# My first planted tank ....



## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

Hi,
A month ago i decided that i wanted to set up a planted tank and decided that i might as well make it Diy project(as much as possible)....
So here is what i have done in the last 1 month....
1)Make my own 90*30*30 cm tank....
2)Got a good river sand substrate(5cm depth)
3)Made a DIY canister filter and DIY CO2 generation and reactor system
4)for lighting i got 2 CFL tube lights

Another thing i have to add is that i have access to only ground water which will probably be a little Hard

Now I am Planning to Put some Dwarf grass in the Foreground and Moss on Driftwood....
Can u guys advice me on what plants i should look at....
regarding the Fish i plan on having....I am thinking about Neon Tetras,Swordtails and maybe some Dwarf Gouramis (im not sure i can add Angels advice me there too) will upload some pics soon but there is nothing much to see till i get the plants which will take a couple of weeks considering the fact that i have exams


Thanks a lot in Advance
Kshetrajna


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

no replies???:-k


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Sounds like you're quite the diy'er - making a tank and a cannister filter on your own is impressive! Let me refer you to a couple of references which will help you with some basic info:

http://www.aquatic-plants.org/artic...ums/14684-new-tank-setup-guide-parts-1-a.html

Moss won't require very high lighting, but dwarf hairgrass likes more light, so keep that in mind. You mention you will have hard water. If it's very hard, it could impact a variety of factors.


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

can i get the link again....it does not work for me....


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

There actually should have been 2 of them, I don't know what happened. Here they are again:

http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/pages/index.html
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ums/14684-new-tank-setup-guide-parts-1-a.html


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## jargonchipmunk (Oct 25, 2008)

I'd love some info on that DIY canister. I've been looking into doing a few of these myself if I could get some decent plans that worked.

PM me some pointers


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

@ Jargonchipmunk....
http://www.petfrd.com/forum/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=87

this is what i used for reference....but i made few slight alteration.....
firstly i put the powerhead in the tank instead of the filter container as it says in the article and in my design i pump water into a container placed over the aquarium and instead of using a pipe to let the water flow back i just let the water drop down from the container into the aquarium...its more like an overhanging filter....but then this does have its own dis-advantages as u might lose some of your dissolved CO2.... so i am planing to change the design to make it flow back using tubing....pretty easy to do if you own a drill, a good container,tubing,a powerhead pump(or any water pump for that matter) and some sealant....and ya im using sponge,bio balls and gravel as the filter media...


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

i just found a nice stream away from the city where i think i can collect good plants from.....But i wanted to know how to decide if a plant is healthy enough for the aquarium and if it is carrying some disease?


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

kshetrajna said:


> i just found a nice stream away from the city where i think i can collect good plants from.....But i wanted to know how to decide if a plant is healthy enough for the aquarium and if it is carrying some disease?


You can do a bleach dip on the plant which will clean up most nasties, including algae from it. Do a search on the forum for exact details, but it's a 1:20 solution of water:bleach. Even if plant is not overly healthy, giving it good conditions in your tank will do wonders for its growth.


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

sorry to keep asking so many questions but here is another

how do you spread carpet plants?i mean when you plant them do you get enough plants for the full carpet are or will they spread around?.....i wanted to get a carpet like in those iwagumi tanks...


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

Hi Kshetrajna,

I think that these two links should help. This link discusses Glosso planting (which is also a foreground plant)

Link 1

Link 2

Make sure that you use a pair of forceps as this would help you get the roots into the substrate easily without disturbing the substrate. Give yourself a good amount of time to get the foreground planted and be rest assured that it's worth it.

Good Luck.


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## abcemorse (May 28, 2008)

Bert H said:


> it's a 1:20 solution of water:bleach.


Not trying to pick nits but I think Bert meant 1:20 bleach:water....

Sounds like you got a good handle on things so far, post some pics I'd love to see the DIY equipment!


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

@ Jargonchipmunk

here are some new plans for filters i found....going to try them out in a couple of weeks when i am free....check it out

http://indianaquariumhobbyist.com/community/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=25

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Uthup_Sump_Filter.html


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## PRJCT92EH2 (Mar 7, 2008)

The grass will spread via runners, so pretty much all you need to do is plant it initally and then let it spread and pull it from areas you don't want it. Come to think of it, just about all foreground plants work this way.


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

will put up the pics by next week.....i have exams from tom 
so wont be online too long and dont have time for getting good snaps... but will do it asap


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

abcemorse said:


> Not trying to pick nits but I think Bert meant 1:20 bleach:water....
> 
> Sounds like you got a good handle on things so far, post some pics I'd love to see the DIY equipment!


Yep! Thanks for catching that abc.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

> The grass will spread via runners, so pretty much all you need to do is plant it initally and then let it spread and pull it from areas you don't want it. Come to think of it, just about all foreground plants work this way.


Well, more or less, but if you spread out small plants or small bundles of plants, spacing them across the entire area you want filled in, it will fill in faster and more evenly than just letting it spread out from one spot. know what I mean?


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## PRJCT92EH2 (Mar 7, 2008)

Robert Hudson said:


> Well, more or less, but if you spread out small plants or small bundles of plants, spacing them across the entire area you want filled in, it will fill in faster and more evenly than just letting it spread out from one spot. know what I mean?


Oh yeah, i took that as assumed


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

thank you guys for all the information....now if i can bother you with one more question

i was going through a lot of the "El Natural" threads and there they recommend the use of potting soil underneath the sand substrate....now it might be a foolish question but....will the water not get dirty with the use of potting soil??

the reason i am asking so many questions is i cant get started on the tank till jan 1st as my exams get over only on the 31st!!!!!


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

You place an inch to an inch and a half of potting soil and top it off with an inch of gravel or sand.

This will lead to leeching nutrients for the first 2 months due to the organic stuff breaking down. During this time you'll need to change the water about once or twice a week until the leeching slows down. Once it settles, you can go without changing the water for about 4 - 6 months.


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## kshetrajna (Dec 10, 2008)

thanks a lot for the quick response guys.....thats all my questions answered for me

wont be starting on the tank setup till the 1st of jan like i said(which gives me plenty of time to plan the layout and aquascaping details) ....will put up pics the moment i start...


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

Good Luck with your planning.


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