Setting up a new 125 gal planted. Looking for some advice.

fatsix

Hi,

I,m new to your forum and looking for advice. I am going to purchase a 125 gal tank. I would like it to end up heavily planted with a large number of small schooling fish. I have been away from the hobby for a long time but I have had many tanks over the years. Both fresh and salt. This is my first attempt at a project like the one above and I would like to buy only quality equipment. Hope you might have a minute to respond.

Chesherca

Welcome to the forum, and good luck on designing a gorgeous planted tank! There are tons of people around that love to help with new setups - what questions do you have, exactly?

A good place to start - always - is with the Gh of your water. . . knowing the hardness of the water you're dealing with goes a long way in figuring out which fish, and which plants, to focus on.

fatsix

I will start with a water test kit. I live in central OK and my property has well water. It tastes great but I had not thought of testing it first. Thats why I wanted to ask knowledgable people many questions before starting. Looking forward to hearing from a lot of members.

fatsix

I'm not even sure what kind of test kit I need? Any suggestions?

Chesherca

Hats off to you for taking time out to do the research and do things the right way! If everyone started that way, there would be a lot more happy fish in the world!

If you don't have a water testing kit already, the company API makes a LIQUID that is sold for around $8 (Amazon carries it if your shop doesn't). Normally I'd tell you to try giving your local water company a call, but I don't think that would work with a well, lol! Since we're talking about testing water, you'll also want to pick up a test kit to measure toxins in the water once you get to the point of adding fish. Most people on here will recommend the , runs about $30 (OOH! Amazon has it on sale!), but it will last you for ages. Don't be fooled into getting the easy dip strips, they're notoriously inaccurate - a waste of money - unfortunately, it has a Ph test, but not one for water hardness - so if you can't find that info out another way, you'll have to get both :)

fatsix

One of the test kits were on sale. Thanks for the heads up. I will post again when I have the test results.

Chesherca

:) Good luck!

Byron

Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

I second the test kit. And contacting your municipal water folks for data on the GH, KH and pH of your tap water.

At the head of the Aquarium Plants section there is a series I wrote entitled "A Basic Approach to the Natural Planted Aquarium" that sets out in summary a low-tech or "natural" method planted tank.

Byron.

fatsix

Byron, Where can I find the series you wrote? Sounds interesting. I dont have a municipal water company, my house is on a private well.

fatsix

The test kit I ordered should be here today. I will post the results this weekend.