New 3 Foot Tank

[perko]

hey all, new here, new to aquariums,
read some good stuff here, hope to keep on doing so

started to set up first tank today

3 foot tank, 200w heater (winter sucks for heating up water), power filter with short apray bar

geting spray bar extension tommorow (to go full length), probly plants tomoro, then the waiting game

potential fish :
swordtails
rams
bristlenose/bronze cats
some form of tetra's, probly neons/cardinals

any guide for numbers of each?

and any guide for plant species/numbers (pics would be great) appreciated, going for south american style tank

cheers,
perko

[Blonde Kid on Morphine]

G'day perko,
I'm in the process of getting my 3fter up and running at the moment too!.
It'll be good see how yours turns out, do you have good lighting for your tank yet?

A few good hardy plants that I Was told to look into for a start were anubias, java fern and java moss but all these will really enjoy being attatched to drift wood, which I think looks great in an aquarium. when I get the rest of my plants in I'll post pics.
The fish you have selected all seem good to me as well ;).
Good luck with the final set up!.

[perko]

It'll be good see how yours turns out, do you have good lighting for your tank yet?[/b]

hey
yeh got good lighting, triple T5, two white tubes, one nighttime blue tube

bloke at the LFS (that means local fish store/shop right?) said its the only way to go for planted tanks, so pocket had a hard hit

so lighting isnt an issue

also, i have 2 pieces of driftwood in the tank too, so il look at those plants today

cheers
perko

[perko]

algae on timber in new 3 foot, set up on saturday

cloudy looking stuff on one of my pieces of wood, thinking of getting bristlenoses tomoro, bout 3,

am told they will cope with a new tank, not fully cycled, and will help the cycle process along,

thought???

[Blonde Kid on Morphine]

I would suggest just 2 bristlenose, given that they will grow to about 6 inches when fully grown.
I'm planning on 2 bristlenose for my 3ft tank too ;).
Indeed they are hard little buggers and should be fine with the cycling process.

[wombat1100]

algae on timber in new 3 foot, set up on saturday

cloudy looking stuff on one of my pieces of wood, thinking of getting bristlenoses tomoro, bout 3,

am told they will cope with a new tank, not fully cycled, and will help the cycle process along,

thought???[/b]


If you are having algae problems after only 5 days you have a problem with too much lighting i would think, how long are you lights on for? is the tank near a window?
Do you have another tank that you can steal some cycled water form , this will help the new tank get a head start.
I personally would get my tank in tip top condition BEFORE adding any fish, what sort of filtration are you running in the tank also ? is there good water flow/circulation?
Dazz

[perko]

If you are having algae problems after only 5 days you have a problem with too much lighting i would think, how long are you lights on for? is the tank near a window?
Do you have another tank that you can steal some cycled water form , this will help the new tank get a head start.
I personally would get my tank in tip top condition BEFORE adding any fish, what sort of filtration are you running in the tank also ? is there good water flow/circulation?
Dazz[/b]

not near a window, but lots of light, triple tube(2xwhite, 1x blue) T5 10000K 3 foot light, running from 6am til 7.30pm

went to the LFS today, talked to the guy, and im just going to clean off the algae, boiling water and scrubbing, and add bristlenose's in bout a week

[perko]

oh, and 1000litre an huor internal power filter, resun brand, with full length spray bar, that said there is not much movement near the wood in question, as its the one concealing the power filter, so no in path of bar

[Fullboar]

hey
yeh got good lighting, triple T5, two white tubes, one nighttime blue tube

bloke at the LFS (that means local fish store/shop right?) said its the only way to go for planted tanks, so pocket had a hard hit

so lighting isnt an issue

also, i have 2 pieces of driftwood in the tank too, so il look at those plants today

cheers
perko[/b]

Perko, how much did you pay for the T5?

Scott