New tank and Plant help needed

[TMaier]

Sharmon I had plants in tanks for years without fancy lights or Co2 and just plain old gravel. They thrived on what the fish provided.

Java ferns and Anubias are my favorites and they come in lots of shapes and sizes. You tie them to something which is great if you like to move things around and rearrange the decor.

If I try a new plant it must have the will to live, anything needy or demanding isn't going to be coddled.

Other plants I have had great luck with are dwarf sag, bucephelandra, and crypts.

Swords and Val's melt if you look at them wrong.

Guppy grass is indestructible but will explode into pieces if you touch it. All of them will live and are great if you want fry. But are otherwise messy.

 

[Sharmon]

Sorry "tank before decorating" was for a photo. It wouldn't load here.

 

[Sharmon]

What can I use instead of fishing line? Is crochet thread OK?

 

[aseradyn]

What can I use instead of fishing line? Is crochet thread OK?

Yup - I've used cotton and polyester sewing thread and button thread with no trouble. Cotton will rot in time, but ferns and anubias usually cling to rocks and wood by the time that happens.

Tie just snug enough to hold things in place - don't want thread to cut into the plant.

 

[TMaier]

What can I use instead of fishing line? Is crochet thread OK?

Yep! Poly is better than cotton that breaks down faster.

 

[Sharmon]

I need a good place to buy plants online.

 

[TMaier]

I have great luck buying from other members here in the classifieds. I tried Buceplant and wasn't happy with anything I got.

 

[nirbhao]

Ditto on buying from other members here. Honestly, our Petco is really good for plants, so I'm pretty lucky in that respect.

I have this "invisible" polyester thread that I like to use. The only problem is losing it while working with it!

 

[Sharmon]

Petco had a great selection of plants if I wanted to deal with snails. I might just be catching on off days.This trip they were out of API master kit, plant food, natural rocks. I had a list of plants I wanted and they didn't have any of them.This is a day after truck came in. Their selection of fish is great.

 

[Sharmon]

I am upgrading my light for a low tech tank.
Are all LED lights the same k value?
This is the one I'm looking at:
Aqueon Modular 30 inch LED lighting system.
I like the fact it has 2 additional expansion slots.

 

[Sharmon]

I managed to goof up today. I misread the directions on the liquid plant food.
I over dosed the tank now the water is a pale yellow.

 

[TMaier]

Time to change the water! I think too much fertilizer is bad.

 

[Fresh2o]

Look for the tissue culture plants and the big box stores.
AA classifieds is a good place to start.
LEDs, like any light fixture, can have different K values. I am not familiar with the performance of the model you mentioned. I like to peruse Amazon reviews for info.

 

[Sharmon]

I tried 2 tissue cultured plants, one fell apart and washed down the drain. The other one just wouldn't stay planted even with being tied to a river rock. I will stick to stem plants until I learn more about plants.
I did find a baby Java Fern plant this morning attached to the filter it's now planted. It had a great root system.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Sharmon I had plants in tanks for years without fancy lights or Co2 and just plain old gravel. They thrived on what the fish provided.

Java ferns and Anubias are my favorites and they come in lots of shapes and sizes. You tie them to something which is great if you like to move things around and rearrange the decor.

If I try a new plant it must have the will to live, anything needy or demanding isn't going to be coddled.

Other plants I have had great luck with are dwarf sag, bucephelandra, and crypts.

Swords and Val's melt if you look at them wrong.

Guppy grass is indestructible but will explode into pieces if you touch it. All of them will live and are great if you want fry. But are otherwise messy.

Agreed! With low tech, there really isn't a need for pressurized CO2 and expensive substrate. The only reason I use pressurized CO2 in my low light setup is because I used it for a high tech build at one point, and since I have one tank, it just helps the plants. Swords and Crypts will appreciate root tabs. Bucephalandra is a great, interesting plant. There are some varieties that aren't too expensive either (Green Wave, Apple Leaf). Dwarf Sag looks good and grows well; you just have to keep up with it though as it can spread quickly. In my current setup, I'm focusing on Java Fern. TMaier is right in saying that there is a large variety of Microsorum--Needle Leaf, Narrow Leaf, Windelov, Thor's Hammer, regular, etc.

It's trail and error with planted tanks, so try what you want, and if you don't like it, look into something different!

 

[Sharmon]

Need advise. Depending on what angle I look at the tank it looks either milky white or a greenish yellow. i put tank water in a clear glass and the water was crystal clear. Any idea how to solve this?

 

[TMaier]

Patience. It takes time for your filter and water chemistry to settle.

 

[Sharmon]

It's not the water it's the glass. I took some of the water outside in a clear drinking glass and it was clear. So now I'm baffled. I've washed the outside glass so it's not that.

 

[Sharmon]

We want to buy my grand daughter a tank. If we buy a filter and put it in my tank, take some gravel and water out and put it in her tank will it be cycled?

 

[TMaier]

You have introduced the bacteria but it won't be cycled. And only the gravel will really be the help. You are only cycled when you have enough bacteria to handle your bioload and see no spikes in ammonia. I suggest you follow the fishless cycling process and see how fast pure ammonia is converted.