Water garden tank

[Peeley]

I currently have a barebottom 55 gallon tank with bad lighting and java fern. I plan to move it next to a big window (whole wall is glass) and put a couple pots in it with plants growing out water-garden style. I'll remove the hood completely and let the plants grow out into the air.
I've got java fern and some kind of creeping (land) plant with small elephant ear shaped leaves now, I plan on getting a dwarf lily and some papyrus, maybe dwarf, maybe not. (the tank has the high part of a vaulted ceiling over it so full size would fit and I think it would be very cool).
I have no experience with planted tanks or water gardening but I have done some research. I'm thinking of placing clay pots in the tank with peat on the bottom, some kind of mixture above that (sand, clay, ?), and perhaps 1-2 inches of gravel on top. I would plant the creeper, the papyrus, and the lily in pots like that.
To me, it seems that there is plenty of light in the area. But I do have some light fixtures and bulbs left over from previous salt water projects that i could hang from the ceiling. The glass wall faces west if that matters.
How does this sound to you experienced folks? I am especially interested in opinions about what substrate(s) I should fill the pots with and opinions on lighting.

Here's a diagram of what I'm going for. Window would be immediately to the right of the tank.

 

[hashbaz]

I wasn't willing to pay the dough for expensive substrates, so I made a DIY mixture. Equal parts kitty litter, vermiculite, and peat moss.

The first time I tried this, I tried to rinse everthing off 1st. DO NOT RINSE!!! This only makes a HUGE mess. The kitty litter turns to mud, the peat moss turns to sludge and the vermiculite floats on top.

Peatmoss and Vermiculite were found in the garden section of walmart. Make sure to find the 100% clay kitty litter with no additives (It's convenient that this is also the cheapest).

I took a 1 gallon ziplock and mixed up the three. Then when I buy a new plant, I take the pot and if the hole in the bottom is too big, I cover it with a small rock. Then I add the plant and then the mixture, and cover the top of the mixture with plain old aquarium gravel, and put it in the aquarium. The gravel on top and only a small hole on the bottom kept the mess very, very small.

I love your idea and want to try it sometime, when I have more money to throw around. If the window gets at least a few hours of direct sunlight you should be OK. I suggest a little experimentation. Don't add the lights above the aquarium unless the plants seem like they need it.

Good luck and please tell us how everything turns out.

 

[Blucat]

I think you will need lighting, and if it is near the window there would be sunlight meaning you might get algae.

 

[Peeley]

Great advice! I feel much more confident about moving forward with this now. Step 1 will be moving the tank from my old place to my new one and adding sand to the bottom. Then I'll be shopping for plants and pots. I'll take pics and update this thread as it progresses.
I think I'll be able to keep algae under control by out competing it with plants. If not, I can somehow prevent the tank itself from getting light, since there will only be low light plants inside the tank. Maybe I could cover the surface wth duckweed or something.
What do you think about root tabs? I've heard they were good but I don't really know what they're all about.

 

[AquaJoe]

Plants that are not fully aquatic and therefor grow above the water (as specified above) do not like light getting to their roots. Essentially what you are doing is setting up a hydroponics system for that particular plant..... More less, this plant is going to get absolutely massive very very fast while the aquatic plants will grow at their normal rate. I suppose this depends on the nutrient content of the water as well. Anyway, the point is you might not want plants in the aquarium that are not fully aquatic.

As for pots and substrate, I suggest using plastic net pots and rock wool (available at any hydroponic shop / nursery). That is what I currently use for my plants. Just be sure to give the rock wool a 24 hour soaking in aquarium water before putting into the aquarium. You want to remove any small fibers and bacteria that might be on the rock wool. Do this even if the package says it is "sterile" -they are liers! lol

I have a decent back ground in indoor gardening both organically and hydroponically (including aeroponics). With that said, I don't think you'll need any additional light at all. Period, end of story.

Direct sunlight for 6+ hours per day would be perfect. Best of luck to you. Feel free to PM me if you have a question about my post

Joe

 

[Peeley]

I had to replace an outlet behind the tank, plugs would fall right out of it. Then with the help of a good friend (who happens to also be my boss ... ) I moved the tank in and added the sand yesterday. The dust has settled and the fish are starting to calm down. Of course, they didnt remember to be happy to see me until after I fed them

My dojo loach is loving the new sand substrate, I couldn't find him this morning then I saw him buried up to his neck in sand 8). I snapped a couple pics of the tank but I can't find the usb cord to my camera. Oh well, the pics aren't too exciting yet anyhow.

The ambient light is great in here (windows galore!), but the tank doesn't get direct light until the afternoon. I'll have to pay more attention to see how many hours it gets. The plants that will be growing out of the water (aside from the creeping vine thing, I found that in the yard) are aquatic plants that grow rooted in submerged soil. I'll be potting them, so their roots won't get any light.

I'm on the man's schedule now, 40 hrs/week, so I probably won't have much to update until the weekend :? Though it might be hard to keep me out of the nursery at this point ...