the most important test kit i need to get for planted tank

[angmoh]

what's the most important test kit i need to get for planted tank ?


please order by priority .. thanks .. cos i'm @ low budget ...

 

[Bearfan]

Ammonia
Nitrate
pH
Carbonate Hardness

That's how I'd rank them anyway.

 

[Jchillin]

Ph
nitrate
gh/kh

You don't really need to test for ammonia or nitrite in a planted tank. Your plants and bacteria will be removing it faster than you could test for it.

 

[Bearfan]

The only reason I suggest an ammonia test is for your cycling, I'm assuming it's a new tank.

 

[Jchillin]

The only reason I suggest an ammonia test is for your cycling, I'm assuming it's a new tank.

I assumed it was an established tank...faux pas if it isn't.

 

[angmoh]

how will nitrate affect plants ?

 

[Jchillin]

Your bacteria will produce nitrates, which are absorbed by your plants. You will need to keep your nitrate at the 10ppm level. In most cases, the plants absorb the nitrates to the point where they are almost undetectable. If you go below 10ppm, dosing nitrates will be necessary.

 

[Jchillin]

Here's a reference that is pretty dead on.

http://www.sfbaaps.com/reference/barr_02_01.shtml

 

[angmoh]

thank you guys ...

i guess i'll get a ph and kH test kit first .. and later get a nitrate test kit , i guess that's goin to cost me alot hehe..

 

[angmoh]

another question .. my new tank is about 3ft wide (about 36inch if i'm not wrong) and 22 inch height ... is it ok for a planted tank ? what kinda lighting i should get for this new tank ? please advise .. thanks

 

[Jchillin]

Any tank is good for plants (unless you have a 30' deep tank...LOL. 2wpg is the limit if you do not want to use CO2 injection. Low light plants do well in this environment. If you do go with high light (over 2wpg), you will need CO2.

The light strip that came with the tank is obviously nowhere near this level. You can purchase higher wattage bulbs (2pin) without a problem online or at your LFS store.

Here's a sample:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=32043;category_id=1845;pcid1=1843;pcid2=

 

[angmoh]

bcos i read some articles , stated that , if the tank is deeper than 60 cm , then u'll need MH , since normal FL or compact light will not penetrate that deep .. whereas 60cm is about 24 inch ..

my tank height is aboout 22 inch + the distance between the light where it hangs and the water surface is about half feet away .. and i think it'd reach 30'

 

[Jchillin]

Sorry for any misunderstanding...a 30' tank is equal to 360 inches. 22 inches is no where near that depth. Also, MH is really for SW tanks, not FW, so you are fine...no problems with using CF.

 

[angmoh]

30' ! i'd assume it's 30 feet ? 30" would be inches ? hehe

but 30' feet deep is a way too deep ! ... mine is just an approximately 2ft deep tank.. but i read an article before, telling that normal FL the intensity cant go through any depth which is more than 2ft .. is that true ?

 

[Jchillin]

Nope, not true at all (if it is, I'm in serious trouble). I have a feeling you are getting your information from SW references (the previous reference to MH suggests that).

 

[malkore]

MH can totally be used for FW planted tanks...its just not as common cuz we tend to stick to more standard sized tanks, while SW people go with larger, deeper tanks, with corals, that demand the intensity that only big MH setups provide.
MH is also more expensive than PC or VHO.

 

[Jchillin]

Thanks for the clarification Malkore. Just seemed that most of the lighting questions were SW in nature.

 

[angmoh]

any tips that for buying lighting for a FW planted tank ? my tank size... 90cm x 60cm x 45cm ... how much lights i need ? i'm plannin to grow some moss and some easy,low light plants..

thanks

 

[Jchillin]

Any tank is good for plants (unless you have a 30' deep tank...LOL. 2wpg is the limit if you do not want to use CO2 injection. Low light plants do well in this environment. If you do go with high light (over 2wpg), you will need CO2.

The light strip that came with the tank is obviously nowhere near this level. You can purchase higher wattage bulbs (2pin) without a problem online or at your LFS store.

Here's a sample:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=32043;category_id=1845;pcid1=1843;pcid2=

 

[travis simonson]

One other test kit that I didn't see mentioned (sorry if I missed it) is PO4. You'll want to maintain a PO4 level around .5 ppm in a low light tank. It's not normally something you need to worry about in a low light tank but can cause all sorts of problems if PO4 levels get too high (> 2 ppm).

And I'm with Malkore on MH lighting. If I could afford it, that's all I would run. It is spectacular. It has a cool point-source effect that causes all sorts of shadows when your tank surface ripples. It is much more sun-like than any sort of fluorescent lighting because it originates from a single point rather than simply suffusing your tank with light like fluorescents. Ahhh . . . someday