Hello! its been a while since I attempted to keep plants in my 29 gallon tank. the first time resulted in not knowing how to take care of them, the plants dying, and a infestation of junk snails that I am still dealing with.
but, I am thinking of trying it over again. the 29 gallon is empty exept for my corys, and i am thinking of cycling up my 10 gallon tank, tearing the 29 gallon down to get rid of junk snails and getting all new decor and substrate and filter media, starting from scratch basicaly.
now, my water conditions are 9Dh hardness, 7.8 PH, and 120ppm KH.
the tank gets indirect sunlight most of the day, with a patch of direct sun on half of the tank just before sunset.
I also am running two 14w full spectrum bulbs under the hood, putting out 854 lumens each. from what i have read, even though they have the advertised efficiency of a 60w bulb, by aquarium standards,as far as light output, their actual light output is a little low for my tank.
is it possible to get plants that will live in lower light and still be healthy? the type of plants i wanted was any type of small grass, i know java moss will grow almost anywhere, and i wanted a larger plant as well. my only preferance is some plant that fit those standards, are not terribly hard to find or care for. any ideas?
also, if i do plant and i keep my tank lights on after getting rid of the snails, what do i do for algae control? right now i only have a few corys and was planning on adding a school of ember tetras or something else very small...even so its only a 29 gallon, and the algae eaters i have seen (other than snails) all seem to get big or need to be in schools.
another question. what substrate to get? im sure this depends on the plant, but i am on a budget, and was wondering what i could use. would pool filter sand be too densly packed? i cant really use my old substrate. last time i took the tank apart i baked my rocks and substrate in the oven at 350 degrees for a couple hours to try and get rid of snails and eggs...it didnt work. so, any suggestions on all of this?
but, I am thinking of trying it over again. the 29 gallon is empty exept for my corys, and i am thinking of cycling up my 10 gallon tank, tearing the 29 gallon down to get rid of junk snails and getting all new decor and substrate and filter media, starting from scratch basicaly.
now, my water conditions are 9Dh hardness, 7.8 PH, and 120ppm KH.
the tank gets indirect sunlight most of the day, with a patch of direct sun on half of the tank just before sunset.
I also am running two 14w full spectrum bulbs under the hood, putting out 854 lumens each. from what i have read, even though they have the advertised efficiency of a 60w bulb, by aquarium standards,as far as light output, their actual light output is a little low for my tank.
is it possible to get plants that will live in lower light and still be healthy? the type of plants i wanted was any type of small grass, i know java moss will grow almost anywhere, and i wanted a larger plant as well. my only preferance is some plant that fit those standards, are not terribly hard to find or care for. any ideas?
also, if i do plant and i keep my tank lights on after getting rid of the snails, what do i do for algae control? right now i only have a few corys and was planning on adding a school of ember tetras or something else very small...even so its only a 29 gallon, and the algae eaters i have seen (other than snails) all seem to get big or need to be in schools.
another question. what substrate to get? im sure this depends on the plant, but i am on a budget, and was wondering what i could use. would pool filter sand be too densly packed? i cant really use my old substrate. last time i took the tank apart i baked my rocks and substrate in the oven at 350 degrees for a couple hours to try and get rid of snails and eggs...it didnt work. so, any suggestions on all of this?