Newbie Help: Setting Up A Planted Tank

[martin_jones]

Hi,

I've just got myself a Juwel Vision 260 and I intend to plant it with real plants

Currently it is empty, but I have some gravel which is going to be put in.

What are the options for the substrate? The plants I intend to put in are java fern, amazon swords, java moss, riccia, red water rose, red myrophyllum, red tiger lotus. Should I plant these directly in the gravel, should I add anything else (fertiliser etc), or should I put anything under the gravel?

Also, if anything extra is required, how much should I put in?

Thanks in advance.

Martin

 

[Themuleous]

Sounds like your after an easy to maintain planted tank? If you want to go plants then a decent plant substrate is a must IMHO, have a look here for the different types available. In summary ADA is the best but a bit more expensvie. Ones like eco-complete and red sea flora base are good and a little cheaper, laterite and flourite are very cheap but dont provide many of the other elements that plants need to grow.

The need for gravel depends on which one you go for.

How much lighting do you have?

Sam

 

[martin_jones]

The lighting will be the standard in the Juwel Vision 260. The room itself is not too bright.

Also, I don't really intend getting CO2 for the tank.

Do the plant substrates need 'topping up' etc?

Martin

 

[Themuleous]

What do you mean by topping up?

 

[martin_jones]

As the nutrients get used by the plants, do I need to add extras?

Basically, I'm trying to get a planted aquarium for very little money (spent it all on the aquarium).

There is already gravel in it, as I bought it 2nd hand.

Could I just use the plant substrates around the edges, where the plants are going to be etc? I don't think I can afford to get the 'proper' amount for a 260L tank

Sorry to sound such a n00b

Martin

 

[Themuleous]

Haha no worries, you came to the right place for planted tank advice

Generally speaking you shouldn't really need to replace the substrate for several years, unless you've got lots of very demanding plants in the tank, which it sounds like you wont.

If you really are on the cheap (no offence intended) laterite mixed with gravel does work and works out very cheap. Either that or you are right in saying you can spot treat those areas where you are going to plant the plants. But this obviously means you cant change the layout very much and you'll find it mixes with the gravel after a while anyway.

Sam

 

[lljdma06]

Haha no worries, you came to the right place for planted tank advice

Generally speaking you shouldn't really need to replace the substrate for several years, unless you've got lots of very demanding plants in the tank, which it sounds like you wont.

If you really are on the cheap (no offence intended) laterite mixed with gravel does work and works out very cheap. Either that or you are right in saying you can spot treat those areas where you are going to plant the plants. But this obviously means you cant change the layout very much and you'll find it mixes with the gravel after a while anyway.

Sam

In addition, if you are really on the cheap, I'd avoid some of the red-leafed plants you've got on your list. Red myrophyllum demands a lot of light. Not sure about the Red water hose, but with the exception of crypts, lotus, and some other species, the more red a plant has in it, the more light and nutrients it requires to maintain that red color. Lotus is ok, and a good option for a low-tech tank. Riccia, as far as I know is difficult to work with, demands light, and can be a pain since it has to be reattached to it's growing surface periodically. Java fern should not be planted in the substrate. It has a rhizome that needs to be above water for the plant to thrive. I know of people who submerge only the roots, but the preferred method is to attach the plant to wood or decorations and let the roots anchor. Moss is also secure to decorations, though I do have a rather nice clump of Christmas moss that managed to attach to my gravel in my 8g.

I have grown successful planted tanks without a special substrate, but I added fertilizers to the substrate in the form of root tabs and it wasn't easy. I agree with Sam that you really should consider investing in a quality substrate. My current setups feature laterite mixed with gravel, which is working well for me so far, but I still have to add a good root tab fertilizer.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. We're here to help.

 

[Alexis]

Hi! Can I ask questions in here, too? It saves me from making a whole new topic!

Basically, I LOVE planted tanks, but have absolutely NO idea where to start. I've read heaps of the topics in here and other places, and it all just seems so daunting!!!

Firstly... you need a particular substrate for a successful planted tank? What sorts do people recommend (for serious beginners)? What about those fertilisers you can get in bottles? Do they harm fish at all? Do you just pour them in the tank?

I'm a serious noob too, but planted tanks all seem so nice, but I have no idea where to start!!!

 

[paulioo]

If your serious about wanting a nice planted tank then you should definately start with a good substrate. Eco-complete i find is excellent. If you can't afford more than 2 bags, then just mix black gravel and the eco complete together.

If you have plain old regular gravel then you'll probably struggle to get the results you would like. Once your tank is set up, its a right pain in the backside to replace the gravel. So definately in the begining choose your substrate wisely.

The light that comes supplied with most aquariums is also unsuitable for most planted tanks. If you can't afford to upgrade your lighting then at least go out and replace the bulbs you've got with bulbs for aquatic plants, such as life-glo, tropicana, interpet etc.

If you don't want a high tech planted tank, then you should aim to have your lights below 2WPG. If you don't upgrade your lighting then you will most likely be below this 2wpg anyway.

So to sum up, my advice would be.... do not cut corners with your substrate. If you can't afford that much then buy 2 bags of eco-complete and mix it will regular black gravel. Replace your existing bulbs with bulbs designed for aquatic growth.

Once you know your tanks watts per gallon (wpg) then you can select the appropiate plants for your setup, and begin aquascaping.

Welcome to the world of planted tanks, you'll learn alot, spend more money than you would like too, and rescape your tank at least once a month....or maybe that was just me

Paul

 

[Alexis]

Oh crap... so once you have substrate, you can't change it? Nooooooo...

So excuse me for being incredibly stupid, but if the light that comes with your tank isn't powerful enough, you can go buy bulbs that are? You don't have to actually install a WHOLE NEW LIGHT?

Currently, I only have a 9 US gallon tank. I know it's small, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Damnit... I'm really annoyed about the substrate thing...

If I do decide to somehow replace my substrate, are there any you recommend? I live in Australia, so I dunno whether it'll be the same over here, but I can try...

 

[martin_jones]

with regard to mixing the eco complete with black gravel... the gravel I'm getting (free) with my 260L is white gravel. Will the eco-complete look horrible mixed with this?

M

 

[paulioo]

You can replace your substrate, its just a annoying if you have everything set up. You could always save yourself the bother and insert laterite and root tabs around the planted areas, but for best results your better going for a good substrate such as eco-complete or the many others available.

The lights/bulbs that come with your aquarium are only intended to illuminate the tank, for proper and most effective growth you need bulbs that mimic the suns natural light output.

You dont need to buy a new lighting unit, all you need to do is replace the bulb. Just like changing a lightbulb.

Paul

 

[Alexis]

You can replace your substrate, its just a annoying if you have everything set up. You could always save yourself the bother and insert laterite and root tabs around the planted areas, but for best results your better going for a good substrate such as eco-complete or the many others available.

The lights/bulbs that come with your aquarium are only intended to illuminate the tank, for proper and most effective growth you need bulbs that mimic the suns natural light output.

You dont need to buy a new lighting unit, all you need to do is replace the bulb. Just like changing a lightbulb.

Paul

OK, another question: Does anything (like fertiliser or whatever) harm fish? Currently, I have a couple of platies in there, and I'm really concerned about some sort of fertiliser harming my fish. I've been considering buying a bottle of fertiliser, but I have no idea as to whether or not it actually harms fish.

OK, a totally noob question: What IS laterite and root tabs? Sorry, I really know nothing.

 

[paulioo]

with regard to mixing the eco complete with black gravel... the gravel I'm getting (free) with my 260L is white gravel. Will the eco-complete look horrible mixed with this?

M

Its all a matter of personal opinion. Eco-complete is black, if it was my tank then i'd try to make it look as natural as possible by having the gravel black too. But who knows, it might look good. If you do mix the white gravel in with the eco-complete then you better hope it looks nice, because i would imagine it would be a nightmare trying to remove the white gravel once its been mixed together.

You should also buy a good set of reflectors to place ontop of your bulbs, i forgot to mention that before. They're not too expensive perhaps only about £6 GBP.

I know it may sound like i'm telling you to buy loads of stuff, but i've been in your position before. Its better to do things the right way from the very begining. It will save you lots of money in the long run and alot of time too.

Paul

 

[paulioo]

Fertiliser doesn't harm your fish, but you should be very careful with the dosage that you put into your tank. Too much liquid fertiliser too soon and your lovely tank will be overcome with all sorts of horrible algae. Some algae can be a nightmare to get rid of it once you've got it.

I wouldn't bother buying any liquid fertiliser to be perfectly honest. The type of fertiliser you buy from aquatic shops is known as trace elements. You should not need to dose this for the first couple of months. From personal experience if you dose this type of fertiliser at the beginning of your planted tanks life (ie first 3 months) then you will get algae.

The other type of fertiliser you get is known as macro fertiliser, you can't buy this from many aquatic shops and most of the time you need to buy it from the internet. It comes in the form of powders of Nitrate, Phosphate etc..

Don't worry about this fertiliser stuff for now. If your lighting is above 2 watts per gallon then you need to pay closer attention. The fish pooh and water changes should supply enough nutrients in your low light setup to get you started.

Laterite is a form of macro fertiliser that you add to your substrate. Its like small bits of gravel that are high in nutrient content. Your plants need nutrients to survive and grow. The same goes for root tabs, they are just forms of substrate fertiliser to help your plants grow.

This is why you should invest in a good substrate. It will save you from having to worry about whether your plants have enough nutrients to grow. By having a good substrate your plants will grow happily in a low light setup without much interaction from yourself.

After 2-3 months you may see some of your plants leaves turning yellow, or going pale etc.. this is indication of nutrient inbalance and then and only then should you add some liquid fertiliser (the stuff you buy in a bottle from aquatic shops).

So a big long post, basically saying don't add liquid fertiliser just yet, unless you want to grow lots of algae.

Paul