Wanting To Take My Planted Tank To The Next Level

[CezzaXV]

Hello everyone,

I have quite a heavily planted tank. I can't help myself, I just love plants and can't so no to one that I like.

Most of my plants are pretty low maintenance. Others I don't know too much about, but the labels said they were either easy or medium difficulty to keep so I took a chance on them. I have:

• Assorted anubias
• Peacock moss
• Java Fern
• What I believe are Amazon Swords but not 100% sure
• Cabomba
• Hygrophilia pinnatifida
• Pogostemon Erectus
• Hyroctole verticilla
• Vallis

I never really intended to get into planted tanks in a big way and when I started out I threw a bunch of plants in to see what works and what doesn't, and I've ended up at this arrangement. My current plants seem to be doing well, all apart from the amazon swords who tend to get a bit of browning on the leaves and my vallis, which I struggle to keep. Also the Pogostemon Erectus, which either my apple snails or my dwarf gourami (I'm not 100% sure which) have eaten the leaves but left the stalk. Whoever it is has also cleared out a Glossostigma Elatnoides too.

I dose ferts once a week, but I do twice weekly massive water changes so not sure if I should be doing two smaller doses instead. I currently have TPN+ and a cheapo brand one I got free from P@H. However, I'm running out of both of these now and I've heard talk of dry ferts about the place, so would like some guidance on that.

I have a single 25W T8. I dont have this on a timer because it causes tension with my family having the light on when there's nobody there, but I try to have it on for a good several hours a day, except weekends when I have to work.

Also been thinking about CO2 lately. My boyfriend refuses to let me to the DIY fire extinguisher thing because he's scared I'll kill myself, so I'd be looking at a ready made kit. My tank is 60L at the moment, but I'm hoping to have something in the region of at least 120-200L by the end of the year, hopefully before the summer, so it would be helpful if any recommendations given would also be suitable for bigger tanks.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[m_attt]

a fire extinquisher is no different to a "kit" they are both a bottle that you screw a reg onto and then connect the tube and diffuser. i would also dose ferts after each water change otherwise halfway through the week you are removing/diluting them.

 

[wirralbull]

surely you would need to upgrade the lighting before the co2. im no expert but would have thought that if youre dosing ferts and have co2 then youre lighting will be the limiting factor rendering the co2 and ferts useless if there isnt enough light for photosynthesis.

 

[stu40]

Dry ferts aren't as daunting as they seem.I knew nothing about them before i switched to them.
Personally i bought from these people My link.
KNO3 (potassium nitrate), KH2PO4 (monopotassium phosphate),and possibly MGSO4 (mag sulphate) as well as TNC trace.
They have a good calculator on there as well.
I'd have thought your 25W over 15Gal should be enough.
I don't know about pressurised co2, but use carbon in my 60L (around 2ml a day)
I'm not expert, but hope that helps.

Stu

 

[CezzaXV]

Dry ferts aren't as daunting as they seem.I knew nothing about them before i switched to them.
Personally i bought from these people My link.
KNO3 (potassium nitrate), KH2PO4 (monopotassium phosphate),and possibly MGSO4 (mag sulphate) as well as TNC trace.
They have a good calculator on there as well.
I'd have thought your 25W over 15Gal should be enough.
I don't know about pressurised co2, but use carbon in my 60L (around 2ml a day)
I'm not expert, but hope that helps.

Stu

Thanks, that seems like a good site.I'm having difficulty finding the calculator though. Do you have a link to it?

There are so many different types of chemicals I have no idea what I should be dosing and how much.

 

[SO19Firearms]

I'm having difficulty finding the calculator though. Do you have a link to it?

Bottom right next to the OATA logo - Estimative Index Calculator



EDIT : - Or
About Us > FluidsensorOnline Blog > Calculators if you don't use FB.

 

[CezzaXV]

Ah, thanks for that. The calculator is very helpful. I've heard that it might be a good idea to mix up these solutions using RO water. Is that true or a waste of time?

I generally do about 70-80% changes twice a week, but the calculator recommends one 50% change a week. Is my water change routine going to be a problem?

 

[SO19Firearms]

Ah, thanks for that. The calculator is very helpful. I've heard that it might be a good idea to mix up these solutions using RO water. Is that true or a waste of time?

I generally do about 70-80% changes twice a week, but the calculator recommends one 50% change a week. Is my water change routine going to be a problem?

RO water isn't really needed unless there is something particulary deadly in your tap water - bearing in mind the super tiny amount you'll be putting back in.... No phosphate would be better for the Trace mix though. Using dosing spoons would be easiest of the lot.

You're water changes wouldn't be a problem so long as you continue to dose. Most ppl bork at 50%...is there a reason you change so much so often?

 

[stu40]

Using dosing spoons would be easiest of the lot.

+1. i found some for a couple of quid in a decent cook shop.They measure down to 1/32 tsp

 

[CezzaXV]

Ah, thanks for that. The calculator is very helpful. I've heard that it might be a good idea to mix up these solutions using RO water. Is that true or a waste of time?

I generally do about 70-80% changes twice a week, but the calculator recommends one 50% change a week. Is my water change routine going to be a problem?

RO water isn't really needed unless there is something particulary deadly in your tap water - bearing in mind the super tiny amount you'll be putting back in.... No phosphate would be better for the Trace mix though. Using dosing spoons would be easiest of the lot.

You're water changes wouldn't be a problem so long as you continue to dose. Most ppl bork at 50%...is there a reason you change so much so often?

My tank is right on the limit of how much I can stock, so when I started my tank I decided to do water changes twice a week. However since then I've gone quite heavily planted so my nitrates are low (although I know that's not always something you want in a planted tank). I've also made a DIY water changer with a hose and a large change is no more effort for me than a small one so I've always done big ones because it doesn't hurt to do so. I could probably get away with just once a week if I'm honest but I dont mind doing it twice a week, because it requires little effort on my part and I like doing stuff with my tank.

This may be a silly question, but it recommends doing X amount every day. I'm assuming doing one big dose every so often, perhaps every water change, isn't such a good idea?

 

[SO19Firearms]

This may be a silly question, but it recommends doing X amount every day. I'm assuming doing one big dose every so often, perhaps every water change, isn't such a good idea?

We dose everyday so there's a constant supply of nutrient. Even if we weren't dosing enough there would be more to come in the next day or so - Change that to once a week and things look worse.
(except the Trace, we dose that regularly as the micro's aren't fussy and like to bind with things so don't stay in solution very long)

 

[CezzaXV]

Fair enough. The calculator suggests a water change, then 5 days of dosing, then two days rest. If I continued with water changes twice weekly, am I right in thinking I should just keep dosing every day?

 

[Mikaila31]

I agree that your #1 limiting factor here is going to be light. Plants need a good amount of light and turning the light on and off a couple times a day is not the same as a full lighting period. All my planted tanks run at least an 8 hour light period. If it is truly an issue give whomever pays electricy a few bucks for leaving the lights on. My tanks are always on and in total its over 200 watts of just light. They are barely noticeable on our electricity bill.

 

[CezzaXV]

My tank lights are generally on all day during the week, from when I get up in the morning until I feel like turning them off some time in the evening. Probably at least 8 hours most days.

 

[Mikaila31]

you would still need to add more light IMO. You have what I think is a 15 gallon with 25 watts of light. Thats kinda close to CO2 range but its low enough that I feel like it is goinq to limit the effect of CO2. CO2 is simply a tool for increasing one thing in a planted tank. CO2 must be limiting for it to have a good effect. You also don't need CO2 to have a happy densely planted tank. My planted 15 gallon has about 40 watts of light on it for about 13 hours a day and I still run it low tech. It looks just as good as my high tech tanks that have CO2.