Help me setup an ultra budget planted tank

[Navyblue]

It looks quite like your moss to me. Did you get that from grass patch too?

[Navyblue]

I found this page which have a very detailed comparison.

http://www.killies.com/Truthaboutmosses.htm

I think it does look like Singapore moss.

[Navyblue]

It looks like, out of the 4, 1 is the submerged form of Singapore moss, 1 is the emersed form. (I suspected so, as I pulled the out of the same patch)

http://www.aquamoss.net/Introduction.htm

[bravobb]

Navyblue.... So how many "lands" you have destroyed to get these....

[Navyblue]

I often see the town council worker plucking weed off the walkway, not only I do it for free, I pay them conservancy charges.

[David Moses Heng]

why not you tell us what you are really looking at so we know how to help?

If necessary, I do not mind bringing you to my sources to get the stuffs that you need at either low or no cost.

PM me if you need my help.

Thanks.

[Navyblue]

I very much appreciate your offer. I do need your sources. I also need help judging if a plant is healthy. If someone can bring me to them and help me with the purchase that would be as good as I can wish for.

I will PM you when I am ready. The tank is still filled with salt water stuffs right now, it may be a few weeks before I am ready.

Basically, I want the tank look lush and green, with a bit of tetras and shrimps. All easy to keep and low maintenance species.

If necessary, I can also run it high tech at first to get the growth and then turn it to low tech after it is done growing. But would there be die off during the transition?

[bennyc]

It looks quite like your moss to me. Did you get that from grass patch too?

Yes, i got mine from a grass patch.

[bennyc]

why not you tell us what you are really looking at so we know how to help?

If necessary, I do not mind bringing you to my sources to get the stuffs that you need at either low or no cost.

PM me if you need my help.

Thanks.

Bro .. So GOOD... Offer extend to others like me?

edit: please don't use sms lingo thanks.

[Navyblue]

I did further reading. Would it be a better idea to get something like wisteria or hornwort? It seems like they grow fast under any condition?

Where as things like ferns and moss grow slowly in low tech tank? Though I can still have with a bit of them for variety.

[felix_fx2]

Navyblue,

wisteria, grows root and crawl abit. grows really fast.
hornwort, floater grows well.

i would still suggest moss + fern combo, since you can just leave them near the window and they still grow. (depends on how bright sunlight comes to them)

[Navyblue]

May I know what is the rationale? Low maintenance?

To my newbie understanding, slow growing plant absorbs little nutrient, so we need lots of them to absorb the fishes' waste. Lots of them means money. Without lots of them we would need good filtration and frequent water changes, which I would prefer to do without.

So instead of buying lots of ferns and moss, having some fast growing plant would absorb more nutrient while requiring less plant. Though with high light and nutrient I can see that this can be a problem, so if we limit light and nutrient (bioload) we can keep maintenance manageble?

[bravobb]

I am still waiting for you to start the adventure....
I found myself a very small tank resting in my store... width less than a feet but close.
I just did an extra silicon on the edges in case leak water...
Going for water test run tomorrow.

So what soil do you recommend ?

[Navyblue]

I started moving some rocks from the tank yesterday, I'll need a week or two to ready the tank.

If cost is no issue, I might go with something like Seachem fluorite, looks like it is not messy like those mud type substrate. Or else I'd go with whatever innert stuff like river sand. Or if you don't care about look you can even do without substrate.

[bravobb]

Bro... i am talking about soil... not sand/substrate... I am going for a small tank using Walstad method.... sand with soil underlayer.

[Navyblue]

Anything that you lay on the bottom of the tank is substrate, sand, gravel, mud, even marble can be substrate. You don't need to use "soil" with Fluorite, it has CEC.

[bravobb]

Sorry.. me a newbie... what is CEC ?

[felix_fx2]

It would be up to you to decide high or low tech.

If you had read Diana's book you'll know what she suggests.

If you feel the direction your heading is good, go ahead and just try. It will be good to learn from personal experience.

I've got a couple of budget tanks myself, no co2, little fert, high (so so high). Some lapis, some garden soil covered with sand.

Let us know once you started on it (pictures pictures )

[bravobb]

It would be up to you to decide high or low tech.

If you had read Diana's book you'll know what she suggests.

If you feel the direction your heading is good, go ahead and just try. It will be good to learn from personal experience.

I've got a couple of budget tanks myself, no co2, little fert, high (so so high). Some lapis, some garden soil covered with sand.

Let us know once you started on it (pictures pictures )

You have Diana's book ? You bought online or from store here ?

[David Moses Heng]

i too have experienced good result with the garden soil method. My rams even breed in them. Pen your journey here and share with us all your adventure.