Need LOTS of advice

[Davon]

I hope I have this in the right thread....

Ok. I'm doing it! I'm going to plant my tank LOL. I'll be honest, it's a little intimidating to me only because I'm bad with plants but I'm hoping maybe it won't translate to aquatic plants. . However, I need help. I'd like to not have to 100% redo my tank if possible although I'm about to attempt a few renovations.

I have a 65gal tropical community aquarium. I have 9 red minor tetras, 7 black skirt tetras, 2 dwarf guorami, and 3 kuhli loach and I know my tank isn't the best setup for this mix and I need to make some changes. I currently have large brown gravel, plastic plants, large artificial tree stump, large artificial tree root, and a smaller artificial rock. I also have glass tops and a long LED light on top that can do bright light or blue light. I can't afford to make massive changes, for the health of my fish or for the health of my wallet LOL.

So here is my plan: Change my substrate. I've been trying to read about the best way to do this and the information is largely varied. I have 4 inches of this gravel. I'm hoping to do a slow change and remove an inch or so of the gravel every few days, vacuuming in between, so as to not stir up too much junk or stress my fish out too bad. Then when I'm down to an inch, I'll change it out with the fish IN the tank. I imagine everyone has different opinions on what is best, but that's the best plan I could come up with. I plan to change to about 80lbs of black sand substrate which will give me about 3 inches. Is that too much?

During this time, I was hoping to go ahead and purchase plants. I've been looking at beginner and low light plants because I'm not interested in a major setup at the moment. Will plants still grow if I tie them to my artificial decorations for now? Can I always move them later over to driftwood once I get some of my other changes completed? Here are the plants I've been looking at:

* Java ferns
* Anubias
* Anacharis (although I read somewhere these can't ship to SC but we will see)
* Hornwort
* Crypts
* Swords

I have no idea what "Low light" actually means or if my LED light is right or what. I know over time I will most likely learn more and buy better equipment, but I'm trying to use as much of what I have as possible.

Any advice? Am I on the right track?

 

[Davon]

Here is my current tank

 

[t-bone]

What kind of LED light is it? How many lumens? Light will be the most important thing, substrate a close second if you plan to grow root feeders like Swords and Crypts. Also what are the dimensions of the tank? Specifically the height and width?

 

[Davon]

Tank is 36 wide, 24 high, 18 deep.

Here is the description of my light:
Features
Includes 24 LEDs,9x 10000K cool white,9x Actinic Blue 460nm ,3xRed 620-625nm,3xGreen 520-525nm
Lumen :1440
Super energy efficient 0.50 watt LEDs
Suitable Tank Length:12"-18"
DIMENSION of the Light: 10.84"x3.548"x0.5"

 

[Davon]

I just realized that length was for the smaller one. It comes in multiple sizes. That is my light but obviously I bought the 36" wide one lol.

 

[Kaneu]

You are on the right track. I just started my first planted tank and I have about the same type of plants.
What is the name of the light you have? 10k is WAY more than you need for low tech plants. Is there a way to dim the lights? Or possibly raise the light 6" from the tank lid?

 

[Davon]

I don't think I can dim. Only put them on blue instead of white. But I'm sure I could rig something to raise the light.

 

[Fresh2o]

Did the LED fixture come with the tank as part of a package deal? Does it have a name/brand/manufacturer? Knowing this would be helpful in looking up the PAR values for that fixture (if they exist and have been published). That and the depth of the tank will help you determine the light level (low, med, high, or something in between). That will help you figure out what plants are suitable for your setup. Most stock LED fixtures provide low light at best from what I've seen.

 

[Davon]

AQUANEAT Aquarium LED Light Plant Marine Multi-Color Full Spectrum 36"-48" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTKQRB3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_be2VLEY2eZBB5

I bought the light on Amazon when I set my tank up. This is the link to it.

My tank is 36w, 24h, 18d

 

[Bert2oo1]

AQUANEAT Aquarium LED Light Plant Marine Multi-Color Full Spectrum 36"-48" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTKQRB3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_be2VLEY2eZBB5

I bought the light on Amazon when I set my tank up. This is the link to it.

My tank is 36w, 24h, 18d

Welcome! You've come to the right place for advice, people here have a broad range of knowledge.

Lighting: Your lighting should be fine, I'd start with it on a timer for 8 hours per day and increase the duration or decrease if it's not enough or to much considering u can dim it.

Substrate: a nutrient rich substrate is best, however you can be successful without it.
Top soil is best for nutrients but u won't be able to use it unless u completely drain the tank and remove the fish. For a "fish in" change I'd recommend Ada substrate or Tropica. Both are designed for plants and create little mess. Both are expensive.

Another option is sand as u said with the addition of root tabs for the swords and crypts. Root tabs can be made with Osmacote plus and 00 sized gel capsules or purchased already made on Amazon and eBay.
3" is plent of depth. 2"-3" is ideal.

Ferts: you'll need some ferts of some sort. Either the seachem range or and equivalent. You'll need NPK and trace. Also a liquid carbon like excel will help. These can be expensive for bigger tanks so u can purchase dry salts (kno3,kh2po4,kso4,chelated trace mix) and dose to PPS pro or EI levels. A quick Google search will give you all the info you need on either of these dosing techniques.(if u had soft water I'd recommend not dosing traces, only iron)

Plants: your choices are a great start! Java fern and anubias will be fine tied to your fake ornaments and can easily be moved to DW later on. Crypts and swords will want the root tabs put underneath them, make sure u push the tabs all the way to the bottom of the tank to make sure they don't resurface when moving plants around.

My advice is plant heavy (as much as u can fit in the tank) start the lighting low, dose ferts and carbon from the start in a steady routine, 50% water changes per week and you should have minimal issues

Hope I've helped

 

[Davon]

Thanks to you and everyone!

 

[Davon]

Where do you buy your plants? Any online store better than another?

 

[Davon]

Also, what does it mean to "plant heavy"?

 

[TMaier]

I think my tank is middle weight.

Imagine your at the zoo and can't see the tigers there's so much bush. That's heavy. Lol

 

[Davon]

Not sure I can afford to do that yet, but I can start and keep adding. [emoji851]

 

[Davon]

Your tank is gorgeous! I can't wait to get my substrate changed and start getting it how I want it.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Your tank is gorgeous! I can't wait to get my substrate changed and start getting it how I want it.

Yea sorry by plant heavy I ment plant as many as u can afford or have on hand. The more the better

 

[TMaier]

Your tank is gorgeous! I can't wait to get my substrate changed and start getting it how I want it.

Thanks. I have been growing plants for years and always trying new ones. You'll get there.

 

[nirbhao]

Around me, Petco has good plants. I'm sure local shops would have a few plants, too. Java ferns and anubias are sold pretty much anywhere aquatic plants are sold.

Many plants will fill in. It will look like your tank is practically bare, but then six weeks down the line you'll have some new growth. Java ferns reproduce by growing little plantlets on their leaves that eventually fall. You can tie or glue the baby plants to contribute to your jungle.

I'm really excited to see this come together!

 

[Davon]

Thanks y'all! I'm headed to the pet store tomorrow for some stuff for our other animals so I'll check out their plants while I'm at it and maybe try several.

I'm hoping in the next two weeks to have my substrate changed.