# Help choosing Equipment to go with a new tank.



## LukeDaly (Jan 3, 2014)

Hey Guys, first post on the forum!

Been a long time lurker and finally decided to subscribe!
This will probably be a long boring post for the most of you but all help is appreciated!

First of all I am finally making an upgrade from my Nano tank the ''Fluval Spec III' I bought this tank not expecting to get into planted aquariums as much as I have and finally decided that I should upgrade 2.5 Gallon was getting a little small! I loved this little tank, I upgraded the light to the 'Fluval 11 watt t8 lamp' and had a miracle grow organic potting mix base with a sand topping layer. Plant growth was awesome.

Image below:








But enough about that and onto all of the new stuff:

Tank -
First of all I just ordered myself the Dennerle Scaper's tank (always fancied this tank) and at 45 x 31 x 36cm wide (18 x 12 x 14") it fits my unit lovely!
Unfortunately I cant post links yet, but a quick Google search will find you a review!

Substrate - 
Substrate wise I plan to go dirted, again using Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix as the base only this time around I got a 10 Liter bag of 'Colombo Flora Grow Base' to use as a middle layer is this worth while? (I want to use sand as the top layer, with possible Flora to help separate parts of the tank).

Lights -
Honestly this is the part that is slowly melting my brain the most.. Everywhere I read has something different about lights.. Is the 1 watt per liter rule something I should go by even with a tank this shallow? The reason I didn't go with the light that came with the kit is because I wasn't to fond of its appearance. The light that comes with the kit option of the tank is a 24w 8,000k bulb suggesting around 1/2 a Watt per liter? This is of course still an option as I want the scape to look as good as possible, is 8,000k more plant friendly? Would I run into any difficulties growing any species with this light?

I am open to all options when it comes to lights as I am completely lost..

Had a look at these not sure what to think tho:
day-time.de/produkte/cluster/

the ultra-white 7,000k Option seems like a decent option again not sure if that is the optimum plant range.

Filter - 
For the filter I was going to go with a Fluval 106 recommended for tanks up to 100 liters so I am assuming this will be more than enough for a 50 liter tank and provide me with good flow.

Well for those who made it to the end that's all I can think of at the minute other than c02 which will have to wait to a later date as it can tend to be rather expensive. (Will dosing liquid ferts & c02 be enough for the first month or so?)

I should have the tank on Saturday, and plan to dry start the tank as soon as I can get lights sorted. I intend to keep a log of the build here on the forum for those interested. Probably this thread.

Again all help is very VERY much appreciated and i cant thank anyone who can help me out enough.

Luke.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Hi Luke,

Welcome to APC! I assume you are from the UK, so I'm not familiar with some of the brands you mention.

Lighting is a complex subject, because there are so many different technologies available and because it is difficult to get objective information about whether a particular fixture is useful for plants. The "watt per liter" rule just doesn't work anymore because the different lamps vary so much in efficiency, and the wave length of light that they produce.

What kind of bulb comes with the tank? I'm guessing it is a fluorescent of some type. Look for tiny labels on the end of the blub/tube and post those here. That may give enough information for us to help.

Color temperature, a.k.a. Kelvin or K, is a measure of how the light looks to the human eye, not how useful it is for plants. That said, fluorescents in the range of 5,000 to 8,000K usually give decent quality light for plants.

A shallow tank is much easier to light than a deep/tall one.


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## Tugg (Jul 28, 2013)

If I were to guess, I would think that light will do fine for low light plants. Anything 5kK to 10kK should give the right spectrum. Its just a matter of efficiency. Over such a shallow tank you'll lose less red than taller tanks.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

After seeing your first little tank I'm not sure I'm the right person to give you advice. It seems that using a potting soil topped with sand works very, very, very well. If you get the substrate right and the surface movement right (gas exchange must take place) everything else become more or less secondary, including light. It does look like you got everything right in your first tank.

I'd give advice on the filter only. If you can - find the largest volume filter that you can afford. Do not look at the writings on the box - they are misleading. Look for the largest canister so you can house the most biomedia. That, coupled with what you already do, will result in one of the most common sense planted aquarium that you will see around.


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## LukeDaly (Jan 3, 2014)

> Hi Luke,
> 
> Welcome to APC! I assume you are from the UK, so I'm not familiar with some of the brands you mention.
> 
> ...


Yes I am from the UK indeed!  Yes I am nearly 100% sure it is fluorescent bulb, the thing is I only ordered the tank option as I didn't really like anything else that came with the tank..

Are fluorescent bulbs better than using LEDS for growing plants? And had my eye on a shallow tank for a long time! Always loved the look, never thought finding the right lights would be so difficult though. Would you mind having a look at a Youtube video if I was to post it here? You seem to know a good bit about lights, well more than I do anyway.

Thank you for your response!



> After seeing your first little tank I'm not sure I'm the right person to give you advice. It seems that using a potting soil topped with sand works very, very, very well. If you get the substrate right and the surface movement right (gas exchange must take place) everything else become more or less secondary, including light. It does look like you got everything right in your first tank.
> 
> I'd give advice on the filter only. If you can - find the largest volume filter that you can afford. Do not look at the writings on the box - they are misleading. Look for the largest canister so you can house the most biomedia. That, coupled with what you already do, will result in one of the most common sense planted aquarium that you will see around.


Hey man, I appreciate the compliment  in all honesty though that was probably more luck than anything! Sweet i'll keep that in mind, have you got any recommendations on filters I should be looking at or particular brands I should be looking for?

Thanks for you time man!


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Sure, post a video, we all love pictures.

Some LEDs are very good, some are poor, and it is difficult to tell the difference unless you have a PAR meter that measures light specifically useful to plants. Here in the USA, Finnex brand LED fixtures give good results.

For some time the lighting of choice for planted tanks has been T5 high output fluorescent tubes. There are many types, only some of which are designed for plants. But you can rely to some extent on manufacturer's claims--tubes sold for planted aquaria are usually suitable if not great. LEDs do not have this track record, and we are just beginning to sort out the good from the bad.

Trust me, I am no lighting expert! But our club has a PAR meter which members can use, and my comments are based on their results.

I agree with Niko about your first tank, very good! If you have low to medium lighting and do not expect very fast growth, CO2 is not necessary for most common species. I think it is much easier to master the basics of planted aquaria with this type of set-up. Things happen more slowly, giving you more time to recognize a problem and correct it before it becomes a disaster. You can always add CO2 and more light later if you want.


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## Tugg (Jul 28, 2013)

LEDs:
PROs: Nice minimal aesthetic fixtures, possibly dimmable to adjust PAR, last longer, use less power
CONs: $$$, also unreliable sales info, $$$, and more $$$. Did I mention they cost a lot (upfront cost).

T5:
PROs: Defacto standard, historical reviews of brands, interchangeable bulbs.
CONs: Bulbs require regular replacing, use more power (higher operational cost)

Spiral CFL:
PROs: Can be bought just about anywhere, when properly reflected/mounted can produce great PAR.
CONs; Either a huge custom hood, or ugly appearance of cheap dome reflectors.

There is also T8s or the ungodly fat T12s, but they aren't really modern options short of a fish room.


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## LukeDaly (Jan 3, 2014)

Michael said:


> Sure, post a video, we all love pictures.
> 
> Some LEDs are very good, some are poor, and it is difficult to tell the difference unless you have a PAR meter that measures light specifically useful to plants. Here in the USA, Finnex brand LED fixtures give good results.
> 
> ...


Ok here is a link to the same tank as the one I purchased with the lights I linked in my first post, I personally have never heard of the brand but i think they look cool: 





The videos probably not much to go by but he has several videos. Does the tank look bright enough? 
see that's another thing, sorry to be picky but i was going for a minimal look as such, is their any nice looking minimal t5 fittings on the market at the minute. I have mostly been researching LEDS due to the minimalist look. There is a beautiful ADA LED light used on the same tank I seen in another video but apparently the guy who created the scape is in a battle against algae at the minute due to, to much light.

Thanks again for commenting.



> LEDs:
> PROs: Nice minimal aesthetic fixtures, possibly dimmable to adjust PAR, last longer, use less power
> CONs: $$$, also unreliable sales info, $$$, and more $$$. Did I mention they cost a lot (upfront cost).
> 
> ...


Hey man thanks for your reply!

Do you know of any decent aquarium/aquascaping LED brands to look out for or avoid? What sort Kelvin range should I be looking for when looking at LEDs? Your input on the video in the above response would also be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your time guys!

Luke.


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