90gal build advice and plant ID needed

[Karay]

I've begun acquiring the items needed for my first planned planted tank. Been reading through a number of threads that have rekindled my passion for a dutchstyle planted tank. Has nothing to do with the fact that I'm part Dutch but more that I enjoy plants and fish Now here's a list of the gear I have

48" Hagen dual T5HO bulb
36" Hagen dual T5HO bulb
Both have a power glo and life glo bulbs
Ehiem pro 2 canister filter (think it needs a seal. Luckily it's sitting on the basement floor beside the drain)
10lb co2 tank (the reg doesn't have a solenoid or bubble counter so that's on my Christmas list)
114lbs of black fluorite sand gravel mix (this had been purchased used from a gentleman who tore down his tank to move, had three kids and hasn't had time to set it up again. Was sad to see it go so I confident that there won't be any issues with it)
Now to diffuser I don't have one. I'm debating on the best way to diffuse. I'm thinking of inline on the canister. Any input would be appreciated. Is power heads needed in the tank? This tank will be in my fishroom which also is under going expansion and I'm installing a drip system in the tanks to change the water at 1-2gph. Could I include my plant tank in this or would this mess up the dosing. The current flora I have will be included on my next post as my battery's dying.

 

[Karay]

First I need some plant identification on some plants I acquired in the summer



Along the back is a couple plants I don't know or am uncertain of. Left to right

First plant is unknown, water sprite, wisteria, rotala rotundifolia?, Ludwigia Repens, another unknown.

Please overlook the algae. My timer broke from a brown out a number of weeks back and haven't gotten a new one yet

 

[Karay]

The last pic was my 30gal "holding" tank a week ago. Here's today's pic




Amazing what 5 days does!

 

[Karay]

In regards to the algae in my 30gal I've decided to turn on the lights when I get home from work at 5:00pm and turn them off at 11:00 when I go to bed. That light mean a light period of 6 hours. That should keep new algae from forming but any ideas on how to combat the existing algae on the plant? I'm sure I can take a toothbrush to the rocks but I doubt that will work for the plants.

 

[Karay]

Is there anybody that could help identify this plant and why suddenly it started dropping the lower leaves? Thanks in advance

 

[Super_Blueberry]

Can you get a close up pic of the plant? It's hard to tell which one your referring to from so far back

 

[Karay]

Lol. Silly rabbit. Forgot to add the pic!



It's the stem plant to the left of the pic.

 

[Karay]

I started dosing this week with dry ferts as well. If you look closely the bottom leaves that are still have pin holes in them. I understand that by adding ferts that should put a stop to that. I think.

 

[ArtistGardener]

It looks like giant hygrophila maybe?

 

[Karay]

Hmm. Looking at pics online of giant hygrophilia I believe you might be right. Now to determine why its lost its leaves from the lower half. I'm thinking due to low amounts of light or lack of co2 or both

 

[Jkeating8]

ID is correct, but it's losing leaves due to lack of light. I've never seen inadequate co2 levels cause that. It typically just causes smaller, curled, and stunted growth.

 

[Karay]

ID is correct, but it's losing leaves due to lack of light. I've never seen inadequate co2 levels cause that. It typically just causes smaller, curled, and stunted growth.

Even if there is no co2 added into the tank? Thanks for confirming the id. I did find a source here in Canada for Glutaraldehyde so now I need to know the dosing method for low-medium lighting tank (I think it would be classified as that)

 

[Jkeating8]

Even if there is no co2 added into the tank? Thanks for confirming the id. I did find a source here in Canada for Glutaraldehyde so now I need to know the dosing method for low-medium lighting tank (I think it would be classified as that)

Yes. Even less likely if a tank doesn't have co2. The top of the palmy is lush and growing nicelyw here it really needs co2, so why would it loose older leaves? It wouldn't. You only see co2 deficiencies in tanks with co2.

 

[Karay]

Good point! What would signs of co2 deficiencies be?

 

[Karay]

And I can say that this plant will be going into my 90 gal then

 

[Jkeating8]

Signs are stunted growth, small, curled, shiny, and narrow leaves.

 

[Mebbid]

A lack of carbon usually become obvious when algae starts growing in the tank. I'll confirm that a lack of light caused the lost leaves. It would help if you moved the plants that are next to it away.

 

[Karay]

I didn't expect the water sprite to grow the way it did. I had heard its a finicky plant to grow but this thing shot of. My tank is a well established tank(2years) with regular gravel and two t8 bulbs so not much light. I was dosing with flourish twice a week is all I was doing. I placed my last struggling stem of water sprite in there and in a matter of weeks the single stem became 4 stems and grew to the surface. What's the best way to trim the sprite? Off the top or pull it out, trim the bottom off a replant the top? What should I do with the giant hygrophilia? It's got a new shoot at the bottom.

 

[Jkeating8]

A lack of carbon usually become obvious when algae starts growing in the tank. I'll confirm that a lack of light caused the lost leaves. It would help if you moved the plants that are next to it away.

When you say it causes algae, are you saying a lack of carbon or a lack of co2? You may think they are the same, but they are not. There's a difference.

 

[Karay]

Now that is something I think would benefit me to know as I plan on injecting co2 into my 90gal build but was thinking of using glut for my other tanks. In what way are they different and how does that affect the tanks they being used it? Thanks