Planted Tank

[Henry_VCG_]

This easy measurement shows the ammount of plants a planted tank should contain:

Number of plants=

Length of tank (CM/IN) x Depth (Cm/IN)
__________________________

50 (CM) 8 (IN)



Okay that means to have an adequetly planted tank you should do the following: The length in inches or centimeters, multiplied by the depth in inches or centimetres and then divided by 8 for inches or 50 for centimetres...

okay so thats: Length X Depth divided by either 8 (inches) 50 (centimetres)

okay heres a final example 60x30/50=36 Plants



Henry

 

[luxum]

Thank you for further enabling my obsessive plant buying! I got some morimo balls yesterday, those are soooooo cool!

 

[noelberg]

WOW! that means i need to have over 20 plants in my 20 gallon tank. I guess the java ferns and the riccia will get there in about a month
hehe buy java ferns or riccia and u will never have to buy them again!

 

[Fish Buddy]

Great! now I know how many more plants I can get, he he he...

 

[noelberg]

just curious - where do the bottom numbers of the equation come from? because 50 cm is more than twice the equivalent of 8 inches

 

[heresmike]

just curious - where do the bottom numbers of the equation come from? because 50 cm is more than twice the equivalent of 8 inches

But strangely enough, it works out relatively closely when I do the maths using both inches and centimeters....

Inches: 30 X 12 / 8 = 45
CM: 76 X 30.5 / 50 = 46


But yikes! That's a lot of plants in my 29 gallon. Sounds like that equation is too generic. There should be something in there that takes into account the size of the plant.

 

[noelberg]

good call heresmike! I was too lazy to crunch all the numbers B)

i guess it's a lot like the inch of fish per gallon "rule" - it's something basic and generic that occasionally works, and shouldn't be billed to be the truth. we don't hear anything about how evasive plants, rooted plants, floating plants, size, etc. affect the formula.

the formula basically amounts to plants=good

 

[Henry_VCG_]

here here, I found it in a pamphlet about plants, just thought I might share...

 

[clutterydrawer]

i cant understad that at all. define "a plant" - if i had a plant, split it and planted it in two places, would it suddenly count as two plants?!

if i planted as many plants in my tank as that suggested, there would be no clear gravel at all, and probably some would block out the others' light.

 

[Bol]

Hehe, thanks for sharing that, Henry.

But, I'm guessing it will be not much surprise (please take no offense, as this is directed to the writers of the pamphlet) when I say that that is just about the stupidest 'rule' I've ever heard.

/rantOn

'Adequate number of plants'??? Adequate for what? Exactly what criterion are they trying to fulfill?

What is 'one plant'? I can't think of any practical way that 'one plant' has any meaning. There is nothing at all that I can think of, physically, chemically or biologically, that could allow you to equate, say, one stem of anacharis with one amazon sword. Or one blob of hornwort (which sucks up nutrients like a sponge, and can easily fill half the volume of a 20g tank in a month) with a slow-growing crypt.

And, to add to the stupidity of the 'rule', one tank dimension is completely disregarded, AND it's one of the dimensions that determines the planting space, and the coverage of your lights!

According to that 'equation', the number of 'adequate' plants for a standard 55g tank would be the same as for a standard 75g tank, as they have the same length and height.

/rantOff

Whew, I feel better now.

 

[sinistral]

I think a good equation would be:

Adequate number of aquatic plants = (Insatiable desire for more plants) x (size of bank account) / (significant-other's-complaints-about-your-so-called-"addiction"-what-does-she-know-anyways-fine!-leave-and-don't-come-back!-my-plants-will-keep-me-warm-at-night-*sob*).

Note that frequently the last item is the rate-limiting factor in this equation.

 

[daydreams_uk]

please translate into english coz i dont have a clue....hehe
maybe ive had a tiny bit too much to drink ...i'll read again tomorrow


only jk

 

[StanTheBetta]

I think a good equation would be:

Adequate number of aquatic plants = (Insatiable desire for more plants) x (size of bank account) / (significant-other's-complaints-about-your-so-called-"addiction"-what-does-she-know-anyways-fine!-leave-and-don't-come-back!-my-plants-will-keep-me-warm-at-night-*sob*).

Note that frequently the last item is the rate-limiting factor in this equation.

Thats so true! I think it applies to fish, and fish tanks as well.

 

[mollyb]

wow! i am working on one hell of a migraine tonight.

this just helped to add to it

i agree with daydreams.... but thanks for making me go

lol

 

[Henry_VCG_]

I think a good equation would be:

Adequate number of aquatic plants = (Insatiable desire for more plants) x (size of bank account) / (significant-other's-complaints-about-your-so-called-"addiction"-what-does-she-know-anyways-fine!-leave-and-don't-come-back!-my-plants-will-keep-me-warm-at-night-*sob*).

Note that frequently the last item is the rate-limiting factor in this equation