A Few Questions!

[valeofglam]

Ok, so I have a few plants and in tanks gone by I've always had real plants as well. I've never fed them, just relied on water changes to restock the nutrients.

My latest tank, I'm planning on stocking it heavily with plants including hopefully, if it'll take as I have gravel only and no soil substrate, carpeting plants.

I've read a bit and my brother who used to work in Maidenhead Aquatics has been helping me. He's offered to lend me a valve with solinoid etc but it looks massive and overkill (he had a 6ftx3ftx2ft tank!)
He's also talked to me about daily and weekly fertilisers as well as the C02 etc

So here I am with a 2.5ft (90litre) tank. I have a Fluval 4+ filter thats had the power turned to half as it makes a right vortex as its rather powerful!
The bumf says it had a turnover rate of 1000 litres per hour.
I have a 200w heater in the tank also.

I don't want to uproot all the gravel, plants, fish etc and upset the apple cart so adding a soil substrate is not an option. If I add C02, a daily and a weekly fertiliser then this is going to benefit the plants but with the C02 I've seen some kits for £10-25 on Seapets? I'm planning on zapping C02 in the morning and after work at 4pm so is a cheap kit going to be ok for me?
Does anyone have any recommendations as I saw JBL do a Bio C02 kit?

The plants I 'selected' for a carpet are lilaeopsis brasiliensis and Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' both of which are in stock at a fish store local to me. Will these grow in a gravel only substrate if I gas the tank and fertilise it?

I've attached an image of my tank.


Fish are:
6 Neon Tetras
2 platies
2 mollies
1 rainbow shark
1 bristle nose pleco
6 red cherry shrimp

Forgot to add. The lid has only a single T8 tube. There is no room for a second tube. It's a T8 tube, I think it's a day glo tube (it makes my pictures I take of the tank look magenta in colour!)

 

[Chad]

I use the FLUVAL Co2 kit. They have two models the model 88 would work for your tank easily. It's not expensive and is quite easy to use. I have the small model on my 6 gallon tank and am very pleased with it.

 

[mike455555]

them plants will be fine with co2 and ferts, dont worry about a soil substrate, most aqautic plants get there ferts from the water via there leaves as well as roots, heavy root feeders will benifit from a root tabs and stuff, the co2 kit for a 6f tank, take that if its free, the cheap ones will run out fast, you can always set it to a lower setting. as for your lighting, thats really low, your going to struggle with the HC if i were you id try to up the lighting somehow, maybe replace the t8 with 2 t5's? 
 
i think the sea pets co2 systems will be yeast based, which you can make at home for about £2.... so i wouldent buy that, pressurized is better as its more stable 

 

[Chad]

I agree. I've done the yeast thing and while it was better than nothing, the new units are so affordable there's really no reason not to use one.

 

[SLIM]

Give my link a read below. Itll explain everything you need to know about co2, fertilisers, what to dose, how to dose and how often and achieving perfect flow.
Its in my sig under the pic of my tank... pressurized co2 equipment flow and fertilisation

 

[valeofglam]

Cheers all! I saw a YouTube clip on making yeast c02 so for now I'll do that until I get my hands on the valve thing my brother will lend me, hopefully I'll manage to get it in a few weeks. There's a maidenhead price ticket on the empty canister that's attached to it for £20 f that helps with sizing it?

Re the lighting. I was looking to replace the lid so I'll look to replace with a t5 system.

Just bookmarked your sig link for light bedtime reading! Father's Day and reading time limited !!

 

[mike455555]

if your upgrading your lights look into highoutput LEDs as well, they are a little costy but you wont ever have to change the bulbs and have low running costs and more power 

 

[valeofglam]

SLIM - I read your link with interest! I wanted to know if there was a way to dose ferts in but to do a lesser quantity water change as I don't fancy a weekly 50% change! I do 20-25% changes fortnightly!!

I bought today the 2 carpet plants in question as well as the Tetra Plant C02 depot canister and an aquagro diffuser!

One thing, ending on eBay in 22hrs is a C02 regulator that's £1.20 I think as it'll be a few weeks before I can get my brothers with the solinoid! I'm on my phone so can't link but its eBay item number 271219313153
Is this any good ?? I'll bid on it if it is as its local to me !

 

[SLIM]

SLIM - I read your link with interest! I wanted to know if there was a way to dose ferts in but to do a lesser quantity water change as I don't fancy a weekly 50% change! I do 20-25% changes fortnightly!!
I bought today the 2 carpet plants in question as well as the Tetra Plant C02 depot canister and an aquagro diffuser!
One thing, ending on eBay in 22hrs is a C02 regulator that's £1.20 I think as it'll be a few weeks before I can get my brothers with the solinoid! I'm on my phone so can't link but its eBay item number 271219313153
Is this any good ?? I'll bid on it if it is as its local to me !

Not with EI or Pressuirized gas im affaid, imo at least. This is why we call it High Tech.
When you add EI ferts or pressurised gas to the equation the amount of work that goes into the tank is a lot more.
Im also on my phone at the mo so cant check out your ebay link but will a bit later when I get a chance