my next/new planted tank!

[jonah h2o]

got a text from aquatic warehouse saying that they FINALLY had my tank in! quickly went to the store an picked it up, I was lucky I got it when I did supposedly mr. aqua is having problems. still trying to find the money to get everything the way I want to (make it perfect) heres a list of what "I would like" to put on the tank obviously that may in the end not be the case (hopefully it is) if anyone has any ideas or anything that would make the tank a little cheaper that I'm not thinking of or anything I need that I don't have not the list I would love some help!!
btw tank dimensions are 36x18x20 roughly

1. ada power sand
2. ada Amazonia powder type?
3.seachem flourish tabs
4. Fluval canister filter (maybe someday metal inflow and outflow pipes)
5. Hydor or finnex heater (like that the Hydor one is outside tank, anyone had Any experience with one??)\
6. eventually I will do Kessil lights but don't want to buy the off eBay and can't really afford them new right now along with all the other tank costs.
7. general scape stuff rocks plants driftwood
hope you like an comment!!!

 

[jonah h2o]

oh and I want to do a stand with no lip or overhang completely flush with tank like the ada ones

 

[Fat Homer]

Honestly, im not sure i would worry about using strictly powder type substrate, mainly coz you will need a lot more to fill the tank, and unless you are doing something like a HC carpet, regular amazonia soil will be enough to hold most plants in place...

If you want the finer look of soil, then use the powder type soil for the top layer...

Onto lighting, you can always go for cheaper T5-HO unit with good reflectors, and add good bulbs, that will save some cash...

As for the metal intake etc, why no get a DoAqua glass set, basically the same as ADA glassware but half the cost (if not less)

Last but not least, have you considered Pressurized Co2, since if you going to spend all that cash, might as well go all the way...

 

[jonah h2o]

I have considered co2 but I will probably add it on later!

 

[Fat Homer]

^ i only recommend Co2, coz as you venture into high light / high fert territory, you will potentially get a lot of algae growing if not careful...

I know without pressurized Co2, I had to be a lot more careful not to end up just growing a bunch of algae in my more low tech setup...

 

[Fat Homer]

Btw, what type of scape are you hoping to achieve??? Iwagami / dutch / forest / moutain etc??? Coz that will also impact how you go about buying materials such as wood / rocks etc

-Edit-

Just a heads up that Iwagami scape will probably be cheapest to do, while possibly moutain scape being most expensive based on materials on my neck of the woods...

 

[jonah h2o]

something similar to this

 

[jonah h2o]

so a lot of rocks piled around a large piece of driftwood

 

[fisheatfish]

Maybe you can learn from my failure. I went the cheap route which included inexpensive dirt capped with blasting sand as substrates and built my own light fixture using flood lights...wasted my time to be honest. Also had pressurized co2 at the time. Wasted my time on the build & prepping the substrate & wasted money on plants that melted in time or out of frustration, I tore out.

This time around, I'm experiencing some success in terms of healthy plant growth. I went with fluval stratum mainly for my shrimps...they're multiplying which is a good sign with the stability of my tank. However, this substrate is so light in weight, it's not the easiest to plant new plants in but once they take root, they're fine.

My point is, this is an expensive hobby and going cheap resulted in me spending more money. I'm still very new to planted tank and learning as I go.

As for your stand, take a look at IKEA. You might find an inexpensive table that you can modify (enclose) and paint to your liking. I found one that worked nicely for a 30 gal cubed tank.

 

[Fat Homer]

something similar to this
View attachment 1231140

View attachment 1231139

Shouldn't be too hard to accomplish compared to some of the more hardcore aquascapes i've seen... as you said, basically need a few choice pieces of wood that you like, followed by enough rocks of varying sizes to form around the base to hold it all in place... the plants themselves seem to look like they are around low to medium which makes life a little easier...