Biggest Bang for my Buck

[Old Scales]

TXaggie,
I live in Razorback country up here in NW Arkansas but I have friends in and love rooting for the Aggies for them. Now that you're in the SEC we should have some GOOD rival games against each other. I love the hill country of TX as had so much fun there when I was a kid. Beautiful country.
About the lighting. If you want to go with plants but stay on a budget, go with the T5 HO's. Make sure to get HO's(high output) and not NO's(normal output). I have the exact tank you have(29g). Get the full daylight (6500 -6700k) for plants. The regular LED's are not really strong enough unless you get some really strong ones that are for plants(ie.3w each.) and they are very expensive . (like $220 for the 30") I have a plant friendly one on my 16g bowfront and it was $155. It has 1740 lumens where the regular double bright LED is only 450 lumens. So BIG difference. The T5's are the most light for the money. There may be other options, but I'm not aware of any myself. My T5's on my 29g give me 1.9 watts per gallon which is the lower limit for medium light output. OK for all but the most light hungry plants. Luck, OS.

 

[Old Scales]

About the bulbs, if you run about 10 hrs a day the bulbs should be good for about 8 months. They run around $18 to $22 each. So not a real big expense. OS.

 

[TXaggie]

TXaggie,
I live in Razorback country up here in NW Arkansas but I have friends in and love rooting for the Aggies for them. Now that you're in the SEC we should have some GOOD rival games against each other. I love the hill country of TX as had so much fun there when I was a kid. Beautiful country.

I must admit, I've been very happy with the Aggie's first year in the SEC! And Arkansas has some really nice country too, I've visited the Hot Springs area a few times.

......The regular LED's are not really strong enough unless you get some really strong ones that are for plants(ie.3w each.) and they are very expensive . (like $220 for the 30") .......

So I actually ordered a LED light this afternoon before I saw this post....but it's supposed to be a high output LED. It's the Finnex Fugeray 30" fixture ( Amazon.com: Finnex FugeRay Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch: Pet Supplies ) - should be low/medium light for the aquarium which is exactly what I was wanting.

I got the PAR data from The Planted Tank forums, from this chart:

http://i45.tinypic.com/2qmkx75.jpg

So I think it'll be just what I needed. But you're right, everything else I found was in the $150 - $200 range!

On another note, if I do a substrate change is it worth it to buy all Eco-Complete or Flourite for my crypts and vals (and whatever medium light plants I decide to add!) or should I just go with plain sand if I do a change?

 

[Old Scales]

I did the eco-complete and I'm glad I did as I ended up with a VERY heavily planted tank. Cost more than regular sand or gravel but if you're serious about ANY kind of plants, it is worth the money. I mean, you can grow plants without it using root tabs and liquid ferts but while your at the substrate building process, why not set it up for plants from the start. This stuff has slow release ferts that will help out long term and its consistency is easy for roots to grow in. A lot of people love the look of sand. It's an option and has its own special requirements. Vals and Crypts are root feeders and would like the Eco for its nutrients. But saying that, I also add root tabs and liquid ferts to supplement. Its your choice, that's what I love about this hobby. So many ways to go.
Congrats on the LED light, if its a high output you are going to like it. I love the way they make the water shimmer.Luck, OS.

 

[TXaggie]

OS, you make some very good points about the Eco substrate. I like the idea of setting up the tank to be good for the long term; and I really enjoy my plants and only see myself adding to them over time. Sounds like it's a good long term investment; which is what I'd like if I'm having to tear down the whole tank to put it in.

I'll let you know how the light works out! I'm going to be double checking the packaging info on it to make sure it really is high out put.

Out of curiosity, how hard is it to vacuum the Eco substrate?

 

[Old Scales]

It's harder than gravel because it is smaller and lighter but do-able. All plant substrates will cloudy the water a tiny bit when you stir it up as you plant and replant. But not by much and it clears pretty fast. Eco less than others. What I did was cap the Eco with a thin(about 1/2") of aquarium gravel. That way I can gravel vac easily and keep the water crystal clear but still get the roots down into the good stuff. I used about 7 pounds of gravel to cover my Eco. I think you can see it in my avatar picture. What color(s) are you considering? OS.

 

[TXaggie]

I was thinking of no gravel at all, I'm kinda tired of the way it looks. I like the look of finer material like sand much better.

I do have quite a bit of gravel currently in the tank, natural colored stuff the LFS called "blast sand". I'd really like it to be dark mostly uniform in color, still a "natural" looking black.

I tend to gravel vac too aggressively and cloud my tank every time I do a WC. I'll have to curtail those tendencies once I switch substrate...but I won't mind if the tank has to clear a little after I do a WC.

I'm excited! I feel like I've gotten some great advice from ya'll and I should have an even cooler tank pretty soon.

 

[farnaby]

I have the Fugeray 30" on my 29 gallon and my plants love it. You made the right choice.

 

[TXaggie]

I have the Fugeray 30" on my 29 gallon and my plants love it. You made the right choice.

I'm glad to hear that! My research all seemed to say it was a good choice but it's always best to hear it from someone who's actually used it!

 

[TXaggie]

New light came today, I love it!!! I think my plants may actually grow now...

And the moonlights are just cool.

 

[Tetra1990]

New light came today, I love it!!! I think my plants may actually grow now...

And the moonlights are just cool.

The blue is sick!

 

[itsFishieWOOT]

As for plant growth, I use API root tabs, API Leaf Zone (plant food), and once in awhile the API CO2 Booster. Each product is about $7-$10 each. They flourish beautifully in both and bright lights. I grow them from the bulbs and they grow fast! I use Fluval Stratum which is soil in pebble form, but I think gravel should be fine as long as they have some kind of plant food and carbon to perform photosynthesis.

 

[TXaggie]

As for plant growth, I use API root tabs, API Leaf Zone (plant food), and once in awhile the API CO2 Booster. Each product is about $7-$10 each. They flourish beautifully in both and bright lights. I grow them from the bulbs and they grow fast! I use Fluval Stratum which is soil in pebble form, but I think gravel should be fine as long as they have some kind of plant food and carbon to perform photosynthesis.

Thanks for the tips! After doing some more reading and getting some more advice from these forums I'm going to switch my gravel out for eco-complete substrate. I'll keep the API products in mind; I have some root tabs from aquariumplants.com that I've been using but I might have an easier time getting the API if someone local carries it.

 

[Fresh2o]

I just got a Finnex Fugeray 30" about two weeks ago and it is much brighter than the dual T-5 NO and runs much cooler. Some of the plants are really responding; the leaves on the dwarf sag are about twice their size now and the broad leaf sword chain are starting to take off. I contemplated getting a dual T-5 HO fixture but in the LONG run the annual cost of bulb replacement was a factor for going with the LEDs.

I use Seachem Flourish comprehensive weekly, Seachem Excel once a day, root tabs by AquariumPlants (AP) monthly. I was using API root tabs but they were a bit costly; for the same price I can get 75 AP tabs ($10). I use the regular AP tabs, Phosphate AP tabs, and Iron AP tabs. Plus, AP has a nifty tab dispenser that gets into tiny spaces and keeps your hands dry.

I had the Fugeray sitting on an Aqueon hinged glass top but did not like the glare that would reflect off the glass top. Mounting the legs onto the rim was a bit sketchy because of the ledge the the glass top sits on; did not feel secure. So a built some "rails" and glued them to the side rims. I removed the glass top and now i am dealing with increased evaporation. Then again the central heater is running a lot (still cold in VA) so that might be the reason.

I use Eco-Complete and don't vacuum it.

 

[Fresh2o]

Thanks for the tips! After doing some more reading and getting some more advice from these forums I'm going to switch my gravel out for eco-complete substrate. I'll keep the API products in mind; I have some root tabs from aquariumplants.com that I've been using but I might have an easier time getting the API if someone local carries it.

I type slow and did not refresh the page so I did not see that you already have the AP tabs.

 

[Coyne]

Man.. everybody always has such nicer looking tanks than I do. I wish I had put more effort into mine

Is that the light I linked to you? I was about to order mine today, but the site is down until tomorrow.

 

[TXaggie]

Man.. everybody always has such nicer looking tanks than I do. I wish I had put more effort into mine

I've been neglecting mine for a few months, and I'm just now getting enough free time again to do more than just keep things alive. If you're fish are happy, no worries!

Is that the light I linked to you? I was about to order mine today, but the site is down until tomorrow.

It's actually a LED fixture from Amazon.com, cost me about $90. I ended up with the LED because of the bulb cost of T5s and the hassle of replacement seemed too much. I was just excited to find a LED fixture for under 100 that has good feedback from people growing plants in their aquarium. T5s are definitely a less expensive up front cost though!

I had the Fugeray sitting on an Aqueon hinged glass top but did not like the glare that would reflect off the glass top. Mounting the legs onto the rim was a bit sketchy because of the ledge the the glass top sits on; did not feel secure. So a built some "rails" and glued them to the side rims. I removed the glass top and now i am dealing with increased evaporation. Then again the central heater is running a lot (still cold in VA) so that might be the reason.

I did notice the glare off of my glass top, but I'll just have to see how it goes. Taking the top off is not an option for me though; I have an algae eating goby that can jump like 8 inches straight up. I'm not even kidding....

Good to know your plants like it! I'm going to have to be regular with my Excel and fert dosing to keep up with this new light. Sounds like the aquariumplants.com tabs are still the best deal, even with shipping. I love their application stick thingy too - way beats having to put it in by hand!

 

[astronomicallee123]

Get a python water changer. No more buckets. For LEDS I like Marineland Double or Single brights. I have 2 sets myself.

 

[Rodeo one]

In researching putting together a planted tank for a 29g Bowfront a friend just had to give to me , one thing that was mentioned often, was putting peat moss or Leonardite under the Eco. Also, my new BFF at my LFS told me that in about a year, they d be coming out with LED s more suitable for growing plants. Just putting it out there .... Really excited about this new tank & love reading what members here are doing (well, most of them anyway). Good luck Texas, will be following .

 

[TXaggie]

Good luck Texas, will be following .

Thanks! I'll post some pics when I get my substrate changed out and the tank rescaped. May be a week or two before I have time to get it all done!