Planted tank 101

[Jadedrain_06]

I am picking up a 100gal tank in a few days and really want to venture into the live plants. To be honest though I am scared to death of the idea of potentially investing hundreds of dollars into a plants and killing them. My husband is also in the military so we move ever couple of years. So if plants are a royal pain i don't know if it would be worth getting in to. Any suggestion on a reliable source to learning basics? I know nothing when it comes to them and tank requirements.

Substrate: I did read at one point you can use craft batting as a base in the tank and then organic soil and then sand. I understand you have to have good soil with nutrients to grow plants but like land plants wouldn't you have to fertilize at some point to keep the nutrients adequate for the plants?

Lighting: Do I need a separate light setup or can I get light bulbs that will work for the plants that fit in the hood? If not what would I need? Should I set a timer on the light?

CO2 set up: i did read something that mentioned needing this. Is that necessary?

Also if I consider doing this what plants would be good for a beginner that wouldn't be to expensive if i need to replace it? Where should I buy my plants?

Sorry for all the questions but I am just stumped and I wont learn if I don't ask.

 

[Jadedrain_06]

Also if anyone can suggest any thrifty tips on setting this up like cost effective substrate brands/substitutes or plants that go a long way please share. Thank you

 

[hcourts]

My 55g planted I used pool filter sand and that was it. I use root tabs and dose with excel every other day. I have water sprite, wisteria, java ferns, swords, rotala, some pretty thing with pink leaves that cost me and arm and a leg!, and a bunch of Val's. also some hair grass. They have been doing real well. I have a 6700 t5ho and a 10000 t5ho. I don't use a timer but turn them on around 8 after I drop my son off and turn them off around 10 before bed. On the days I work (12hr shifts) I will leave them off or my husband will occasionally turn them on if he is in town. I have probably spent about 100 in plants. Now they just don't stop growing and I have them in all three tanks:0




I personally like to prune my plants and rearrange them!! And to be honest here, I kill everything green. Seriously I killed a cactus. And mine do awsome I think you will be pleased

 

[Ilovecichlids]

My 55g planted I used pool filter sand and that was it. I use root tabs and dose with excel every other day. I have water sprite, wisteria, java ferns, swords, rotala, some pretty thing with pink leaves that cost me and arm and a leg!, and a bunch of Val's. also some hair grass. They have been doing real well. I have a 6700 t5ho and a 10000 t5ho. I don't use a timer but turn them on around 8 after I drop my son off and turn them off around 10 before bed. On the days I work (12hr shifts) I will leave them off or my husband will occasionally turn them on if he is in town. I have probably spent about 100 in plants. Now they just don't stop growing and I have them in all three tanks:0

I personally like to prune my plants and rearrange them!! And to be honest here, I kill everything green. Seriously I killed a cactus. And mine do awsome I think you will be pleased

What is the plant in the right back corner? Nice tank! Plants look great . I just recently started a 55 gallon planted tank. What total wattage do you use?

 

[Evilgrin]

I am picking up a 100gal tank in a few days and really want to venture into the live plants. To be honest though I am scared to death of the idea of potentially investing hundreds of dollars into a plants and killing them. My husband is also in the military so we move ever couple of years. So if plants are a royal pain i don't know if it would be worth getting in to. Any suggestion on a reliable source to learning basics? I know nothing when it comes to them and tank requirements.

Substrate: I did read at one point you can use craft batting as a base in the tank and then organic soil and then sand. I understand you have to have good soil with nutrients to grow plants but like land plants wouldn't you have to fertilize at some point to keep the nutrients adequate for the plants?

Never heard of the craft batting being used for substrate. I know you can use pool filtration sand it's relatively inexpensive and can be found anywhere that sells pool supplies, also seen folks use pea gravel ( not sure if this affects Ph) as well as black diamond blasting sand (similar to pool filtration sand just that it's black in color)

Lighting: Do I need a separate light setup or can I get light bulbs that will work for the plants that fit in the hood? If not what would I need? Should I set a timer on the light?

the hood that you get with the tank is not really up to growing most plants most upgrade the bulb at a minimum, or take it to the extreme and get 200$ plus lighting rigs while others do the DIY route with home made lighting rigs with either compact florescents, T5 HO, or LED's. Personally I'm going to build a LED rig for my tank in a few weeks but depending on how comfortable you are working with electricity and wiring up stuff it's not very difficult and is a lot cheaper then the store brought versions.

CO2 set up: i did read something that mentioned needing this. Is that necessary?

not really necessary but it does make a big difference in plant growth again there are the 100$ plus pressurized rigs or the DIY Co2 setup. I would try the DIY method first then if you find it worth while then invest in the pressurized rig.

Also if I consider doing this what plants would be good for a beginner that wouldn't be to expensive if i need to replace it? Where should I buy my plants?

Water Sprite is pretty good to start amazon swords are good as well there are a few others but the names escape me at the moment. I always got my plants from my LFS but also got stuff from friends as well, there are a few places to get plants shipped to your door online but i'm not familier with them at the moment.

Sorry for all the questions but I am just stumped and I wont learn if I don't ask.

You picked a great place to ask questions lots of knowledgeable people here.

 

[tiger terror]

DIY co2 in a 100g tank won't be efficient,pressurized is the way to go if you're willing to spend the $..

 

[hcourts]

DIY in that big of a tank won't work and that is a red ludwagia(sp?) thanks!! I ordered a bunch of my plants at thatpetplace. They have awsome prices!!!

 

[Ilovecichlids]

DIY in that big of a tank won't work and that is a red ludwagia(sp?) thanks!! I ordered a bunch of my plants at thatpetplace. They have awsome prices!!!

Thanks I'll check out that website! There is never much of a selection at the pet stores around here... Im having a hard time finding dwarf cichlids around here too... Does anyone know a good website to order fish from??

 

[hcourts]

They sell fish as well but I have never ordered them.

 

[jetajockey]

If you want a high-cec (aka plant) substrate similar to ecocomplete, flourite, etc, look into plain oil-dri. It's about 5-6 bucks per 50lb bag and works fantastic. Other alternatives are soilmaster select or turface, both soil amendments.

These high cec substrates can initially suck the GH out of the water in great amounts so it's a good practice to dose ca/mg in your routine and keep an eye on hardness.

 

[Jadedrain_06]

Thanks guys! Very good info and tips. I love this forum it is so great to easily find resources and advice. After reading up a bit I think I am going to most definitely give a low tech tank a whole hearted try. A few questions once again.

Substrate:
I would like to use some sort of carbon base since I will most likely be using Excel to dose the tank every other day. I would like something that is cost effective, not a horrible mess that will gum up my filter and won't mess up the levels in my tank. If I use Eco-Complete or Onxy Sand Gravel for the base would I be able to use Black Diamond Blasting Sand as the top layer? I really want black sand as the top layer because I think it looks beautiful, gives the tank a cleaner look as well makes the plants pop. I found blasting sand at Tractor Supply for $7.99 per 50lb bag. Great price compared to others.

If I use Eco-complete of Onxy Sand with blasting sand how much should I use of each?

Thanks once again guys. I am sure I will have more questions to ask but brain is on overload at the current moment. =)

I also found this site which is very layman. Its quite long but I think would be worth reading if anyone is wanting to start a low-tech tank if they happen to stumble across this page.
How to Setup a Low-tech Planted Tank: A Guide for Planted Aquariums

Also found this and it listed a few of the above plants but it really helped me understand the catergories of plants as well as how those plants thrive.
Aquatics: Low Light, Beginner Aquarium Plants

 

[Jadedrain_06]

Never heard of the craft batting being used for substrate.

I think the person was using it so the roots had something to adhere to. I don't know lol. I thought "YAY maybe I can find a use for the ton of craft batting I have from craft project". I guess it could technicallly be helpful in allowing the roots to take. I would want to research it more to make sure its not treated with chemicals.

 

[Jadedrain_06]

If you want a high-cec (aka plant) substrate similar to ecocomplete, flourite, etc, look into plain oil-dri. It's about 5-6 bucks per 50lb bag and works fantastic. Other alternatives are soilmaster select or turface, both soil amendments.

These high cec substrates can initially suck the GH out of the water in great amounts so it's a good practice to dose ca/mg in your routine and keep an eye on hardness.

I read something about Oil-dri making PH drop considerably. Have you ever used it personally? I am all about cost effective but want to make sure I am getting something that will work and reliable. What brand do you use to dose CA/MG as well since I have never used anything but aquarium salt and occasional vitamin drops. Thanks!

 

[tiger terror]

As far as how much substrate you should use goes,I go with 1lb per gallon..if using eco-complete there is no need to cap it but I've went with 50% aquarium safe black silica sand-50% eco-complete mixed together..no need to rinse the eco-complete but make sure to rinse the sand several times...I am using this mix in 3 of my smaller tanks..
I only add Excel to the 20g,along with liquid ferts for all three..

6g fluval edge



20g tall



10g

 

[Jadedrain_06]

Wow your tanks are beautiful.

Maybe I will do 50/50 with eco complete and blasting sand. I love cories and the tank I have now is 50/50 with gravel and sand. When they find a pile of sand they bury themselves practically and its adorable.

The link I had posted above about setting up a low tech tank has a long term goal of never doing wc but cap off for evaporated water. The idea is to have enough plants initially that use the fish waste as fertilizer so wc actually become void. It said to plant the tank heavily but be sure to not overstock so the plants can handle the bioload. That sounds ideal for a 100 gal since doing frequent water changes could be a pain. I spent sometime on paint last night making a layout with plants so I know how much I will need to buy of what.

What brand of liquid fertilizer do you use? Do you dose with N, P or K ever?

 

[tiger terror]

I use seachem products..on the 20g I dose flourish comp,n,p,k&excell.. on the 10g I dose comp&n.. on the fluval I dose comp&n when needed..also use seachem root tabs for all the heavy root feeders throughout all my tanks...
A pic of the 75g planted with SA's about a month ago..

 

[hcourts]

So how often do you dose the flourish? I dose excel but have been looking at the flourish as well. Is it an additional fert? And do you need if you use root tabs??
My cories love my sand!! I love seeing it shoot out their little gills!!

 

[Jadedrain_06]

Another question. So I was looking online at thatpetplace to just get an idea of cost on things I need. Looked at light bulbs and there were atleast 6 pages. What is the difference between them besides watts? Any that you guys would suggest? Thanks!

 

[Evilgrin]

DIY co2 in a 100g tank won't be efficient,pressurized is the way to go if you're willing to spend the $..

While I agree with you that it will not be very efficient in a 100 gal tank some extra CO2 in the water column isn't going to hurt anything and it will still benefit the plants. My thinking is that while saving the 200$ plus for a pressurized system the DIY CO2 will at least add some benefit for under 5$ in materials in the interim. And it's easy enough to have multiple bottles going at the same time if that is one desires to do.

I'm all for going with a higher tech setup with a 5lb bottle regulates and solenoids just that not every one can justify the initial cost in the beginning with out seeing first hand the types of results that can be achieved with Co2 injection first hand I know I was very skeptical when I first tried it after the first 2 weeks with my DIY CO2 setup I was sold when plants I thought were at their maximum growth suddenly were growing out of the tank, but I had to see it for my self in order to truly believe it, granted I still don't have a pressurized set up as of yet but am looking into setting one up when finally get out of the house construction phase and can get my tanks set up again.

 

[jetajockey]

I read something about Oil-dri making PH drop considerably. Have you ever used it personally? I am all about cost effective but want to make sure I am getting something that will work and reliable. What brand do you use to dose CA/MG as well since I have never used anything but aquarium salt and occasional vitamin drops. Thanks!

Yes I have a 120 with oil dri as well as a couple of 40b's. It drops the pH, but any high-cec substrate likely will. It's basically doing it's job, as in sucking up nutrients to give to plants roots. As long as you monitor and dose ca/mg regularly (along with a regular fert dosing routine) it's not an issue.

I use pure dolomite powder which is CaMg(CO3)2 but have also used crushed calcium pills/crushed coral powder and epsom salt as well.