10 plant related questions.

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Bosk

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 22, 2005
Messages
14
Location
Australia
Greetings,

I have recently set up a new 8 gallon tank but have not yet begun to grow any aquatic plants as i plan to, and the tank is currently housing only a single male betta & neon tetra.
I plan to do a great deal more research before deciding on which plants & fish to aquire and I've got some beginner's type questions for the experts at Aquarium Advice.


1. Do aquatic plants "die" of old age?

2. Will the substrate i use (was thinking of going with Onyx Sand) gradually lose its nutrient-holding abilities over time? ie. does it wear out?

3. Say you have 10 or so fish in your tank, do you need to feed them all individually or simply throw the flakes in and assume each fish will get its share over the course of the week?

4. How do you actually plant aquatic plants? I mean, do you dig a small hole in the substrate, try to fit the roots inside it and then cover it over?

5. If i use a yeast based DIY CO2 method, how will i know that the amount of CO2 being fed into the tank isn't high enough that it will kill some of the fish?

6. Is CO2 "safe" to use? I mean isn't it dangerous in large doses even to humans?

7. Is it possible to 'overstock' plants in the same way it is with fish?

8. Will having lots of plants filling much of the tank allow me to stock more fish?

9. Does the presence of aquatic plants help keep fish healthy?

10. What kinds of fertilizers should I use for my plants? Does this depend on the types of plants I keep?


Thanks for reading, I'm looking forward to getting any answers I can.
 
1. Do aquatic plants "die" of old age?

idk

2. Will the substrate i use (was thinking of going with Onyx Sand) gradually lose its nutrient-holding abilities over time? ie. does it wear out?

It will take years for it to be fully depleted

3. Say you have 10 or so fish in your tank, do you need to feed them all individually or simply throw the flakes in and assume each fish will get its share over the course of the week?

You have to do it by trial and error. Feed all of them at once and see if there're any problems. If some fish never get food then you can try distracting the pushier ones with some food then feed the weaker ones on the opposite side of the tank or focus on what strata each fish tends to stay in and feed different foods accordingly while distracting the others if necessary

4. How do you actually plant aquatic plants? I mean, do you dig a small hole in the substrate, try to fit the roots inside it and then cover it over?

It depends on what type of plants you have. Most plants can be placed in the substrate like you described. There're plants that are can be both free-floating and placed in the substrate; just research them ahead of time

5. If i use a yeast based DIY CO2 method, how will i know that the amount of CO2 being fed into the tank isn't high enough that it will kill some of the fish?

I think there're co2 tests that you can buy but i'm not sure

6. Is CO2 "safe" to use? I mean isn't it dangerous in large doses even to humans?

It'll disperse in the air too quickly for it be harmful

7. Is it possible to 'overstock' plants in the same way it is with fish?

Eventually, taller plants will reach the light source and absorb as much light as it can while blocking out other smaller plants at the sametime. If you have light spread out evenly with reflectors or multiple bulbs it shouldnt be a problem oh and make sure you do your pruning

8. Will having lots of plants filling much of the tank allow me to stock more fish?

I would say yes and no. Yes, because some agressive fish need plants to block the line of sight between them and other fish; there will also be more plants to absorb nitrates and convert co2 to oxygen. No, because your water volume will still be about the same

9. Does the presence of aquatic plants help keep fish healthy?

Herbivores/omnivores will eat the plants and maybe even the algae that grows on them. Fish need places to hide when they get spooked(also look at "Yes" reasons above)

10. What kinds of fertilizers should I use for my plants? Does this depend on the types of plants I keep?


It does matter. You can use liquid fertilizers with any plants as long as you arent running carbon in your filter because it'll just be absorbed/adsorbed. You can place plant tabs underneath rooted plants in conjunction with liquid fertilizers and co2. Most plants are rooted so having a nutrient rich substrate is a must, tabs enrich the substrate directly under the plants even more, and liquid fertilizers can be utilized quickly by any plants since they're liquid :p
 
1. Not that I know of, older leaves will fall off and waste away if you don't remove them. If you prune your plant too much it will also stop growing (especially so with some stern plants)

2. Your plants will use up the nutrients contained in the sand, and depending on what type of plant you will have to dose extra nutrients, but this is not really neccesairy with beginner plants. I just add some liquid fertilizer once a week.

3. Throw in the flakes and assume they all get their share

4. Depends on your substrate, if you have sand, I guess you could just push them in there, but best way is to digg a hole, place the plant in there and fill back up with substrate.

5. No idea

6. No idea

7. Not really, but it is possible that your plants take up so much space that your fish have no more swimming space. Also: the more plants you have, the faster the nutrients in your water and substrate will be depleted. (also depends on types of plants)

8. No it doesn't give you more options on stocking, IMO

9. I think so, since they help take up waste and keep the water 'cleaner'. Some plants even release benificial substances (that's what I've read, don't take it for granted)

10. Yes it depends on the types of plants you keep. If you have plants that rely on their roots for feeding, you will have to use some root tabs, if you have stern plants you will need to dose liquid fertilizer. Well....need to is not really right, you can, but they will grow without them, athough not as healthy or pretty.


HTH! :D
 
Some very good questions.

1. Do aquatic plants "die" of old age?
Every living thing has a finite lifespan, so I'd say yes. However, most healthy aquatic plants reproduce quickly, so you may not ever notice the loss of the original parent plant.

2. Will the substrate i use (was thinking of going with Onyx Sand) gradually lose its nutrient-holding abilities over time? ie. does it wear out?
No, but the sand may become compacted over time, preventing efficient nutrient exchange. Gently stirring it up from time to time will prevent this.

3. Say you have 10 or so fish in your tank, do you need to feed them all individually or simply throw the flakes in and assume each fish will get its share over the course of the week?
If there is a larger, greedy fish present, it's better to deposit small amounts of food in several locations simultaneously. It's much harder to starve fish than most people think - except plecos and corys - these botomdwellers should be fed at night, so they don't out-competed by the other fish.

4. How do you actually plant aquatic plants? I mean, do you dig a small hole in the substrate, try to fit the roots inside it and then cover it over?
It really depends on the plant. In most cases, only the roots and/or rhizome should be buried. Some plants like Java fern can simply be tied to objects, with their roots exposed.

5. If i use a yeast based DIY CO2 method, how will i know that the amount of CO2 being fed into the tank isn't high enough that it will kill some of the fish?
From what I've read, the problem with DIY CO2 systems is their unpredictable output. It's very unlikely to harm the fish, but you may not be getting enough CO2 to help the plants. A better (but much more expensive option) is pressurized CO2 with a bubble counter. This takes the guesswork out of CO2 dosing.

6. Is CO2 "safe" to use? I mean isn't it dangerous in large doses even to humans?
Don't wory at all about DIY yeast CO2 systems. Pressurized CO2 could theoretically pose an asphyxiation danger to humans and pets in small enclosed space - extremely unlikely though.

7. Is it possible to 'overstock' plants in the same way it is with fish?
As long as the plants have exposure to light, no.

8. Will having lots of plants filling much of the tank allow me to stock more fish?
Plants soak up nitrates and provide an excellent microhabitat for nitrifying bacteria. They won't allow you to overstock a tank, but they will help stabilize the water parameters in a fully stocked tank.

9. Does the presence of aquatic plants help keep fish healthy?
Absolutely! They soak up nitrates and toxins, produce oxygen, and lessen fish stress by providing them with places to hide.

10. What kinds of fertilizers should I use for my plants? Does this depend on the types of plants I keep?
I don't fertilize my low-light plants, so I really couldn't say.
 
Qtoffer beat me to the plant questions :fadein:

It is possible to get too much CO2 into a tank using DIY, but too much for plants vs. too much for fish is the real question. Luckily you can have more than the plants need, but still not harm MOST fish. Some fish, like plecos, seem to be sensitive to CO2 levels. Most fish aren't though.

For a low light tank, you should only need something like SeaChem's Flourish comprehensive fert. WIth such a small tank you could use their Excel carbon supplement, instead of DIY CO2.
 
Many thanks for the answers guys, I'm sure some of those questions must seem a little obvious to experts but as a beginner I'm trying to get as many aspects of my tank right *before* I set it up, hopefully to avoid headaches and extra maintenance down the track.
 
Iv'e found aquatic plants very easy to keep, one thing to watch out for though is snails, i bought about 8 or so very healthy plants and i didn't notice that a couple of snails were already on them (must have been there in the shop) - 1 day your tanks fine and the next its over-run with stupid little plant-munching buggers !!!
 
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