Hi all,
I am planning to set up a new planted tank but thought that before I proceed, I better had seek some advice from you pros.
The plan is to set up a zen look tank with low maintenance and low budget. 60 X 30 X 30, DIY CO2, 1 X 36W PL light.
In my mind I am thinking of limiting the plants to only 3-4 species, my options are:
1. Xmas moss (Confirmed)
2. Riccia (Low lighting and DIY CO2 ok?)
3. Glosso (Low lighting and DIY CO2 ok?)
4. Hair grass. (Low Lighting and DIY CO2 ok?)
Think having only one type of carpet plant species with Xmas moss on drift wood or wall-mounted. Which carpet plant would suit my setup?
How do you think I should start. I copied the following chart from the newbie post. Could someone tell me what is the PH/KH/PO/NH readings required for the above carpet plants? What does PO4 stand for? Is there anything that I need to change to be more sucessful?
Really hope that with good planning and help comes great results! Thanks in advance for all your help!
Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): 60 X 30 X 30
Tank Volume (litres or gallons): 54 litres
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 36W PL lights
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : PL
No. of Hours your light is on : 10-12hours
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : ???
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : DIY
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): Diffusor
Substrate Used : JBL
How Thick is your base fert : 2-3cm (planned to be)
How thick is your gravel : 4cm (planned to be)
Liquid Fertilizers Used : JBL Liquidfert
Frequency of fertilization : 1 X per week
Tank Temperature : 28C
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : Internal
Filter media used : Bio sponge
How long has your tank been set up : Not yet set up.
Other equipment :
Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
---------------------------------------
Carbonate Hardness (KH): ???
Total Hardness (gH): ???
pH : ???
NH4 (ppm): ???
NO2 (ppm): ???
NO3 (ppm): ???
PO4 (ppm): ???
Fe (ppm): ???
Bioload (Your Fish and Plants)
Planned:
10-20 cardinal tetra
5 yamato
2 SAE
1 Oto
ok i'm not a pro, just follow what the great teachers advised.
Firstly, according to the tank dimensions u have given, your tank roughly holds 12 gallons of water after sand, fert. and all the necessary stuff. With a gauge of 3w/gallon, i think 36w should suffice.
Riccia needs high CO2 and good light to grow well, as well as Glosso, U can find out the requirements at the Dennerle's plant database @ http://www.dennerle.de/pflanzen/pflanzensuche_e.asp
_______________________
Say no to protesters!
The plan is to set up a zen look tank with low maintenance and low budget. 60 X 30 X 30, DIY CO2, 1 X 36W PL light.
Go for 2 x 36W PL if you can.
In my mind I am thinking of limiting the plants to only 3-4 species, my options are:
1. Xmas moss (Confirmed)
2. Riccia (Low lighting and DIY CO2 ok?)
3. Glosso (Low lighting and DIY CO2 ok?)
4. Hair grass. (Low Lighting and DIY CO2 ok?)
2,3 & 4 are high light and CO2.
Think having only one type of carpet plant species with Xmas moss on drift wood or wall-mounted. Which carpet plant would suit my setup?
It's really up to you. Just bear in mind some plants require a bit more attention and maintenance.
How do you think I should start.
Search around the web/libraries and read a bit more is a better way to start.
Could someone tell me what is the PH/KH/PO/NH readings required for the above carpet plants? What does PO4 stand for?
pH - tells you the acidity/alkalinity of your water.
kH - tell you the hardness of the water.
PO4 - phosphate from which plants get their P, phosphorus.
NH3/NH4 - Ammonia and Ammonium from which plants get their N. However, NH3 will kill your fishes and we don't want them in the water. We supply N thru NO3 to our plants. Read up on Nitrogen cycle to have an understanding on this.
Is there anything that I need to change to be more sucessful?
For plants to grow well they need nutrients, light and CO2. If they are provided correctly, chances are you should not have problem. You may want to find out more on fertilising too.
Hi Adi...
Ok heres my feedback... If you want low maintenance tanks, then firstly you should look at plants which don't grow quickly and don't need regular pruning... This criteria in itself rules out Riccia, which is anything but low maintenance.
While your tank does (barely) satisfy the 3W/G guide, if you wanna have lightloving plants like riccia and glosso, you might need more light.
My own suggestion for plants would be crypts. Slow growers, but hey! its low maintenance. And while crypts don't looks so "pretty" as compared to a patch of pearling riccia, it has its own beauty.
As for PH/KH/CO2 readings, I would say thatthere isn't one perfect level. Target to get about 20-25ppm of CO2 and you should be fine. PO4 stands for phosphates... something you shouldn't meddle with till you get more experienced and understand why some people dose PO4 and the potential risks involved in PO4 dosing.
Additional factors which could help
1. Ensure your lights uses E-ballast... more energy efficient and more bright.
2. choose a good diffusor like dennerle's flipper system
Allen
errr geoff,
maybe you could edit your post... and use bolding or italics to differentiate between adi's question and your reply? very difficult to read as it is
Allen
Thanks guys for all your inputs!
Btw, is DIY CO2 sufficient for 2ft tank housing hairgrass or glosso? On the lighting part, I will be glad to supplement with more light but CO2 is a $$$ problem.
What's your opinions?
i dun see why not.. but DIY CO2 difficult the control. thats all.----------------
On 5/30/2003 10:31:39 PM
Thanks guys for all your inputs!
Btw, is DIY CO2 sufficient for 2ft tank housing hairgrass or glosso? On the lighting part, I will be glad to supplement with more light but CO2 is a $$$ problem.
What's your opinions?
----------------
im also using DIY[
] [
Hi Adi,
Wat e rest of e experts adviced u is truth! I'm a riccia craze, but it requires pruning & maintenance every 3-4wks. Also 2, 3 & 4 all requires high lighting. Also D.I.Y cant be control, might led to overdoze of co2(fishes dies) or insufficient co2, plants will wither & rot too. i dunno how to post a pic for u to see my riccia & other plants.....maybe u can go to this link for ur decision of wat plants u decide to plant:
http://www.arofanatics.com/members/riccia_craze/
rgds,
Riccia_Craze
Hi New2planting,
I guess you really spent a lot of time pruning the stuff there. Looks like a well terraced piece of land! NICE!
I doubt DIY CO2 will be able to get the kind of effects shown... bubbling and all that stuff....
Nevertheless you never know till you try....
I will keep you posted if it works!
Hi,----------------
On 5/30/2003 10:59:32 PM
i dun see why not.. but DIY CO2 difficult the control. thats all.----------------
On 5/30/2003 10:31:39 PM
Thanks guys for all your inputs!
Btw, is DIY CO2 sufficient for 2ft tank housing hairgrass or glosso? On the lighting part, I will be glad to supplement with more light but CO2 is a $$$ problem.
What's your opinions?
----------------
im also using DIY
----------------
Saw the pic of your tank. I see glosso in the foreground. What's your tank size, lighting, and DIY Co2 like?
I am using 2 DIY Co2, but glosso growth is still slow.
Adi,
If you are on a tight budget, maybe you could look around for anyone selling EMPTY 2nd hand co2 cylinders, then go down to SOXAL or any other places to refill the co2, SOXAL only charge $10. The cylinder co2 can really last u a good 6 months at least, with a 3L cylinder.
I used DIY too before, but was very frustrated at the "slow and little" output of co2, so changed to cylinder after 2weeks.
For hairgrass and glosso,riccia(ESPECIALLY!), a strong and constant amount of co2 and lighting is best, so do consider cylinder co2 !!! invest for the long term, and reap your rewards when u see the plants bubble!
just my2cents worth
_______________________
Say no to protesters!
i go with pressurised co2
glosso, hairgrass and riccia are rather co2 hungry
also, you might want to consider adding in some floating plants while the plants are getting established to prevent algae from getting a foothold in the tank
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