Okay, Really want to have a great low budget planted tank )Is this even Possible?
Yes it is perfectly possible if you can believe without worrying about things. confidence is key
Plant Substrate - None (Do i need this under the sand?)
Nope you don't need it although it is beneficial
Fertiliser - API Leaf Zone (Apparently this is Poor and i should move to flourish?)
Flourish? I thought you were after a low budget tank. Buy the dry powders and make your own ferts:
Plants - Xmas Moss - (Hopefully Carpeted Effect) laid onto flat rock on the sand, in direct light
you'll need more plants than that for a non CO2 low maintenance tank. You basically have to fill it up
Lighting - 1 x 38w T5 -Is this enough?
Yes
Weekly Water change - 20 %
Once fully planted, Clean the filter monthly and don't do any water changes....ever.
Can anyone answer these questions?[/b]
Yes
The trick to these low light, non CO2 setups is that the fish supply most of the ferts through their waste and excess fish food. You can make up a simple fertiliser recipe (see below) and the powders may cost more than Flourish however what they make will last as long as 10+ bottles of Flourish so you save loads there.
You need to get lots of plants in as they will help fight the algae. The filter (hopefully an external one) is basically just polishing the water. not taking ammonia as the plantmass will do that.
Water changes aren't done because we want the parameters to remain stable. Not as important in a CO2 enriched tank but here we don't want to introduce changes to the CO2 levels etc.
As an example this was a tank I broke down a few months ago to rescape. This went 14 months without a water change, had no CO2 injection and with only teeny tiny ferts. This kind of answers your question of whether it is possible:
Some links:
Recipe for a basic fertiliser regime (based on Tropica Plant Nutrietion +):
http
/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm
Where to buy powders?
UK
http
/www.fluidsensoronline.com/zen/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=93_65_69
US
http
/www.aquariumfertilizer.com/index.asp?Option1=cats&Edit=2&EditU=1&Regit=2
Regards
Andy
Andy, I really think you need to clarify this by adding your regimen at the beginning of the setup's life. Yes, it may have gone 14 months without a waterchange, but the system didn't start that way. I know, I was there when it started. Even Walstad, the major practitioner of the method being referred to here as El Natural, advocates waterchanges in the beginning of a system's life.
Hahaha, today you're getting moody Liz...
Yes, it is possible. You are never going to manage a high-tech setup on a budget, but you should be ok for a low-tech. That's not far off from my main display tank (link in my sig) and I have personally never had much interest in high-tech setups anyway.
Don't make blanket statements. Most of my high-tech setups have been on a budget.
I find this really interesting,
this is what i want to do,but if you go to the planted section
a Dave Spencer and many other members say that when you have a planted tank
you must do 50% water changes every 1-2 days for first 2 weeks then 1 change every 3-4 days,
so which way is the right way?
Ok, let me clarify because I think it's important. You're missing a detail or two. The reason why I personally advocate lots of waterchanges in the
beginning of a system's life is mostly due to keeping the tank clean. One of the biggest triggers of algae, especially in the beginning of a system's life, is ammonia. Not "kill your fish" ammonia, but just enough. When tanks are first setup, plants go through an adjustment process. Emmersed growth converts to submerged, damaged stems and leaves die. This decay causes ammonia to leach into the system. Keep the tank clean with regular waterchanges and removal of dead/dying leaves, and you minimize the impact of this awkward phase. Once you start seeing good submerged growth and plant leaves are no longer decayed or dying, then you can start to ease up on the waterchanges. Then your regimen becomes a matter of what type of system you have, as Andy says. Low-techs typically go longer between waterchanges because it creates a more stable, albeit low CO2 environment. High-tech tanks need the frequent waterchanges to reset the system, stable CO2 levels are created using injection methods or dosing of liquid Carbon.
IMO, there is no set rule. In fact, most of my systems have involved the breakage of most of the set rules.
In the beginning of a system's life, I'll often do 50% every 1 to two days, then gradually taper off. Others can get away with less. I think people adhere to strict rules and that gets them into trouble. Instead of following rules, watch your plants.
In my experience, so I'm not making a blanket statement here, regardless of the system, I find a couple of constants that generally lead to success. Others may be different, but all of you know I can certainly grow me some plants.
1. Good flow (at least 10x, my current system is at around 20x)
2. Agressive maintenance regimen, especially in the first couple of months, then it changes depending on whether I'm low-teching or high-teching
3. High plant mass (most people underestimate high plant mass)
When I look back in my 5 years of Planted tanka, all of my systems have the above in common, if little else. Regardless of the lighting or whether or not I choose to inject CO2 or dose ferts.
Liz
