Starting up a 75 gal Planted, just got some questions

[boggerscott]

Im back into this again, I currently have a reef tank and such., but just miss what I was brought up on " fresh water " I got a little idea of whats going on but have been out of this for awhile far as a planted tank . I am going to go with a pressurized co2, t5 ho 48" 54 watt x 2 or 4 probly 4. But I want to take my time and do this right, if there is one thing I have learned from growing coral , is patients.

-So what substraight do I want to go with?

- what temp do I want the tank at?

 

[mgamer20o0]

prob to start out with the 2x54w and move up if needs be. the temps will depend on what fish you are going to keep. as for the substrate there are lots of options out there. some people like to go cheap with sand or do a Mineralized top soil which is a little harder. eco complete and flourite tend to be the most popular. aquasoil is pricey but it at least has some nutrients.

 

[marchmaxima]

You can choose any type of substrate you want, but just bear in mind that plants do better in finer and smoother types becuase they don't damage the roots as much.

If you don't use a nutrient-rich substrate you'll need to dose more fertz becuase the plants need nutrients to grow. That's not a problem either, just something to keep in mind. nutrient-rich substrates cost more, so some people (like me) have a layer of nutrient-rich substrate with another substrate on top. I have sand on top of JBL Aquabasis. The only bugger with that is that over time, the two can get mixed up but that's just an asthetics issue.

Also to keep in mind is the the finer the substrate the higher risk of airpockets of toxic gas, so stir with a fork or something regularly to prevent this.

as mgamer said, the temperature is determined by the fish you want.

 

[boggerscott]

alright thanks a ton. Looken to do discus but may try to stay a little safer with angles. I was at the local hardware store 2day and saw these T8 stainless steel lights with 2 bulbs of 32 watts per bulb, so that 64 total watts. Was thinking of getting 2 of them with a 6500k spectrum bulbs for a total of 128 watts. will this be fine??

 

[boggerscott]

Ok im for sure am going with Discus. Just to beautiful. So whats the trick with these.

 

[mgamer20o0]

start with a barebottom tank do lots of water change and feed them several times a day if the are juvy. if adults you have more options.

 

[marchmaxima]

You might want to take a trip over to the Simply discus forums and peruse the articles there. Not that i'm in the habit of recommending other forums but the articles/stickies are great. Bare bottom tank is best, but it is possible to do planted discus as others have here. Its just a little more work than having other fish in a planted tank. Discus also require special food regimes and juvies require more effort still... So just do your research on them is the message I'm just trying to say. They cost a fair penny, so you want to ensure success with them

 

[mgamer20o0]

when i get the tank ill be doing a planted bare bottle discus tank. even with bb tank plants are not out of the question.

thats a great discus site.

 

[boggerscott]

Ok I have my tank filled with RODI water. I went and got 6 bags of the seachem eco complete "BLACK" I have put that in the tank . I have a mag 250 filter on the tank. I have a 18 watt coralife turbo twist UV sterilizer. I did go out and get an aquasun 8 bulb HO T5 with 2 switches so I will be only running 4 bulbs, but have the option there if need be to use more if needed. I still need to get the CO2 this is were I dont no were to go.

-Just what parts do I need? or a list of what I need and what they do would be great, and were to get this epuipment for a good price.?

- on my lighting , what kev rating do I want to run? 10000k? 6700k? any red bulbs?

- How many hours will I be needen to run my lights?

_ Should I put a nice piece of wood in the tank? what kind of wood is a good one to use?

-can I start my tank up and get some plants or should I wait?

Ill be looken forward to hearing from u all.

 

[Blueiz]

Is there any reason why you went with RO/DI water? If you do not have a reason for using this, I would stick to tap water or you will be adding a lot of ferts, buffers, etc to keep your water suitable for fish and livestock. That is if I am correct in that Ro/Di water has no buffering capabilities and is void of most all minerals.

-Adding wood would be your own personal preference.

- I run my lights for a max of 8 hours a day. If I run them longer I get some algae, every set up is a bit different so this may not be the case for you.

- I run 6700 and 10k on my tanks, no notable difference in the plant growth between them.

- Knowing what plants you want, and what the end goal for your tank is will greatly determine how much light and if you need co2 on the tank. So, what plants are you looking at getting?

 

[boggerscott]

Dont really know, I us the RODI cause I have one for my reef tanks and was told to use it by a LFS. Should I use the waste water off the RODI?

I would like to have a tank like these in the future with Discus

 

[boggerscott]

Im probly all over the charts with these pics aint I??? I really like the stuff that covers the ground. I guess I need to study my plants.

What are all the levels that I need to watch and monitor and what should they be at?

 

[marchmaxima]

My my my, you are ambitious! Nothing wrong with that BTW Don't worry... I
want a planted discus tank too.

time to take yourself over to some plant-specific sites. I use this one and as a beginner, found it divides plant info up in ways I needed to understand (by tank placement, by light requirements, etc)

PlantGeek.net - Plant Guide
The Planted Tank - Articles, Forums, Pictures, Links - another good one.

There are plenty of articles/info on CO2 setups and the equipment. Just google around.

 

[boggerscott]

pic of the tank for now. OK so I went and got my CO2 tank, regulator, bubble counter and defuser. Now , how the **** do I use this thing? Should I wait til i have more plants or go ahead and start. How many bubbles a min. ? Run it only when the lights are on or all the time.

- What are the plants that I can get that are so dependant on this CO2 and lighting. shot me some names and picks would be great. I like a challange I mastered groing coral I cant see this being much harder.

what is the plant that I see on some peoples tanks that covers the ground and looks like glover, it kinda spreads everywere.