Low Tech Route

[Drum4JC]

Hi folks,

I just spent some time reading through a bunch of posts about putting plants in my tank. I see that the "low tech" route may be what I'm after, but it seems that most of the posts are for you hi-tech folks. So here's a few noob questions:

1. Is it in fact OK to put a few "easy" plants into my very basic tank? I have gravel and I'm not sure I want to mess with anything that can't survive in that. Mostly I just want a few live plants up front for aesthetical value, and hopefully a little anti-algae work.

2. How do I handle the weekly vacuums? Do I carefully go around it? Do I gently remove it and replace it?

3. I'm looking for a few ideas of what to get. I like the Hornworts, but I'm not sure what else. I like slow growing and easy!

Thanks!

 

[Gurglar]

your best off starting with some java ferns and anubias if you want something really easy that you don't have to do much to keep alive.

Only thing with those plants is they must be attached to something like a piece of wood or rock because the roots have to be above ground.

 

[Mza36]

Anachris is also relatively undemanding and cheap

 

[baron von bubba]

Hi folks,

I just spent some time reading through a bunch of posts about putting plants in my tank. I see that the "low tech" route may be what I'm after, but it seems that most of the posts are for you hi-tech folks. So here's a few noob questions:

1. Is it in fact OK to put a few "easy" plants into my very basic tank? I have gravel and I'm not sure I want to mess with anything that can't survive in that. Mostly I just want a few live plants up front for aesthetical value, and hopefully a little anti-algae work.

2. How do I handle the weekly vacuums? Do I carefully go around it? Do I gently remove it and replace it?

3. I'm looking for a few ideas of what to get. I like the Hornworts, but I'm not sure what else. I like slow growing and easy!

Thanks!

there a plenty of plants that dont require high lighting and co2 as above, jave fern, anubias plus crypts, vallis, hygrophilia and mosses
what sort of algae problems have you got?

weekly water changes, if you add a fair few plants and don't have a massively stocked tank then you should probably do away with water changes.
water straight from the tap can contain a fair bit of co2, and these fluctuating levels can cause algae problems.
if you feel you have to do them, then letting the water sit for 24 hours in a container will help this issue as the co2 will degass.

 

[Drum4JC]

Fortunately I don't have any algae issues. I just figured that along with
the aesthetics, they would likely provide a little protection. I'll look at the plants you all mentioned.

Any ideas on the vacuuming question? I'd still anticipate doing weekly cleanings.

 

[RadaR]

In planted tanks we provide good flow to suck up most, if not all the physical debris and waste that can be created in the tank. It's just a case of changing the filter floss then. Hence we don't really do gravel vacs in planted tanks. By all means hoover over the top of the gravel to get rid of any debris you can see.

 

[baron von bubba]

Fortunately I don't have any algae issues. I just figured that along with
the aesthetics, they would likely provide a little protection. I'll look at the plants you all mentioned.

Any ideas on the vacuuming question? I'd still anticipate doing weekly cleanings.

in an unplanted tank the build up of nitrates and phosphates can only be countered by water changes, in a planted tank however the plants will deal with this!
as long as the tank isnt overstocked and you dont over feed the fishies!

the more plants the better, best filtration you can have!

 

[waterdrop]

Baron wrote:

water straight from the tap can contain a fair bit of co2, and these fluctuating levels can cause algae problems.
if you feel you have to do them, then letting the water sit for 24 hours in a container will help this issue as the co2 will degass.

My gosh! Somehow a lightbulb went off when I read this. I mean, it was one of the weird things where I knew all the facts but had just never thought about them together before.

What an easy way to encourage BBA, just hose in a lot of tap water with the Python during the weekly water change on a tank without pressurized CO2 and you've built in your own method of fluctuating the CO2 level. Duh!

Obviously it would encourage BBA, would it likely encourage Diatoms (Brown algae) some too?

WD

 

[RadaR]

Baron wrote:

water straight from the tap can contain a fair bit of co2, and these fluctuating levels can cause algae problems.
if you feel you have to do them, then letting the water sit for 24 hours in a container will help this issue as the co2 will degass.

Obviously it would encourage BBA, would it likely encourage Diatoms (Brown algae) some too?

I doubt it. Diatoms are more influenced by lack of ferts or an ammonia spike.

 

[waterdrop]

Baron wrote:

water straight from the tap can contain a fair bit of co2, and these fluctuating levels can cause algae problems.
if you feel you have to do them, then letting the water sit for 24 hours in a container will help this issue as the co2 will degass.

Obviously it would encourage BBA, would it likely encourage Diatoms (Brown algae) some too?

I doubt it. Diatoms are more influenced by lack of ferts or an ammonia spike.

Interesting! Any feeling for which of a lack of N or P or K macros might encourage them the most if Trace was still being administered? A while back I ran out of ferts in three small bottles of individual Flourish N, P and K, which had been going in to my son's tank in very small planned doses on certain days of the week, but I continued with "plain" Flourish (I'm at work, but I believe plain Flourish has a small amt of macros in addition to traces, as opposed to a different Flourish that has Trace only)... anyway, dosing the "plain Flourish" slightly more often (I was curious to treat it as a small experiement) and what I observed was an increase in what had been small buildups of diatoms (established tank running over a year and a half, low-light, Excel, maybe 30% of substrate planted, 50% weekly H2O chngs, Flourite, not-great circ from 5x turnover)

WD (apologies DRUM for the hijak! hope you don't mind)

 

[mbsqw1d]

Hi folks,

I just spent some time reading through a bunch of posts about putting plants in my tank. I see that the "low tech" route may be what I'm after, but it seems that most of the posts are for you hi-tech folks. So here's a few noob questions:

1. Is it in fact OK to put a few "easy" plants into my very basic tank? I have gravel and I'm not sure I want to mess with anything that can't survive in that. Mostly I just want a few live plants up front for aesthetical value, and hopefully a little anti-algae work.

2. How do I handle the weekly vacuums? Do I carefully go around it? Do I gently remove it and replace it?

3. I'm looking for a few ideas of what to get. I like the Hornworts, but I'm not sure what else. I like slow growing and easy!

Thanks!

Elodea Densa. Not sure where you live because it's been banned in some places (problems relating to growth in the wild when released into rivers etc).
In the tank though its a great low tech plant. Also gives off a chemical that prevents blue algae growth. Can have it planted or floating. Grows like mad.

 

[RadaR]

Baron wrote:

water straight from the tap can contain a fair bit of co2, and these fluctuating levels can cause algae problems.
if you feel you have to do them, then letting the water sit for 24 hours in a container will help this issue as the co2 will degass.

Obviously it would encourage BBA, would it likely encourage Diatoms (Brown algae) some too?

I doubt it. Diatoms are more influenced by lack of ferts or an ammonia spike.

Interesting! Any feeling for which of a lack of N or P or K macros might encourage them the most if Trace was still being administered? A while back I ran out of ferts in three small bottles of individual Flourish N, P and K, which had been going in to my son's tank in very small planned doses on certain days of the week, but I continued with "plain" Flourish (I'm at work, but I believe plain Flourish has a small amt of macros in addition to traces, as opposed to a different Flourish that has Trace only)... anyway, dosing the "plain Flourish" slightly more often (I was curious to treat it as a small experiement) and what I observed was an increase in what had been small buildups of diatoms (established tank running over a year and a half, low-light, Excel, maybe 30% of substrate planted, 50% weekly H2O chngs, Flourite, not-great circ from 5x turnover)

WD (apologies DRUM for the hijak! hope you don't mind)

Not sure which macro it could be. It would be arrogant of me to hazard a guess because I really don't know.
However what you have described does seem to corroborate with the theory, low macro or ammonia spike = diatoms. When you ran out of the N, P and K the plants could only obtain there NPK from the fish or via water changes (if there is any in the tap). This might not have been enough for them, hence the build up of diatoms. Increased traces didn't have any impact. If we were going to be more thorough, then we can say that diatoms are always causes by ammonia whether that be due to a spike from overfeeding or because when the plant(s) aren't receiving the macro nutrients they need, they will begin to break down internally, uncontrollably leaching ammonia into the water column which the algae spores combined with light will begin to grow algae.

 

[waterdrop]

Baron wrote:

water straight from the tap can contain a fair bit of co2, and these fluctuating levels can cause algae problems.
if you feel you have to do them, then letting the water sit for 24 hours in a container will help this issue as the co2 will degass.

Obviously it would encourage BBA, would it likely encourage Diatoms (Brown algae) some too?

I doubt it. Diatoms are more influenced by lack of ferts or an ammonia spike.

Interesting! Any feeling for which of a lack of N or P or K macros might encourage them the most if Trace was still being administered? A while back I ran out of ferts in three small bottles of individual Flourish N, P and K, which had been going in to my son's tank in very small planned doses on certain days of the week, but I continued with "plain" Flourish (I'm at work, but I believe plain Flourish has a small amt of macros in addition to traces, as opposed to a different Flourish that has Trace only)... anyway, dosing the "plain Flourish" slightly more often (I was curious to treat it as a small experiement) and what I observed was an increase in what had been small buildups of diatoms (established tank running over a year and a half, low-light, Excel, maybe 30% of substrate planted, 50% weekly H2O chngs, Flourite, not-great circ from 5x turnover)

WD (apologies DRUM for the hijak! hope you don't mind)

Not sure which macro it could be. It would be arrogant of me to hazard a guess because I really don't know.
However what you have described does seem to corroborate with the theory, low macro or ammonia spike = diatoms. When you ran out of the N, P and K the plants could only obtain there NPK from the fish or via water changes (if there is any in the tap). This might not have been enough for them, hence the build up of diatoms. Increased traces didn't have any impact. If we were going to be more thorough, then we can say that diatoms are always causes by ammonia whether that be due to a spike from overfeeding or because when the plant(s) aren't receiving the macro nutrients they need, they will begin to break down internally, uncontrollably leaching ammonia into the water column which the algae spores combined with light will begin to grow algae.

Ah, that's an interesting thought too. During that experimental period the java ferns, wendtii and anubia were all doing better but the huge amazon sword did have a couple of older large leaves die and they managed to break down during a vacation week when I wasn't there to take them out, perhaps that was enough extra little ammonia.

 

[Drum4JC]

Fascinating stuff! No worries on the "hijack"!

I'm really getting excited to get some live plants in the tank. Hopefully in a couple weeks.

 

[MisterJiggyFly]

Only thing with those plants is they must be attached to something like a piece of wood or rock because the roots have to be above ground.

Anubias will grow just fine planted in the substrate like every other plant - plant the roots underground but make sure the rhizome is not covered.