Co2...

[Themuleous]

Bogwood,

That’s exactly the kind of thing I'm looking to do in my 20g tank. Could you tell me what your maintenance regime is and the tank make up? Things like, substrate, what ferts you use and how often? What the water chemistry is (NO3, PO4 etc)?

Would love to get mine like yours, you seem to have done an excellent job via the low-tech method

Nice one

Sam

 

[bogwood]

Bogwood,

That’s exactly the kind of thing I'm looking to do in my 20g tank. Could you tell me what your maintenance regime is and the tank make up? Things like, substrate, what ferts you use and how often? What the water chemistry is (NO3, PO4 etc)?

Would love to get mine like yours, you seem to have done an excellent job via the low-tech method

Nice one

Sam

One of the most important things imo, is the substrate... lay it deep enough to 'bed' down the roots properly and add a plant growth additive: my substrates base layer is an inch or so mix of 'Laterite granuals' and 2-3mm natural gravel, with another inch of just the gravel over the top (to increase rooting depth and minimise Laterite leakage), finally with another inch or so of sand over the top (in my case, partly for the Corys and partly as I prefer the look of sand): I've used 'Silica' sand... a nice mid-tone and natural looking with mixed 'grains'...

After washing and trimming plants and inspecting for snails etc (you'll never get rid of them all! - I feed them to my Dwarf Puffer), I cut some of the longer roots off to promote more root growth, and plant deeply - be confident - otherwise the plants may 'float' up out of the substrate...

Lighting: 12 on, 12 off... Fert. additive once a week... if I remember...

About 4 weeks in, I had a brown algae attack... I increased the light length slightly and kept up with water changes, and the tank seemed to sort itself out... now water is crystal - the introduction of a Bristlenose Plec seems to have helped improve things further...

I class myself as a 'newbie' to all this and must admit am surprised all has gone this well so far (touch wood!)...