Back from hiatus rehab, if filtered planted substrate?

[lectraplayer]

I've been kinda in a hiatus from just being tired, and have let a couple tanks go a bit. Now I'm looking to rehab both.

Main tank: 30 gallon planted tank with sand over Alabama dirt, fertilized with Miracle GRO spikes (6-12-6 formula), mostly with cryptocorne plants which have taken over. Recently added some water hysteria I'm trying to propogate. Illuminated by a common M58 (175 watt Metal Halide) lamp. It was filtered with a HOB filter until recently when I put a Fluval 306 on it. Fish include 1 oto cat, 1 Cory cat, about 3 or 4 be on tetras, and an entire herd of sunrise guppies that started with 4. I plan to restock the others and thin the guppies, as well as thin the crypts. I may also add some other species as I restock.

Bedroom tank: 10 gallon freshwater tank with undergravel filter. Pretty much bare but had planned to plant it. Used to use an incandescent style hood with dual 18 watt CFLs but now has switched to a fairly basic LED hood. It remained fairly bare. 4 guppies was all I had in it as far as fish. I may replace the gravel and the light to set up for better growing. My substrate may become Rhyzomat or similar with a gravel over it also designed for plants to be placed over a better ug filter than I have. (It is the tile style which I question the flow on, but despite not being maintained properly for about 6 months, it hasn't crashed yet.) I know there may be a push to get me away from a UG filter, but I don't have the space for another type of filter in this installation and would rather stick with an undergravel filter. I plan to use some of my crypts from my main tank as background plants here.

Questions:

What kind of light do I need on my bedroom tank to be able to grow well?

Will the addition of Rhizomat help hold my plants down as I clean the gravel of my bedroom tank biweekly?

What is the best way to "load" nutrients into the clay gravel? (Remember the ug filter)

I am also wanting to add some color to my main tank. What are some good plants for that?

About how thin is recommended for me to clear my crypt to on my main tank to prepare for the addition of new plants?

I am also tempted to go to a 250 watt metal halide for my main tank if I need to increase my light (but I doubt I will need to).

 

[Delapool]

Questions:



What kind of light do I need on my bedroom tank to be able to grow well?



Will the addition of Rhizomat help hold my plants down as I clean the gravel of my bedroom tank biweekly?



What is the best way to "load" nutrients into the clay gravel? (Remember the ug filter)



I am also wanting to add some color to my main tank. What are some good plants for that?



About how thin is recommended for me to clear my crypt to on my main tank to prepare for the addition of new plants?



I am also tempted to go to a 250 watt metal halide for my main tank if I need to increase my light (but I doubt I will need to).

My ug filters were all plastic. Hmm, guess it depends on how well the plates are supported, else tabs around tank edge where plates are on legs, etc.

My plants grew into the gravel filter. Still worked but I gave up gravel cleaning.

Red plants I find add a splash of colour (even red crypts). Also rocks or driftwood.

Plant thinning, idk, I always buy two more pots of plants no matter the thinning somehow.

 

[lectraplayer]

The ug filter I will be taking out is the tile style which creates individual cells instead of one large space for the water to flow through, so I will replace it with one that gives me this single large cell with unrestricted water flow underneath the gravel.