# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Planning beforehand



## Tethyis (Jan 28, 2006)

I got a 10 gallon aquarium a few months ago for some guppies. Now that it has done fairly well and my fiance ( a fish freak extroidenaire) has seen that I'm truly into this, he has offered to buy me a 35 or 55 gallon tank to see what I can do with it. He said he was impressed I didnt kill all my fish and that I insisted on using real plants rather than plastic ones. So on to my questions: Which would be better for my first try at a REAL planted aquascape? I want it to be a good place for my corydoras and gupppies to live as well as a nice lil garden. 35 or 55? Im thinking of using the eco substrate. I really want to get this thought through before I start.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Well, either size is nice, and even a 10 gallon or a nano tank can be a "real" planted aquascape! Sometimes the smaller tanks are more of a challenge. 

First, what about dimensions? I'm only familiar with the dimensions of the 33 Long or 37 gal, not a 35 exactly. The 55 g are usually 48x13x20. Depending on the depth of the 35, one size may be easier to physically work in than the other (ie, if you're petite, a 30 X-high, at 24" deep, might mean you'll be up to your armpits when doing maintenance in the tank). Do you have a good place to put it, away from heating vents or heavy "traffic" areas? Sometimes this can be a determining factor.

Most folks who use Eco are running high-tech planted tanks. Are you planning to use CO2 or fertilizers? How are you running your successful 10 gal? What intensity of light do you have, and what types of plants are you currently growing? These answers will point you to your next tank.

I'd try to set up the new tank following the existing tank as closely as possible, to repeat your success. You'll find enough things are different in a larger system to provide you with plenty of learning opportunities. Plus, once the new tank is stable, you can start to experiment by trying a plant you haven't grown before, or introducing another type of fish or some invertebrates (like freshwater shrimp) or to introduce CO2 if you're not already running it.

Outline what you're doing with the successful 10 gal, and it will be easier to give you assistance. 


Hope this helps!
-Jane


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## Tethyis (Jan 28, 2006)

Sorry I was vague. I didn't mean to sound like a 10 gallon couldnt be a real planted aquarium, just that my 10 gallon isnt. I want at it allll backward. I got a lil bitty tank for a guppy realized it was a bad ide. SO i got the 10 gallon actually let it cycle( my poor guppy in that lil uncycled tank







). Then after the fish had been in there a bit , I suddenly decided "Oh wow, lets get plants." And I got a cheesy lil house that my corys love. Thats why I reallly wanted to go at this tank from a much more planned angle.
Here's my 10 gallon.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

i would say get whatever tank you live the looks of best. the 35 isn't a hexagon tank is it, because those don't look very nice when you plant them. 

your first decision should be rather you want to go high tech or low tech. with high tech you will use co2, fertilizers, and higher lighting. with low tech you still updrade the lighting, but you use soil and fish for your source of nutrients.


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## Tethyis (Jan 28, 2006)

Either tank I get will be a rectangular tank. Since this is my first try, I think I will go low -tech. The reason I liked the sounds of the eco-complete is it seemed like it was less hassle to use with good results.


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

Tethyis I think your right about the Eco. I would use it in any tank, high or low tech.

As far as size for a first time tank..HUmmm I think It would need depth, say 18" with a height of no more then 21". This would be the best for planted tank to set up for show tanks. How ever for a first time plant tank I would highly recommend a 30gal. 
W36"xH17"xD12". The reason I would choose this tank is, it is very cost effective. You can use two 36w cf lights over it as a high or low tech tank and grow some nice plants. The tank is long enough for a small school of fish to swim in and the height for some taller plants to grow. Also you don't need a large canister filter to get the job done. BUT don't let the LFS guy talk you into any thing else except a canister filter. IF you start off with the right stuff in the beginning you save money in the long run.

Hawk


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Oh, Hawkeye raises excellent points about the lighting over a 30 gallon, and how its a cost effective size. I'm running a 30 gal planted tank, and I love it! He's right about the fish having some room to really stretch out and swim, without it being too big. Its an OK depth to work in, too. I'm 5'3", and I don't have too much difficulty reaching in for maintenance (16-17" deep) in all but the far corners, whereas my 20H (24" deep) is often troublesome to work in.

I like your tank! Even the corny house is kinda cute. Corys like houses.... no matter what the decor, LOL! (they are CAT fish, after all).

If you think you'd go low tech, take a look at the forum titled "El Natural" here. The plants become your main water quality "filters". It sounds like you've learned a lot from your first setup already! Learning to observe and problem solve is key. 

Lots of reading will help you plan. Learn about the substrate (sounds like you've already looked into that) and the lighting. Read the general plant forum and the plant list/resource forum for ideas about what types of plants you like, and what would suit the tank you're setting up. Read on El Natural to learn about the balance of bioload, and what to expect. (oh, and PS - over on El Natural, one of the moderators, Ricardo, just helped set up a first planted tank w/ his fiancee. There is a lot of good information there). 

Your guppy sounds like a survivor! You'd be surprised how many of us have done things "backwards", LOL!

-Jane


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

Jane you mentioned the corny house being cute! There was I time I would never use things like that but have you seen the new ship wrecks for aquariums? For some reason I really like those. I thing you could do a really nice planted tank with them as long as you use the every large wrecks in a large tank.

Hawk


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Um..... if you say so, Hawk *wink*!!! My BF says I go through "kitch moods" where things like this will appeal to me more than other times. I just liked the pict with the happy cory swimming out of "his" house, LOL!

OK, shipwrecks and padogas aside, reading through the forums, and looking at the contest winning picts will help you get a sense of what appeals to you. Granted, if going low tech (which, personally, I think is a good idea to start off) you won't be able to achieve the lush landscapes the contest winners have. OK, there, I said it, the plain hard truth. BUT, you still can achieve something very attractive. Some of the picts over on El Natural will attest to this! I know the pictures of the contest winning tanks tend to set the bar very high in one's mind. Not that its not worth to aspire to, but more realistic expectations will be set by looking over on El Natural. OK, all that out of the way, you can really have an attractive tank using plants! Take a look at the sweet nano tanks "Littleguy" posted over on El Natural. Very inspiring.

You said your Fiancee is a fish nut.... just fish, or does that include plants? If its just fish, you may soon be able to share your plant knowledge with him!

-Jane

PS - oh, and Hawk...... yeah, I gotta come clean. Other than that first little ceramic "bridge" in my tank as a kid, I've never had ornaments other than rocks or driftwood. BUT.... I have had brief moments when looking at those large, HIGHLY detailed shipwrecks, in which my mind goes to a scene with tiny plants, emphasizing the scale of the "wreck", and I find myself thinking "hmmm......". But SHHHHHH! Don't tell anyone!


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## Tethyis (Jan 28, 2006)

Wow! Thanks for all the input guys. I checked out the El natural section, getting a lot of info here








Yeah my fiance is mostly a fish guy, but he's already getting a bit of the plant craze as well. However he has cichlids and they tend to destroy everything he puts in there.( my type of kitch tends to lean toward the ruins, castles and old greek statues and stuff LOL.) 
I realllllly want to make a cool planted aquarium with some driftwood and plants though. I am 5'3" like Jane. I think we have decided on the 35 gallon tank for now. I dont know much about the canisters so Im gonna have to do some more reading. Thanks again for all the help guys. I'll keep you posted as this adventure moves along.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Speaking of sunken boat decorations, have you seen the downed planes? I can see Hawk's point of how that might actually look cool in a properly aquascaped tank. I think you should give it a shot Hawkeye!

-ricardo


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

I have thought about it but the ship wreck I would like cost close to $100. All thou it does give me an idea for the next time I have allot of store credits built up.

Hawk


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## Tethyis (Jan 28, 2006)

Visited my LFS yesterday. That was a blast! The owner was very cool, and they had a ton of beautiful aquariums set up. Lots of live rock, fish I've never heard of, equipment equipment equipment. etc. Realllly cool place. They have the eco-complete YAY! Plus he's got the canisters and is really good about running through the setup of stuff with you. It was funny I asked for a certian kind of light and the guy goes and gets the bulbs, hands them to me and I look at my fiance and say " this isnt what I said." He replies" No dear, its what you need. Thats the way he works" Since we had already discussed my tank and these two are more experienced than me, I can go with that







. We're torn between the wider 55 gallon tank (rather then the normal narrow kind) and a beautiful square 35 that I fell in love with. May start with that great 35 and a nice driftwood piece in it.
Also I just recieved an order I got from an online store so here's an update of my 10-gallon with its new hygrophilia(sp?) and some java moss.


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