Changing To Real

[pinkdolphin_113]

well i currently have a tank which has only fake plants.
i have been reading about keeping plants and such and think i am ready to give it another go.
most of the other plants i've had have gone brown and died.
i think it's because the gravel was new and the tank was new too which means there where no nutrients in the gravel and such.
i do have a problem tho. im wanting to change my gravel to sand. would this take away the stuff that is in the gravel i have present or would it be fine?
and is there anything i can add to the water to help them flourish without harming the fish?

thanks

 

[xJake]

what is your lighting like (how many total watts) and how many gallons is the tank? If the plants turned brown they probably didn't get enough light it shouldn't have much to do with the tank being 'too new'.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

the lights i had at the time of the real plants was a stupid little light that you wouldnt even put above a picture. seemed more like an office light or something. it didnt even light up the whole aquarium!
so i decided to ditch that rubbish i got with the tank and buy a new one.
the light i have is 20W.
on the bulb's box it says... Ideal for planted aquariums so im thinking this was the better idea for plants. it promotes plant growth it says. its called Aqua-Glo.
the "Lux" if anyone knows what that is, is at 55.
the tank is a 55Gal and is perfectly lit up now which is pleasing. I also made a reflector out of tin foil so i wont waste as much light on the hood (seen as its black and black absorbs heat and light) so im thinking im heading in the right direction for ideal lighting?

the more i think about plants, the more i want them to grow! lol

 

[Themuleous]

My first bit of advice would be to add some sort of plant substrate either under the sand or in the place of the sand. If you like the look of sand then a base layer like the new Tropica one should work well or if you dont mind ditching the sand complete substrates like eco-complete or the ADA range are very good and will help you're plants no end.

That said I think you'll need more light as well, 20w over a 55G tank isn't very much at all, if you could get that to more like 75w then I think you'd stand a much better chance.

Sam

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

yea the side of the box says "recommened in combination with Sun-Glo or Life-Glo" so i think ill go for the Sun-Glo or maybe both.
i have just been reading something on the internet somewhere and i would like to know if putting pond soil in first, then the sand on top of it would be ok?
i am also going to use fertilisers and such in the water for a very weeks and see what happens. then i will put the fish back in. most of the plants im planning on using are going to be attached to the drift wood and only a few would be in the substrate. possibly a few amazon swords and some others to go with them.

i hope all goes ok

yea the side of the box says "recommened in combination with Sun-Glo or Life-Glo" so i think ill go for the Sun-Glo or maybe both.
i have just been reading something on the internet somewhere and i would like to know if putting pond soil in first, then the sand on top of it would be ok?
i am also going to use fertilisers and such in the water for a very weeks and see what happens. then i will put the fish back in. most of the plants im planning on using are going to be attached to the drift wood and only a few would be in the substrate. possibly a few amazon swords and some others to go with them.

i hope all goes ok

 

[Themuleous]

Never used pond soil but why not just get aquarium stuff?

Flourish should help

Sam

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

wots flourish? and how much would this be?