View Full Version : to plant or not to plant...
Weebis
11-03-2009, 8:58 AM
that is the question...
so, i am setting up my 75 gallon tank and im not sure if i want to go with live plants or not...i think to start i dont want to, but then once i get a bit more comfortable, i would like to...can i just buy the plant substrate and set up with it as normal even if i dont plan on adding plants for 6 months or so???
right now i have a fine sand on the bottom, about 3 inches deep
Crispino Ramos
11-03-2009, 9:13 AM
Why not? Just do it! :)
Weebis
11-03-2009, 9:17 AM
well, tbh, i (my wife) just had a baby 5 weeks ago, and would like sumtin that doenst take a lot of time...i know fish only would be pretty eas, but i think i may just try to stick with the sand i have now and see if i can grow a few plants and add more if i want later..im not sure...
sardesign
11-03-2009, 9:29 AM
well just make sure you clean that sand as bacteria can grow in pockets formed by the sand compacting. you can use the plant substrate (like that seachem product) even without plants as it's not very rough for most bottom feeders (if you have any). plants don't take much time unless you get into CO2 and dry ferts. if you want to give it a try, make sure you buy enough plants at once as you need a high enough bio mass to make the attempt as successful as you can. you can pick up some liquid ferts (i.e. Pfertz) fairly cheap and you just need to squirt them in once a day (follow instructions). get low light plants so you just need (2) compact fluorescent lamps (65 or 96 watts each) and you are set. i keep a 100 gallon planted aquarium and i've given up on CO2 as it does take a bit of time to setup and keep regulated. the liquid ferts are well worth the little extra expense.
just my 2 cents.
bushwhacker
11-03-2009, 12:22 PM
thats not even a question of course you should plant it LOL... JMO of course. sand works great for plants..heres my 75 sand bottom no ferts no co2
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n438/bushwhacker_01/10-16-09.jpg
and my 55 same set up
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n438/bushwhacker_01/09-18-09006.jpg
Weebis
11-03-2009, 2:37 PM
[QUOTE=bushwhacker;2166347]thats not even a question of course you should plant it LOL... JMO of course. sand works great for plants..heres my 75 sand bottom no ferts no co2
how do you care for your sand? do you have inverts to stir it? do you clean it? vac it during water change? leave it?
lighting isnt a problem at all for...at least it shouldnt be, i have a 4 bulb T-5 tek light..i plan on using only 2 bulbs tho...
are all those plants low light? liek i said im not worried about light, but from what i have read, more light means more of everything else..
You need to stir sand (at least anywhere that there isn't plant roots) each time you do a water change.
Inverts don't do a very good job of stirring sand because they only go where Oxygen is available (and it's the anaerobic pockets you're trying to avoid). People say MTS stir sand... they do, but they're really not THAT usefull and don't go but just below the surface.
Sand is all you need. Rooted plants will appreciate root tabs though.
Weebis
11-03-2009, 3:10 PM
so would you say to stir the whole thing? its 3 inches deep, 4 inches in sum spots...i come from reefing so im trying to forget everything i know from there...in a reef, you cant stir all the sand or you will polute the water...i had a deep sand bed for years and never touched it and didnt have problems...tho i had bunches of snails that did it for me
i may have to rethink this, as if i stir this its going to make a sandstorm...
should i maybe remove sum of the sand?
and another thing, id liek to eventually get sumtin to cover the whole ground, what happens when that happens? i wont be able to stir at all?
Hollygirl
11-03-2009, 3:18 PM
You can add a substrate like Eco-Complete to the sand. For an easy to care for low light plant check out Anubias. There are many varieties and they are undemanding. I have quite a few of them in my three tanks and the roots just have to be anchored on top of the substrate or they can be tied to something like driftwood.
stratusfearrr
11-03-2009, 4:46 PM
DO IT! planted tanks.. RULE. Mine started out as a simple tank with not much in it, and now its turning into a hardcore planted tank. Without co2 and ferts they are simple to take care of. Also, the liquid ferts (seachem line) is definately worth it.
theicequeen
11-03-2009, 5:59 PM
DO IT! planted tanks.. RULE. Mine started out as a simple tank with not much in it, and now its turning into a hardcore planted tank. Without co2 and ferts they are simple to take care of. Also, the liquid ferts (seachem line) is definately worth it.
:iagree: I love my plants and will never go back to plastic.
I stir the full depth of mine- but mine is only an inch deep at it's deepest part. I stir mine right before doing a water change- first few times water got cloudy- but it doesn't any more- all the floating particles are out now.
The idea with freshwater is you don't want anaerobic pockets... because sulphuric gas compounds can build up... (although I've also read that although they can- they're not really a threat and it's a myth that they are.)
The only thing that makes the water a little cloudy is the chemical reaction between the baking soda and liquid calcium I add to each water change to up my GH/KH and pH for my snails. (one of the by-products of mixing baking soda and liquid calcium is calcium-carbonate... chalk).
I don't stir where I have plants... I actually only stir two tiny spots that are the only spots not planted (or covered by caves).
coach_z
11-04-2009, 7:11 AM
i now prefer the planted look but i see many reasons to not plant the tank as well.... if you want to plant it you can plant in regular small sized gravel and not have to worry about stirring.
keep some low light plants (java fern, java moss, mosses in general, wisteria, water sprite and maybe some floating plants) and you wont need root tabs, co2, fertilizers, etc.
ODPILOT
11-08-2009, 7:17 PM
Planted tanks look more like the real deal (as in nature) and a well planted tank will remove impurities and ntirates from the water. You must have very bright lighting for most aquatic plants - running atleast 110 watts of flourescent lighting in, say a 55 gallon tank. Your substrate, the sand, is probably lacking of any nutrients. Flourite substrate has nutrients that plants need and will thrive better than just plain sand. Nevertheless, buy some sort of plant fertilizer and add it to the water as per the manufacturer recommendation. If you don't have enough light the plants will die. If you don't have enough C02, the plants will die as well. So the key to having the plants thrive is good lighting, enough CO2 and good substrate and/or fertilizer in the water. If you pull it off, the look and health of your tank and fish will be very rewarding.
brittanyd0203
11-11-2009, 7:03 PM
I started out the hobby with just fake plants and now I ONLY use live plants. I would highly recommend using live plants since the add oxygen, help lower certain toxin levels, and look great. Plus, I've noticed that my fish spend a lot of time playing in the plants now. You could start out with a few low maintenance plants and see how you like it.
bushwhacker
11-12-2009, 3:17 PM
[QUOTE=bushwhacker;2166347]thats not even a question of course you should plant it LOL... JMO of course. sand works great for plants..heres my 75 sand bottom no ferts no co2
how do you care for your sand? do you have inverts to stir it? do you clean it? vac it during water change? leave it?
lighting isnt a problem at all for...at least it shouldnt be, i have a 4 bulb T-5 tek light..i plan on using only 2 bulbs tho...
are all those plants low light? liek i said im not worried about light, but from what i have read, more light means more of everything else..
i really do nothing to my sand, other than a quick vacume. i dont stir it or stick the vac down into it all the plants are low light, swords ,vals, crypts, java moss some sort of hygro i think. lighting on the 55 is just under 1.5 wpg t5, and on the 75 the lights claim to be 216 watts of t8 but i think the 55 is brighter
BioHazard
11-12-2009, 3:43 PM
PLLLLLAAAAAAANT! Its SO easy, as long as you keep it low tech. You'll get the occasional algae outbreak, but the beauty is WELL worth it.
enthusiast
11-12-2009, 4:02 PM
PLANT. hands down- no reason not to
the easiest/simplest of plants can grow almost maintenance-free, in the shade, without any added attention besides regular trimming.
not to mention u can possibly sell your trimmings online on forums just like these and reinvest that money into your fishtanks.
a planted tank is a healthier tank- proven. better for every aspect of fishtank-keeping. the water, the fish, the snails, shrimps, & anything else you ever keep in the tank will be healthier with even just a few plants