First Planted Tank

[Crazybob]

hi, i have a 70g tank and am thinking about planting it in a couple months. im starting out by doing some research about it before i dive in and screw myself lol. im starting here because, frankly, everyone here is more helpful and knowledgable than other sites/lfs.

the tank main inhabitants will be german blue rams, but am not yet sure who their tank mates would be (possibly tetras and catfish?). it now houses a red tailed shark, 6 green tiger barbs, and 5 bloodfins, who will be rehoused in another tank.

i was wondering, what plants would be good for a plant rookie, and also for the fish i want to house in the tank. oh, what kind of equipment and matainence items will ill need to be successful?

thanks for all the help
crazybob 8)

 

[DevUK]

Its going to depend on what you want to achieve, and how much time and effort, as well as maintenance you want to be performing

For a tank that sort of size, you're going to need to look at methods of fertilizing. Estimative Index is probably the most popular on these forums. Many, such as myself, use this method in some form or another. Theres a very good sticky post at the top of the forum.

Next will be whether you want to inject CO2 or use a carbon suppliment. Injecting CO2 is popular, but expensive initially. I'm thinking about going down this route on my 47gal tank soon but I need to save up some money first You're probably looking at around £100 to assemble a setup, and then the cost of re-filling CO2 cylinders every 2 months (or longer depending on setup). The other option is using a different carbon source. Currently I use a product by Seachem called Flourish Excel. Its a chemical that you add to the tank which contains carbon. Some argue its not as effective as CO2 and they're probably right, but for me it was the easier option. This method seems cheaper initially, but paying out £10 - £15 every 2 - 3 months adds up...

Plants, well. That'll depend on the above and the amount of light you have to an extent. Some of the guys here have fantastic "low light" aquariums. Truely inspiring! Some have gone the "hi-tech" route, with lots of light etc. I think a lot will come down to your budget and how much maintenance you want to be doing weekly.

Hopefully thats a good start! I'm sure others will be along to comment further Oh, and welcome to the forums!

 

[Crazybob]

haha cool, and thanks . i was thinking of going for simplicity, so low light and no co2 injection, unless that isnt the simple way haha. i think i should also note, that i want to try and make the set up to be close to a biotope, with regards to plantlife and fish. im at work atm, but i think the light i have now gives me 1 wpg (ill check it out when i get home).

thanks again for the input

cheers, crazybob 8)

 

[DevUK]

haha cool, and thanks . i was thinking of going for simplicity, so low light and no co2 injection, unless that isnt the simple way haha. i think i should also note, that i want to try and make the set up to be close to a biotope, with regards to plantlife and fish. im at work atm, but i think the light i have now gives me 1 wpg (ill check it out when i get home).

thanks again for the input

cheers, crazybob 8)

Take a look at George's low light tank. Its truley stunning! Its low maintenance, though he does use pressurised CO2 (which is low maintenance anyway, just getting the cylinder refilled every 2 - 6 months or longer - Some people go a year without refilling!)

 

[Themuleous]

There is a pinned thread by Llj on easy to grow plants link in my sig

Sam

 

[Crazybob]

cool, thanks for the help guys. i have another question: when cleaning a planted tank, how do you vaccuum the substrate? just around the plants? or is there something else i need to do so i dont harm the plants?

thanks again

 

[DevUK]

Its difficult basically

I've heard of people using a thinner syphon hose to get inbetween the plant stems which should work. I've not perfected a technique yet

 

[Crazybob]

got ya

okay another question hehe (sry about all of them), will having live plants help lower the ph? or is driftwood the best thing to do that? thanks again guys

 

[nry]

I don't think plants lower or affect pH.....bogwood etc can do, but so does CO2, depends what you want to achieve.

 

[Crazybob]

okay, so i think i decided on plants for my tank:
Bacopa Australis
Coratophyllum demersum (foxtail)
Echinodorus (Aquartica)
Echinodorus (ozelot)

im trying to stick with a south american themed tank my stocking ideas can be found here http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=213471

do these sound like good plants for a beginner? again thanks to everyone whos been helping me thru the proccess, youve been very informative

 

[Ark]

wat about some heterentha zosterfolia very nice stem plant from s.a.

 

[DevUK]

I have Bacopa Australis in my tank. I bought it in poor condition from my local P@H (though it was a tropica potted plant) but it bounced back and is quite rampant now. I bought it to carpet but it seems to grow upwards, though it will grow along the substrate and root a little.

I might have some cuttings available in the next week or so. PM me with your address if you want them

Edit: I'm in the UK btw... Not sure where you are

 

[Crazybob]

haha thanks, id like to take you up on that but alas i am in the us, so it prob wouldnt be the best idea lol.


thos are a cool looking plant ark, but to start i am going for low lighting without co2 injection. i want to take it a little easy to start, but ill def keep it in mind if i decide to upgrade my system

question: would apple snails eat my plants? i have read mixed reviews about them. does anyone have some that can give me input? thanks