My foray into the planted world

[pdw1731]

I'm about to take the leap into the world of a planted aquarium. I just got a 29G tank and all of the stuffings. I bought an Aqueon T5 Dual lamp fixture, It has 2 different bulbs in it. And an Aqueon 200w heater and a glass top. I bought a piece of driftwood ( i was going to go find my own, but the piece i got was really cool, plus it was on 7 bucks). It's been soaking in just plain hot water that i change every few hours for about 3 days now. Salt, im believeing isn't needed b/c it's store bought...right? It's still leeching tannins but I can wait it out. My son and I are building the most primitive of stands and since it'll be in my back room, looks aren't that important as i can cover the ugly with a skirt or curtain of some kind if needed...meh

My LFS didn't carry eco-complete so i ordered it and it'll be here tomorrow sometime. My plan is to start lo/med-light, low/med maintenance plantings. I've read java ferns, anubias, and wisteria are good for that setup. With eco-complete, i shouldnt need to worry about ferts or supps anytime soon, right? If not, what should i have on hand/be using?

On my other tank, I have a Aquaclear 50 running with the ceramic rings and 2 sponges. I bought an Aquaclear 30 for this tank. I'm going to move one of my rock structures over to help with seeding. I also plan on using a media bag and using some of my gravel. If I ut my AC30 on my old tank running in tandem with the AC50, take one of the sponges out of the 50 and fit it to the 30 is that good? Then both filters will have seeded sponges and 2 new sponges.

Still don't know what kind of inhabitants i'm gonna do yet. Whatever it is, I gotta move my blue lobster soon, all of my bottom-water fish have morphed into topwater fish. Maybe a full invertebrate tank.

Comments, thoughts and suggestions are really encouraged and even more-so, welcomed.

 

[aqua_chem]

First off, I would put you at healthy medium light, maybe barely on the low end of medium.

Ecocomplete doesn't really have much for nutrients. You'll still need to fertilize. You can either buy flourish (which is more user friendly), or you can by dry ferts for like $20. They will last you at least a year (or more) and affords you more control over dosing.

Wisteria, Java fern, and anubias are fine. With that light, you may be able to be a bit more adventurous.... if you so desire.

 

[pdw1731]

First off, I would put you at healthy medium light, maybe barely on the low end of medium.

Ecocomplete doesn't really have much for nutrients. You'll still need to fertilize. You can either buy flourish (which is more user friendly), or you can by dry ferts for like $20. They will last you at least a year (or more) and affords you more control over dosing.

Wisteria, Java fern, and anubias are fine. With that light, you may be able to be a bit more adventurous.... if you so desire.

Really? I thought, from what I've been reading, that eco was the end-all, be-all in substrates and that flourish wasn't as preferred because of it's cloudiness factor.

The fact that I'm even jumping into live plants is adventure enough for one calendar year

 

[Coursair]

Really? I thought, from what I've been reading, that eco was the end-all, be-all in substrates and that flourish wasn't as preferred because of it's cloudiness factor.

The fact that I'm even jumping into live plants is adventure enough for one calendar year

Flourish = liquid fertilizer
Flourite = substrate

Eco Complete will work fine AFAIK.

I dose liquid ferts weekly and Osmocote Plus root tabs every 4-6 months.

 

[starquest]

PDW, I'm sorry I don't have any advice for your situation, because I'm about to take the same plunge in my 50. But I want to ask about your blue lobster...I've had my eye on the one at live-aquaria for weeks. Does he bother the fish? Is he compatable with plants. Is he hard to feed?

 

[aqua_chem]

Eco-Complete has very little macro nutrients in it (Nitrate, phosphate) in it, which are the major fertilizers that you need to supply. If anything it might have some micro nutrients in it, especially iron.

EC and flourite are special because of their ability to sequester nutrients and present them in a form that allows plants to access and absorb them. Where do said absorbed nutrients come from? Fertilizers.

Also, note that only some plants are root feeders. Many (all stem plants, for instance) rely extensively on fertilizers in the water column and will starve w/o fertilizers.


ADA Aquasoil is the premium plant substrate, containing many nutrients (including nitrogen), but even it will run out of nutrients after awhile and will require fertilizers. Best to resign yourself to at least some dosing if you're going to heavily plant a tank.

 

[abrahamavelar]

also for next time/tank u could use dirt it has alot of nutrients and plants do great on it

 

[pdw1731]

Flourish = liquid fertilizer
Flourite = substrate

Eco Complete will work fine AFAIK.

I dose liquid ferts weekly and Osmocote Plus root tabs every 4-6 months.

oh...lol. Thanks

 

[pdw1731]

PDW, I'm sorry I don't have any advice for your situation, because I'm about to take the same plunge in my 50. But I want to ask about your blue lobster...I've had my eye on the one at live-aquaria for weeks. Does he bother the fish? Is he compatable with plants. Is he hard to feed?

He's a hunter/stalker/spelunker/opportunist. He hunted my GBR from day 1 (caught him within 2 hours of release into my tank). He is out stalking when I see all of my fish, even the corys, at top level. He climbs the fake plants and tries to get the drop on any unlucky passersby. My blue gourami was bullying my red one. I think the red one put a hit out on the blue one; Herman gladly applied for the job. Such an efficient killer. Needless to say, i'm moving him soon enough.

Nah, he'll take algae tabs and eats scraps...and live, expensive fish. As for plants, they are fake. I guess he figured whats the point of that

 

[pdw1731]

Eco-Complete has very little macro nutrients in it (Nitrate, phosphate) in it, which are the major fertilizers that you need to supply. If anything it might have some micro nutrients in it, especially iron.

EC and flourite are special because of their ability to sequester nutrients and present them in a form that allows plants to access and absorb them. Where do said absorbed nutrients come from? Fertilizers.

Also, note that only some plants are root feeders. Many (all stem plants, for instance) rely extensively on fertilizers in the water column and will starve w/o fertilizers.


ADA Aquasoil is the premium plant substrate, containing many nutrients (including nitrogen), but even it will run out of nutrients after awhile and will require fertilizers. Best to resign yourself to at least some dosing if you're going to heavily plant a tank.

You're coming thru loud an clear...Much appreciated. I never connected that soil wouldn't matter much at all to plants I'll have to attach to rocks/driftwood.

 

[pdw1731]

also for next time/tank u could use dirt it has alot of nutrients and plants do great on it

As in topsoil/garden soil? I've read about that. For that, would having a layer of gravel or something close to gravel on top of it help to keep it settled?

 

[Bl80]

I started my 40 g a few weeks ago. I used potting soil and then gravel on top. I had seeded filters and gravel. It spiked my ammonia for about a week. I just did large PWC each day and double dosed with prime. It's been 2 weeks since and all parameters are good. I have Rcs, mandarin shrimp some bristlenose juvies and trapdoor snails in there. They all are doing well. I also have alot of rooted and stem trims in there that are also thriving already. I also have some jobes fern and palm lil spikes comming bc I've read on numerous sites they are ok.

 

[abrahamavelar]

As in topsoil/garden soil? I've read about that. For that, would having a layer of gravel or something close to gravel on top of it help to keep it settled?

I wouldnt know the difference, but miracle grow organic choice its pretty good

 

[Retired_AF]

As in topsoil/garden soil? I've read about that. For that, would having a layer of gravel or something close to gravel on top of it help to keep it settled?

I would highly recommend it, just for the sake of keeping the dirt down (as much as possible) during cleaning. If you go that route, make SURE it doesnt have any built-in pesticides that could harm your fish.

I agree with the comment that eventually you will have to get into dosing ferts. Even the best and greatest substrates will wear out and lose their potency. Just like farmers do their fields, the substrate nutrients have to be replenished or what you are growing will not mature as it should. Some plants are nutrient hogs, so you will have to keep watch in order to keep the plants healthy.

I have heard stories (not sure if they are accurate) of people using the plant fertilizer spikes from Miracle-Gro or Jobe's like you would use in your potted plants. I would really like to know if anyone had any experience with them. I think I will start a thread asking about this.

I just looked at a package my wife has from Miracle-Gro. It is a 6-12-6 mix with these parameters:
Total Nitrogen - 6%
Available Phosphate - 12%
Soluble Potash - 6%
Water Soluble Magnesium - 0.5%
Boron - 0.02%
Copper - 0.05%
Iron - 0.15%
Manganese - 0.05%
Zinc - 0.05%

I am including a diagram that shows what happens when you get different deficiencies in the plants. Good luck!

 

[pdw1731]

I put my driftwood in my tank and woke this morning to it being fullt encased in some really weird looking white/translucent puffy/fluffy stuff. It had a 'snot-like' texture so I pulled it out immediately.

I took my t5 lights out for a regular t8 fluro because I'm not doing co2 and dont want to run into unnecessary algae

Made the mistake of buying plants from petco. I got anubias, crypts, and wisteria w/o realizing that there is more than one type of anubias and crypt.

Live and learn

 

[aqua_chem]

The white fuzz is normal for new wood. Just wipe it off or wait for it to pass. Some fish will eat it too.

If you have both t5no and t8, I would use the t5s until they prove to be a problem. Co2 probably wont be an issue on larger tanks with that kind of intensity. Its the t5ho fixtures that you need to look out with.

 

[pdw1731]

The white fuzz is normal for new wood. Just wipe it off or wait for it to pass. Some fish will eat it too.

If you have both t5no and t8, I would use the t5s until they prove to be a problem. Co2 probably wont be an issue on larger tanks with that kind of intensity. Its the t5ho fixtures that you need to look out with.

Really? Just what is it? There are no fish in as it is a new setup so I'll just wait it out.

 

[aqua_chem]

It's some sort of fungus or other microbe that feeds off the initial surge of of digestible organics from fresh wood. It's actually pretty common. If you keep wiping it off, it will eventually go away. I think it's an eyesore myself, so I'm pretty diligent about cleaing it off.