Carlos & Siran Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Howdy all, been busy setting up our new 4ft tank today. We've laid aqua base and will put in jbl fert balls once plants are in. so far we have Chain sword grass, amazon sword plant, a satin pink lilly, mondo grass, indian fern, java moss, and we've got coming ambulia, bean stalk, cardamine, and a water rose. I know the pics aren't the best but we were wondering if anyone had any suggestions on plant placement. The rocks on the driftwood are just to hold it down, hopefully they can come off in a month or so. Thanx for looking ttfn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 What's going in this tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 all the fish in our signature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 What sort of look are you after? Anything in particular? Is it a planted, community, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 I have that exact same stand and lid! :bounce: and possibly the tank too. what sort of lights are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 it's a community tank but we want a selection of good healthy plants as our 3 ft just looks manky with the few pitiful plants we have. I guess we just want to find a happy medium between lots of plants but still be able to see the fish, I have no idea about plant placement, I know tall plants in the back and short plants in the front but as you can see the wood is our center peice and tanks up quite a lot of room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 The general rule is that if you have one, then you need to have many. One rock on its own will look un-natural so I'd suggest ditching the rock if there's only one. Maybe remove all the rocks even if there is more than because the DW takes up alot of space. You may need to use plants like moss and java fern to fill in the space on the DW. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 we bought the tank with just a single 4ft aqua one 40wtt, we've since bought 2 more single 36wtt batten lights but I have some inheritance money coming from my Grandma soon and we want to get more serious but don't have a clue what we're on about. What exactly is a metal halide light and why are they so expensive and are they for full on tanks only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 that hood is not designed for MH lights, so don't go down that road. Modifying a $600-$700 stand and lid is not something I would do, as its resale value would be nothing. 4ft t5HO lights will sit under the hood perfectly and will provide enough lighting for you to grow almost anything. your t8's are ok at the moment, I'd recommend having at least one that is 10000K as they are not that bright. high output (HO) tubes do not conform to the same wattage rules as the normal tubes,as you get more light for the same amount of Watts if you see what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 I'm no expert on metal halides but I find my fluoros do the job just fine. Remember to balance light with CO2 and ferts, that was my biggest mistake. If you need inspiration have a look at these tanks: http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2 ... w-showcase They always seem to help me get ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneeyedfrog Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Where's the pics gone? Wanted to see this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 there are, we having a few probs with photo bucket, might have to look for something better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 I recommend Webshots.com there are, we having a few probs with photo bucket, might have to look for something better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 IMHO I woudlnt worry about CO2. you have used aqua base which I think has ferts in it and JBL bals as well ...is that right? Also dont ditch the rock, the balance looks ok and it splits the line of the tank. I generally mass plant so if you have a group of plants put them all in the same area to "fill" it in. I also like tall at back and low in front and as you wont want to vax the gravel I usually leave a fair amount of space around plants when first planting up to give them room to establish and also water change without disturbing the roots etc. One suggestion might be tall plants behind the DW and the rock with low plants in front of the rock trailing off towards the DW so as to lead the eye from one to the other. You could then leave and unplanted margin in front of those plants at the very front of the tank that then pushes the fish forward for you to view whilst still giving them cover. Does that make sense? Also I woudl stay away from MH. Expensive, hot, and not needed. With the right plants and water change regime you shoudl be fine if you pick teh right K of tube. Whilst your LFS if it is good can help with that it is often cheeper to go to a hydroponics or specialist lighting shop. HTH Oh also I woudl establish tank and plants and cycle slowly adding a few fish at a time so as to not cause and algae bloom with all those ferts. You could also dose with PMDD ( see HaNs for that) to help get the ball rolling. Navarre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 hey cool, thanx for the imput Navarre, lol, we've pretty much done what you said. we've still got quite few plants to come but we've made a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Sounds great. Basicly the only rule is break all the rules Woudl be greatto see soem more photos as this tank developes Navarre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneeyedfrog Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 That's a lovely big bit of driftwood. Keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Aye, love the wood, but it wouldn't fit and I so didn't want to cut it. I had to smash a bit off with the axe and break bits off with pliers untill it finally went in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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