Keng wrote:
Hello all
So I am new to all of this. I just moved to Buffalo NY last month and
I just purchased a 72 gal bow front and would like your suggestions on
filters for a plant tank.
I have had your tank as my planted display tank for two years. If you want
some hard-won wisdom, read on. It may not be what you want to hear.
A. Firstly, since I am starting from scratch... here is what I have
bought so far
5 X 16lbs flourite
5 X 25lbs gravel
Congratulations on discovering Flourite. You will not be disappointed. I
have five bags in my tank, nothing else. Advice: Return the gravel, add
one more bag of flourite, you'll have over two inches throughout even with
a slight back to front slope.
1 X CO2 from Nutrafin
This is completely inadequate. This product is rated for a 10-20 gallon
tank. Your choices are to buy four of them, and spend your whole life
refilling them, or go with pressurized CO2. Nutrifin and DIY CO2 work
great for smaller tanks. Folks with 30-40 gallon tanks often run two,
2-liter bottles in parallel with good results. But over 40 gallons, forget
it. Sorry.
Pressurized CO2 will cost about $100-150 to start, which you will recover
on savings in sugar and yeast in 18-24 months for a big tank.
B. I need a filter. So far I found out that a canister filter is
probably my best option. And by the looks of things a Fluval or an
ehiem would be a good choice. Anyone recommend the Ehiem with the
heater integrated with it? I have seen a couple of other filter such
as the internal ProAquatics filter which comes with a heater inside
it. I dont think I would want a filter that hangs on the outside
because I want the tank pretty close to the wall. I am a bargain
hunter so recommendations on where to buy it cheap would be FANTASTIC.
Price is no object advice: Eheim, no heater. Buy two, 150 watt Ebo Jaeger
heaters and hide them on opposite sides of the tank.
Bargain hunter advice: Choose one of the cheaper filter brands (Filstar,
Fluval, etc). Same heater advice. Fluval is quite well regarded.
Now, here's what you didn't ask:
LIGHTING: Your tank is 24 inches deep. You and I need MUCH more light than
someone with a 72 gallon 18" deep tank. I have been using 4x55W AHS
compact flourescents and NO COVER. This is barely sufficient light if you
replace the bulbs after 12-18 months.
http://www.ahsupply.com
TEST KITS: You cannot survive without a nitrate test kit, a KH test kit,
and a pH test kit. Nitrate because unlike a fish-only tank, plants will
probably eat all the nitrate in your tank and you will have to add it. KH
and pH because they tell you what is going on with your CO2. Aquarium
Pharmaceuticals and Seachem are popular brands.
NUTRIENTS: Your plants will need nutrients. Start reading he
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/
http://www.aquatic-plants.org/fert/e...st_index1.html