Need some advice

[molocha]

yea i bought it but not the powder type

[kwc1974]

where can i get aquasoil for the 6 gal....do they sell them in different quantities...i dont wanna buy a big pack and only use a little....any thoughts?

Yes, you can buy a small bag of Aquasoil. For such a small tank you may want to use powser type. Fish gallery has it for about $16. Or you can get it from ADG on their website.

[TheOldMan]

I have two eclipse tanks I use for baby fish and shrimp. On the twelve gallon I grow anubias, small crypts and vals. Just plain gravel with stock light and filter. On a three the filter quit so I took it out and added an intank whisper and grow anubias and java moss for the shrimp. All plants are healthy, but very slow growing. You can get a small bag of amazonia at city pets. Just watch for amonia peaks when setting up and don't add fish for a month or so.

[Complexity]

Put up a WTB post. Someone might have some or know of where you can get a partial bag.

[molocha]

where can i get aquasoil for the 6 gal....do they sell them in different quantities...i dont wanna buy a big pack and only use a little....any thoughts?

[Complexity]

Here are some upgrades others have done. Maybe one of these ideas will work for you.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/75133-5g-bowfront-hood-lighting-upgrade.html

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/diy-aquarium-projects/7839-eclipse-6-lighting-upgrade.html

This is a 3g tank, but it might spark some ideas.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/57714-my-eclipse-3g-pics.html

[Complexity]

I've read on other boards where people have removed the light to put better lighting in there. Be careful though of the heat buildup. Some people add a fan to compensate.

Let me see if I can find some threads of DIY upgrades others have done. Might give you some ideas.

[molocha]

i can take the light out...do they sell something of the same size that fits in there that is better...or i have to rig something up

[Somefishguy]

I ment to pull out the original lighting in there and then replace it..

[Mzungu]

There may be a way to rig up one of those 6500k spiral bulbs that fit into a regular light socket. Dont know the size of the hood or anything but if your good at those things then its probably very doable

I think it would take a lot of rigging, since it's a normal fluorescent socket. But I'm no good at all the DIY stuff, so it's probably doable, just not by me. :)

[Somefishguy]

Leave the poop for the plants, just keep an eye on water parameters.


There may be a way to rig up one of those 6500k spiral bulbs that fit into a regular light socket. Dont know the size of the hood or anything but if your good at those things then its probably very doable

[molocha]

You can have lighting anywhere. Keep in mind that plants will grow towards the light source so if the light is beside them, they'll grow sideways.

Don't get me wrong; you can have a planted tank with that setup. You just have to be realistic in what you can grow and how well the plants will grow. What I find happens sometimes is people give planted tanks a first try with undesirable results, and they decide they can't do it (or don't want to) because they think this is what it's like to have a planted tank. But the truth is that the beginner setup wasn't very good to begin with. As long as you keep things in perspective, then you'll be fine. You can always upgrade to a better setup later.

do you know if they sell a better light that will fit in the original housing? o and if the front part of the tank gets lighting i could just put the plants in the front maybe?
and also if i have the substrate that u mentioned in your earlier posts how would i go about cleaning it...is it like cleaning gravel with a siphon...or do you let the poop fertilize the plants?

[Complexity]

You can have lighting anywhere. Keep in mind that plants will grow towards the light source so if the light is beside them, they'll grow sideways.

Don't get me wrong; you can have a planted tank with that setup. You just have to be realistic in what you can grow and how well the plants will grow. What I find happens sometimes is people give planted tanks a first try with undesirable results, and they decide they can't do it (or don't want to) because they think this is what it's like to have a planted tank. But the truth is that the beginner setup wasn't very good to begin with. As long as you keep things in perspective, then you'll be fine. You can always upgrade to a better setup later.

[molocha]

does the lighting have to be above the tank can i have the lighting outside the tank facing the backside of the tank...would that work

[Complexity]

this is what my tank looks like

That's exactly the tank I was talking about: filter, lighting, hood, everything. Not a good choice for a planted tank, but you can do it as long as you're willing to have very little plant growth, if any. Even hornwort does poorly with the stock lighting in that tank.

This is the bulb that's in the fixture:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18358/si1379777/cl0/marinelandeclipse6replacementbulb128watt

8watt, standard fluorescent. And then look at how that filter blocks all light from the back of the aquarium. Only the bottom of the back gets light.

You can remove the lighting and put something better in, but you still have the problem of the filter blocking the light. So then you replace the filter. Just keep in mind that whatever light you put in, you need to decide whether you're willing to block the opening at the top of the lid and you have to be careful to not use a bulb that creates so much heat, it boils the water.