Looking into getting another hobby and a someone mentioned starting a Nature Aquarium and suggested going to Aqua Forest Aquarium on Fillmore.

I was wondering:

If anybody had experience with Aqua Forest

or

If people own nature aquarium themselves, what upkeep/costs are like etc.

Thanks guys!

Pics of some:

 

I have a buddy that has been WAY into this stuff for as long as I have known him. Lemme ask.

 

That would be awesome... THANKS!

 

That is really cool. Must resist... spending... money...

 

Planted tanks are cool, they are not cheap though. Lighting can be very expensive depending on the size of the aquarium. Its a really fun hobby though. LoL I have spent more money on aquariums then mods for my STI lol

Right now I have a 210g, 135g, 100g and 29g tanks All fresh water.

 

Seriously, he spends a TON of time and money on his tanks.

 

Or if you want to get a little crazy you can do a riparium I told my friend Tiny D to make a post, he has some crazy aquariums...

 

There is a ton of good info on www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

I highly recommend joining the forums on plantedtank.net and sfbaaps.org

Here's the only pic that I have of my tank a few years back. It's currently torn down and in the process of getting re-scaped.



This is 120cm x 45cm x 45cm

 

Planted tanks can be very expensive, trust me I have been there. A good starting point as far as aquarium size is a 55 gallon, they are very cheap and always a ton on CL. You don't want a super small tank to start with because water parameters can change very easily and it is harder to keep them in check, but they can be a bit less expensive to set up initially. However, a larger tank can be a lot more expensive to setup. You need more lghting, filtration, substrate, plants, fertilizers, chemicals, etc. But it is way easier to keep your water params in check. It's a trade off. That's why a planted tank is not the best choice for beginners. I recommend starting with a simple freshwater tank to learn the basics then move up from there. Trust me there is A TON to learn. I have had a 100, 135, 55 planted, and currently have a 535 gallon up and running. I still learn new stuff about the
hobby everyday. It's very fun but addicting and expensive.

 

As a newbie, here's what you should expect

- You'll be spending boat loads of $$$. No matter how much research you do, you'll still end up buying stuff that you later on will upgrade/replace.

- Even if you decide to do a low-light slow-growth low-maintenance tank, you'll eventually succumb to the temptation of high-light, CO2-necessary, fast-growth, and super high-maintenance setup

- Expect to deal with plant death and algae infestation. Even folks like Tom Barr have had to deal with this.

- The more research you do, the better your chance in fighting the battle against algae and having a beautiful and healthy planted tank.

- If you deal with CO2, you'll make a mistake and kill CO2-sensitive fish. Try to avoid uber-expensive fishies when starting out with CO2

- MTS = Multiple Tank Syndrome. It will happen. :wink:

- The more you think you know, the more there is you actually have to learn. LOL!


I disagree with the 55G recommendation for planted tanks, because this is typically 48" x 12" x 21" in size. Having only 12 inches from front to back will become an annoying limitation when you want to do a beautiful scape.

The best "starting" tank size IMO would be the "40g" tank, the one that is 36" x 18" x 18"
- This actually holds around 45 gallons, which helps with water chemistry stability. As a newbie, you will make mistakes. More water means you have to make a bigger mistake for your plants and fish to suffer
- Being 3ft long means it's easy to get lighting for. 3ft lights are *slightly* cheaper than 4ft lights, but not enough to be a real consideration
- Having 18 inches from front to back gives you so much more depth when you want to make a beautiful scape. This is a very big thing if you really get into this hobby
- Unless you have long arms, tanks that are taller than 18 inches can give you problems. I'm 5'6'', my tank is pretty much as tall as I'll ever deal with.

If the "40G" is too big for you, the AGA 15G (24"x12"x12") or ADA 60P (60cm x 30cm x ??) would be the next bet. 2ft lighting is easier to find vs smaller tanks, and it strikes a good balance between easy water changes and having enough space for plants and fish

Oh, avoid odd-length tanks like the 10G (18"), 20G Long (30") or 29G (30"). They are harder to get good quality lighting for. Stick with 2ft, 3ft, or 4ft tanks. There are good lighting options for 6ft tanks, but not a whole lot of beginners can deal with the pains of a tank that big.

 

A 40 gallon does have nice dimensions, just down here in sac 55's are a dime a dozen.
Lighting is a very important aspect when considering a planted tank, the color of the light is not so important, it's the wavelength of the light emited that is crucial. You want lighting that peaks in the blue and red spectrums. Those are optimal for photosynthesis. It is best to have a few different bulbs with different spectrums, atleast in my experience.
I ran 48" dual t-5 fixture with a 10k and 18k bulb on my 55 planted and had the best luck with it. I tried many different lighting combos and had the best luck with it

 

man my friend got me into a fish tank and i spent a whole lot more money than i wanted to.

 

i have a really nice 95 gal tank with all lighting and pumps for a aqua forest. pm me if you want some photos or info

 

That's pretty cool looking! Like Ryan said though. Must resist... spending... money...