What You Need to Start AQUASCAPING
Which Size Tank to Buy?
Trying to decide on how big of a tank to get is based on a few things. You need to think about, budget, where you are going to put the tank, and the look you are trying to accomplish. For beginners starting out with a 20 gallon aquarium is perfect. The reason why is that there is enough water in the system to make it easier to balance out the eco system. If you were going to choose a nano tank as your first aquarium it will be extremely hard to balance the eco system. Resulting in dying plants or a never ending supply of algae to battle. So, for beginners I would suggest finding an aquarium 20 – 40 gallons. If you choose to go bigger than that it will be a lot of maintenance for you every week. With a tank 20 – 40 gallons big you will have more success and only will have to do a weekly water change. A 20 – 40 gallon tank will cost 200 – 400 dollars. Making it easier on people who might have a tighter budget.
Low Tech V.S. High Tech
Should you go with a low tech or with a high tech system? A low tech system is an aquarium that has plants that does not require complex lighting settings or a specific water parameter to survive in. In low tech aquariums, plants will need less light to thrive and do not care about having a certain water ph. With a low tech system, people are either have a lower budget, new to the hobby, or simply do not want to deal with having all the different parameters to ensure healthy plants. With a high tech aquarium, plants will require a higher quality of light, specific PH for water parameters, and Co2. With high tech aquarium plants will need a Co2 system for them to grow. Plants that will carpet the aquarium will need this Co2 in the water to do this. High tech systems are for people who have experience in the hobby and for people who have a larger budget. Having a good lighting system, keeping strict water parameters, and having a Co2 system can cost a lot of money to do properly.
Which Filter Works Best for You?
There are tons of different filter options for planted tanks. The ones that would work best are sumps or a canister filter. If you were to get a tank less than 90 gallons a canister filter would be the best one to consider. Any larger and then you should research getting a sump. One key to keep to mind when choosing a filter is how many gallons of water it can circulate. A good rule of thumb is the filter should be able to cycle the entire aquarium 3 full times within an hour.
