5 Hours Later...

[Biulu]

I agree, the liquid is expensive, but you should easily be able to buy the dry ferts. Have a look at this link: james tank. It doesn't look too difficult.

 

[weezawoo]

I have had a look at that but also seen people say about what parts of that ur plants need and if they dont need it dont give it.lol. Got to get my head round it all! Im a bit blonde

 

[weezawoo]

I'm gutted, wasn't my plants that came yesterday Hoping they come today!
Bit angry with the CAE I have in the tank atm, I think he is going to destroy anything I put in there as he is burrowing around the wood and stones in the tank and moving the sand everywhere. The tank looks awful at the moment! Need to get rid of him asap! lol

 

[weezawoo]

I have plants waiting at home for me so a night of planting is ahead yippppeeeeeee
Any suggestions on positioning?
I have the following coming:
Dwarf Hairgrass
Dwarf sag
Pygmy chain sword
java fern
some more vallis and amazon sword just to fill it out a bit
Tonina Fluviatilis
Green Ludwigia
The last 2 I got as they were cheap and thought I could try them. I only have a bunch of each purely because I didn't want to spend too much on Java plants before I know what the quality is like. I also have some Riccia coming.

Need a little bit of help I think for where I should put things. I am happy to move what is in the tank already aswell!

Also any tips on the lighting. I'm not sure if this lighting is ok or not?

Thanks guys

 

[Biulu]

I had never heard of tonina but it is a lovely plant. It is said though that it is not really for beginners and that it needs acid substrate...

I suggest you try to plant the plants from high to low into the right direction. Around the left hand wood you start off with the higher plants and then towards the right front you have lower plants. The other possibility is to have 2 islands and a kind of path inbetween.

 

[weezawoo]

Ooooo thanks for the awesome suggestion. I just wanted to get the plants in when I got home and I had dominos on its way so had to get them in asap. Also attached my xmas moss to the top part of the wood on the right. have pictures but my camera is so rubbish that none of the pics will b very good. Excuse the blue net, I have the riccia floating in there as per the thread about attaching it but I have no airline to use!

OK so basically, starting from the left as you look at it I have vallis at the back, front corner is my not so dwarf sag, then moving along the front is the dwarf hairgrass. I have spread it out hoping it will spread in a while. in the middle by the arched piece of wood I have attached the java fern to a smaller piece of wood at the bottom of the arch. next to it is a plant I don't know the name of. On the right at the back is the amazon sword and in front the pygmy chain sword. The Ludwigia I have hidden at the back on the left as wasn't sure where to put it haha. There was a note to say the tonnia was out of stock
I am open to ideas to change it and will take your advice!!!

 

[Biulu]

Looks good! I like how you planted around the wood. In this way it becomes an integral part of the scape.

 

[weezawoo]

I am trying to borrow a better camera to get better pics! It looks rubbish in these pics so hopefully I can find a better one at weekend, can't promise though! I'm not going for any kind of scape, just want a nice tank Hoping I can get that!

 

[lljdma06]

Looking good. Can you post a picture of the Tonnina? I haven't seen that plant in a long time. It will be a feather in your cap if you can keep it alive. They are supposedly not easy. But these are the same people that say red plants are only for high light. I've blown that myth out of the water in my scapes, so who knows, maybe Tonninas are easy.

 

[weezawoo]

I didnt receive the tonnia as aparently it was out of stock. It looked nice and was cheap so thought i would try it.will prob order again from them and hopefuly they will have it.
I bought some seachem flourish today with £5 off.anyone find this any good?

 

[JenCliBee]

I didnt receive the tonnia as aparently it was out of stock. It looked nice and was cheap so thought i would try it.will prob order again from them and hopefuly they will have it.
I bought some seachem flourish today with £5 off.anyone find this any good?

Looking good , seachem products are good but if i remember correctly just seachem flourish is trace elements (micro nutrients)only so not an all in one product like TPN+ would be where it contains NPK aswell as trace (micro) plants require more NPK than they would trace so some deficiencies 'MAY' occur.

Someone should be able to confirm the above

 

[Biulu]

Yep, you need additional NPK dosing. Seachem sells them in separate bottles.

 

[weezawoo]

Just had a look and I would have to buy each seperatly, so a bottle of N P and K seperate! What a rip a off lol thought I was getting a decent deal with my £5 off haha! So am I ok to use the Excel and then buy some other product along with it that ahas all 3 included but not the rest?

 

[JenCliBee]

Just had a look and I would have to buy each seperatly, so a bottle of N P and K seperate! What a rip a off lol thought I was getting a decent deal with my £5 off haha! So am I ok to use the Excel and then buy some other product along with it that ahas all 3 included but not the rest?

Is it seachem flourish excel you have?.... this isn't a fert, it's a carbon source which is a sort of direct replacement of CO2. If this is the case then you would be adding no ferts whatsoever and adding excel will basically make the plants require even more ferts.

You need either an all in one fert like TPN+ or.... the seachem flourish(trace elements) version of the product you have and then an additional NPK source (macro elements).... as you've mentioned seachem do it in separate bottles so can work out very expensive but at least TPN+ is complete and one bottle. The only cheap method on such big tanks would be either mix an all in one solutions up yourself (tpn+ mix or similar) or go the dry powder EI method.

 

[weezawoo]

Oh silly shop people! grrr!! I was going to get the TPN+ then though I got a decent deal on this as he reccommended it and gave £5 off. So I can use this and buy TPN+ as well and it will all be ok yes? Sorry for all the Q's!! I am going to look at the diy option but I want to get my tank up and running properly before I play around with them and thought buying the stuff would just be easier!