My First Planted Tank...advice Very Welcome!

[mp3]

Hi All,

I'm about to embark on my first planted tank journey and after many many hours on this wonderful site my brain is about to explode with information! I've just bought a Juwel Rekord 80 and thought I should tackle one thing at a time...so here goes ..LIGHTING!

Obviously I want to upgrade the lighting and have come up with the following...

Install another tube + reflector into the hood and change the standrad Juwel 20W tube that came with the tank.

I was thinking of installing an Arcadia lighting unit + juwel reflector and having an Arcadia original tropical 20W and an Arcadia freshwater 20W tube.

I calculate that this will give me 1.89 WPG (if my maths is right!)

Will this work for a planted tank?
Are these the best tubes to use for a planted tank?
Will the Juwel light fittings take an Arcadia tube?
Am also thinking of having black gravel...any recommendations for a good plant substrate?

Many thanks for your suggestions
Sam

 

[Ginge]

Hi All,

I'm about to embark on my first planted tank journey and after many many hours on this wonderful site my brain is about to explode with information! I've just bought a Juwel Rekord 80 and thought I should tackle one thing at a time...so here goes ..LIGHTING!

Obviously I want to upgrade the lighting and have come up with the following...

Install another tube + reflector into the hood and change the standrad Juwel 20W tube that came with the tank.

I was thinking of installing an Arcadia lighting unit + juwel reflector and having an Arcadia original tropical 20W and an Arcadia freshwater 20W tube.

I calculate that this will give me 1.89 WPG (if my maths is right!)

Will this work for a planted tank?
Are these the best tubes to use for a planted tank?
Will the Juwel light fittings take an Arcadia tube?
Am also thinking of having black gravel...any recommendations for a good plant substrate?
Many thanks for your suggestions
Sam

Firstly have a read of this,
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=96754

1.89 is ok but you could go a bit higher and add a T5 tube to give extra WPG around this area of lighting you will want to be adding CO2 in to the tank to prevent algea issues. The Arcadia Freswater tube are highly recomended on here for planted tanks and yes will fit into the jewel hood.

For substrate try to read all of the current threads on substrate that have come up recently there seem to be many around ATM and should tell you alot you need to know.

Ginge

 

[George Farmer]

Hi All,

I'm about to embark on my first planted tank journey and after many many hours on this wonderful site my brain is about to explode with information! I've just bought a Juwel Rekord 80 and thought I should tackle one thing at a time...so here goes ..LIGHTING!

Obviously I want to upgrade the lighting and have come up with the following...

Install another tube + reflector into the hood and change the standrad Juwel 20W tube that came with the tank.

I was thinking of installing an Arcadia lighting unit + juwel reflector and having an Arcadia original tropical 20W and an Arcadia freshwater 20W tube.

I calculate that this will give me 1.89 WPG (if my maths is right!)

Will this work for a planted tank?
Are these the best tubes to use for a planted tank?
Will the Juwel light fittings take an Arcadia tube?
Am also thinking of having black gravel...any recommendations for a good plant substrate?

Many thanks for your suggestions
Sam

You are right to upgrade your original Juwel lighting for a planted tank. Make sure you fit reflectors too. The Arcadia Freshwater and Original Tropical tubes are an effective combination. They will fit the Juwel fittings. For higher intensity I recommend replacing the Original Tropical with an Interpet Triplus. This compliments the greenish output of the Freshwater as it, like the Original Tropical has peaks in the red and blue spectrum but has a higher output.

There are plenty of good substrates out there, either as additives or complete substrates. It's entirely up to you. If your budget allows then I'd go for a complete substrate, if not then go for a plain gravel type (1-3mm grain size is good) and use an additive. Popular complete substrates - Flourite, Ecocomplete. ADA Aqua Soil is very good but I wouldn't recommend it for the beginner as it can mess with your water chemistry and cause much confusion. Additives - Laterite, fert tabs. etc. Check out here for a good selection of all types of substrates - http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk

There is black quartz gravel available that is inert. Using additives to this would suit your needs.

Have you considered CO2? It will help your plants a lot. I've just written this in another thread, it is relevant for you too -

PLANT HEAVILY - cover at least 75% of the substrate, mainly with weeds like Hygrophila polysperma at the start (for a list check out the pinned algae thread). Filling a new tank with slow growers like ferns, moss, anubias will likely result in algae. The aim is to get as much plant growth as possible, this deals with algae issues early on. If you have a mature filter this will help combat algae. Ammonium is a big algae trigger so in a new tank fast plant growth is essential to uptake this nutrient until the filter can deal with it. Stocking lightly with fish is a good idea for the same reason.

 

[Ginge]

GF where is this black graval you mentioned?

Thanks

 

[George Farmer]

New Leaf in Knaresborough, N. Yorks. They're a Dennerle stockist.

 

[Ginge]

I meant where can you buy it?

 

[George Farmer]

New Leaf in Knaresborough, N. Yorks. They're a Dennerle stockist.

I meant where can you buy it?

That is where I bought it.

Google is your friend I found this in a few seconds - check out the bottom of the page. http/www.hobbyfish.net/index.php?categoryID=aq-substrate

Much more expensive than I paid though. The New Leaf website has been closed it seems for some reason.