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Post by jackpike on Feb 15, 2007 22:36:45 GMT -1
I have decided to try my hand at setting up a dedicated planted aquarium. I would like to turn my bigger aquariums into planted tanks but if i mess up on those i could kill my fish. So this is a small scale test to help me learn the ins and outs of planted aquariums. I have used laterite and silca sand as the first layer, And top it off with 2 - 4 inch of mixed gravel i had lying around spare. I filled the aquarium with tap water and added dechlorinator. Even though l was careful and poured water onto a saucer a small amount of laterite floated to the surface, not sure if this will cause me any problems in the future as it was only a very small amount. I have the filter and heater running and will leave it for a day or so because the water is a little cloudy, I believe this has come off the top layer of gravel and it should settle down. If u have any comments, I would be pleased to hear them, even if it's to point out that I'm doing something completely wrong.  |
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Post by mralgae on Feb 15, 2007 22:54:56 GMT -1
fairplay jp. first sighting looks good, the filter is runing below the surface so that should stop the c02 in the water being driven out. lighting and substrate are my concerns. depending on the lights you would prob be better starting with a low light set up then increase the lighting as you go along, ideal plants would be the likes of anubias type plants and similar. also the gravel you may find is a bit big to hold down the finer rooted plants, but the likes of anubias rest on the surface and dont get planted as such. keep us posted as you go.  |
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Post by jackpike on Feb 15, 2007 23:14:28 GMT -1
What is the idea behind starting with a low light set up? The subtrate gravel is a little big for my liking as well. But it was lying spare, so i thought i would use it rather than spending money on more gravel, Sorry I'm just tight fisted, Its because I'm Scottish u see. ;D
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Post by mralgae on Feb 16, 2007 4:57:52 GMT -1
low light = no c02 and no extra lighting to buy. = less expense at the begginig. then add it as you go along.
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Post by jackpike on Feb 22, 2007 22:47:58 GMT -1
just a wee update on my tank, I have added the following plants Echinodorus bleheri Echinodorus cordifolius Cryptocoryne wendtii ''brown'' Hygrophila polysperma Mayaca fluviatilis Cryptocoryne balansae I have also started injecting co2 with a DIY yeast and sugar reactor, Have been surfing the net and found a CO2 / KH / pH table. www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm I have a Ph of 7 and kh is 0.5. my Ph dropped to 6.4 after injecting co2. which means I'm getting 6ppm of co2. Too get co2 to 15ppm i will have to speed up the yeast reaction and I'll have to add some baking soda because i don't want my Ph to drop as low as 6.0 to get that 15 ppm of co2. I have also noticed alot of growth in my plants in only just a few days, never realized that injecting co2 would have such a profound affect on the plants. |
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Post by mralgae on Feb 23, 2007 20:41:13 GMT -1
good looking plants jp will look well when planted. that is one of the best and most used calculators by all aqurists todate. another one here: rexgrigg.com/index.htmlkeep meaning to update the links with them all but just havnt got round to it. will try this wk/end to update. good c02 + good lighting + correct temp = good photosynthsis. just be carefull you dont read to much at the start as a lot of different views as to what is right & wrong. any pics would be good |
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Post by jackpike on Feb 23, 2007 21:04:12 GMT -1
Thats the next thing I'm going to look into, extra lighting. My hood doesn't have space for an extra tube. so I'm thinking about getting a luminaire
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Post by mralgae on Feb 23, 2007 21:22:04 GMT -1
what sort of hood do you have? if you can post a pic it should be easy to add extra tube if needed. i did it to the 60 and ended up with 2.5wpg.
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Post by jackpike on Feb 24, 2007 8:23:16 GMT -1
I was looking at the price of luminaires, way too expensive even for a small tank about £150 - £160. It has a plastic moulded cover that slopes down towards the front of the tank. It has a big starter unit inside the hood which takes up nearly all the space inside. What I'm thinking now is removing that and buying a double 18" 15w starter unit with two tubes which would only cost about £40. And fit that inside the empty hood with some tiestraps. That would give me 30w for a 60litre (13g) tank.
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Post by jackpike on Feb 26, 2007 21:51:54 GMT -1
My little planted tank has been on the go for nearly 2 weeks now. Almost all my plants are doing very well especially the Mayaca fluviatilis and Hygrophila polysperma, i have noticed at least 2 - 3 inches of growth. Its quite amazing. But my Cryptocoryne balansae is still looking a bit worse for wear. I'm not worrying about that just yet. I was expecting it, Hopefully it will spring into life soon. And i also found that a hitchhiker came in on one of the plants ( A Snail). Its to small too id yet. Not sure if its worth keeping it because it could be an apple snail.
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