pontiac79

hi.. i am upgrading to a bigger tank on the weekend and would like to know the best way to go about it.. it will be a 35 gallon tank with an external filter.. i not sure if im using new gravel or sand and would like your advice on which is best..? Also is it a good idea for me to use some of the water from my old tank, as it has been a very healthy tank in the past..? another problem i am stuck on is, i am makeing a top hood for my new tank as it has a glass sliding top and would like to fix 2 lights, one for day and one for nightime light.. what would you suggest for this idea and would you be able to give me advice on the best lights to buy..?
Another question i would like to ask is, about UGF.. i read your article on this and would like to ask should i use it aswell as the external filter or just remove it alltogether.. thanks

atmmachine816

Use gravel, smallest size possible. You can use some water, but it's not necessary, the filter media and gravel hold most of the bacteria that will keep your tank healthy. Lights, it depends what you want, if you just want lights to see the fish simple strip lights will be fine, if you want to grow plants you may want more wattage but you want fluorescent lights for sure. For night light you can get a moonlight or red light, there are many types our there that you can get it's really up to you. Really, how big is your budget? You can use your ugf if you want and reverse the flow so the water is going up through the gravel, but if you want live plants I would probably ditch it.

pontiac79

thanks.. would you be able to use gravel and sand in a tank or would this be bad..? the lights i want are to make the the fish bright.. will the night light upset the pleco or will he see it as normal..? not sure whether to use real or fake plants.. what do you suggest..? how long do you think i should wait till i transfer my fish in there new tank..?

Carillon

Plastic plants are easier to care for

Seriously, though, you could always start with a few realistic plastic plants, and then gradually add some real ones that are easy to care for. It would be rather tragic to invest heavily in a bunch of live plants only to find that your lighting isn't strong enough and have them all die within the first month. Just be sure to pick an appropriate substrate if you want to go to live later -- I think fine gravel would be good.

sirdarksol

I prefer live plants. Micro sword and chain sword can both survive pretty low light. I have a 20g and a 30g that have the stock fluorescent lights and both are doing well. Actually, even supposedly high light plants are doing well in one of my tanks (although it does get a decent amount of indirect sunlight, as well).