Planning planted tank

[Bettalover333]

Planning a planted tank?

So I have finally decided to make the leap into a more complicated planted aquarium, and have decided to transform my 60 gallon tank into a planted tank. So please tell me if this plan would work. The dimensions of my tank are 12.75"L x 48.5"W x 25" H. My lighting system is a Marineland Aquatic Plant LED, which at a height of 24" would have a PAR rating of 83 directly under the light, which i'm assuming would be considered in the higher end of medium lights. I was planning on purchasing the Doctors Foster and Smith Semi-Automatic CO2 system, then buying my own co2 tank (either 5 or 10lbs). I've heard the bubble counter is junk, so I'll probably end up replacing it with a higher quality one. I plan on dosing 20-25 ppm. For my substrate, I was planning on having just black sand (either petco sand or pool filter sand, I haven't decided yet) for my cory cats with Seachem root tabs that I would replace monthly. Next, comes the part that confuses me. Fertilizers. I read an article from this site on fertilizers and was planning on dosing Seachem N, P, K, Trace, and Iron through the EI method. Would this work? Do I also need to dose regular Flourish? And if anyone spots any flaws with my plan, please let me know. Thanks!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Hi Bettalover, the PAR seems oddly high for the Fluval light on a 25" tall tank. That's a lot of water for light to penetrate. I have a Fluval Aquatic Life & Plant LED on a 21" tall tank and by itself it's borderline medium-low light. It's a first gen Fluval LED, so unless there's a newer one, I don't think that PAR is accurate. How and where did you get the PAR data? I supplement mine with a Current Satellite LED+ and with the two, I'm guessing I have a solid moderate light level, probably around 60 - 70 PAR at substrate.

Anyways, depending on your plant selection, most plants will grow fine with 30+ PAR with a good carbon source and comprehensive fertilizer regimen. So in other words, you may do well with that light. Chasing after more PAR would require additional balancing with ferts and co2, or you'd run the risk of an algae farm.

Running moderate light or more in that size of a tank will be very spendy with the Seachem fertilizer system. I strongly recommend buying dry ferts from GLA, either the EI or PPS-Pro pack with dispenser bottles. GLA also offers fantastic quality on their co2 regulators. Something to consider if it's within budget. Otherwise, Aquatek and Milwaukee have decent entry level quality regulators.
http://greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizer.html

If you want to supplement a liquid carbon like Seachem Excel, I suggest looking into dosing Glut (i.e. Metricide 14), as it's a generic form of Excel at a way lower price. Again, it's the volume of your tank that will make this venture spendy otherwise.

Sand is okay.. But IMO, I'd go with a plant specific substrate like Eco Complete (or Floramax). Not sure if the fine grade is still on the market, but it would be ideal not only for the plants (due to CEC properties), but will be friendly to the Corys.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Hi Bettalover, the PAR seems oddly high for the Fluval light on a 25" tall tank. That's a lot of water for light to penetrate. I have a Fluval Aquatic Life & Plant LED on a 21" tall tank and by itself it's borderline medium-low light. It's a first gen Fluval LED, so unless there's a newer one, I don't think that PAR is accurate. How and where did you get the PAR data? I supplement mine with a Current Satellite LED+ and with the two, I'm guessing I have a solid moderate light level, probably around 60 - 70 PAR at substrate.

Anyways, depending on your plant selection, most plants will grow fine with 30+ PAR with a good carbon source and comprehensive fertilizer regimen. So in other words, you may do well with that light. Chasing after more PAR would require additional balancing with ferts and co2, or you'd run the risk of an algae farm.

Running moderate light or more in that size of a tank will be very spendy with the Seachem fertilizer system. I strongly recommend buying dry ferts from GLA, either the EI or PPS-Pro pack with dispenser bottles. GLA also offers fantastic quality on their co2 regulators. Something to consider if it's within budget. Otherwise, Aquatek and Milwaukee have decent entry level quality regulators.
http://greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizer.html

If you want to supplement a liquid carbon like Seachem Excel, I suggest looking into dosing Glut (i.e. Metricide 14), as it's a generic form of Excel at a way lower price. Again, it's the volume of your tank that will make this venture spendy otherwise.

Sand is okay.. But IMO, I'd go with a plant specific substrate like Eco Complete (or Floramax). Not sure if the fine grade is still on the market, but it would be ideal not only for the plants (due to CEC properties), but will be friendly to the Corys.

I was one of the few that was able to get Eco-Complete fine grade as production of it stopped. I emailed a representative from CaribSea last year, and he/she (can't remember) told me that they were discontinuing the fine grade variety, so I think it'd be difficult to find it.


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