Very new to plants?!?

[fishfanatic]

I recently got crazy about growing some aquarium plants (I bought a marineland reef led) I am running a 35 gallon aquarium with it. I have a marineland penguin bio-wheel 150. I have an undergravel filter with just small rocks as a substrate. I add flourish, flourish excel, flourish iron, and flourish potassium. I want to know if this sounds like a good set up for plants. If so what kind of plants. (As a side note the tank is 24 inches deep)

 

[melosu58]

Moved to the FW planted tank forum.

 

[fort384]

Welcome to AA!

I am not a big fan of UGFs with a planted tank.

That being said, you will probably have no trouble growing low and medium light plants.

Easy on the fertilizer. It sounds as if you may be dosing it unnecessarily. Too much is as bad (or worse) than not enough.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Welcome to AA I agree, UGF's are not really something most of us like to use. While they work ok, they do have a lot of downsides. I've heard that they can become an issue with roots, but since I've never used one, I can only say I've heard it.

 

[fishfanatic]

Thanks for the reply. Would you recommend removing the UGF

 

[fort384]

well, what kind of plants are you after? It might be ok as is. It just wouldn't be my preference, like rook said.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Do you have fish in the tank? If you remove the plates, you're liable to have a big cloud of mulm and possibly some ammonia issues, but if there are no fish, that probably isn't the case, and wouldn't be an issue anyways

 

[fishfanatic]

I have a heavily stocked tank. By the one inch per gallon rule I am full . I currently have some java ferns, a cork screw plant, and an Amazon sward

 

[fort384]

I think it is eventually going to end up a bit of a mess (especially with the vals and the swords). It will be fine for awhile though. It is just that eventually, the UGF will become almost 0% effective.

 

[fishfanatic]

In your opinion will the plants do well (even if I leave the UGF). The tank has been set up for almost a year... I have never cleaned my UGF. Does this change things. I do use a gravel vacuum once a week during my water change

 

[fort384]

I think that as the swords and vals develop roots, they are going to grow through the plates and clog them. The roots will keep growing, and block flow in the plates.

 

[fishfanatic]

So it is basically going to end up as a big brick of black sludge stuck under the plate? Would the plants use this as nutrition?

 

[fort384]

well, they will take some of the nitrate out. But they will not keep that from happening.

 

[fishfanatic]

Correct me if I am wrong. If I don't remove the under gravel filter then the plants will eventually clog it and it will not help my tank? Will it harm my tank if it gets cloged?

 

[fort384]

Yes, your nitrates will eventually spike, your tank will go through "Old tank syndrome"

 

[fishfanatic]

The marineland penguin filter I have is rated for a 30 gallon tank and I have a 35 gallon tank. Will removing the UGF force me to buy a new filter to keep up with my tank?

 

[fort384]

yes. You want about twice the rated capacity for your tank.

You can run the UGF for awhile, but I think based on what I have seen reported and read, it will lead to what I described. Not speaking from personal experience... I have run UGFs, but not in planted tanks, and not for more than a year at a time.

 

[fishfanatic]

Would you recomend to get a more powerful penguin filter or should I get a different brand of filter? Also when I remove the UGF sould I leave my fish in the tank (I only have one tank I don't have a second tank to put them in)?

 

[mfdrookie516]

I prefer Aquaclear HOB's, but I'm torn between Fluval, Eheim, and Rena canister filters. I don't think you'd go wrong with any of those brands.

Taking the fish out and putting them in a bucket woudl be best... you're going to stir up a lot of mulm and potentially cause some ammonia issues, so a 90% (maybe even 100%) water change is going to be necessary IMO. It wont be too bad though. You'll have your penguin thats on there and you may just have to do a few 50% water changes for the first few days... just monitor ammonia and nitrite levels

 

[fishfanatic]

I will probably take this opertunity to get something better than just gravel as a substrate. What would be a good long term substrate for a planted aquarium? Would I be crazy to put a canister filter on a tank as small as 35 gallons (would it be worth the $$)?