Getting My Planted Tank To Work!

[Elly]

Right. I set up my Juwel Vision 180 about 3 months ago and all is well. Except for my plants. Since I planted them, most have been gradually disintegrating meaning the tank is full of dead leaves and annoying mulch. I also get brown algae quite a lot and black furry algae.

I'm using the normal Juwel lighting - two 25W tubes. One is the original Daylite Juwel tube, the other is an Arcadia Tropical.

Question is, what can I do to make the plants grow well and hopefully stop the algae? I can't put a new substrate in because of taking everything else out. I was thinking I should:

1. Upgrade the lighting to three 25W tubes by fixing another on myself (I've seen it done)
2. Maybe add reflectors to my existing tubes? Or is this not important?
3. Add CO2

Could anyone advise me? I want to grow fairly basic plants like hygrophilia polysperma, amazon sword, java fern, vallis, etc... I looked at the Nutrafin CO2 system online (about £20) but its suitable for tanks up to 75l - would I need two for my tank? I don't want to spend too much money, but any suggestions would be really helpful cause all this decaying organic mess is making my tank look ugly, and driving me mad!

If someone could explain everything to me and suggest something, I would be really grateful!

 

[Themuleous]

Hi and Welcome to the forum

A few things here so will start at the top.

1) Yes adding more light would help. I make your tank around 48US gallons, so with three tubes you have 1.5WPG which would be ideal for a moderate level tank, could grow most things, without the hassle and demands of the high light tanks.

2) Yes, defiantly get reflectors, if you think about it, almost half the light each tubes produces goes out the top of the tube! Complete waste, reflectors are a cheap and efficient way of getting that light back into the tank. And you only have to buy them once.

3) CO2 would benefit the tank, it benefits most tanks, how much depends on the lighting level but with 1.5WPG I would expect you to notice the different. And as you're not high light (i.e. over 2WPG) you dont have to be ultra picking about the level of CO2 in the tank so two nutrafin kits would be OK, but if it were my tank I'd probably want three. But that does mean the hassle of changing one every other day so its up to you. FYI check out the pinned nutrafin article for a cheap and far more efficient yeast and sugar mix for these kits.

My last point would be that you can add a plant substrate to an existing tank, just add it on top of whats there and mix it with your hand.

Sam

 

[dasmall1]

Just a note on the Nutrafin systems. You would only have to buy one kit if you wanted to have three on your tank. You can simply get two 2l bottles, drill holes in the caps, put tubing through so that there is about 1 inch inside the bottle, seal around the hole thoroughly with silicon sealant, and attach the 2 bottles and the bottle from the nutrafin kit to a gang valve, and put everything to the ladder. There is a link on this forum with very clear directions, but I don't have it. It works very well!

 

[Neal]

Personally if it was me.
- I would get a substrate (makes quite alot of difference from what i've heard), it won't take to long.
- I would add another tube if you can.
- I'd add reflectors to all 3 tubes.
- I'd do as the above poster said, and make some DIY Co2 systems, and use the one nutrafin kit, so you can have a diffuser aswell.

Neal

 

[Elly]

Thanks for all your advice! I'll definitely get some reflectors and add another tube asap, and then I'll see about getting CO2 and a good substrate. What about liquid fertilisers, would they be needed as well?

 

[Themuleous]

Yeh a good liquid fert once a week or so would probably be a good idea, something like Seachem flourish, or the trace mix from Aquaessentials.co.uk, which is supplied and you mix with DI or OR water then add to the tank.

Sam

 

[Elly]

About substrate - what substrate would you recommend that I could put in the tank and just mix in while there is still some water in there? I thought most had to go under the gravel.

 

[Themuleous]

No, you can just mix most of them into whats already there, and given time they mix of their own arrord anyway. You could try something like the new tropica one, its still quite new but have good things about it.

Have a look at Aquaessentials for more ideas and prices.