Davy I think I will pass for the moment on pictures, maybe I will send some when i am a bit more confident. Anyway todays subject, all the greenary in my tanks are plastic/silk, toying with the idea of "going real" seen a few sites that will give you a good selection of plants for a Fiver, The burning question is. I really want to have everything "just so" to make a success would I need to invest in a CO2 system, or could I just bung some plants in & hope for the best!!! :what:
Plastic or Real!
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Davy Reynolds
The First Ever Member
I'm toying with the same desion just now.
I've had okay sucess with keeping plants in a 'normal' aquarium but know I cant go more as it is.
I've looked through loads of info and they all say you don't need the works to have a nice planted aquarium, all you need is good lighting, not loads but the right amount, of the right specturm. Plus the right filtration, which you may now be over powered now :what:
Pick the right plants that would be suited to your tank, and slightly upgrade your lighting, though I'm lead to beleave jewel tanks are okay in that department. The long run may be trial and error
I've had okay sucess with keeping plants in a 'normal' aquarium but know I cant go more as it is.
I've looked through loads of info and they all say you don't need the works to have a nice planted aquarium, all you need is good lighting, not loads but the right amount, of the right specturm. Plus the right filtration, which you may now be over powered now :what:
Pick the right plants that would be suited to your tank, and slightly upgrade your lighting, though I'm lead to beleave jewel tanks are okay in that department. The long run may be trial and error
A plant discussion, one of my faves...
Basic planing is this. 2-3 watts per gallon (deeper tanks will need more wattage). Start the tank out with fast growing plants (this will help with the algae and excess nutrients). Big plants in back working foward (small in front). A piece of drift wood adds a real nice touch. You will want to put a substrait down with some kind of fertilizer for the plants that take nutrients in from the roots. CO2 is NOT a must. You can get a liquid CO2 for your tank if you want it. Much easier and friendlier than a DYI CO2 system. Iron, nitrAtes, phosphates are good things to have in a planted tank (if you have excess of these the fast growing plants will use it all up before you know it.) Liquid fertilzer is NOT a must. Use different leaf types, and add some red plants if you can. It will break up the tank a bit and will look more natural. If you plant heavily enough and understock a tank you don't need a filter of any kind. Make sure the fish you are getting will be plant compatable (most cichlids are not plant friendly).
I think that's all for now. I know I forgot something (old age has set in, or is that the result of kids.) Rose
This is my 46 bowfront with live plants.
This is my 10g live plants.
Basic planing is this. 2-3 watts per gallon (deeper tanks will need more wattage). Start the tank out with fast growing plants (this will help with the algae and excess nutrients). Big plants in back working foward (small in front). A piece of drift wood adds a real nice touch. You will want to put a substrait down with some kind of fertilizer for the plants that take nutrients in from the roots. CO2 is NOT a must. You can get a liquid CO2 for your tank if you want it. Much easier and friendlier than a DYI CO2 system. Iron, nitrAtes, phosphates are good things to have in a planted tank (if you have excess of these the fast growing plants will use it all up before you know it.) Liquid fertilzer is NOT a must. Use different leaf types, and add some red plants if you can. It will break up the tank a bit and will look more natural. If you plant heavily enough and understock a tank you don't need a filter of any kind. Make sure the fish you are getting will be plant compatable (most cichlids are not plant friendly).
I think that's all for now. I know I forgot something (old age has set in, or is that the result of kids.) Rose
This is my 46 bowfront with live plants.
This is my 10g live plants.
Bleed in' showoff Rose. :laugh:
Nice plants. If only I could stop my fish eating them all it's costing a fortune to replace them every month or so, especialy when there doing so well. :=)
The trouble with some of these £5/£10 plant bundle deals is you don't know what you'll get untill they arrive, I've had this discussion before and a couple of sites were recommended but my card was over the limit so I didn't order. i think one site was Java-Plant but i'm not sure I'll dig out the addresses.
Rose Liquid co2? can you give us some more details please, as I've converted an old scuba tank into a co2 dispencer but the regulator is old and dodgy and they are expensive to replace.
:laugh: Nice plants. If only I could stop my fish eating them all it's costing a fortune to replace them every month or so, especialy when there doing so well. :=)
The trouble with some of these £5/£10 plant bundle deals is you don't know what you'll get untill they arrive, I've had this discussion before and a couple of sites were recommended but my card was over the limit so I didn't order. i think one site was Java-Plant but i'm not sure I'll dig out the addresses.
Rose Liquid co2? can you give us some more details please, as I've converted an old scuba tank into a co2 dispencer but the regulator is old and dodgy and they are expensive to replace.
Seachem makes a liquid CO2 named Flourish Excel. Organic carbon source for the planted aquarium.
This is on the back of the bottle.
Flourish Excel is a simple source of readily available organic carbon. All plants require a source of carbon. This is typically obtained from CO2, but may also be obtained via realtively simple organic compounds (such as photosynthetic intermediates). Since both processes occur simultaneously one can derive a substantial benefit with the use of Florish Excel either alone or in conjunction with CO2 injection. Flourish Excel also has iron reducing properties which promote the ferrous state of iron (Fe+2), which is more easily utilized by plants than the ferric iron(Fe+3).
I use this in all my planted tanks and I noticed my plants got greener with in the first 2 doses of this stuff. I also use Seachems Flourish Trace. It has the trace elements that plants need. I recommend both these products for those who want low maintanence planted tanks.
I'm going to bed now that it's 2 am and the baby just went down again. Chow till later. Rose
This is on the back of the bottle.
Flourish Excel is a simple source of readily available organic carbon. All plants require a source of carbon. This is typically obtained from CO2, but may also be obtained via realtively simple organic compounds (such as photosynthetic intermediates). Since both processes occur simultaneously one can derive a substantial benefit with the use of Florish Excel either alone or in conjunction with CO2 injection. Flourish Excel also has iron reducing properties which promote the ferrous state of iron (Fe+2), which is more easily utilized by plants than the ferric iron(Fe+3).
I use this in all my planted tanks and I noticed my plants got greener with in the first 2 doses of this stuff. I also use Seachems Flourish Trace. It has the trace elements that plants need. I recommend both these products for those who want low maintanence planted tanks.
I'm going to bed now that it's 2 am and the baby just went down again. Chow till later. Rose
Davy Reynolds
The First Ever Member
Thats the place I was going to try for my aquarium out in the hall, I was going to get the full setup for £200. I'm wanting an underwater garden style.
Just spent a few minutes checking out the "Newleaf" site, sounds a bit bleedin' complicated, for a peasant like me, :what:
Rose, You are the expert on "all matters greeen" please explain to me in words of one syllable what the h##l is this KH, & GH all about, I've just about got used to Nitrate & Nitrite, without worrying about all this hardness lark Doh!!!!!.
Rose, You are the expert on "all matters greeen" please explain to me in words of one syllable what the h##l is this KH, & GH all about, I've just about got used to Nitrate & Nitrite, without worrying about all this hardness lark Doh!!!!!.
Ok guys im new here and just starting a planted discus tank and i was readin this topic. Rose said she was coming back to explain some stuff only she didnt can anu one else explain o me all the gH kh stuff to make sure i got it right
Sorry my bad. Must have forgot again. Anyone got a new mind they can loan me for a bit?
KH-
Carbonate Hardness. This known as the alkalinity. It measures the carbonate (CO3-) an bicarbonate (HCO3--) ions in your water. In other words this is what keeps your pH stable. A high KH usually means a high pH.
GH-
General Hardness. This is the measure of Calcium (Ca++) and magnesium (Mg++) ions in your water. In other words how hard your water is.
pH-
This is the test to see how acidic your water is. The lower the numbers the more acidic it is. The higher the numbers the more alkaline it is. (This is not to be confused with KH. These are two different things.)
I don't have Discus so I don't ever mess with these things. My plants do just fine in the type of water I have. Rose
KH-
Carbonate Hardness. This known as the alkalinity. It measures the carbonate (CO3-) an bicarbonate (HCO3--) ions in your water. In other words this is what keeps your pH stable. A high KH usually means a high pH.
GH-
General Hardness. This is the measure of Calcium (Ca++) and magnesium (Mg++) ions in your water. In other words how hard your water is.
pH-
This is the test to see how acidic your water is. The lower the numbers the more acidic it is. The higher the numbers the more alkaline it is. (This is not to be confused with KH. These are two different things.)
I don't have Discus so I don't ever mess with these things. My plants do just fine in the type of water I have. Rose
I wouldn't mess with getting too scientific on this tank. I have some friends who have discus tanks and only use the test kits and don't go for all that fancy electronic this and thats. I honestly don't know about if the electronic is more accurate or not. I don't know of anyone I could ask to give you a yes or no. Sorry. The test kits are acuret to a degree so i would use those. Nothing is right on the nose when messing with fish and water. Rose
Great Lakes
Always do right, not popular...
I've had good luck in the past with DIY CO2. Just used some water, sugar, and yeast in a half gallon bottle. Was almost too simple, but the results were good. If nothing else, it is a good experiment to try if you are considering a CO2 injection method.
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