Planting my 46 gallon Tank (Newbie Questions)

[V10]

I'm looking for knowledge and advice for the planting of my 46 gallon bowfront tank. I'm going to use this thread as a journal so to speak as I progress. I bought my tank back in March (06) and it was a pretty simple setup, some fake resin decor, gravel substrate, hob filter and 30watt single bulb flourescent light strip.

Saved up some more money and now I'm ready to go fully planted and hope that you guys will help me avoid any more mistakes than needed. Here is a list of new hardware.

EHEIM Professionel II Thermofilter 2126 (2 trays)
Orbit Light System 2 x 96w PC bulbs (and moonlights)
10lbs co2 Tank, regulator w/solenoid, bubble counter and glass diffuser (no controller at this point, only a timer for day=on,night=off)
Hagen/Nutrafin Master test kit 10n1 (being shipped, should be here Monday)

Ok right now, I have my light system in place only running 1 bulb(96w), eheim filter has been put in place and has been running for about 3 weeks along side of the original HOB filter. I've been wondering about substrate, I saw a 20lbs bag of flourite at Petsmart which they normally don't have in stock, so I picked it up and mixed it into my existing gravel (probably won't do any good). So I'm hoping to find a way to pull all my existing gravel out and replace with eco-complete while fish are in tank, if possible.

My current test kit does not have gh/kh tests so I have no idea what it is, but some test strips I have say it's 0 for both. I'll get my new test kit in a couple days and will post water parameters at that time. my PH is 7.0-7.4. Last week I wanted to see how some plants would fair without co2, so I went ahead and bought several plants from petsmart, put some Flourish Tabs in, and a week later some of the plants are melting (forget what type they are, Wisteria maybe), the Java Ferns are doing ok, and a red melon sword is still ok but one of the leaves turned dark.

Tank measures 36"wide x 15-18"deep(bow front) x 20"Tall Currently about 2-3" of substrate.

I guess my big questions now are:

- What should my water parameters be before turning on co2 to prevent ph swings?
- How many bubbles per second or minute should it be set to?
- Should I replace substrate before going any further?
- Is it possible to change out substrate on a stocked & cycled tank?
- Should I run 2 x 96w bulbs once co2 is running or stay at 1 x 96w, or if my light system can handle it, 2x65w?
- My co2 is in place (not running though) and I'm putting the diffuser beneath the filter intake, is that standard practice?
- What caused my plants to "melt", lack of light, nutrients, co2, all of the above?
- Are 10K PC bulbs best for freshwater planted?

Look forward to your responses, and I would appreciate any good articles/threads you can link.

Pics Below:

The Before Picture

New Lights and Eheim Installed (1 96w Bulb)

CO2 Ready to be hooked up

CO2 In Place

Diffuser/Counter installed (water cloudy from flourite)

 

[JustOneMore20]

What should my water parameters be before turning on co2 to prevent ph swings?

You want the KH to be 3 or above. I would get a KH/GH liquid test (or just test with your new kit if it has those) because strips are very inaccurate. I wouldn't trust the results of the strip. Having a KH of 3 or more helps prevent pH swings.

Should I replace substrate before going any further?

Its up to you. The flourite in the gravel will help some. I had flourite mixed with gravel in my 55g before, but it didn't seem to do that much. My gravel was a little big (~4-5mm) so that's why I wanted to switch...for my plants and my cory cats. I changed to Eco, which I love. If you plan on changing, I suggest you take the fish out. Flourite makes a huge mess and will make the tank so cloudy that you can't see through it. That's not something you want to subject your fish to. I'd get some plastic storage tubs to keep the fish in.

Is it possible to change out substrate on a stocked & cycled tank?

Yes it is. I did it just last weekend. I took out all the old gravel except for a couple handfuls. I pushed the leftover towards the middle of the tank and poured the Eco over it. That way it would help seed the Eco (which already has some live bacteria in it), but wouldn't be seen. Also, keep you filter running on the holding tank, if possible. I think a cannister will be ok if you just keep water in it, and not run it. I'm not certain though. I checked my water the day after my change and ammonia and nitrItes were 0 and nitrAtes were 5ppm...so I didn't get a mini-cycle. I would take the fish out though.

Should I run 2 x 96w bulbs once co2 is running or stay at 1 x 96w, or if my light system can handle it, 2x65w?

Running both 96w bulbs will give you over 4 watts per gallon. That is fine, since you have CO2. I'd also suggest getting some ferts and regularly dosing. Most people use Greg Watson ferts. I don't think 65w bulbs will fit into the 96w fixture. I could be wrong though.

Are 10K PC bulbs best for freshwater planted?

You will get varying answers on this one. The general range that I know of is around 6500K up to 10000K. Alot of people say that 6700K is best. I have 1 6700K and 1 10000K over my 55g and I can't tell the differences as far as plant growth, color, and algae are concerned. Lets see what others say about this one.

 

[rich311k]

10k bulbs will be fine. I use them. I like the color and my plants do OK. You could try a 50/50 bulb instead of a full 10,000k bulb. That would give you 144 watts and would make things more manageable while you figure out your CO2 levels and dosing routine. You can always upgrade later.

 

[V10]

Got my test kit today, got to say it is a GREAT kit for a planted tank owner, thanks Hagen.

Ok when measuring KH, what do you guys mean by "degrees", is that a format that some test kits come in, or some sort of shorthand like 1 degree = 10ppm? My KH tested today at 40ppm, so what does that equals in degrees?

I think I'm going to give a shot with 2 10k bulbs, as they are cheap and plentiful on ebay ($12-15). I have another lightbulb on the way, so hopefully by the end of the week I'll be running 2 bulbs(96w 10k).

 

[Purrbox]

1 degree = 17.8 ppm

This conversion is the same for both KH and GH. At only 40ppm, you are looking at only 2.2dKH and will probably want to buffer the water slightly before injecting CO2.

 

[Zezmo]

Is all that high light and CO2 for the anacharis stems in the corner? Is that the plant that melted.
Some Petco/Petsmart plants may turn out to be non-aquatic plants. So try and identify anything you plan on buying from there. For your light and CO2, you may wish to go with a ton of plants. Lots of Lugwidia repens, Rotala rotundifolia, Java Fern, Anubias, Cyrptocoryne, and any other fast growing stem plants you can get a hold of. Lots of plants.

The stickies at the top of this forum have all the info on fertilizor routines and such to get you started. And you do need to add fertilizors. At nearly 5 WPG of quality light, and CO2 you just jumped into the world of high tech aquariums. Seriously consider using the EI method of dosing. If you do that you may go right to being a plant enthusiast, and skip the whole algae expert part. ( http://www.barrreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2062 )

 

[V10]

lol, no the anacharis was just something I put in it when I set it up originally, I'm still in the process of plant selection, I'll post a pic of the several plants I put in it from petsmart, they are mostly temporary plants until I compose my final list and get to order them.

*update* pic added *remember these are just temporary plants until I figure out what I'm going to do for the long term.

 

[Zezmo]

The Java fern might not do so well if left in the substrate. You should try tieing it to the driftwood. It will eventually attach itself, even to plastic driftwood. It can also be tied to a rock. Just not planted in the substrate.

 

[V10]

Ah ok thanks for the heads up on the java fern. I'll find something to tie it too.

 

[sherry]

I've stopped buffering my kh to 3. on aquaticplantcentral and thebarrreport.com, the discussoins have focused on how ph changes due ot co2 really don't impact fish much, and that the ph changes that matter are those due to dissolved solids. more accurately it isn't the ph that is the issue, it is what ph may or may not represent.

my ph has been hovering at around 5.7 and fish and plants are doing great