I intend to get a 2' tank

I was thinking with rollers
I can push it to the kitchen / toilet
When cleaning
& can b flexible on locations in future
Its stainless steel too

I guess will have to check out the real item
Esp the rollers then

Oh i did consider lerberg too
The height shoulder level
I think is nice for viewing aquarium

if you do aquascaping- once you push and the tank move....everything will be disturbed. Rock wood plants... u tell me.
every single thing.

i could be wrong.... still new and learning here.

PS: why wanna bring to kitchen and toilet? the fishes eat and pop in the tank  *wink

if you do aquascaping- once you push and the tank move....everything will be disturbed. Rock wood plants... u tell me.
every single thing.

i could be wrong.... still new and learning here.

PS: why wanna bring to kitchen and toilet? the fishes eat and pop in the tank  *wink

sounds like an accident waiting to happen lol, plus moving a full/even half tank of water on rollers probably stressful for fish. imagine an earthquake. U might as well setup a tank on the counter top/island near the sink for easier accessibility. just avoid the stove / water soap splash.

n people do rescapes quite often in the hobby, can always move then haha.

Some Images

maintenance should be non hassle if your not overstocking, n not over feeding. proper water flow will lift up most of the detritus aka poop to masuk filter. i have a planted tank. top up water only.

What kind of fish u planing to stock?   
this, plus major spills

a bucket will suffice lol. use a gravel vac or submerged pump(use pantyhose or netting to prevent fish entering) to suck out water for water changes.

i see
ok tx
something for me to think about
i was thinking whether it might b easier
for cleaning cycling things like dat
just hose into the wc 
also spills & mopping
i'm relieved to hear only top up needed
thats for purely plants only rite ?

what if with fishes eg zebras ?
will it make a big difference to the water quality
& cleaning frequency ?
i have shrimps too

i did think of using the island top
but if family visits for dinner
i will have to move it..

ah u have shrimps, so u probably know about all this anyway. lol[/b]
it was relaxing for me to type this anyway. kelos

first of all welcome to the hobby 
ill be typing base on my experience.
before starting, best learn about the nitrogen cycle.
cleaning is a no brainier, for newly setup tank, better to do water changes weekly, 30%-50% range. ur new tank may not be able to fully convert all the ammonia n nitrates in the water. concentration to high, fatal.

read up on how to cycle a new tank.
the proven method is to use old filter media.
but since ur starting from zero, i can recommend seachem stability to establish a bacteria colony quickly tho it will take months to be fully develop. so slowly stock the tank. It worked for me but some others are not as fortunate. can always do the fish food/seafood method.
now why i only top up? no water change? cuz not much shit. bigger tank, less concentrated. but ofc, what works for me, may not work for you. everyone tank is diff, never 1=1. n i still recommended to do water changes to dilute all bad stuff in there. yes planted tnak. non planted tank, better get a sump or do big water changes.

yea long hose would work with a pump, doesn't have to be an overkill 1, just enough to push water for the distance/height. or use a bucket

i remember sometime ago, i think utuber mentioned 1 gallon to 2 inches of fish. u can add more like how most fish store do, just do more maintenance. i usually feed and starve my fish every other day. to control. or feed minimal amount daily.

water quality, if u add more fish, ofc will have more ammonia.  snails and shrimp dont have much bioload, i dare say none lol in a planted tank situation.
cleaning frequency, depends on tank to tank. how are you feeding? are you dosing fertilizers or any other chemical? algae growth? dirty tank doesn't mean bad water. i regular maintenance is pruning the fast growers, glass algae scraping. substrate was originally black, cant see the poop anyway haha. i have a school of otocinclus and shrimp to help with the funky algae. crazy algae growth usually a sign of imbalance. feeding to much? too much light? co2? etc

ah u have shrimps, so u probably know about all this anyway. lol
it was relaxing for me to type this anyway. kelos

tx for yr generous sharing
lets say i start off
with moss & 3day old tap water
+ add old goldfish bowl water
1 weeks later only i add zebra
can omit seachem ?
manyak mahal oh

Hi all.

Wanted to get some guidance as I'm starting my very first planted tank.

60x40x40cm 8mm Iwagumi tank with hair grass, Cuba and Monte carlo.

Questions :
I've already bought the tank, light and filter (Dophin Cf600).
Can advice on what should I get for the soil instead?
In my list right now:
ADA Bacter 100
ADA Power Sand
ADA Aqua Soil-Amazonia 9L as the base
ADA Amazonia Powder for the surface

Anything I missed out? Should I have a co2 system for my setup? Drystart or not?

Will like to get all the items required this weekend in 1 shot as CMCO right now. Don't want to travel Sana sini.

Welcome to the club!

1.  yes ADA amazonia II is good.
2. i would not bother about power sand and bacter
    power sand is mainly use for heavily planted tank. Bacter is to speed up bacteria growth. i would let the bacteria grow slowly (and save the rm 100). If you or ur friend have another tank, can get it from there .
3. CF 600 is good size, load it with filter media ( i mean those bio ring etc) as it dont come with it.
4. Glass lily pipe? 
5 Tension gon
6 what rocks are you using? any picture which inspire you?
7 Yes COs is recommended . you seems serious then get the proper aluminium tank set, with soleniod.

8. fertilizer... may be later after a few weeks.

so do dry start, but i do you have patience for 2-3 weeks?

5 Tension gon


so do dry start, but i do you have patience for 2-3 weeks?

no.. not really
we dont send to shirmp hotel.

typically got 2 way-
a- we get a portable tank and bring the shrimp with us.
b- 2 days before we leave, we bring to local favorite restaurant - my favorite is drunken prawn, or course someother like butter style as well. if wanna halal one- you may try the tomyam shop

Types of Filtration:
Mechanical Filtration: This type of filtration is used to remove suspended dirt, floating particles and debris from the water column. This type of filtration is achieved by foam, sponge, fiber mesh and similar fine meshed media. Below is an example of a Mechanical Filter Media from an Eheim Canister Filter.


Biological Filtration: This is the main type of filtration that is required for any aquarium. This mainly consists of media like Ceramic Rings, Bio Balls, Lava Rocks, etc, essentially media which is highly porous which provides a large surface area. Lot of essential bacteria like nitrifying bacteria and microorganisms thrive and multiply in this type of media and the high surface area provided by this type of media directly results in the amount of bacteria that colonize in your filter. These bacteria are found in the tank and form a film over every surface inside the aquarium and are referred to as “Bio Film” but the quantity of this in the tank is not enough. Hence we use Biological Media in the filter to provide a good growing area for these bacteria. These bacteria convert harmful shrimp waste which is essentially ammonia into harmless nitrates which is readily absorbed by the plants as nutrients. Without the biological filtration in place the shrimp waste spoils the water quality and the flora and fauna suffer which also leads to death. This type of media should ideally form 80% of the entire media used in the filter.


There are commercially available products that have dormant essential bacteria that become active when you add them to your tank. It usually comes in a powder form and can be used underneath the substrate, sprinkled inside your tank and on the biological filter media. This will jump start your Tank cycling process. This can also be used in case you end up wiping out the essential bacteria in your setup for any reason. Some examples of these products are ADA Bacter 100, ADA Bacter Ball, Mosura Bio Plus etc. There is also biological filtration media which come seeded with the essential bacteria like ADA Bio Rio which also reduces your tank cycling time and also has excellent surface area for your bacteria to colonize. To know if you’re nitrifying bacteria and other essential bacteria are doing well, you can use an ammonia/nitrite test kit. These should ideally be zero.Below is a picture of ceramic rings.
Chemical Filtration: This type of filter is used to remove harmful chemicals from the water in the tank. Activated Carbon is what is used to act as a chemical filter. The life of activated carbon is 7 – 14 days based on the quality. After which it needs to be replaced if required. External Canister Filters come with an Activated Carbon Pad as a part of the filter media. Once a tank is cycled, you really don’t need to have this media in your filter unless you suspect that there are some harmful chemicals in the water. It is good to keep this media handy with you, in case for any reason if some harmful chemicals do get introduced to your tank through the tap water or other sources you can use this media in your filter to nullify the effect of those chemicals on your shrimps. Below is a picture of Activated Carbon


Common types of mechanical filter
External Canister Filters: These are the best type of filters for planted aquarium. They have a large media chamber which can be effectively used for housing a large amount of Biological Media. They sit outside the tank and hence make the tank look clutter free. Have a smooth and silent operation. Eheim Filters are one of the best External Canister Filters available in the market. Below is a picture of an Eheim Classic Canister Filter and the ideal way to layer media in the canister filter.


Hang On Back Filter: Also called as HOB’s, these filters are hung on the edge of the glass, there is a pipe which goes into the aquarium and is used to siphon the water out into the main filtration chamber which sits outside the aquarium and flows back into the aquarium through an outlet. These come in various filter capacity referred to as LPH (Liters per Hour). These are ideal for small tanks. You can put some Biological Filtration Media in the chamber, but the space is very limited.


Sponge Filter: This type of filter is the most commonly used filters, this filter is placed completely inside an Aquarium and is air driven by an aerator. The main component of these filters is a sponge which acts as a mechanical filter and this works well as a biological filter as well. These again come in various sizes and you should choose one based on your tank capacity.


Under Gravel Filter: Also commonly known as UG Filter. This consists of a base plate with grooves, The substrate is covered over the base plate. There is a pipe which goes into the base plate and this is the one which is visible above the surface. This filter as the sponge filter is a air driven filter. The essential bacteria colonization happens in the base plate. Some professional breeders use this in conjunction with the External Canister Filter, where the pipe coming from the base plate is connected to the intake of the canister filter. When you are using UG Filter ensure that you use a substrate that does not easily break down, as this will get into the grooves of the base plate and eventually end up clogging it.

Cleaning Your Filter:
Yes, there is a right way to do this. Your filter is constantly removing debris and muck from your tank and all this is getting accumulated in the filtration media in your filter. This accumulation reduces the filters flow rate and hence its effectiveness. Ensure that you clean your filter media when you see your filter flow rate has reduced.

Take some water from the aquarium in a vessel or tub, rinse and squeeze the dirt out from the mechanical filter media in this tub. For the biological filter media like your ceramic rings, bio balls etc, what i usually do is put them in a wide mesh net bag so that they can be easily removed for filter maintenance. Just dip the bag with the filter media a couple of times in the tub to remove large pieces of dirt and debris. Do not give a thorough wash for this media, the concept is simple, if you give it a good wash you will end up wiping away the majority of your bacteria along with it and it takes time for the biological filter to establish again. Another thing that i do is always after a filter is cleaned, i put in some artificial bacteria like ADA Bacter 100 into the filter chamber itself in the cases of Canister and HOB, In cases of other filters i just put this into the tank itself to replenish lost bacteria.

Thanks to ShrimpNow !!!

i just started shrimping
didnt feed them anything
just leave them eat algae forever
should b ok right ?

i just started shrimping
didnt feed them anything
just leave them eat algae forever
should b ok right ?