My 40 gallon planted

[bshenanagins]

My first planted setup, currently low tech but getting co2 up in a week or so.

 

[Oohitsae]

that looks gorgeous! I can;t wait to see how it fills in!

 

[bshenanagins]

that looks gorgeous! I can;t wait to see how it fills in!

Thanks it's been up since the beginning of February and I'm about to start co2 so hopefully that helps it blossom.

 

[Oohitsae]

oh yeah, co2 will definitely make a difference!
I just added it to my 28 a couple weeks ago and while it was a headache to get everything going and started up, my plants have really started to flourish! I have to trim weekly rather than monthly now

 

[Ilminded]

What are you using for lightning and ferts?

 

[bshenanagins]

What are you using for lightning and ferts?

I have 130 watts total and I was dosing green leaf aquariums "green" regimen but I have slowed that down and have just been dosing excel because algae was taking over my tank because the plants were not utilizing the ferts as quickly as I expected they would.

 

[Convict2161]

Looks good. Nice job!

 

[Ilminded]

I have 130 watts total and I was dosing green leaf aquariums "green" regimen but I have slowed that down and have just been dosing excel because algae was taking over my tank because the plants were not utilizing the ferts as quickly as I expected they would.

What type of FL's are you using? Are they HO? I really like the set-up of your tank. It is awesome, I am just trying to get a feel for what you are using as that will help you out later. Since you want to use CO2, if you wanted to upgrade your lighting it wouldn't be detrimental after you implemented the CO2. But seeing as you are having problems with algae, I would hold off until after. Another thing is when figuring out lighting, its not the wattage you want to look at but the par value. This gives a better idea of how much light is getting to the plants. Another thing too look at with you fluorescence bulbs at the Kelvin temperature, if you haven't done so. 6500K is the min for plants, but ideally you want a mix 6500K - 10000K to get the most from your plants.

Another thing to look into is rooted tabs. Most people swear by them in regards to ferts. I personally use liquid as I have them and inject them into the substrate. As for the Excel, keep that up.

Again I love the look of your tank!

 

[bshenanagins]

What type of FL's are you using? Are they HO? I really like the set-up of your tank. It is awesome, I am just trying to get a feel for what you are using as that will help you out later. Since you want to use CO2, if you wanted to upgrade your lighting it wouldn't be detrimental after you implemented the CO2. But seeing as you are having problems with algae, I would hold off until after. Another thing is when figuring out lighting, its not the wattage you want to look at but the par value. This gives a better idea of how much light is getting to the plants. Another thing too look at with you fluorescence bulbs at the Kelvin temperature, if you haven't done so. 6500K is the min for plants, but ideally you want a mix 6500K - 10000K to get the most from your plants.

Another thing to look into is rooted tabs. Most people swear by them in regards to ferts. I personally use liquid as I have them and inject them into the substrate. As for the Excel, keep that up.

Again I love the look of your tank!

I am using Sunpaq 6700 bulbs, both rated at 65 watts. I understand the PAR reading is most accurate but I do not have access to a meter nor am I willing to pay for one. I believe the distance between my lights and foreground is between 14-16 inches so there should be relatively moderate intensity. My foreground (HC and microsword) is doing well but I believe that the reason it is stagnant is due to low co2. I have root tabs that I created with osmocote but it lacks iron so I switched to a more generic brand containing iron. Thanks for the compliments took me a while to get my vision in place but I'm really happy with how it turned out and can't wait for it to fill in.

 

[Ilminded]

You can increase the dose of excel to increase the CO2 in the mean time. You can add double the recommended volume IF you split it up through the day. Example, add recommended amount before lights turning on (as long as if you have a bubbler it is not on) and then add same amount halfway through photo period.

 

[bshenanagins]

You can increase the dose of excel to increase the CO2 in the mean time. You can add double the recommended volume IF you split it up through the day. Example, add recommended amount before lights turning on (as long as if you have a bubbler it is not on) and then add same amount halfway through photo period.

I actually have been double dosing for some time now