate. They can cling to branches or rocks if you can hold them there until the roots take hold. You could tie them on, or use Super Glue, if that is available. 

H. difformis can be really fast. I think that is good at first. It will help remove excess nitrogen until the aquarium gets established. If you get tired of trimming it then you could remove it, but leave it for now. 

Do you have access to ways of testing the water? 
To figure out good fish choices it would help to know GH and KH. General Hardness and Carbonate Hardness.


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## ThePotato (Feb 10, 2013)

Grabbing water data I got from the lab I'm interning in:
Over a period of 2 weeks, the lab analysed tapwater to subtract out background in their wastewater management R&D, so this will be convenient.

*NB: This is NOT my tank water. I do not have the security clearance to use the gas spectrometer in the lab to test my tank water. These results are for my municipal tap water ONLY.*

Large ranges for some reason, assume worst case scenario for each.
all units in ppm (mg/L)
NO3-: 0.5-7.0
TDS: 200-350
Total Alkalinity: 20-60 edit: this is KH in ppm / mg/L of CaCO3
Total Hardness: 50-120 edit: this is GH in ppm / mg/L of CaCO3
SO4: 30-60
PO4: < 0.10
SiO2: 1-10
Fe: <0.04
Mn: <0.05
Cu: <0.05
Al: <0.1

Also, I know the java fern isn't supposed to even have its rhizome buried. Since it already sinks by itself, I decided to dust a little sand over it to weigh it down. Hoping to replace it soon - it actually belongs to a nearby pond that seems to be propagating the fern itself.

Thanks for your help guys! more help/comments/ideas would be lovely!

About aquascaping: Any suggestions/criticisms?
Fishes: What should I get?


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## ThePotato (Feb 10, 2013)

Shameless bump.... Hope bumping isnt too frowned upon here :/
I really am clueless as to where to go from here, so I really need advice

Do I still need to dose ferts? I don't think I can pull off the EI since water isn't cheap in Singapore. Also: fishes - what's best for a tank like this?


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