Adam C.
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hello everyone my name is Adam and I am new to planted tanks but not new to keeping fish. I'm trying to grow plants in my 46g Bowfront. I've started off with a sand substrate and DIY root tabs (Osmocote Plus in gel caps) also I have purchased the entire line of Flourish Products including Flourish Advance and Excel. I start the tank about 4mths ago and am doing ok. Equipment is a Penn Plax Cascade 700 filter, Beamswork DA Pent 36". I have no real PAR readings for the light but maybe you can help me out to try and figure out what plants I can try. The light has 100 x 0.5w LEDs, 86 x 6500k and 16x actinic blue at 5000 Lumans. I'm trying to get away from the Java Fern and Anubias that I currently have and would like to have something of a carpet type plant along with some type of red plant to add contrast. I am not and will not be using pressurized CO² so I know my options will be limited. Any advice on plants, dosing or anything else would be greatly appreciated. I'm currently fighting diatoms and a clear/white looking slime that gets kinda stringy. I have no idea what that is but hopefully it will clear up on its own. I have all the API liquid test except phosphate but I've ordered it and it should be here in a week or so along with Flourish Excel. I test my water every other day and adjust nitrates with water changes as needed to keep my nitrates as close to 20ppm as possible. Also my water is very soft pH 6.8-7, dkh 2-3° dgh 5-6°