Tarkus2112
Aquarium Advice Activist
As some of you may know...I have been off and on this site for a while...Well, now I'm back again. Hopefully for good. Unfortunately I tend to get distracted and I lost sight of my passion for awhile...Partly because I haven't changed my tank since I've set it up. It gets boring staring at a static display for a year. That is part of the reason I want live plants. The constant upkeep, the ever changing look and the challenge.
I was thinking over the weekend and I have a plan...I just need your help to execute it properly.
THE PLAN = Convert my existing Fish-Only Tank to a Fully Planted Tank. I have a basic understanding of what to do. I am just hesitant to pull the trigger. I also want low to moderate light plants as I only have 1.9 watts per gallon and will not upgrade my lighting or do Co2.
Should I break the tank down and start fresh? Should I keep some of my existing gravel and add Eco-Complete on top? Do I need to take all the fish out? I have around +25. Will I have to redo my cycle? As you can see I'm at a loss because I have an already established tank. It's been running flawlessly for over 9 months.
I guess I am afraid of upsetting the balance I've achieved even though I know my fish would appreciate live plants more.
Help convince me that this won't be a nightmare. haha
MY SETUP:
55 Gallon Tank
AquaticLife Dual T-5 HO Freshwater Light (108 watts total)
2-Hagen AquaClear 70's
Aqueon Pro 250w Heater
80 Lbs of "RiverBed" gravel
10 Lbs. of sand
10-15 lbs of sandstone
A bunch of crappy fake plants
A few decorations
The Fish:
(5) Otocinclus (otos)
(3) Puntius titteya (cherry barbs)
(1) Caridina multidentata (amano)
(7) Danio Choprae (glowlight danios)
(8) pristella maxillaris (Xray Tetra-golden albino var.)
(2) Atyopsis moluccensis (Flower Shrimp)
Ugh!...I should have just listened to mfdrookie516 over a year ago. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose.
From 10/29/2010
I was thinking over the weekend and I have a plan...I just need your help to execute it properly.
THE PLAN = Convert my existing Fish-Only Tank to a Fully Planted Tank. I have a basic understanding of what to do. I am just hesitant to pull the trigger. I also want low to moderate light plants as I only have 1.9 watts per gallon and will not upgrade my lighting or do Co2.
Should I break the tank down and start fresh? Should I keep some of my existing gravel and add Eco-Complete on top? Do I need to take all the fish out? I have around +25. Will I have to redo my cycle? As you can see I'm at a loss because I have an already established tank. It's been running flawlessly for over 9 months.
I guess I am afraid of upsetting the balance I've achieved even though I know my fish would appreciate live plants more.
Help convince me that this won't be a nightmare. haha
MY SETUP:
55 Gallon Tank
AquaticLife Dual T-5 HO Freshwater Light (108 watts total)
2-Hagen AquaClear 70's
Aqueon Pro 250w Heater
80 Lbs of "RiverBed" gravel
10 Lbs. of sand
10-15 lbs of sandstone
A bunch of crappy fake plants
A few decorations
The Fish:
(5) Otocinclus (otos)
(3) Puntius titteya (cherry barbs)
(1) Caridina multidentata (amano)
(7) Danio Choprae (glowlight danios)
(8) pristella maxillaris (Xray Tetra-golden albino var.)
(2) Atyopsis moluccensis (Flower Shrimp)
Ugh!...I should have just listened to mfdrookie516 over a year ago. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose.
From 10/29/2010
Sounds like you've got it all planned out then While I think it would probably be easier to go with what your end goal is in the beginning (tearing apart a tank once it is established is a pain), I certainly give you kudos for having it all planned out and doing your research before. Keep up the good work!