# Need some office tank ideas.



## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

My wife and I just bought a small house and I am not allowed to get a large tank. I have a glass computer desk that has plenty of room for an small aquarium. We went to petsmart and were about to buy one of those 5g Marineland tanks but I thought it would be best to go online and get ideas first. I want a nice planted tank, with a few fish. I was looking at some of those ADA tanks, they seem a bit overprice. Any ideas? I am on a budget of about $100 for the equipment.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

I was looking and saw some people use 10g tanks and they remove the rim. This would be a cheap solution because I may have a 10g tank or I know walmart sells them for real cheap. Any ideas on the substrate, lighting, and a filter?


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## esteroali (Oct 24, 2007)

*Budget*

Gravel/Soil....10.00
5/10G from Box store....20.00
Desk Lamp...........20.00
HOB Aquaclear.......25.00
Swap and shop plants....20.00


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

What kind of soil would you recommend. Also, what would be the best kind of desk lamp. An Aquaclear 20 for the filter would be good.


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

5.5g AGA Tank ~$12
Hampton Bay 27W Desk Lamp - $22 @ Home Depot
Red Sea Nano Filter - $14
3L Bag of ADA Aquasoil - $12

That gives you $40 left to play with that could get you pretty far in the Swap n Shop as far as plants and scaping tools go.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

rrrrramos said:


> 5.5g AGA Tank ~$12
> Hampton Bay 27W Desk Lamp - $22 @ Home Depot
> Red Sea Nano Filter - $14
> 3L Bag of ADA Aquasoil - $12
> ...


I will be using a 10g because I have one in my parents garage. I may take of the trim. What would be a good lamp/substrate for that?


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

I'd still say use the Aquasoil, you get the best bang for your buck. For the light I'd recommend a Current Satellite 1002, but that's like $50 at least AND it'd be 40W over a 10g tank which might be a lot without Co2...


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

rrrrramos said:


> I'd still say use the Aquasoil, you get the best bang for your buck. For the light I'd recommend a Current Satellite 1002, but that's like $50 at least AND it'd be 40W over a 10g tank which might be a lot without Co2...


Defiantly would like something a little cheaper. I would like to try diy co2. I read somewhere on the forum that an organic soil/fertilizer and a top layer of gravel would work as a substrate. Is this recommended?


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

A standard 5.5g AGA tank from Petco, I don't know, about $10:










A red sea nano filter, probably no more than $15 at your lfs (where in Florida are you?), but you can sometimes find them at Petco:










One of them $20 hampton bay or lights of america desklamps from Home Depot or Lowe's:










And then for substrate, you could use eco-complete, pool sand, mineralized soil, whatever's most available to you, anywhere from free to $25 or so.

That equals $70 if I did my math right. Not bad, for a fully functional plant-less tank.

Then of course you can always get CO2. That'll cost you about anywhere from free (DIY) to $250 or more. But pressurized is worth it, imo.

I'm a fan of the eco-complete, as long as the place you get it from has a good return policy, in case it turns out to be the bad stuff that circulated a few years ago.

Okay, so I just realized this is almost the same exact list as rrrrramos!

So, yeah, what he said. :hihi:


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

I will see if I have the 10g tank in my parents garage tomorrow. If not, I will go from there. I would love to get some of that Aqua Soil, since it is suppose to be good but the shipping on it is outrageous. Anyone know a local place in Florida that carries it?


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## esteroali (Oct 24, 2007)

*Budget*

I find my smallest Aquaclear to be MUCH more reliable than the Red Sea which is in the junk bucket right now. I semi- mineralized my soil.....got kind of tired of doing it and stuck it in the tank. It works and is cheap. I will post a pic of this tank tonight. Wherei Fla are you? I just threw out 2 buckets of plants.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Well, it looks like if I rearrange the office, I can have a 20L and ill build a stand for it. Any ideas for that?


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Yeah, get yourself a 20 long, one of these fixtures, an Aquaclear HOB (or a canister filter would be better if you can afford it), and a bag of Eco-complete.

20 longs are great tanks, IMO!

(You still haven't told us _where_ in Florida you are! Someone might be able to point you to a specific LFS!)


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Longwood, FL


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Well I can't personally help you, but knowing that Longwood is basically a part of greater Orlando, something tells me _someone_ will be able to point you in a specific direction..


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Well, I live within walking distance of Fishy Business, that sells some plants and has great fish. They do not have much for substrate or planted tank supplies though.


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

I gotta agree, if you can fit it, a 20L is a great size for a planted tank. 
And apparently *Church* and I are on the same page as far as equipment goes! I'd say if you can get a canister filter, do that off the bat. I used HOB's for the longest time and now unless it's a 2.5g tank I wouldn't even consider using anything but a canister. It just makes life so much easier (and cleaner looking). 
Only thing with setting up a 20L is that it's going to price out a bit higher than a 10g or below would. IIRC when I bought my brother a 20L it was $54.00 or maybe a little more. Then with the light and filter you're looking at at least $140.00 with a HOB, $170 with a canister, and that doesn't include the substrate. Here is an excellent substrate calculator that will help you determine exactly how much you'll need to buy for your tank.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Yeah most LFS's here in central FL don't tend to cater to the freshwater, planted crowd, but there always seems to be that one, in every city, that at least has a good selection of CO2 equipment, filters, and lighting, if not plants and fish.

One thing you could do is hit up Orlando (the dude who posts here, not the city, lol) who runs a business in G'ville, and get your goods from him. That's not too far from you! Maybe you could coincide it with like a trip to Juniper Springs or something, so that you don't have to think about all the gas you used just to pick up some aquarium supplies!

Waterfaller1 is another poster here who lives in the Orlando area. She might be able to point you to a good LFS.

I mean, between Apopka, Oviedo, Orlando, Winter Park, Altamonte, etc., there has GOT to be a store that carries good substrate.


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

Church said:


> Yeah most LFS's here in central FL don't tend to cater to the freshwater, planted crowd, but there always seems to be that one, in every city, that at least has a good selection of CO2 equipment, filters, and lighting, if not plants and fish.


You FL guys are lucky. Here in Chicagoland there seems to be tons of LFS's with real nice fish and a decent selection of plants but I've yet to run across one that carried anything worthy of lighting a planted tank, and had to special order my filter, and haven't seen anything other than the crappy Bio-Co2 and Red Sea Regulators!


Oh and also, check Petland (if you have one close) for substrate. The two up here, and the two I went to in Texas each had at the least, a selection of Flourite, Flourite Black (& Sand) and Eco-Complete. A little more expensive than online, but without the shipping.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

rrrrramos said:


> Only thing with setting up a 20L is that it's going to price out a bit higher than a 10g or below would. IIRC when I bought my brother a 20L it was $54.00 or maybe a little more. Then with the light and filter you're looking at at least $140.00 with a HOB, $170 with a canister, and that doesn't include the substrate.


Yes, there is a *considerable* difference in price from the 5.5g and smaller tanks to the 10g and larger ones.

I was able to get my 20L during one of those $1 per gallon sales at Petco (that I don't think ever happen any more), so that was $20. Then the Eheim Classic 2213 canister filter was about $80. Then I got two of those Coralife fixtures I linked to up above, which were $50 a piece.

This equals $200, and that doesn't include the shipping costs from Big Al's, or the $200 or so I spent on a CO2 system!!

So yeah, considerable price difference from a $70 5.5g tank. Oh yeah, you'll also need to buy or build a stand for a tank this size, as putting it on a bookshelf or computer desk is out of the question!


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Petsmart had the 20L for $31 without a hood. Ill have to call petco before I make my purchase. I was hoping to get a light for only around $50-70. Those coralife fixtures are only 24" or 36" too. I will probably be getting a HOB Hagen filter but maybe go for a rena later.


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

FloridaFishGuy said:


> Petsmart had the 20L for $31 without a hood. Ill have to call petco before I make my purchase. I was hoping to get a light for only around $50-70. Those coralife fixtures are only 24" or 36" too. I will probably be getting a HOB Hagen filter but maybe go for a rena later.


Good deal, I'd get that right away! Did they have the substrate available too?


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## DevinWolfe (Aug 1, 2009)

Keep in mind even if the tank comes with a hood it will likely not have sufficient lighting.

Those Coralife fixtures have metal wire "hangers" that slide out on either side. My 48" has about 6" of "hanger" on each end. Assuming that the smaller 24" inch fixture has the same sized "hangers" then it should fit the 20L tank. 20L tanks are 30" so the fxture *should* fit with a 3" gap from each edge.

I would verify the lenth of the hanger with someone who actually has the 24" fixture first.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

FloridaFishGuy said:


> Those coralife fixtures are only 24" or 36" too.


What are you talking about? The link I posted on the last page was directly to the 30" version. It's the most common fixture used by members of this forum over their 20 longs.

Here is the link again.

It's $50 at Big Al's. If you plan on getting CO2, then you might want two of these fixtures, but one alone would cut it for a nice low-light, low-tech tank.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Is there an all in one solution for lighting instead of 2 separate? The only substrate they have a Petsmart is Seachem Flourite, which is $20 for a bag.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Yes, there are all-in-one solutions, but keep in mind that if you go with any more light than one of those fixtures, you will need CO2. Just one of those fixtures linked above gives you just under 2 wpg of t-5 light. Here is a good all-in-one fixture that will give you about 2.5 wpg of high output t-5 light, which is going to require some CO2 injection on such a shallow tank.

Fluorite is a good substrate, and that's not a bad price, so if it's all that's available to you, go with it. You'll probably need 2 bags though, regardless of if it's eco-complete or fluorite or whatever.

Just remember that fluorite needs to be rinsed before putting it in your tank.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

I plan on doing some diy yeast co2. Is there any good tutorials on how to do that sort of thing?


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## roznalos (Aug 18, 2008)

Here you go: http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/DIY-Yeast-CO2/7/

Good Luck!!!


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

I still have a few more things the wife wants me to do around the house before I get the tank, so I will update you guys after that. I am actually trying to get in touch with waterfaller1 because she has a complete 20L setup that is pretty cheap for sale.


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## hooha (Mar 14, 2004)

if you can get a 20L setup from waterfaller1 that is your best bet.

The cheapest solution I've find is the 10 gallon 'kits' they sell at Petsmart that comes with an incandescent hood, HOB filter, net, and heater. I haven't bought one in a few years but it used to be $40. 

Make sure if you get one of these kits it is with the incandescent hood - then you can replace them with screw-in spiral daylight spectrum compact flourscent bulbs, and then use DiY CO2. You can use soil/mineralized soil substrate underneath a bag of Flourite or eco-complete for the substrate. That should put you under $100 with money left over for livestock


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Check out craigslist.org. Sometimes can get everything you need for low price.



FloridaFishGuy said:


> Well, it looks like if I rearrange the office, I can have a 20L and ill build a stand for it.


That is the tank I wish I had. I started with a 10 gallon and got tired of it quickly. Now have a 29 gallon tank and regret getting it. It will be a pain to move thus probably going to downgrade to a 20L when I move back to Florida.

Check out Hoppy's links for building a stand.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

FloridaFishGuy said:


> I read somewhere on the forum that an organic soil/fertilizer and a top layer of gravel would work as a substrate.


That is what I do. There is also mineralized soil. Legome here used Fertilome Seedling and Cutting Starter topped off with another 1" layer of regular Flourite. 

I prefer the river sand for topping. Cheap and doesn't need a lot of rinsing just sifting of particles.

The coralife T5 lights are the best for low tech. Check out Big Al's for good deals. For tank with diy Co2 found that the nova lights are the best. The light system is the most expensive and most important item to grow plants.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

I have been checking craigslist. Best deal so far is 29G with cheapo stand for $40.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Just found this!! Going to call them tomorrow. Wife is gonna make me paint the tank trim and stand black but that is a really incredible deal. According to a Glasscages tank with the same dimensions, it is a 38g.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

FloridaFishGuy said:


> Just found this!!


Before you buy it find out what it will cost to get the proper light. It might be cheaper to buy a 20 g long with stand at Petco than the light for the tank. 

I found a stand, metal, for my 29gallon long that is 30in as 20L at Petco for about $30.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

I also have to please the wife. That nice wood stand painted black is going to look a whole lot better than a cheap metal stand. Also, the 30" to 36" fixtures are really only $10-20 more, which would be the difference between the 20L+Metal stand and the deal on craiglist. How would this do for that tank on craigslist? Anything else cheaper that would do the job?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

FloridaFishGuy said:


> How would this do for that tank on craigslist? Anything else cheaper that would do the job?


At Big Al's there is something cheaper here. The output is not as bright as the other. Thus red plants would not get deep red. You shouldn't need to inject Co2 with this light as with the other. You will probalby need Seachem Excel, a replacement for carbon that also kills algae. It is cheap at Big Al's too. What plants are you planning on buying? Plants that I have found easy to grow are Hornwort, Wisteria, Java fern and mosses. 

If I knew what I know now I would have done something like this for all of the plants are easy ones. My problem is though that my water is soft with high ph. Thus have to keep an eye out for black brush algae.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

What light would be good if I didn't want to use co2. I kind of want to do the low tech setup that requires only dosing.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

Actually, I will just do diy co2. It is really easy and won't cost much. My wife is a culinary student, so she buys yeast in bulk I can use.


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## jackyuen89 (Apr 2, 2009)

I'm kind of late commenting on this but it seems like you've decided on a 20L. A much smaller tank no one seemed to bring up was a 2.5G. Maybe you can sneak it into your house along with the 20L with it being so small and maybe you can put that on your desk. With the Red Sea Nano a mini heater this light and all you need is a bit a substrate. You can get everything for probley less than 75$.


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

That tank is about 32g. I don't know how well DIY Co2 will work out on a bigger tank like that...It was hardly effective on both the 20L and 20H we had at my house, and that was using three 2L bottles. Personally I'd recommend pressurized for anything over 15g.


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## FloridaFishGuy (Aug 22, 2004)

rrrrramos said:


> That tank is about 32g. I don't know how well DIY Co2 will work out on a bigger tank like that...It was hardly effective on both the 20L and 20H we had at my house, and that was using three 2L bottles. Personally I'd recommend pressurized for anything over 15g.


In that case, it looks like I will only want to be using excel or some other fertilizer. I will post more tomorrow because I will probably be going today to pickup one of the tanks. Gotta wait on the wife to see which one she likes better.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

FloridaFishGuy said:


> What light would be good if I didn't want to use co2. I kind of want to do the low tech setup that requires only dosing.


This light here. 

It is possible to have almost self sustaining tank. I say almost for you still want to feed the fish. Here are some examples. Whether you need ferts depends on the type of plants, lights, minerals in water column (gh), and minerals in the substrate. Trallen44 has a 50 gallon tank and does nothing to maintain the growth.

When I found my plants were going down hill Flourish comprehensive got them to start growing. 

Cheapest liquid ferts at Dr Foster (shipping $10). In fact at Dr Fosters there is a 3 combo for $12. Excel and Flourish and dry ferts Green leaf(shipping approx $9), Dry ferts aquarium fertilizer (shipping $6).

Is this your first tank? Beware new tanks sometimes have brown algae (diatom) which is harmless. If you have algae that is on the walls it is nothing to worry about. Besides the fish like to eat on it.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Dude, seriously, all you need is ONE of those coralife t5no fixtures. If you get that craigslist tank, then buy the 36" version that Hilde linked you to. If you get a 20L then buy the 30" version that I linked you to. You said yourself you are looking for a tank where you don't need to do much more than occasional ferts, and maybe excel... Those are basically the perfect fixtures to do just that.

Normal output t5 lighting is still a very bright, efficient source of light. Yes, the high outputs can penetrate deeper, but the normal outputs are still very efficient. If you went with a 20L (which I still think you should do because they are a perfect size) the tank is only a foot tall so the light doesn't even _need_ to go deep. The 30" coralife fixture over the 20L would be a higher-light tank than the 36" fixture over the craigslist tank, just because the 20L is shallower.

You can always upgrade the lighting later on when you get CO2, it's no big deal. It's good to have an extra, spare fixture around anyway.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Here is a 20L low tech with the Coralife fixture by Complexity. 









Here is 36 gallon with T5 NO low tech by Old Plunk


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