Planting Advice

[Twinklecaz]

I'll hopefully be setting up my tank next weekend and think it's time to get some advice on the plants. How do I keep them healthy? I'm going to get some plant substrate to lie under my gravel but what else do I need? Also I don't really understand about the lighting. Do I need to have my light on more or less than if it wasn't a planted tank? and what will happen if I don't stick to this?

I'm not sure what plants I'll be getting yet but really like the look of the Amazon Sword. I think those are the kind I like, big leafy ones rather than bushy ones. Will the Amazon Sword be ok in my 60l tank (it's 38 cms high) or is it too big?

Finally, I really wanted to get a small airstone (actually bought a kit today but it's so going back due to the loud pump) and am now thinking of getting one of those Hydor things (not with the LED light though). Is this going to be ok with the plants? Someone told me earlier it destroys the Co2 which I know the plants need but is there anything I can do to combat this?

Sorry for all the questions.

 

[Twinklecaz]

*Sob*

 

[lljdma06]

*Sob*

What is the substrate? What is your lighting, though I think the sword you like will be fine with stock lighting. Might get too big for your tank, though there are smaller varieties of Echinodorus species.

I apologize, I was at church and by the time I got online, you were buried a bit and I didn't see you.

llj

 

[Twinklecaz]

Ha ha don't worry. I'm not sure what the lighting is, it came with the tank. I'll check when I get home. When people say "low lighting" what do they mean? Substrate will prob be the tetra one.

When I fishless cycle my tank, am I best to have the plants in from the start or wait until I do my final big water change?

 

[lljdma06]

Ha ha don't worry. I'm not sure what the lighting is, it came with the tank. I'll check when I get home. When people say "low lighting" what do they mean? Substrate will prob be the tetra one.

When I fishless cycle my tank, am I best to have the plants in from the start or wait until I do my final big water change?

Low-light anywhere between .5WPG to 1.5WPG, depending on the type of system. Depending on what you want to grow, you'll probably be fine with stock lighting.

If you plant densly from the beginning, you will not need to cycle the tank at all. It is a special secret that Planted people have. We like this very much.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Ooo really, tell me more....

 

[lljdma06]

Ooo really, tell me more....

I will let Dave Spencer tell you why.

Here is an article on this subject

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/299827-why-we-should-not-fishless-cycle-planted-tanks/

 

[Twinklecaz]

Oh yeah I've read that before. I have to confess I don't really get it. Is saying that if I heavily plant the tank will basically we cycled itself?

 

[Truck]

In summary, if you plant heavily and light well from the start, the plants will use the Ammonia as a nitrogen source (nitrogen being the main Macro nutrient that plants require to create proteins) which will eliminate the need for massive water changes, if you use a decent substrate, and add any mulm (the crappy detritus inside the filter) under the substrate, you will create a pretty solid foundation for a well running tank.

Water changes will still need to be done every few days just remove any stray ammonia, this will eliminate any possible chance of algae, one 50% every 3 days should sort it out, do this for the first 4 weeks.

I suggest you buy some Easy life easy carbo which is a substitute for CO2, which works well on small tanks, also a decent all in one fertiliser will do well too, but do half doses whilst the tank is 'silently cycling'.

Dosing 2.5mls of easy carbo and 1.25 of TPN+ daily should give your plants a good start, how much light is over your tank? is it the stock lighting? What tank do you have?

 

[lljdma06]

Oh yeah I've read that before. I have to confess I don't really get it. Is saying that if I heavily plant the tank will basically we cycled itself?

Essentially. The real point he is trying to make, however, is that when you start a planted tank, you must think of creating an algae free zone prior to putting in the fish. Adding ammonia isn't condusive to this. According to the article light + ammonia = will bring algae. The planting must be dense enough so that the plants use it first, or you get rid of it with regular waterchanges.

For some people, by the time they've accomplished this algae-free goal, the tank is long ready for their entire bioload.

However, for those of us who get to this step much faster, if the tank is densly planted, you'll be fine to add pretty much all of your fish right away, because the plants will readily consume the little ammonia that is produced by the fish. Do your scheduled maintenance and you should be fine. Unless you are extremely lucky and can find everything in one location, I find this hard to do. Usually, I have to add things a school at a time. Nothing I want is ever in one place and most of it is online, so I have to save up, buy what I want, save up some more, add a new species.

This information is mostly based on CO2 tanks. Non-CO2 is a little different. For me, waterchanges mess with our limited CO2 and cause CO2 instability which can trigger algae. Then there is the ammonia issue, which can also trigger algae. So in the beginning we have to decide what we want to do first, no ammonia or unstable CO2. I will often chose no ammonia first and do more waterchanges, which will give me unstable CO2 for my low-light tank. That being said, because it is lower light, algae issues manifest much more slowly. I can prevent the algae due to ammonia by doing heightened maintenance until things stabilize in the tank. Then I can let things go and encourage the more stable CO2 levels caused by a lack of waterchanges in a low-light tank. I might be wrong, but this is what I've done and my tanks are pretty algae free. Maybe a small spot here and there.

Does that clear things up any?

llj

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yes, thank you both of you. It does seem like a good way to do it. Heavily planted means about 75% does it?

 

[lljdma06]

Yes, thank you both of you. It does seem like a good way to do it. Heavily planted means about 75% does it?

75% substrate coverage. Yep!

 

[Twinklecaz]

Cool, can you recommend me some plants? Leafy like the Amazon Sword, quite hardy and low maintence?

and I have a lump of bogwood (don't know if that's relevant?)

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Lol just to let you know, I finally looked at my bulb and it's a sun-glow 15 watt! I take it that's too much for plants?