LoraW

Hi all! I was wondering if I could get some input...

I have a drilled 24 inch cube (60 gallon) that is plumbed into a 30 gallon sump. It is a beautiful rimmless starfire tank with a custom stand and canopy. It is currently a reef, but I have been considering re-setting it up to hold a nice pair of FW angels.

I picture the above mentioned pair of angels with some corys, otos, BNs, and maybe a small shoal of some type of tetra (rummynose?). I would like to moderately plant this tank with crypts, anubias and some vals....nothing too difficult. I would just like a natural look to accent the beauty of the angels

OK....now for my questions

1) Is it feasible to maintain live flora in drilled tanks? My thoughts being that there will always be constant surface agitation, which will result in high O2 and low CO2. I considered adding a cheap carbon dioxide system...but I figured it would be moot and that the gases would be lost as fast as they entered the system.

2) What type of lighting would you recommed for this set up? There is a 8 lamp T5HO light onn it now, which is overkill. In the canopy (in a closet ATM) there are 3 T12 lamps, but no reflector. Would those be enough if I added reflectors? I am concerned with the depth of the tank. I also have a 2 and a 4 lamp T5HO fixtures that will set on the tank, although I would prefer to use the canopy, for appearances.

3) Do you think I could get by with just a natural gravel? I have also considered turface.


Thanks to everyone in advance for taking the time to read this long post and hopefully offer a little guidance.

Bert H

Sure. Having a sump and high surface agitation, will certainly mean you will degas CO2, but if you don't mind using more of it, just crank it up higher to make up for that fact.

For the plants you mentioned, 120W will more than suffice you, even considering the depth issue. As to what type, I'll let others make suggestions.

If you maintain a good fert routine, you could use cheap gravel if you wanted/needed to. Turface has been used by others here with good results.

HTH.

LoraW

Hey, thanks for responding!

So, you think a 6 bulb t5ho retrofit? That would put out something like 150 watts? Six bulbs of T5HO would be sufficient to keep many corals. I really struggle understanding the "right" lighting for planted tanks. The t12's that are in the canopy are 20 watts each. So maybe 6 of those?

Would CO2 supplementation be a necessity in this tank?

I was thinking cheap gravel for the corys...you know the rounded pieces of quartz you can pick up at the big name stores. In your opinion, would it pay off in teh long run to start with a planted tank substrate like is sold on aquariumplants.com?

Bert H

IMHO, if you went with the 150W/T5HO, I would probably go with the CO2. With the other set up, with a reasonable photoperiod, it probably wouldn't be a necessity. Having said that, I must say, CO2 makes life a lot easier for keeping any type/level of plants..

Cheap gravel would work, especially if you water column fertilize, just make sure it's small enough to hold down plants and their roots.

LoraW

Thanks! I'll post some pictures when it comes together. =)

Snakeskin Discus

Sounds cool ! I have the same sized and shaped tank but have not set it up yet . I cant wait to see what yours looks like . Maybe it will give me some ideas . But I will keep Discus instead of angels . T5's are good . CO2 helps the plants grow really well .