Carpet?

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Laird-and-Dad

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
243
Location
Santa Clarita, CA
Hey! I have a 30 gallon planted tank.
ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1438488339.591423.jpg

I'm thinking about doing a carpet in the open area in the middle of the front. I've tried DHG in the past, and it did really well, but it grew upward and didn't really spread out nicely. Then I couldn't really save any through tearing down the tank :( Do you have any suggestions for something that might go well with the tank as a carpet?

Lighting: T5HO

Ferts: Seachem Flourish, API Root Tabs, may be adding phosphates (leaf zone) at some point

Current plants:
• Red flame swords
• Some other type of sword, I'm not sure
• 2 types of tall stem plants
• Rosaefolia (I think)

Future fish:
• 5 Julii Cories
• 15-20 neon tetras
• 3 ADF
• 1 gourami


Thanks!
 
Is that a single bulb fixture you have? You didn't mention co2 but I see some in the tank pic, is that here to stay?
 
Is that a single bulb fixture you have? You didn't mention co2 but I see some in the tank pic, is that here to stay?


Yes, it is a single bulb. It's from Glo, I dong know if that helps at all.

Sorry, yes, I have co2, I should have added that in the original post.
 
Yes, it is a single bulb. It's from Glo, I dong know if that helps at all.

Sorry, yes, I have co2, I should have added that in the original post.

Seems to that you'll need to increase your light intensity & step up into dry ferts to really keep dhg happy...

20L Mafia...
 
Yeah, your light won't really allow most of the more sought after carpet plants. If you got a double bulb fixture or upgraded your light you'd have more options, but in the meantime you could look into various microswords or Marsilea minuta. Crypt parva stays very small as well, but all of those plants I just mentioned are very slow growers. Dwarf sag is worth mentioning, but traditionally it grows pretty tall and isn't considered a carpet plant. Moss (Xmas, peacock, flame, Taiwan all good options) or riccia tied to SS mesh is an option as well.

If you upped your light power some I'd recommend checking out Monte Carlo or ranalsima rostrata.
 
Yeah, your light won't really allow most of the more sought after carpet plants. If you got a double bulb fixture or upgraded your light you'd have more options, but in the meantime you could look into various microswords or Marsilea minuta. Crypt parva stays very small as well, but all of those plants I just mentioned are very slow growers. Dwarf sag is worth mentioning, but traditionally it grows pretty tall and isn't considered a carpet plant. Moss (Xmas, peacock, flame, Taiwan all good options) or riccia tied to SS mesh is an option as well.

If you upped your light power some I'd recommend checking out Monte Carlo or ranalsima rostrata.

Good stuff here from Azmodan,some great plant suggestions too..

20L Mafia...
 
Seems to that you'll need to increase your light intensity & step up into dry ferts to really keep dhg happy...

20L Mafia...



Yeah, your light won't really allow most of the more sought after carpet plants. If you got a double bulb fixture or upgraded your light you'd have more options

Right now I have 2 other really low power lights, that I might be able to put on there if I could work something out with my timer (my timer only has 4 plugs (2 day and 2 night) and both the day ones are filled. But I might be able to attach an extension cord, I don't know.

Unfortunately, I'm not able to afford to buy another light. But if I was, is there a type of light you'd recommend? You seemed to indicate that T5HO wasn't the best, but I'm not sure if that was because of the fact that it was only single bulb, or because of the fact that it was T5HO.


but in the meantime you could look into various microswords or Marsilea minuta. Crypt parva stays very small as well, but all of those plants I just mentioned are very slow growers. Dwarf sag is worth mentioning, but traditionally it grows pretty tall and isn't considered a carpet plant. Moss (Xmas, peacock, flame, Taiwan all good options) or riccia tied to SS mesh is an option as well.

If you upped your light power some I'd recommend checking out Monte Carlo or ranalsima rostrata.

Thank you for the plant info. I will look into those. As I said, I can't really afford to buy anything right now, but when I get some more money that I'm able to spend (I'm currently saving up for a new computer, but I almost have the money I need, so I'll be able to fund my aquarium obsession some more, soon) I will try to get one of the plants you mentioned.

Also, what is ss mesh? I kind of got an idea from the context, but I don't know exactly.

Thank you guys so much for your responses, they've been really helpful!
 
Right now I have 2 other really low power lights, that I might be able to put on there if I could work something out with my timer (my timer only has 4 plugs (2 day and 2 night) and both the day ones are filled. But I might be able to attach an extension cord, I don't know.

Unfortunately, I'm not able to afford to buy another light. But if I was, is there a type of light you'd recommend? You seemed to indicate that T5HO wasn't the best, but I'm not sure if that was because of the fact that it was only single bulb, or because of the fact that it was T5HO.




Thank you for the plant info. I will look into those. As I said, I can't really afford to buy anything right now, but when I get some more money that I'm able to spend (I'm currently saving up for a new computer, but I almost have the money I need, so I'll be able to fund my aquarium obsession some more, soon) I will try to get one of the plants you mentioned.

Also, what is ss mesh? I kind of got an idea from the context, but I don't know exactly.

Thank you guys so much for your responses, they've been really helpful!


T5HO lights are great, it's just that one bulb will limit what you can do. If you had the cash to upgrade I'd probably recommend you look at LED options with brands such as Finnex, Current, and Ecoxotic. Most of the plant specific LED fixtures have similar plant friendly color spectrums that the t5ho bulbs have plus other pros like dimmability, 24/7 modes, not having to replace bulbs, etc. I know it's not essential but if you were desperate for more light but still on a tight budget the option of clamp on dome/flood lights + cfl bulbs can be highly effective too. They're not very aesthetically pleasing but are pretty cheap at places like Home Depot and Lowes.

SS mesh = stainless steel mesh. People often tie moss to it in their aquariums to form little carpets. Many hobbyists sell it in a variety of shapes.
 
With all that said you can still do a ton with your current set up, especially with co2. I'd definitely look into picking up the API leaf zone as the Flourish is mainly just providing some micro nutrients and a tiny bit of macros.
 
T5HO lights are great, it's just that one bulb will limit what you can do. If you had the cash to upgrade I'd probably recommend you look at LED options with brands such as Finnex, Current, and Ecoxotic. Most of the plant specific LED fixtures have similar plant friendly color spectrums that the t5ho bulbs have plus other pros like dimmability, 24/7 modes, not having to replace bulbs, etc. I know it's not essential but if you were desperate for more light but still on a tight budget the option of clamp on dome/flood lights + cfl bulbs can be highly effective too. They're not very aesthetically pleasing but are pretty cheap at places like Home Depot and Lowes.

SS mesh = stainless steel mesh. People often tie moss to it in their aquariums to form little carpets. Many hobbyists sell it in a variety of shapes.

I thought about LEDs when I first got my current fixture, but my lfs guy sold me on this over the equivalent LEDs which were more expensive.

Also, what is 24/7 mode?




With all that said you can still do a ton with your current set up, especially with co2. I'd definitely look into picking up the API leaf zone as the Flourish is mainly just providing some micro nutrients and a tiny bit of macros.


Yes, I'm definitely getting leaf zone tomorrow.

And yeah, I know there's a lot I can do with this and honestly, I am very happy with my set up as is, I'm just exploring future options. I mean, even with only a single bulb, T5HOs are pretty good; at least mine has really created a lot of plant growth in the last year, especially with the co2, as you said.

It would ultimately be ideal to have a second bulb (there are a lot of options for upgrading) but it will be fine either way.


If I were to upgrade my lighting, which would you all recommend, and which do you think would cost least, most:

1. Keep my current light, but add another, single bulb T5HO

2. Remove my current light, and add a double bulb one

3. Get an LED light, and keep my current light

4. Get an LED light and remove my current one

If 3 or 4, which LEDs do you prefer? Azmodan mentioned finnex, current, and ecoxotic. Do any of you have a specific preference, or does it not matter?


Sorry I haven't done very much research into my options with lighting, I feel like I'm asking way too many questions.

Thank you guys again so much!
 
I thought about LEDs when I first got my current fixture, but my lfs guy sold me on this over the equivalent LEDs which were more expensive.

Also, what is 24/7 mode?







Yes, I'm definitely getting leaf zone tomorrow.

And yeah, I know there's a lot I can do with this and honestly, I am very happy with my set up as is, I'm just exploring future options. I mean, even with only a single bulb, T5HOs are pretty good; at least mine has really created a lot of plant growth in the last year, especially with the co2, as you said.

It would ultimately be ideal to have a second bulb (there are a lot of options for upgrading) but it will be fine either way.


If I were to upgrade my lighting, which would you all recommend, and which do you think would cost least, most:

1. Keep my current light, but add another, single bulb T5HO

2. Remove my current light, and add a double bulb one

3. Get an LED light, and keep my current light

4. Get an LED light and remove my current one

If 3 or 4, which LEDs do you prefer? Azmodan mentioned finnex, current, and ecoxotic. Do any of you have a specific preference, or does it not matter?


Sorry I haven't done very much research into my options with lighting, I feel like I'm asking way too many questions.

Thank you guys again so much!


A lot of the new plant LEDs come with preset and/or programmable modes that can mimic a 24 hour day cycle. Finnex has a light called the 24/7 that has this mode, but the current and ecoxotic lights have this ability too with a ramp timer. It's really nifty as you'll see that your tank looks very different at different parts of the day (think soft orange glow in the morning/at dawn, bright mid day sun, soft blues at night, etc).

Ultimately your plan to increase your light depends on your overall budget. Getting a second single bulb fixture would be the cheapest route (and the Glo fixture is a good light) but with the cost of the bulb you'd probably just be better off saving a little more for an LED fixture. The Finnex lights are very good budget lights. I'd get the 24/7, as depending on tank size it should run you under $100. The Satellite+ Pro and Ecoxotic are good lights but you'll be in the $150-$200 range. If you really want to get top of the line power you could look into BuildmyLED, but you'd be at $200+ easily. Overall Finnex is a good brand to start off with LEDs, and you could still run your T5ho with it for a little extra oomph.

We're also getting into the territory where once you make a jump in light you'll prob want to start looking at dry ferts. The ferts you're buying now are mostly water, so what many of us with high tech tanks do is buy the ferts in powder form and dose accordingly. There are two main fertilizer systems used by most hobbyists: estimative index (EI) and PPS-pro. Both are easy to research via Google and offer a much more comprehensive fert program for your plants than commercial bottled ferts. It'll cost about $40-$50 in the beginning to buy everything (ferts, bottles, digital scale) but you buy it once and it should last you years, give or take. Many sites sell everything you need in a convenient package, check out Green Leaf Aquariums or Nilocg aquatics. Just something to keep in mind.

You should also never feel like you're asking too many questions. Planted tanks lead you down a deep rabbit hole and we're still at the surface right now.
 
I have a duel T5 HO lamp on my 30 gallon and I can grow Dwarf Hairgrass with it (it gives me high lighting), along with many other high light plants. If you're going to go out and purchase anything else though, a Finnex planted+ 24/7 would be more economical since it saves electricity and you don't have to buy bulbs yearly. Although, you go could either way...T5 HO or quality LEDs. As long as the plants get their photons! You could always stick with the one bulb and have less demanding plants as mentioned earlier. With more lightning, comes more maintenance and you'd have to make sure that your flow is in check, especially for the foreground plants.


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