Plant Only Tank

[Livewire88]

Hi everyone,

I am going to set up a tank in my garage for growing aquatic plants, I have added a list of what equipment I have and would like some advice on a few things.

What I Have Allready
1, 100 litre Strong Plastic container (approx 1 meter long)
2, Hagen Glo Duo 39W Ballast (need to purchase bulbs)
3, Fluval M 200w Mirrored Heater
4, Hydor Koralia 900 Nano
5, Plenty Of Plants/Stems To Go Straight In Once Set Up.
6, TPN+ And Excel Which I Will Be Dosing Daily.

What I Need To Purchase
1, Suitable T5 Bulbs
2, Aquarium Plant Substrate


My Questions are;
I wont be keeping any fish in this tank so will I need a filter?
What T5 Bulbs should I look to buy for fast plant growth?
And should I look to add anything else to my required list?

Any help or advice much apreaciated, if everything works out as hoped I will have plenty of plants to sell at low prices on here so fingers crossed

 

[gatorsean]

yeah thats an interesting question. circulation is important in planted tanks though so getting a pump or two would be sufficient. theyre pretty cheap too. and if you are interested in saving money try making your own fertilizer blends rather than using some name brand. http/www.rexgrigg.com/dosing.htm is great wen site for explaining how to do this.

 

[Livewire88]

yeah thats an interesting question. circulation is important in planted tanks though so getting a pump or two would be sufficient. theyre pretty cheap too. and if you are interested in saving money try making your own fertilizer blends rather than using some name brand. http/www.rexgrigg.com/dosing.htm is great wen site for explaining how to do this.

Thanks, I will be using a powerhead to create the circulation, and have dry ferts which I am mixing to the All In One instructions which a lot of people on here reccomend.

 

[ian]

you'd be better off doing it the emersed way, that way you can cut your spending by half, and actually grow the plants. Not that you can't grow plants under water, it's just harder to grow aquatic plants underwater.

 

[Livewire88]

you'd be better off doing it the emersed way, that way you can cut your spending by half, and actually grow the plants. Not that you can't grow plants under water, it's just harder to grow aquatic plants underwater.

Hello,

So aquatic plants can be grown out of water?

So could I just plant them in soil put them under my lighting and let them grow?? Sorry for the simple questions I just assumed they would need to go in water to grow.

 

[SO19Firearms]

So could I just plant them in soil put them under my lighting and let them grow?? Sorry for the simple questions I just assumed they would need to go in water to grow.

Not everything will, but a good percentage. I wouldn't bother with stems, vallis etc.
If it looks like it needs support, it's probably best left in water.
There's a few others I wouldn't bother with too if you're looking to sell them on.....

Edit: You might want to invest in a heating cable too........
/dons flameproof suit.....

 

[Livewire88]

So could I just plant them in soil put them under my lighting and let them grow?? Sorry for the simple questions I just assumed they would need to go in water to grow.

Not everything will, but a good percentage. I wouldn't bother with stems, vallis etc.
If it looks like it needs support, it's probably best left in water.
There's a few others I wouldn't bother with too if you're looking to sell them on.....

Edit: You might want to invest in a heating cable too........
/dons flameproof suit.....

Thanks for the help so far,

I would be mainly wanting to grow stems, mosses and some crowned plants, so I will stick with growing everything in water.

I was wondering if I could use standard compost in the bottom? its not going to make any difference what the tank looks like as long as the plants grow. And if you dont mind me asking what is a heating cable??

 

[SO19Firearms]

Thanks for the help so far,

I would be mainly wanting to grow stems, mosses and some crowned plants, so I will stick with growing everything in water.

I was wondering if I could use standard compost in the bottom? its not going to make any difference what the tank looks like as long as the plants grow. And if you dont mind me asking what is a heating cable??

Heating cables go in the substrate, but you won't need one if you're def. growing in water.
Compost will be ok, have a read around. Just make sure you keep on top of your ferts, carbon, water changes and tank cleanliness to stop algae (another big plus to emmersed)...its always harder growing in tubs as you can't see the problems....