Planting A Tank

Phage

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Well, I have a 55 USG (about 48Lx12Wx20H in) tank that I would love to plant. The problem is I don’t know how to keep a plant alive in it :blush: I think the problem is my lighting and the type of plant is buy isn’t correct for it, plus I had a common pleco... Anyway, I would love some help from you guys :)

I was thinking of having some these plants:
Amazon Sword, Riccia, Dwarf Baby Tears, Wisteria, Glossostigma, Moss Balls, Brazilian Pennywort

In the tank I currently have a pair of mating Angelfish, a pair of German Blue Rams, 5 Zebra Danios, 3 “Ocelot” Danios, a Gold Gourami, and an Upside-down Catfish.

Plants: Need help with them but would like at least one my Angels can spawn on and some pretty “carpet” plant.
Filter: Top Fin Power Filter 60 w/ Adjustable flow rates. I can get a different type if there are better ones for my fish and future plants.
Heater: 200W something or another… at 76-80F. It depends on the weather outside as the basement gets cold.
Substrate: Thinking of SeaChem Fluorite with sand in certain spots. Currently have plain black gravel…
CO2: I can use one or two Hagen CO2 injectors with DIY mix if needed
Lighting: This is where I need big help. I have the standard whatever the tank came with lights/hoods. 2x 15W T-8 2,800K. So that is about .5 WPG?
Fertilizers: I don’t know much about these. I’ll try to read up on this wonderful article http://www.fishforums.net/content/Plants-a...-Index-Article/
Décor: I would like to add slate for some caves perhaps and some driftwood.

Anyone addition, subtraction, or edit of anything here would be great.

Suggest Away! Thanks.
 
Well, I have a 55 USG (about 48Lx12Wx20H in) tank that I would love to plant. The problem is I don’t know how to keep a plant alive in it :blush: I think the problem is my lighting and the type of plant is buy isn’t correct for it, plus I had a common pleco... Anyway, I would love some help from you guys :)

I was thinking of having some these plants:
Amazon Sword, Riccia, Dwarf Baby Tears, Wisteria, Glossostigma, Moss Balls, Brazilian Pennywort

In the tank I currently have a pair of mating Angelfish, a pair of German Blue Rams, 5 Zebra Danios, 3 “Ocelot” Danios, a Gold Gourami, and an Upside-down Catfish.

Plants: Need help with them but would like at least one my Angels can spawn on and some pretty “carpet” plant.
Filter: Top Fin Power Filter 60 w/ Adjustable flow rates. I can get a different type if there are better ones for my fish and future plants.
Heater: 200W something or another… at 76-80F. It depends on the weather outside as the basement gets cold.
Substrate: Thinking of SeaChem Fluorite with sand in certain spots. Currently have plain black gravel…
CO2: I can use one or two Hagen CO2 injectors with DIY mix if needed
Lighting: This is where I need big help. I have the standard whatever the tank came with lights/hoods. 2x 15W T-8 2,800K. So that is about .5 WPG?
Fertilizers: I don’t know much about these. I’ll try to read up on this wonderful article [URL="http://www.fishforums.net/content/Plants-a...-Index-Article/"]http://www.fishforums.net/content/Plants-a...-Index-Article/[/URL]
Décor: I would like to add slate for some caves perhaps and some driftwood.

Anyone addition, subtraction, or edit of anything here would be great.

Suggest Away! Thanks.

I'm still a noob to planted tanks myself, but I can help with what I have learned so far. An Amazon sword plant would be great for the angels, people say that is what they naturally spawn on. As for a "pretty" carpet plant, dwarf hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula) is as easy as it gets, it actually looks like grass! Glosso is also a carpet plant, but it is harder to take care of. As for your lighting, 2,800k is the wrong color temperature for growing plants, you want to try for 6500k-6700k. I know your still planning, but if you want some inspiration for plants/aquascaping, look at this site: http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007...e=view-showcase It has a lot of tanks (with details) of people who are very good at creating aquascapes!

I hope I helped :)
 
For Amazon swords you'll want a fairly thick substrate and root tabs. Anything bigger than E. tenellus will grow massive roots (the big ones like E. bleheri can spread their roots throughout the entire substrate in a 55g), and they're not very good at taking up nutrients through their leaves.

If you go for a substrate that's friendly for the bigger swords (a bottom layer with high CEC, basically any of the commercial aquarium soils or a suitable DIY soil), how about E. tenellus as a front "lawn" plant? You mention Riccia as an option, and it can definitely make a fantastic-looking carpet plant - but it's also a naturally floating plant. You want to make a Riccia carpet, you need to tie it down - and then tie it down again after it comes loose. I'd go for plants that naturally spread across the substrate, but that's just my opinion. Glossostigma fits the bill too, but I have no experience with it.
 
The link you provided has some really awesome tanks. And I like the dwarf hairgrass idea. For lighting, would the current hoods I have fit a high wattage bulb? I don’t want to start a fire or buy something that wouldn’t fit. Or would it be better to upgrade to some that can hold 2-4 at once?

For the Amazon substrate, I’m not exactly sure what aquarium soil is. Is this sort of what you mean?
“For the bottom layer mix potting vermiculite (from any nursury) with enough water to wet the vermiculite well but not so much that it floats. Squeeze and knead the vermiculite to get as much air out of it as possible, and also to separate the different layers of the vermiculite granules, making the mixture as fine as possible. When your hands look like they're covered in gold dust, you're done. Now add some soil that you have dug from outside (garden topsoil). See the suggestions for soils at the end of this section. You should mix in enough of this to turn the vermiculite from its shimmery golden color to grey. For example, I used about two gallons of Yolo loam with enough vermiculite to make a 3-inch layer in a 55 gallon tank, or about a quart mixed with enough vermiculite to make a 1.5-inch layer in a 10 gallon tank. The precise amounts are not important. After mixing in the soil, the mixture should no longer be runny with water. If it is, your tank will be quite cloudy when you add the water to fill it, so add more soil and vermiculite until it is no longer runny with water, but comparable to prepared cake mix before you cook it. This bottom layer forms a rich, soft medium for roots to penetrate into and obtain nutrients from. This layer should be as thick as possible, within aesthetic limits. The top layer is simply sand. You need about a 1 inch or more layer, simply to keep the lower layer from clouding the water. The best is #3 sandblasting grit, which our local gravel yard sells in 100 lb. bags for $10. Any sand that is not from the sea and is not too fine will do. #3 sand is about 2 mm in diameter. Just pour it on top, and level it out. Wash it first if you think it needs it. This layer should be at least 1" thick, and not more than 2".”
Taken from here http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/kelly-intro.html

The last link has a lovely set up too. I really like the Crinum thaianum (Onion Plant?). I don't mind high or low light types. I just need a push in the right direction with similar lighting plants, what kind of substrate they need, and what kind of hoods/bulbs to get.

These I have in mind:
Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis)
Brazilian Pennywort (Hydrocotyle leucocephala)
Amazon Sword or something as a replacement
Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)
Moss/Marimo Ball (Cladophora aegagrophila)
Microsword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis)
Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis)
Java moss (Vesicularia dubyana)
Onion Plant (Crinum thaianum)

Now where should I go with lighting and substrate for these type?
 
Plants: Need help with them but would like at least one my Angels can spawn on and some pretty “carpet” plant.

carpet plants cn be hard with low light, and a deep tank but you should be able to get some marsilea species to gow.
Filter: Top Fin Power Filter 60 w/ Adjustable flow rates. I can get a different type if there are better ones for my fish and future plants.

aim for minimum 10X trunover, this is so there are no dead spots which lessens the chance of algae, and it pushes the nutrients & CO2 around.

Heater: 200W something or another… at 76-80F. It depends on the weather outside as the basement gets cold.

no problem there, just dont let the leaves touch it, you could get a heater guard, or dont plant near it (or get an external)

Substrate: Thinking of SeaChem Fluorite with sand in certain spots. Currently have plain black gravel…

it can look messy if it is mixed so try to seperate them,

CO2: I can use one or two Hagen CO2 injectors with DIY mix if needed

just use DIY, they are the same as nutrafin but dearer, i wouldnt even add any with your lighting levels at the moment. If you do upgrade your lighting, then go pressurized, otherwise you will need at least 5 bottles! using a fire extinghuisher is cheap, see the 2 articles in my sig (equipment needed & how to set it up)

Lighting: This is where I need big help. I have the standard whatever the tank came with lights/hoods. 2x 15W T-8 2,800K. So that is about .5 WPG?

2 x 2800k, isnt your tank looking a bit pink? you might want to change one of the bulbs for a higher kelving rating from about 6500k - 10 000k. you will be struggling to grow any plants, i would want at least 1.5wpg as a starting point (90w) going any higher, or with T5's will push you above 2wpg and you will need more fertilisation and definatley CO2.
Fertilizers: I don’t know much about these. I’ll try to read up on this wonderful article http://www.fishforums.net/content/Plants-a...-Index-Article/

that type of fertilisation (estimatove index - EI) is for high light aquariums with pressurized CO2 so i would stay away from that, go with seachem flourish or tropica plant nutrtion+ - then dose these daily or every few days for the best results.
 
For lighting, would the current hoods I have fit a high wattage bulb? I don’t want to start a fire or buy something that wouldn’t fit. Or would it be better to upgrade to some that can hold 2-4 at once?

You can't use a higher watt rating. How many bulbs you need depends on the plants you get. Try to get a unit that has bulbs, for bulbs are 30. Check EBay out.

I initially used 2 t8 17 watts undercounter plant bulbs and 1 17 watt daylight bulb over my 29 gallon tank. Found a slighty used light fixture for saltwater tank that has 1 65 watt t5 bulb and 1 t5 actinic bulb for $50. This is the cheapest lights are for a 29 gallon tank. If I bought a new 1 I would only have 1 bulb. Then just had the 65 Watt t5 6700K /10000K rating over it. Rotala Indica wasn't growing right so I added 1 undercounter plant bulb. Now it is growing properly. Point is that watts is not the only important item to look at when it comes to lights and t5 bulbs give off higher light than t8 bulbs do.

I have seen some, mizu-chan, - clip on lamps – 2/ 26w CFL 6,500K bulbs over 20 long tank at Plantedtank.net, use low watts with the addition of
diy co2 and have great plant growth.

I more experience person will have to explain the lumins, color spectrum, and kelvin rating.
 
Filter: Mine is fine as long as the turnover is pretty high? Just don’t put any Carbon in the filter so it won’t take out the nutrients?
Heater: Buy a guard for it.
Substrate: SeaChem Fluorite is fine? The sand was more for an open space. I don’t really have to get any sand.
CO2: Hm… 5 bottles huh. Well I can look into the fire extinguisher dealie. I might have to ask someone for help though.
Lighting: I was looking up some on ebay. What about these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-LIGHT-48-REEF...id=p3286.c0.m14
http://cgi.ebay.com/48-Aquarium-Power-Comp...id=p3286.c0.m14
If those are agreeable, what WPG would that give me?
 
As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
With the plants that you have chosen, you won't need to do co2. If you want since it is a 4 foot tank, you can build your own hood and mount 2 4 foot shop lights 30 watt daylight bulbs in it and that would put you into the medium level lights which would give you more options of plants. For ferts I think the liquid ferts from seachem would be fine but dose a couple of times a week, you need to dose micros and macros. Then use plant tabs for the swords.
 
I asked my dad if he could help me fix an old light we have instead of buying one but he said he would rather buy something than spend time on it :\ Would the lights with the links I provided be good for the plants I listed?
 
At this link you will find more info about lights. For some reason with tanks bigger than 30 gallon the wpg rule is lax.
http://www.bestaquariumregulator.com/ferts.htm

So you were able to find vermiculite. I wasn't. You know I didn't write the info at the link so I can 't answer any questions about it. You would have to ask the author. At that page there is a link that gets you to info about him.

How about some pictures? I am a bit unclear as to how many gallons that you have. Just know it is bigger than my 29 gallon tank.
 
... “For the bottom layer mix potting vermiculite (from any nursury) with enough water to wet the vermiculite well but not so much that it floats. Squeeze and knead the vermiculite to get as much air out of it as possible, and also to separate the different layers of the vermiculite granules, making the mixture as fine as possible. When your hands look like they're covered in gold dust, you're done. Now add some soil that you have dug from outside (garden topsoil). See the suggestions for soils at the end of this section. You should mix in enough of this to turn the vermiculite from its shimmery golden color to grey. For example, I used about two gallons of Yolo loam with enough vermiculite to make a 3-inch layer in a 55 gallon tank, or about a quart mixed with enough vermiculite to make a 1.5-inch layer in a 10 gallon tank. The precise amounts are not important. After mixing in the soil, the mixture should no longer be runny with water. If it is, your tank will be quite cloudy when you add the water to fill it, so add more soil and vermiculite until it is no longer runny with water, but comparable to prepared cake mix before you cook it. ..."
Taken from here [URL="http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/kelly-intro.html"]http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/kelly-intro.html[/URL]
...


I really hope you'll read a post I'm putting up about vermiculite, which would take up too much room here.
But whatever you've been told about its 'safety' or simply have not been told at all, vermiculite forms under the same geologic conditions as asbestos and is nearly always contaminated to varying levels, and any single inhaled microscopic asbestos fibre can kill months, years or decades later.
And reading about aquarists being recommended to pound or work vermiculite until even visible dust appears, apart from the great quantity of airborne microscopic fibres unseen, a full century after the deadly aspects of asbestos were recognised, forces a recognition of the degree of profitable propaganda which rules and destroys our lives.
It's the Dark Ages of science in far too many respects, at a time of great supposed advancement.
The disposable society, indeed.
 
Ah so Vermiculite can be dangerous. I was thinking more of buying the SeaChem Flourite anyway. Maybe I can find some cheap bags online; it’s about $$25 per 10 lb bag at my LFS. Thank you for sharing though :3

Well I plan on using an old fixture I found in the back basement. It has 4 48” bulbs. Probably T-12 bulbs? I have to buy new lights for it anyway. Perhaps 4 40W Bulbs. 4*40/55=2.9ish WPG.

At this level would I need CO2 for these plants?
And would the lighting be good for them? Do I buy 10,000K or 6,700k?
What about ferts? Swords get root tabs.

Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis)
Brazilian Pennywort (Hydrocotyle leucocephala)
Amazon Sword or something as a replacement
Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)
Moss/Marimo Ball (Cladophora aegagrophila)
Microsword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis)
Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis)
Java moss (Vesicularia dubyana)
Onion Plant (Crinum thaianum)
 

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