What Plants?

[Tag2008]

Hi Guys,

Does it matter if you have live plants in your tank or not?

I know they join in on the nitorgen cycle and help out in some ways but on the other hand they can cause problems too eh?

My problem is Ive never managed to keep plants live and healthy for longer than a few weeks and at £3.50 + per plant It used to cost me a fortune in plants.
They either just die, disintigrate, get eaten or just fall to bits....

Personally I only think of plants because of the natural beauty of some of them and they look better than most artificial plants I have or have seen but its been a real hassel in the past with them.

Are there any tips anyone can give me on keeping plants and it not costing an arm and a leg..

Cheers
Tag

 

[maximinimus]

Where do you buy your plants from? Harrods?

you can buy selections for around £7 for 60 plants from online stores.

To live, plants need:

Nutrients
Light
CO2 (only needs injecting if you want rapid plant growth)

If they are dying then I would guess you don't have enough light or nutrients, what is your tank size and what lights are you using. What are your nitrates and do you use fertiliser?

 

[Tag2008]

Where do you buy your plants from? Harrods?

you can buy selections for around £7 for 25 plants from online stores.

To live, plants need:

Nutrients
Light
CO2 (only needs injecting if you want rapid plant growth)

If they are dying then I would guess you don't have enough light or nutrients, what is your tank size and what lights are you using. What are your nitrates and do you use fertiliser?

Hi Max

My Main Tank is a Juwel 180 you can see it in my signature..
My current stats are fine im only just finishing a fishless cycle so have nowt in the tank but water and ornaments realy..

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 10 ish
Nitrite 0
Ph 7.6

In the past Ive never tried to feed the plants and only let the tanks lighting give them what I thought they needed light wise..
Im not sure what type of lighting I have they came with the set up and have never needed to replace them to date...So perhaps I need to look at the type of tubes I have?

Are plants esential to the tank or can I happily work away with artificial?

Our LFS sell their plants in wee pots £3.50 each.. I did buy some off ebay once and got a box of plants in the mail but they were all so small they were just a waste of time..

Thanks again
Tag

 

[maximinimus]

If you want plants as a bare minimum for lighting you should use some reflectors on your standard juwel lights.

With nitrates that low I would say that the plants were also lacking nutrients.

Plants are a matter of taste, if you like them then go for it, I think it makes a more natural looking tank, if you don't want the hassle of pruning and fertilising then you could consider some quality silk plants (although they are more expensive than real plants )

If you wanted a full planted tank then java-plants.com have a 36" tropical collection with 95 plants for around £12 + £1.95 p&p. If I'd known about them I would have definately bought a starter collection, mine cost me £10 for 30 plants from my LFS.

 

[Tag2008]

If you want plants as a bare minimum for lighting you should use some reflectors on your standard juwel lights.

With nitrates that low I would say that the plants were also lacking nutrients.

Plants are a matter of taste, if you like them then go for it, I think it makes a more natural looking tank, if you don't want the hassle of pruning and fertilising then you could consider some quality silk plants (although they are more expensive than real plants )

If you wanted a full planted tank then java-plants.com have a 36" tropical collection with 95 plants for around £12 + £1.95 p&p. If I'd known about them I would have definately bought a starter collection, mine cost me £10 for 30 plants from my LFS.

Thanks I will look up their site,

What are light reflectors? apart from the obvious? do you buy them or make them yourself? I dont have all that much room under my Hood if I can call it that..

Cheers
tag

 

[maximinimus]

They are sheets of aluminimum shaped to reflect the light on top of your tubes, attached with plastic clips to the actual light tube.

Juwel make their own but charge a lot for them, you can get Arcadia 30" reflectors for around £6.50-£7 each.

 

[Tag2008]

They are sheets of aluminimum shaped to reflect the light on top of your tubes, attached with plastic clips to the actual light tube.

Juwel make their own but charge a lot for them, you can get Arcadia 30" reflectors for around £6.50-£7 each.

I see thanks for that M8ty.. I will keep my eyes peeled for them...