# New to the world of aquaria



## harbisgirl (May 5, 2006)

Hello,

I am new to the world of aquaria. I have a turtle and set up a 20 gallon breeder tank for some fish and some plants, then decided that if I'm going to have a another tank in the living room, I might as well make it more presentable and have prettier fish and more plants. Anyway, one thing let to another and I've become ..... obsessed 

Anyway, I would like to set up my 20 gal with many more plants and I don't know where to start. I currently have a one of those lame little 30 gallon whisper filters from Wal-Mart and an unknown plant light (threw the box away) and a bubbler. There are about a dozen fancy guppies, some ramshorn snails (don't eat live plants), 6 neon tetras, a little shark, and 2 little ghost shrimp. The plants are: about 4 strands of anacharis, and 2 plants that I don't remember- I think arrowhead or sword plant. I just ordered about 2 cups of java moss and some Malaysian trumpet snails. The substrate is just white sand and some pebbles.

I've been reading the stickys, but it's all a bit overwhelming. I'm familiar with water parameters and filtration because of my turtle tank, but from what I've read, tending to plants is entirely different. I know I need a whole new setup, so that's why I'm here. Do you guys have any recommendation for filtration (thinking of getting a Filstar XP1 or XP2), CO2, lighting, substrate, etc? The CO2 worries me most, because it seems that its so sensitive to lighting, bioload, etc.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Hi there, welcome to the forum!

Depending on where your goals are in terms of keeping tech down and maintenance low. I feel a filter change in any event would be beneficial. I suggest an XP1 for a 20 gallon. Print out the listing from drsfostersmith.com, or bigalsonline.com, bring it over to your local petsmart and pricematch it to save a few bucks.

After that, dependin on how much light you have. Generally it's a good idea to shoot for 2.0 watts per gallon. A Coralife 65watt fixture would be good to grow any and all plants.

CO2 isn't all that scary, if you take a step back. There's a DIY (Do it Yourself) CO2 sticky that's pretty easy to follow. You'll need some CO2 if you have 2.0 watts or more. Or you can just add Seachem's Flourish Excel for CO2 supplementation. The purpose of CO2 is to have great levels for plants to grow. With good growing plants, algae suffers because it's a lower class of species.

After that, there's some fertilization needs. Macros nutrients and micro nutrients. The Estimative Index is an easy way to start and cover all nutrient needs. There's a sticky in the fertilzation section that will help you out and tell you all you need to know.

I know it may seem a bit scary and lots of information. But trust me, once you read through some of the information, ask tons of questions, you'll have a grasp over it in no time. The above recommendation is for anyone wanting to create a planted aquarium with any and all plants.

-John N.


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## harbisgirl (May 5, 2006)

Hm. Well I read the stickys, the only DIY I saw was from the Ben Benton article, about the yeast in a bottle thing. That sounds a bit iffy. I'm kind of anal, and would like something a bit more reliable. Well, it could be entirely realiable, I don't know. Are there any inexpensive CO2 kits that are recommended? 

I'm also confused about tank size. The article refers to 'small to medium' sized tanks. I'm used to dealing with 55-250 gallon sized tanks because of my turtle, so I dont know what small to medium means here. I know some people have nano tanks (5 gallon?) so I dont know how it compares.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I guess I should have linked some of the stickies from the different forum sections on APC, here are some to start. Go through the other stickies in the other forums sections to get more info.

Start here for Fertilization.

DIY CO2 and this one. This is as reliable as you can get in terms of DIY, the other options are Excel and Pressurized CO2. DIY is pretty reliable and good with a 20 gallon tank as long as the CO2 bottle is changed every 2-3 weeks.

Generally for Planted Aquaria,

1-10 gallons are nanos
10-75 medium/large tanks
75+ dream tanks

How techy and how much work your tank requires depends on how much light you want over your tank. 2.0+ wpg drives most plants in the hobby, anything 1.5-2.0 wpg limited to anubias, java moss, java ferns, crypts (see plantfinder top left toolbar for more options). After you choose your light settings and your particular plant selection, then fertilzation and CO2 needs go from there.

-John N.


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## harbisgirl (May 5, 2006)

Fantastic, thank you!

Is my sand substrate ok? what are the macro and micro nutrients you were refering to?

Thanks again!


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## harbisgirl (May 5, 2006)

Nevermind, I just noticed your fertilization link


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Sand works, but it can get compacted and create anaerobic pockets which you don't want. If you use it, I would suggest not having it more than 2 -2.5 inches depth at max to minimize problems.


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## harbisgirl (May 5, 2006)

I have about 2". I'm getting some malaysian trumpet snails, would that help it from getting compacted?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Yes, MTS's are great for keeping the sand turned and eating left over foods. I use pool filter sand mixed with gravel in all my tanks. Good things about pool sand is it does not alter water parameters or become compacted as easily because of the larger grain.


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