What is the next step?

[yhbae]

Lets try this one since my last question didn't grab much attention...

This is what I have:
- 15g (2ft) tank
- less than 15w of light
- Aqua Clear 200 and a sponge filter
- gravels - medium sized white gravels, about 5mm in size.
- about 30 platy fries ranging from 2 inches down to less than 1/2 inch.
- some java moss and java ferns

I'd like to convert this into more densely planted tank, while keeping platies.

I have one 3ft double strip light, which takes two 30w bulbs.

So what is the best action that I could take given this? Obviously, this tank was designed to grow lots of platies, so the water is aerated like crazy between two filters. Therefore, I doubt it will allow much levels of CO2 in the water.

Given this, does this plan look sound?

1. Lower sponge filter air pump rate. Given the stock of the tank, I'd guess fishes would be producing alot of CO2.
2. Put the 60w strip on the tank.
3. Put some flourite/laterite/eco complete, whichever is the cheapest.

Do you see any obvious problem with this plan?

Appreciate some feedback!

 

[tear-scar]

Can I ask first, are you making the tank more densely planted for aesthetic or practical reasons? Is it to protect fry, or to make the tank more attractive?

If aesthetic, then there are a lot of other things to consider. But so far it looks like a good plan. What type of "bulbs" are you using? Florescent or something else . . . ?

 

[yhbae]

It is to make it look better. I haven't seriously looked into planted tanks before - all of my plants are java moss and java ferns which anyone can raise. I'd like to take the opportunity to get into other plants that requires more lights.

This strip I have are indeed fluorescent lights, two 3ft bulbs. Currently, I believe it contains two cool white bulbs, although I'm not sure what termperature they are. One appears to be pure white and the other has slight yellow tint to it...

 

[Silly me]

Cool white light is 4000K and warm white lights is 2700K

you dont need daylight ( 5500K - 6500K ) light but would help alot..

 

[Dubby]

Jumping from a less than 15W to over 60W is not going to be easy as this would lead to over 4W/gallon, thus requiring CO2. The CO2 generated by the fish would not be sufficient !!!

I would suggest you go for around 2W/gallon which would allow you to grow a lot of plants and make it densely planted.

The cheapest substrate is probably clay & sand

I would recommend using a combination of a plant friendly bulb (eg.Growlux) and an ordinary Daylight bulb to get good results.

 

[yhbae]

Cool white light is 4000K and warm white lights is 2700K

you dont need daylight ( 5500K - 6500K ) light but would help alot..

What temperature(s) does plant acutally need?

 

[yhbae]

Jumping from a less than 15W to over 60W is not going to be easy as this would lead to over 4W/gallon, thus requiring CO2. The CO2 generated by the fish would not be sufficient !!!

I would suggest you go for around 2W/gallon which would allow you to grow a lot of plants and make it densely planted.

The cheapest substrate is probably clay & sand

I would recommend using a combination of a plant friendly bulb (eg.Growlux) and an ordinary Daylight bulb to get good results.

If I choose to go with 2/g, would I still need CO2 injection?

Clay in the tank? Wouldn't that cloud the tank very easily? That reminds me of another question - how long does substrates I mentioned above last? I'd imagine it wouldn't last forever, but does it last years? months?

 

[Nisha]

If you're going with about 2 watts per gallon, CO2 shouldn't be necessary. If at some point you do require it then you can always go with a DIY yeast CO2 producer later on.

I would recommend a good iron-rich substrate like flourite, eco-complete or onyx if you want a well planted tank. You wouldn't need to add ferts for 6 months to a year with a good substrate in place. Usually 2 inches of this substrate with 1 inch of gravel on top does the trick.

 

[yhbae]

Thanks!

What is the reason for adding some additional gravel on top of these plant-friendly substrates?

 

[Nisha]

Well, many of them dissolve quite easily in tank water during gravel cleanings, water changes and due to fish that dig. With the additional gravel you avoid these problems and make tank maintenance easier. Also, it encourages the plants to send their roots deep into the gravel and stay sturdy in the tank.

 

[Dubby]

Clay in the tank? Wouldn't that cloud the tank very easily?

Not if you use clay as the bottom layer and then cover it with sand/gravel. Clay has a very high CEC (ability to store nutrients and release them slowly) and it also contains iron.

You could even add some fertiliser like Osmocote wrapped in clay and then bake it. This can be introduced later as well.

 

[sinistral]

What is the reason for adding some additional gravel on top of these plant-friendly substrates?

I use plain fluorite on my 10g tank, as it's meant to be used by itself. I'd have to say that if you were getting fluorite for a larger tank, one of the main considerations for topping it off with gravel (in addition to what Nisha wrote) would be financial, as fluorite is pretty expensive. For enough substrate for my 10g I paid $25 USD here in Boston. Over time, substrate levels tend to mix together as well.

 

[yhbae]

Well, many of them dissolve quite easily in tank water during gravel cleanings, water changes and due to fish that dig. With the additional gravel you avoid these problems and make tank maintenance easier. Also, it encourages the plants to send their roots deep into the gravel and stay sturdy in the tank.

What size gravel do you cover on top? Are we talking about pool filter sand -sized gravel or larger?

 

[yhbae]

Clay in the tank?  Wouldn't that cloud the tank very easily?

Not if you use clay as the bottom layer and then cover it with sand/gravel. Clay has a very high CEC (ability to store nutrients and release them slowly) and it also contains iron.

You could even add some fertiliser like Osmocote wrapped in clay and then bake it. This can be introduced later as well.

Wow that sounds not-very-mainstream...

What kind of clay are you talking about? The kind that comes into my mind will cloud water immediately... (and probably stay that way forever!)

 

[yhbae]

What is the reason for adding some additional gravel on top of these plant-friendly substrates?

I use plain fluorite on my 10g tank, as it's meant to be used by itself. I'd have to say that if you were getting fluorite for a larger tank, one of the main considerations for topping it off with gravel (in addition to what Nisha wrote) would be financial, as fluorite is pretty expensive. For enough substrate for my 10g I paid $25 USD here in Boston. Over time, substrate levels tend to mix together as well.

At least that makes sense - financial reason for extra layer on top. If I remember correctly, eco complete is also designed to be used by itself. I'm gonna find out which is the cheapest and probably go with that one...

Thanks for the feedback!