Plant Recommendations For A "low Tech" Npt

[baron von bubba]

hi,
currently running a high tech tank and enjoying every minute of the learning experience (i even look forward to doing the W/C every week!! )
my hands are in this for a couple of hours every sunday, trimming, tidying and slowly improving the layout.

now as i'm getting the first stages of MTS i find myself wanting to try something different.

i dont want to chuck a load of cash at the 2nd tank, and i as i have a 60l knocking about i may as well use this!
obviously the low budget and the wanting to learn new things takes me naturally to an NPT
its the other end of the spectrum to the high tech, so hopefully i willl learn plenty of new things in my research and the practical application of running this tank

i want to try and plant it then leave it alone, trying to rescape and replant and little as possible, which means i need a pretty good idea of what will work/grow and what will wont!


so i'm asking for advice/recommendations on plants suitable for this project?

something that'll be rooted but grow out of the surface?
floating plants?
and other low light, easy grow type plants?

thanks

 

[Geoff1991]

Amazon swords, anubias, java fern, amazon frogit, most hygrophila species, most types of vallis, crypts such as becketti and wendtii and parva.

There a more but thats what i can think of off the top of my head.

Oh and most types of moss.

 

[Syphoniera]

From the Peanut Gallery, lol, have you considered:
Pennywort, which can be rooted/floating, or rooted and growing gracefully along the surface - without clinging to arms or rapidly overgrowing the surface in the manner of the evil Duckweed;
Cardamine Lyrata, similar to the former, but more delicate and rooted;
Water Sprite/Water Wisteria;
Anacharis;
4-Leafed Clover, which seems to do quite well (at least in my tanks) under moderate light, if not too overgrown by other plants -
and I'd like to strongly second the above recommendation especially regarding most hygrophilia, which I dearly love.

 

[aaronnorth]

are you wanting to go for a Walstad style tank or the more gnereal low tech tank?

 

[baron von bubba]

are you wanting to go for a Walstad style tank or the more gnereal low tech tank?

hi aaron, what is "walstad style" obviously i know who she is, but does this refer to potting soil substrate, very limited water changes etc or is it a "planting style"?

 

[lljdma06]

are you wanting to go for a Walstad style tank or the more gnereal low tech tank?

hi aaron, what is "walstad style" obviously i know who she is, but does this refer to potting soil substrate, very limited water changes etc or is it a "planting style"?

Yes, it is a method, not a planting style. Actually her tanks are known for being rather haphazard looking, so no, her tanks are definitely not reknowned for their planting style. At least not in the same way a Dutch or Nature style scape is. They have their own charm, though. Supposedly, she doesn't care much for aquascaping. Or so I've heard.

From what I've read, it has the following basic principles

-Soil substrate, or soil with a cap of blank
-Limited water changes after the soil breaks down, like once every 6 months, or whenever you do a major rescape. Before that occurs, quite a few are actually done to ensure the safety of the fish. The soil leeches a lot of stuff for the first couple of months.
-Some say limited filtration. Others say limited filtration but good circulation. It depends on who you ask.
-Between 2-3WPG, but again, I'm assuming these are just standard T8, and not even the more efficient T8s we have now. I'd say aim for about 1.5WPG with our modern T8s.
-Tank should also get a couple of hours of natural sunlight.
-Usually the tanks are lightly stocked and it is assumed that fish waste and the extra food you feed the fish account for the fertilisers and nutrients for the tank. Again, there is conflicting information about this concept.

The method is based on her book "The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium". It kind of reads like a biology textbook, though, and I found myself wanting a lot more pictures of actual setups. I like pictures.

llj

 

[baron von bubba]

yeah thats the kinda thing i'm planning (apart from access to sun light)

so how does this differ from a "normal" low tech set up then?

 

[lljdma06]

yeah thats the kinda thing i'm planning (apart from access to sun light)

so how does this differ from a "normal" low tech set up then?

Well, from my own experience, I don't use soil, I stock heavily, and I tend to not have naturaly sunlight. I wouldn't classify my tanks as "normal" though.

Other low techs may compensate for the lack of soil by dosing ferts through water column if they choose to use an inert substrate. All low-tech means to me is that you are not physically puttting a carbon source (either as gas injection or liquid form) into the tank that isn't already present; either in the soil or in low quantities in the water column. So the light has to be low enough to allow for slow enough growth that high CO2 levels aren't absolutely necessary.

llj

 

[baron von bubba]

yeah thats the kinda thing i'm planning (apart from access to sun light)

so how does this differ from a "normal" low tech set up then?

Well, from my own experience, I don't use soil, I stock heavily, and I tend to not have naturaly sunlight. I wouldn't classify my tanks as "normal" though.

Other low techs may compensate for the lack of soil by dosing ferts through water column if they choose to use an inert substrate. All low-tech means to me is that you are not physically puttting a carbon source (either as gas injection or liquid form) into the tank that isn't already present; either in the soil or in low quantities in the water column. So the light has to be low enough to allow for slow enough growth that high CO2 levels aren't absolutely necessary.

llj

thats kinda what i thought, thanks for confirming that tho.

the aim to get the lowest budget and lowest maintenance i can. the exact opposite of the existing tank. :0)

i have a choice of 2 tanks, both 24x12 one is 12 high the other 15, which one in your opinion would be better given it would be 2x15w t8 lighting

 

[SuperColey1]

Supposedly, she doesn't care much for aquascaping. Or so I've heard.

Not so , its really quite (I would insert a 'fact' emoticon if there was one)

From an interview with her:

Now please, explain in brief what the following words may suggest you:

TAKASHI AMANO- famous, artistic person

AGA- good group of dedicated aquatic plant people

ADA- don’t what it is

ALGAE- part of nature

AQUASCAPING- landscape paintings in museums.

CONTESTS- keeps people enthusiased

So she doesn't know what ADA is, Thinks AGA is wonderful (which it is) even though their competitions are dominated by 'nature style' and as for what aquascaping means........Me thinks she only thinks there is one style!!! Very narrow minded unlike myself (I am still waiting for a 'tongue in cheek' emoticon to be created as it would be one of the most used by me )

She is however revolutionary in her English Language unless 'enthusiased' is actually a real word. Never seen it before. lol

Full interview is here for anyone interested with a few pictures for Llj:
[URL="http/acuariorosa.blogspot.com/2009/04/in...na-walstad.html"]http/acuariorosa.blogspot.com/2009/04/in...na-walstad.html[/URL]" target="_blank">[URL="http/acuariorosa.blogspot.com/2009/04/in...na-walstad.html"]http/acuariorosa.blogspot.com/2009/04/in...na-walstad.html[/URL]</a>

AC

 

[lljdma06]

CONTESTS- keeps people enthusiased[/i]

It's like some sort of weird marriage between enthused and euthanized. I kind of like it. It's like another word we came up with last week. I can't remember which thread it came from. But it was funny too.

 

[baron von bubba]

CONTESTS- keeps people enthusiased[/i]

It's like some sort of weird marriage between enthused and euthanized. I kind of like it. It's like another word we came up with last week. I can't remember which thread it came from. But it was funny too.

maybe it was intentional,
a word encompassing 2 two types of ppl who attend the contests, the obsessed tank keepers and their bored to death partners!

 

[aaronnorth]

-Between 2-3WPG, but again, I'm assuming these are just standard T8, and not even the more efficient T8s we have now. I'd say aim for about 1.5WPG with our modern T8s.
-Tank should also get a couple of hours of natural sunlight.

the 2-3wpg id providing there is no natural light, if there is natural light, then it is reccomended you use less.


a normal low tech setup is when the aquarist still continues with water changes every couple of weeks and still uses artificial fertilisers and heavy filtration.


If you want a Walstad style tank, i do recomend you purchase the book, it makes a good read anyway