questions from newbie

[bluezing]

hi everyone..hope can enlighten me on certain stuffs...

1st: How to put the plants into the gravel?cos when we buy from LFS,it comes with the pot.do we stick the whole pot into the gravel or remove the pot and wool?

2nd : Base fert.do we mix it with the gravels 1st then put all into the tank?or do we put the base fert 1st...then the gravel on the 2nd layer?

3rd : there are some CO2 tablets in the market.are these a gd replacement for those CO2 cylinders?and which is the most cost effective CO2?

[budak]

You need to gently extract the plants from the pot and remove the wool. if it's a rosette plant (e.g. sword plant) snip off the long roots halfway and dig a hole in the gravel to plant it, but not too deep. For stem plants, separate the big bunch into smaller bunches of 2-3 stems each and plant these. Tweezers will help immensely.

Base fert is generlaly placed beneath the gravel.

CO2 tablets are at best a very short term measure. i dun have time to elaborate on CO2, but if you look through this forum, esp in the equipment section, you should find more info.

Please do read through the numerous old posts in the forum before you decide what to buy and do. This will likely help you avoid costly mistakes.

[David]

Just to add on to what Budak has mentioned....

it would be best to squeeze out the plant with the wool by pushing the bottom of the plastic pot. Get a small basin with water and submerge the plant with the wool into the water. This is because its easier to remove the wool if its soaked with water. For stemmed plants ensure that you have a minimum of 4 nodes and the planted end has to have a node ending.

Regarding Base fert, it depends on what type that you get....pure base fert needs to be mixed with gravel (ie Bioplast), soil based is just laid at the bottom of the tank and covered with gravel (ie JBL, Dennerle).

CO2 tablet I feel is a total waste of time....first you cannot maintain a stable amount of dissolved CO2, and second it cost too much in the long run.

[bluezing]

ok thanx bros for the replies.im more enlightened now!really been a great help.thanx