New Bolivian Ram Pair

[waterdrop]

The 15w that came with our little tank would have been pretty low so I added a second identical strip, making 30w over 28G, which I think comes out to 1.07 w/g if I'm remembering right without calculating. I run that starting in the late afternoon from around 4:30pm until 9pm or something (I use two timers to let the light level "come up" and then "go down" one tube at a time) so that my son will see the lighted tank during the period after he's home from school (although that's out for the year!) I'll try to remember to find the plant names I don't remember. WD

 

[drobbyb]

It seems that the main issue with people not venturing into planted tanks too seriously is the extra cost associated with it. I'm a tinkerer by nature with loads of curiosity, and I enjoy a good problem. But I am also on a budget, so DIY is my forte. I made my own lighting system using inexpensive objects that can be found at any hardware shop anywhere in the world, and am using store bought additives and substrate (yes, store bought substrate can be expensive depending on the size of your tank but I got a really good deal on some eco-complete. Far be it from me not to take advantage when an opportunity presents itself). In the long run I know that using store bought additives is more expensive than buying a co2 system and mixing my own ferts, but for someone just venturing into planted facing such large start up costs and complexity involved with both this can be a deal breaker and often the reason for failure. So if I can find a simple less expensive way to start and have success while getting my feet, I might be able to help others too.

 

[Rynofasho]

To keep it simple, you could get a light like this (make sure it has freshwater bulbs), buy and mix your own ferts from here and spend about $30 for WELL over a year or twos supply of macronutrients, get some API root tabs (or put down some ecocomplete under your stand) and Seachem Flourish for micros if you don't want to become a chemist in your spare time, and buy plants here and depending on how many plants you get, spend less than $150 to get completely set up.

My words to the wise are

A) if you get a light like that that doesnt have legs to prop it up, hot glue something to each of the edges to raise it off the glass a bit. I had one of those fixtures and it actually worked great at exactly 1wpg, however the plastic / acrylic shield melted and popped a bulb. Now I have a better fixture, but no less, a $60 lesson

B) Dry ferts are EASY to mix. The main ones you need are Potassium nitrate (KNO3), Potassium sulfate (K2SO4), and Monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4). I bought a pound of each for a total of $11. Shipping was $11.35 haha. PS you may end up being watched by the government. Ok just kidding, but you never know. . .Big brother is watching you

C) I've bought live plants from 3 places online, and that store is incredible. A+ service, A+++ plants. Good sized specimens, and she usually throws in a few extras too

I've found that it's best to just wait for others (like me) to screw up and learn from them. I've probably spent $250 on crap I didn't need in all of my experimenting, and that number may be a bit low even. . .

 

[drobbyb]

I tend to think for myself, and usually out of the box. This may lead to more mistakes on my part, but for me this is the best way for me to learn and often results in a greater understanding on my part (and sometimes a different perspective or answer).

Like I said above, I know I CAN mix my own ferts, but that isn't my objective. Some people just don't want to mix their own, and I want to explore the other possibilities. If someone wants to mix their own, there are already instructions on how to do it that have been confirmed many times on this forum and others.

Besides, I like to figure things out for myself

 

[drobbyb]

Here's what they look like today:

 

[Gvilleguy]

They look great. I think with your normal color substrate they have better coloring - my Rams tend to stay more pale than that, and I think the day-glo substrate my kids picked out has something to do with it!

 

[drobbyb]

I've found that the same holds true about rainbows. I had them over sand and their color was washed out, but when I put them over dark substrate their colors intensified.