New 60Gal need setup advice

[Drewzii]

Hey all!

I grew up and we always had a fish tank in the house, but never anything fancy. I know the basics, but there's A LOT I don't know. I've read lots of literature but the best advice always comes from people with experience.

So I picked up a 48" Long X 24" Tall X 12" Deep ~60Gal Tank a few weeks ago and I wanna do a very natural looking tank which is not something I've ever done before. Tank's been cleaned and holds water(woohoo!). I'd like to use a large piece of driftwood as a centerpiece and do lots of live plants. This tank is barely in the 1st stages of being set up so for now I have just 3 questions.

1: Driftwood. I've read that some can have residue or chemicals in them that can destroy a tank's ecosystem. So, does it matter what type of wood is used? Also, what's a good way to find a decent looking piece of driftwood. Most online stores seem to just sell generic pieces so you would have no idea the actual shape or size of your piece until you got it.

2: Filters. Since there's going to be a lot more living stuff in this tank than I'm used to(fish, live plants, freshwater shrimp), do I need a bio filter as well as a normal hang on the back type? Would I need an under-gravel filter as well? I need a lot of info in this area so if someone could point to a faq, a link, etc. with the info I need I'd be very grateful. :)

3: I want to use a lot of live plants. I've read that this means I'll need to use a C02 injector, which is something completely new to me. I get the general idea, but I don't know anything about brands, types, sizes, etc. Again, if someone could point me in the right direction I would be very grateful.


Thanks in advance for all your help!!

[rich311k]

1. You would want hard wood. Mopani wood comes in great shapes and sizes.

2. A good cannister would serve you well. A very good option in a planted tank.

3. If you keep the lighting low under 2 watts a gallon, you would not need CO2.

[funkman262]

To add on to what rich said, you can find mopani wood at many non-chain fish stores (maybe some chains but I don't really check). In my planted tank, I use a HOB filter strictly for mechanical filtration and for some current because the plants do all of the filtration for me. You need to check your water parameters though to see if the plants can keep up with your bioload. If you keep low-lighting, then you won't need co2, but you may also be limited in your plant types. If you decide to do higher lighting, there are many threads out there on how to make a DIY co2 reactor. I've made one myself that works great.