want to start 2 planted tanks, 20L and 29. lots of Qs

[cam191919]

after seeing too many nice planted tanks here on AC, i want to start my own. well two of my own. planted tank are a hole in my knowledge of aquariums, so im lost in trying figure out a plan.

in short, i want to know lights, CO2, and ferts and how i would use them.

how would you set up a 20 long and a 29 gallon tanks for high light plants if they were yours?

i want to forget the lights i have, and get new fixtures and lights. id also be willing to change the substrate if i had to. tahitian moon in the 29 and run-of-the-mill white aquarium in the 20

whats up with CO2, if i make DIY setup do i have to keep changing the mixture every week?

whats the balance between lights CO2 and ferts?

if you have a similar setup, what are the specs?

im not willing to spend all my money on extreme luxuries, but that doesnt mean im gunna skimp out on the good stuff

please help if you can, this is somthing i really want.....:help:

[Nolapete]

Start out with some low light plants. Mgamer2000 has them for sale usually. You don't need CO2 for them and don't need to add ferts.

[cam191919]

well iv already had low light plants, i want to make the transition to high requirement plants

[Nolapete]

Then ahsupply.com for light kits
DIY or pressurized CO2 is required
I use dry ferts that I get from www.rexgrigg.com
I use Eco-complete planted as a substrate. It's mostly black, so it looks really nice.
Fordtrannyman has great plants.

[cam191919]

one of my main concerns was what kind of lights, iv read threads here and iv researched on other sites but id really like to know a someones personal preference for my situations

[Nolapete]

Anything is the 5000K-10000K for bulbs. Ahsupply.com has great reflectors and kits to retrofit lights. You won't find too much better in the way of price and performance. Their lights are CFLs.

[DAVIDFBT]

As far as CO2, you can either go pressurized or DIY. DIY is much cheaper at first and is pretty easy to replace about every 3-4 weeks. Pressurized is more expensive, but it last way longer than DIY and is cheaper in the long run. You will need to get a drop checker and make a 4kh solution to put in the drop checker's bowl along with some ph reagent to measure the amount of CO2 in the water.

[JAY973]

after seeing too many nice planted tanks here on AC, i want to start my own. well two of my own. planted tank are a hole in my knowledge of aquariums, so im lost in trying figure out a plan.

in short, i want to know lights, CO2, and ferts and how i would use them.

how would you set up a 20 long and a 29 gallon tanks for high light plants if they were yours?

i want to forget the lights i have, and get new fixtures and lights. id also be willing to change the substrate if i had to. tahitian moon in the 29 and run-of-the-mill white aquarium in the 20

whats up with CO2, if i make DIY setup do i have to keep changing the mixture every week?

whats the balance between lights CO2 and ferts?

if you have a similar setup, what are the specs?

im not willing to spend all my money on extreme luxuries, but that doesnt mean im gunna skimp out on the good stuff

please help if you can, this is somthing i really want.....:help:

There are no easy answers to these question because 100 different people can give a 100 different answers so I'll speak of personal experience.
Lighting- On a 120Gallon
A.) I've overdrive (4) 40w florescent bulbs with Lowes fixtures- descent growth out of Amazon plants, Javas.
B.) I've done (4) 55w PCs AhSupply retro-fit kits- descent growth on low-medium side crypts, ludwigia, rotola
C.) I've combined (2) 80W T5 Tek II reflector sunlight retro-fit kit and (2) 55w AHSupply PCs- better growth of the above and capable of high-medium plants and was enough to grow everything in the tank now.
D.) I'm now running 2 fixture 2 80w T5 bulbs each with shared reflector in each.

I was most pleased with "C" setup and now believe I would've gotten better results with 2 80w TekII retro-fit kits with individual reflectors.

Co2-
After doing a lot of research on DIY Co2 I took the leap right to pressurized Chemistry was not my thing :headshake2: Actually I read some of the horrors of DIY exploding bottles and the smell were deciding factors for me.

Substrate
The expense I never saw coming. I spent a small fortune on Flourite and I think personally that money would've been better spent on lighting from the beginning. During my 120 redo went with SMS Charcoal and I can't say I regret it but like anything it has it's pros and cons.

I also used inert sand which gave me by far the most problems in a 55 gal but that was my attempt at a low tech tank. A few grains of sand can distroy power filters. I had to replace impler shafts at least 1 a yr but was able to extend it further by putting a sponge on the intake.

Ferts
I too use dry ferts and mix in 248ml bottles to dose only what I need. Be very cautious and dbl check you calculations.

Test Kit
Spend the money on a good test for GH, KH, Po4, No3, No2, and Fe I use NutraFin.

Plant Selection
This area will pretty much determine what equipment you'll need. If you perfer more demanding plants it will kinda lead you where you need to be with lighting, ferts, and Co2.

My apologies for the long response but I think this is the kind of info you are looking for.

[cam191919]

^ yes, you hit it right on the nail, thanks a ton. im gunna spend a few hours checking out ahsuppy, id love to hear more setups...

[cam191919]

1 x 55 watt Bright Kit™

Item # 30551

$44.99

This collection of first class components lets you maximize the advantages of compact fluorescent lighting. Includes: one 8 ounce solid-state electronic ballast; one 22"L x 4"W x 2"H multi-angle MIRO 4 enhanced, polished aluminum reflector; one moisture-resistant endcap with cord; two steel bulb holders; one grounding power cord; wirenuts and screws needed for installation; optional-use pop-in vent covers, snap bushing, UV resistant cord clamp and nylon spacers; and ballast operation information and wiring diagram. Requires one 55 watt CF bulb (not included).

55W 21.1-5" 6700K 11556 $17.99

lets say i get that fixture with that bulb

- could i build a hood to for both my tanks with this, each 30 inches long?

- would this be sufficient lighting for high light plants?

[jpappy789]

Yes, or use your existing fixture stripped of all the electrical work. There should be a DIY hood page on the website.

With you 20 you're getting almost 3 wpg but with the 29 less than 2 wpg. Not really "high light" for either tank. You should be able to grow most plants, but nothing too picky.

It would probably be easier if you give us some ideas for which plant species you want to try.

[cam191919]

Yes, or use your existing fixture stripped of all the electrical work.

i like that idea, but if im going to end up getting more than one light i would want to build a fixture

hygrophilia, swords, various mosses. i want high lighting because i want to stay open to possibilities

would low level lights perrish in high lighting, or thrive?

[jpappy789]

They will do just fine in higher light, to an extent I would suppose. Just relatively faster growth.

[cam191919]

if one of the bulbs i picked is too small, than would two suffice?

gahh, just the bulbs are gunna cost me 80 bucks, probably more...

[JAY973]

i like that idea, but if im going to end up getting more than one light i would want to build a fixture

hygrophilia, swords, various mosses. i want high lighting because i want to stay open to possibilities

would low level lights perrish in high lighting, or thrive?

Well I have Hygrophila corymbosa v. 'Angustifolia' in a high tech tank (at least high tech by my definition) and it grows like mad. I think you'll have a hard time keeping this plant compact in a 20g L because its not that high. My Echinodorus cordifolius (Tropica Marble Queen) and Echinodorus osiris (Melon Sword) are not doing well in my 120g w/ high light but was doing great with the Lowes fixtures. I've even gone as far as putting these swords in the shadows and it hasn't helped. I have to admitt I haven't put much effort into what else could be the problem.

I also have flame moss tied to driftwood and its more prone to staghorn algae I think it's called.

Some planted tanks have lighting burst but these techniques vary as well. I have practiced low and high lighting burst. 1st fixture 2 80w comes on 11am and off @ 10pm for 11hrs and the 2nd on @ 12 and off @ 9pm. It gives me 1hr before and 1hr after of low light my version of dusk and dawn.

[cam191919]

do you think the hygro would be okay in the 29 gallon tank?

can anyone else help me with the lighting, how many bulbs, fixtures, etc

[Nolapete]

if one of the bulbs i picked is too small, than would two suffice?

gahh, just the bulbs are gunna cost me 80 bucks, probably more...

The retrofit kits from ahsupply.com are way less than that.

[JAY973]

When I was running 4x55w AhSupply I was mixing 2 GE 9325K (Pinkish) and 2 CoralLife 10000K. The GE were about $16 each min of 6 at some place on the web saved a few bucks in bulk. The coralife were considerably more expensive but I think there are alternatives to those too. You should be able to find comparable bulbs from light stores that aren't advertised as aquarium specific which sometimes are just repackaged as such at a mark up.

[TwoTankAmin]

Under no circumstances would i ever even consider using a 20L for high light plants- its way too shallow. Heck, I find my 50 gal high tech tank too shallow.

Running mostly low light plants in a high light tank will result in algae for sure.

I strongly suggest to folks looking to get into co2 added tanks that they consider 18 inches wide as a minimum.

[cam191919]

ok, so what if i kept the 20L on the lower lighting side, and the 29 higher.

iv seen bulbs at lowes marked for aquarium plants, but i dont know if they would work

right now the 20L has a 20W light wich i doubt can grow much past jave fern. and the 29 has lights for reptiles, but it was a great deal on craigs list so it really didnt matter.

i just want to know how many watts i would need for the tanks for plants would thrive under. pretty much JAY973's lights downgraded for my sized tanks so i could grow similar plants to his...

[TwoTankAmin]

I have jungles in 20Ls running from .8 to 1 wpg. It just doesnt happen overnight.

Ferns
Anubias
Crypts
Assorted Floaters

Sooner or later even these outgrow a 20L.

[JAY973]

iv seen bulbs at lowes marked for aquarium plants, but i dont know if they would work...

I have a Lowes fixture w/ 2 bulbs which are growing cypts, dwarf sag, and swords just fine in a 55gallon.


right now the 20L has a 20W light wich i doubt can grow much past jave fern. and the 29 has lights for reptiles, but it was a great deal on craigs list so it really didnt matter.

We have a local club member who is running a coralife 96W on a 20L w/o co2 or ferts and isn't battling algae but the plants requirements are higher lights like HC. Personally I'd leave that for the more experience but my point is it is possible.


i just want to know how many watts i would need for the tanks for plants would thrive under. pretty much JAY973's lights downgraded for my sized tanks so i could grow similar plants to his...

Many of the plants I have are fast growers. If you are doing Co2, Ferts and lighting to your 29gallon AhSupply 55w would do ok (2) 55w would do better. You have to keep in mind balance going from 1 light to 2 lights changes your Ferts as nutrients will be used faster with higher light.

I don't want to talk you into any specific lighting because for me it was all trial and error. As I gained more experience and wanted to try different species of plants my lighting, ferts and Co2 changed.