Wanted To Start A Planted Tank...

[Sly13Cat]

I was thinking about starting a planted tank after it's cycled (10 gallon) and I had some questions. Could you please answer the questions in your response and the poll. What I really wanted to do was make a aquarium bottom of plants (carpet):
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Before Planting:
Do I have to replace my gravel with sand or soil?
If I have to what happens to all the bacteria in my gravel?
How can I preserve the bacteria?
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Choices:
Which one seems best in terms of detritus collection, maintenance and looks (They're in order of my most favorable to least favorable):

1st - Dwarf Hairgrass
2nd - Hemianthus (Cuba)
3rd - Pygmy Chain Sword

What's the basic maintenance of the plant you chose?

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After Planting:

Would Flourish Excel work instead of CO2? (I realize that they are in no way the same thing but Excel seems to do a good job too and I'd rather buy excel than a Diffuser)
Do you have to use Flourish and Flourish Excel together? Which one is more important? (IMO it's Flourish Excel).
What is the basic maintenance of the plant you think is best out of the 3?

I could always make a DIY CO2 Maker With Yeast / Denture Cleaning Tablets (But I would rather Flourish/Excel as it's much easier to handle as in not having to change anything or having to put anything together, just adding the product)

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Thank You For Your Responses,
Sly13Cat

 

[Sly13Cat]

Note: Moderators I re-posted this here because I know I'll get a lot more responses here than the planted tank section but if this is not allowed here please delete this topic (not the one in the planted section).
I was thinking about starting a planted tank after it's cycled (10 gallon) and I had some questions. Could you please answer the questions in your response and the poll. What I really wanted to do was make a aquarium bottom of plants (carpet):
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before Planting:
Do I have to replace my gravel with sand or soil?
If I have to what happens to all the bacteria in my gravel?
How can I preserve the bacteria?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Choices:
Which one seems best in terms of detritus collection, maintenance and looks (They're in order of my most favorable to least favorable):

1st - Dwarf Hairgrass
2nd - Hemianthus (Cuba)
3rd - Pygmy Chain Sword

What's the basic maintenance of the plant you chose?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Planting:

Would Flourish Excel work instead of CO2? (I realize that they are in no way the same thing but Excel seems to do a good job too and I'd rather buy excel than a Diffuser)
Do you have to use Flourish and Flourish Excel together? Which one is more important? (IMO it's Flourish Excel).
What is the basic maintenance of the plant you think is best out of the 3?

I could always make a DIY CO2 Maker With Yeast / Denture Cleaning Tablets (But I would rather Flourish/Excel as it's much easier to handle as in not having to change anything or having to but anything together, just adding the product)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank You For Your Responses,
Sly13Cat

 

[Steve H.]

What's your lighting?
I believe the grasses and chain sword do better under high lighting.

I am currently growing HC in a 10gl under low lighting(1.4wps), no co2, substrate fine gravel over a layer of organic potting soil both fortified with Laterite, and weekly dose of API leaf Zone.
HC is growing well...slow, but healthy.

I did a complete substrate change with only a 1 day ammonia spike, but I think that was from the soil and not from bacteria loss. Most bacteria is in the filter anyway.

I like the way the HC is starting to look, but if I had to do it over again I would have used sand over the soil instead of the gravel. It is starting to creep and form the carpet effect I was looking for, but I am constantly skimming little bits of the HC everyday because it is not anchoring in the gravel that well.

 

[TrainRek77]

I don't have a carpet plant but I use flourish excel. I also use a yeast and sugar system. I like the results. The excel is a pain though. It has to be added everyday or every other day. I'm pretty sure how much co2 you should have is based off how much light you have.

 

[TrainRek77]

I don't have a carpet plant but I use flourish excel. I also use a yeast and sugar system. I like the results. The excel is a pain though. It has to be added everyday or every other day.

 

[Sly13Cat]

Well on the box it says that the light bulbs are 120V Compact Fluorescent lights and I only have one installed. Since the hood can hold 2 bulbs up to a total of 30 watts, the bulbs came with the hood and I only have 1 in, I'm gonna guess that's 1 15 Watt bulb or 1.5 WPG. I could add a second one to make 3 WPG if that makes it better. (By the way in the tank already is 1 Red Ludwiga and 2 Japanese Rushes)

 

[DrRob]

Not sure my answers fit your poll. In some circumstances excel is fine, if not better, but it's not as good as pressurised CO2 generally.

As for the plants, depends on the scape and what look you're going for. Although I seem to have a thing about anything with sword in it's name that means they die in my tanks.

If you like the hairgrass, then get the hairgrass, best advice I can give is to make sure that they all have flow over them, which helps with the detritus.

As for the flourish with the excel, plants need 3 things, light, CO2 and nutrients. Get the levels of one wrong and you'll be growing algae. Generally people start with the fertilisers and then up the light and add the CO2 as the last extra. So I'd have gone the other way and said start with the flourish. Or of course there's always DIY fertilisers....but I suspect from your CO2 comments you won't be so keen.

 

[Steve H.]

Well on the box it says that the light bulbs are 120V Compact Fluorescent lights and I only have one installed. Since the hood can hold 2 bulbs up to a total of 30 watts, the bulbs came with the hood and I only have 1 in, I'm gonna guess that's 1 15 Watt bulb or 1.5 WPG. I could add a second one to make 3 WPG if that makes it better. (By the way in the tank already is 1 Red Ludwiga and 2 Japanese Rushes)

Yep...you are at 1.5wpg. If you add the second for 3wpg that is when you will have to start using co2.
I'm not 100% sure why co2 is necessary when you cross the 2wpg, but I believe it has something to do with the plants will be growing more quickly and depleting available co2 more rapidly...but that's a guess.

 

[Sly13Cat]

I'm going for a field look or I guess you could say a "lawn" like this:


So generally what I would do is...

Step 1: Buy some dwarf hairgrass
Step 2: Have 1.5 WPG or 3 WPG lighting depending on the needs of hairgrass.
Step 3: I'd put the fish in their own containers, the gravel in it's own container(s).
Step 4: I'd siphon the water until there's about 10% left.
Step 5: I'd plant it in the gravel or if enough, add a inch or 2 of Alltreat Farms All Purpose Potting Soil if it's safe.
Step 6: I'd plant the hairgrass.
Step 7: Put the gravel on top of it then fill the water up to about 50% and wait until the dirt and gravel settles.
Step 8: Then add the fish once everything has settled.

At that point, I'd buy Flourish Excel and Flourish if I have the money. Then I'd just dose the products as directed.
My only question is if the Hairgrass will collect detritus and if it does how to clean it out of the plants/ gravel.

 

[Sly13Cat]

I'm going for a field look or I guess you could say a "lawn" like this:


So generally what I would do is...

Step 1: Buy some dwarf hairgrass
Step 2: Have 1.5 WPG or 3 WPG lighting depending on the needs of hairgrass.
Step 3: I'd put the fish in their own containers, the gravel in it's own container(s).
Step 4: I'd siphon the water until there's about 10% left.
Step 5: I'd plant it in the gravel or if enough, add a inch or 2 of Alltreat Farms All Purpose Potting Soil if it's safe.
Step 6: I'd plant the hairgrass.
Step 7: Put the gravel on top of it then fill the water up to about 50% and wait until the dirt and gravel settles.
Step 8: Then add the fish once everything has settled.

At that point, I'd buy Flourish Excel and Flourish if I have the money. Then I'd just dose the products as directed.
My only question is if the Hairgrass will collect detritus and if it does how to clean it out of the plants/ gravel.

 

[Sly13Cat]

What kind of soil do I use? Is any kind safe? Are the plain ones safest? How can you tell if it's safe? I have some Alltreat Farms All Purpose Potting Soil

 

[Steve H.]

What kind of soil do I use? Is any kind safe? Are the plain ones safest? How can you tell if it's safe? I have some Alltreat Farms All Purpose Potting Soil

Have to be careful of the soil. Some contain fertilizers. If you Google "walstad tank" or "walstad method" you should be able to find a list of safe soils to use...US and UK.

I used Miracle-Gro Organic potting soil which was on one of the lists. But, I used soil because I decided to stay low tech. Don't know if I would have used soil if I was going high tech with co2 and EI ferts.

I just read your list. If you are going to add soil I think you will need to: remove all your water and gravel, then add the soil, and then replace the gravel over the soil.
I'm sure the soil can be on top, but I've just never seen it done that way. I figure the gravel or sand kind of insulates the soil so that you don't have murky water at every w/c.

Re-read and your good...duh moment sorry.
Just be sure not to make the mistake I did. Run the soil through a screen or sieve to remove all the sticks and wood bits, and let air out a bit to remove ammonia. My water is still tea colored from all the tannins, however it is starting to slow down.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Yes will definitely need to cap it with 1-2 inches of gravel, not sand - it will mix

 

[Sly13Cat]

Well here in Canada we have Scotts Lawn Care and Miracle Gro so I'll go to Wal-Mart and buy one of those. Yeah so basically I remove everything in the tank, add a inch or 2 of soil and cap it off with a inch of gravel from before. Easy enough. Then add water, plants and fish.

A sidenote: Do I use 1 bulb for 1.5 WPG or 2 bulbs for 3 WPG for the D. Hairgrass (also Red Ludwiga and Japanese Rush which I'll have to return because apparently it's not fully aquatic which doesn't matter really because I'll use the extra money for Excel or Yeast)?

 

[Sly13Cat]

The people at Scotts said their soil pH ranges from 5-7.5.

Would generic potting soil work too?