New 55gal planted!

[fishfool58]

Some Anubias, flame moss, nana and java fern to start. What is in yours?

I have Anubias nana, barteri. Amazon Swords, Wisteria, Dwarf Sag, another plant I can't think of, some ferns, & a couple different types of Vals, also some java ferns, I want flame moss as well.. I'll have to order it though..

 

[Kay2lynnS]

I have Anubias nana, barteri. Amazon Swords, Wisteria, Dwarf Sag, another plant I can't think of, some ferns, & a couple different types of Vals, also some java ferns, I want flame moss as well.. I'll have to order it though..

What do you have as the substrate?

 

[fishfool58]

What do you have as the substrate?

Scotts hyponex potting soil.. Bout 1 1/2 inch, then 1.5-2 inches of Eco Complete planted black.

 

[Kay2lynnS]

Scotts hyponex potting soil.. Bout 1 1/2 inch, then 1.5-2 inches of Eco Complete planted black.

I was thinking about using soil, but I'll have white sand overtop and don't want it mixing. But with what I'll be getting i think they will be just fine.

 

[fishfool58]

I was thinking about using soil, but I'll have white sand overtop and don't want it mixing. But with what I'll be getting i think they will be just fine.

I heard sand causes compaction.. & you'd have to use root tabs...

 

[Fishandmusic81]

Nice progression on the tank!

 

[fishfool58]

Nice progression on the tank!

Thank you! I still got quite a few more plants floating.. I need to add, then I need to look for Flame Moss..

 

[Pipedreamer86]

I have a tank with sand I've been slowly planting... What are root tabs? Also out of curiousity what is the ph of your water?

 

[fishfool58]

I have a tank with sand I've been slowly planting... What are root tabs? Also out of curiousity what is the ph of your water?

Root tabs fertilizer the roots in the ground.. You might be able to pull it off, I just don't have good enough luck for that to happen to me, right now my ph is at about 7-7.2 I added a couple pieces of lace rock to try & help counter the DWs ability to reduce ph.

 

[Pipedreamer86]

My ph is 8-8.2 I've been told I wouldn't have much luck with a planted tank except for the.basics like anachris and java ferns :-/

 

[fishfool58]

My ph is 8-8.2 I've been told I wouldn't have much luck with a planted tank except for the.basics like anachris and java ferns :-/

I also have Blyxa, & Guppy Grass.. & as for your pH, add a bunch of driftwood, if you can.. The tannins, that leech from driftwood, naturally decreases the water.. As for water changes, I would do more smaller ones, instead of 1 big one, so your pH doesn't change drastically, cause my pH out of tap, is somewhere between 7.6-8..

 

[fishfool58]

Update: After adding more plants.. I think this is it in plants, besides more ferns & flame/Christmas moss..

 

[Botanica]

Beautiful! . It looks very natural.

 

[fishfool58]

Beautiful! . It looks very natural.

Thank you!! I have swords hiding back there in the middle.. Can't see them yet..

 

[Rivercats]

In a dirted tank your plants will take off in a couple weeks!

 

[fishfool58]

In a dirted tank your plants will take off in a couple weeks!

Awesome, when I planted them, did I have to push them through the dirt or just to the dirt?

 

[Rivercats]

I just planted mine in the Eco layer except for the big swords which had to be planted deep due to the root size. Not long ago I had to remove a pretty good sized crypt and the roots had grown down into the soil with apparently no problem.

 

[fishfool58]

I just planted mine in the Eco layer except for the big swords which had to be planted deep due to the root size. Not long ago I had to remove a pretty good sized crypt and the roots had grown down into the soil with apparently no problem.

My swords weren't very big at all, & we packed that soil down good, so i couldn't push them down anymore.. Lol & we got 4 8x8cm pads of Flame Moss, & 2 6x6 or 7x7cm pads of Christmas Moss.. Will the Flame Moss grow on the Substrate like a carpet? If so, I think we will grow that there & the Christmas moss on the driftwood.. I'm not sure yet.. Hopefully my dwarf sag spreads pretty quick.. & I got one question river, since we did a walstad, would we want to go true, with no ferts, or would we not like the slow growth of the plants?

 

[Rivercats]

Well you can start with no ferts and if your not happy you can easily start dosing ferts and a liquid carbon like Excel. Only you are going to know if your happy with slower growth of plants.

I had dwarf sag originally in the dirted 220g and it took off so fast and was trying to spread everywhere so it got moved to a tank with just Eco and is more controlable for me now. I've never done moss on substrate. I know people do it but not sure of the technique they use, you need to ask around. I do have flame moss and can tell you it seems to attach to DW alot slower than other mosses I've used.

We packed our dirt tight and you can tell if you poke down through the Eco but plant roots can still grow down into it. Your swords should really take off pretty quickly, mine sure did. They grew to the water surface in a couple weeks time after assimilating. They started out about 12 inches tall and my tank is 30 inches tall so you get the picture.

 

[fishfool58]

Well you can start with no ferts and if your not happy you can easily start dosing ferts and a liquid carbon like Excel. Only you are going to know if your happy with slower growth of plants.

I had dwarf sag originally in the dirted 220g and it took off so fast and was trying to spread everywhere so it got moved to a tank with just Eco and is more controlable for me now. I've never done moss on substrate. I know people do it but not sure of the technique they use, you need to ask around. I do have flame moss and can tell you it seems to attach to DW alot slower than other mosses I've used.

We packed our dirt tight and you can tell if you poke down through the Eco but plant roots can still grow down into it. Your swords should really take off pretty quickly, mine sure did. They grew to the water surface in a couple weeks time after assimilating. They started out about 12 inches tall and my tank is 30 inches tall so you get the picture.

Cool, so in a few weeks if it doesn't seem like it's making much progress we might wanna think about dosing ferts.. & cool, I really wanted some Pygmy chain sword, but couldn't find any so we settled for the dwarf sag.. & I love the way flame moss looks, I had to get it.. So I'll find out how to get it attached to the DW, especially if the dwarf sag spreads fast..

My swords are tiny, maybe 4-6 inches.. You can't see them behind that big piece of driftwood..