Newbie Needs Advice...

[Faythee]

I am rather bored with my 30 gal. tank and am thinking live plants. I have no clue how to do this. It is a 30 gal. with Danios, Tetras, and Cory Cats. It is ....

78 degrees F
kinda high ph @ 7.5
slightly hard water

I have sand substrate.

The lighting is the typical hood but a bit bright. Also gets sunlight mid-day.

Can I do this ? What plants do you recommend ? Do I need any extra things to make this work ? I have a HOB AquaClear Power filter.

Any advise would be much appreciated

 

[Mikaila31]

How many watts is the light?

 

[lljdma06]

A fellow Floridian! Nice to see you at TFF and welcome! Welcome to the world of liquid rock, but it is still possible to have a beautifully planted tank in FL. Once we know the wattage of your tank, we'll be able to go from there. What are tank dimensions as well, so if you do need to upgrade your lighting, we can point you in the right direction. What's your location in FL? I'm in Miami.

llj

 

[Faythee]

Bulb says .....
All-Glass Aquarium 17 watt

LOL

Dimensions are 30L x 12W x 17H

Hi llj....I am in Daytona Bch.
Thank you for the warm welcome !

My tap water has ph of 7.5 or above & 3.0 mg/l ammonia

 

[Colin_T]

try Ambulia, Elodia, Hygrophilla species, Vallis & Ludwigia.

Have the lights on for 12-16 hours per day. If you get lots of algae decrease the light. If you don't get much or any algae, then have the lights on for 16hours.

Add some liquid iron based plant fertiliser to the tank and the plants should be fine. I use Sera Florena and it does a pretty good job.

 

[SuperColey1]

try Ambulia, Elodia, Hygrophilla species, Vallis & Ludwigia.

Have the lights on for 12-16 hours per day. If you get lots of algae decrease the light. If you don't get much or any algae, then have the lights on for 16hours.

Add some liquid iron based plant fertiliser to the tank and the plants should be fine. I use Sera Florena and it does a pretty good job.

12-16 hours!!!! 8-10 is best and 12 hours max. The plants will have had enough by then and the extra 4 you have suggested will incurr the qrath of algae without a doubt!!.

Andy

 

[Colin_T]

An easy way to tell if the plants have had enough light is to watch Ambulia and Hygrophilla polysperma. When these plants have had sufficient light they will close up their top leaves.
Have the lights on for a bit longer after their leaves have closed up so the plants lower in the tank get sufficient light too.

 

[Faythee]

Thank you !

Right now I am having a problem with that ugly brown algae typical in newer tanks. Should I wait until it subsides ?

 

[lljdma06]

Bulb says .....
All-Glass Aquarium 17 watt

LOL

Dimensions are 30L x 12W x 17H

Hi llj....I am in Daytona Bch.
Thank you for the warm welcome !

My tap water has ph of 7.5 or above & 3.0 mg/l ammonia

17W over 30g isn't much light. You can, if you wish, try anubias, java fern, and cryptocorynes and perhaps some extremely hardy stemplants, but if you'd like some more growth, I'd upgrade your lighting. What kind of bulb is it? Flourescent? Two 17W bulbs would give you enough light to grow some of the plants that have been listed very well, without adding much regarding fert or CO2, and you can enjoy a pretty planted tank. I actually was looking around and found this light fixture that you may like and it isn't super expensive and the lighting is much better for a basic, no-frills planted tank (A good move for a beginner). I encourage purchasing a glass cover, one that fits your tank, and then mounting the fixture below on top.

http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...blestriplight30

What do you think? It is cheap and easy to run on a timer. I have experience with this brand and like it a lot. I have tanks that run on 10 hours of light and some that run on nearly 16 on some days, depends on the system. The normal for me is between 10-12 hours, but I run less light than others here, so I can often leave it on a little longer with no ill effects, though I do recommend giving plants nigthly rest. The ridiculous 16-hour tank is my little pico 2.5g planted, but I use that tank as a work light and on occasion will forget to turn-off the lights when I'm done at the desk. There are also days when I'll forget to turn the lights on too! That tank does not follow lighting rules and I don't recommend that kind of haphazard lighting regimen for a beginner.

Let me know what you decide. Big Al's has that store over by Tamarac, but they have a huge online supply store with some good deals. Make sure your dechlorinator removes ammonia, that's just aweful water you've got there, and I thought mine was nasty.

llj

 

[Fishlurver]

Ambulia and Hygrophilla polysperma work very well when it comes to how much light
does the trick every time

 

[aaronnorth]

An easy way to tell if the plants have had enough light is to watch Ambulia and Hygrophilla polysperma. When these plants have had sufficient light they will close up their top leaves.
Have the lights on for a bit longer after their leaves have closed up so the plants lower in the tank get sufficient light too.

Other plants dont do that though, the lower plants will get sufficient light @ 10-12hrs. It is pointless having them on for that amount of time, all you do is waste money, look at all the flourishing tanks you see, most kept at 10-12hrs.

Increasing the time the lighting is on wont help the plants, because of the levels of lighting which let it down

 

[Colin_T]

Right now I am having a problem with that ugly brown algae typical in newer tanks. Should I wait until it subsides ?

Do a partial water change each day for a week using dechlorinated water with a similar temp and PH as the tank. Then put some plants in. The water changes and gravel cleans will remove all the excess nutrients and give you a clean tank to start with. By doing water changes you won't upset the filters.

 

[aaronnorth]

Brown algae is common in new set-ups, it can also to do with low light (which yiu have)

 

[Faythee]

Thank you everyone ! I will check out Big Al's. I do plan on a new top and light. The one now came with it and the latch is broke and I hate it. Will switch to a glass top like my other tank.

Do you think a bristlenose will help with the algae ? I scrub it and it reappears doubly in 2 days. Also I have been using spring water for water changes lately. Is that okay ?

 

[aaronnorth]

Thank you everyone ! I will check out Big Al's. I do plan on a new top and light. The one now came with it and the latch is broke and I hate it. Will switch to a glass top like my other tank.

Do you think a bristlenose will help with the algae ? I scrub it and it reappears doubly in 2 days. Also I have been using spring water for water changes lately. Is that okay ?

It would but not the best option with plants, otto's and/or shrimp would be better