Spikor said:
Do i have to rinse out flora base before i put it in my tank? I am new to planted tanks. I bought a 30" 65W Compact Flourescent Satelite, two bags of Flora base for my 29 Gallon tank. Not sure what to do next. I have all the pieces but not sure exactly how to put it all together now. Oh and i am ordering a CO2 system:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19237&category_id=2873&pcid1=3349
Is this sufficient until I can afford a pressurived tank?
And can I boil some driftwood/rocks I find instead of paying $30 for a small piece?
what test kits should any plant tank have? any recommedations on good kits?
i am getting scared to start now that i have almost all the pieces! hahaha
Thanks
I've never used Flora Base and haven't seen anyone using it, so no idea on the rinsing of it. From what I have read by googling for it, people say one or two rinses should do it, and some say they never rinsed it. Also, I see that several folks, including Tom Barr (who's opinion I trust) dislike Florabase because it depletes in a year and has to be replaced. It is a very light substrate and it can cloud easily, but does settle.
As for what to do next, Start rinsing if you want, add the substrate to the tank, place decorations, get a filter going and then cycle your tank. The CO2 system you are looking at is sufficient, but really, check the CO2 sticky thread near the top of this forum. You can make your own O2 injector for less than ten bucks and likely have most of what it takes right in your home. On my 29 gallon tank I simply use Flourish Excel for carbon and my plants are doing really well with that.
Yes, if you find some driftwood, you can certainly boil it and use it. Rocks are kind of tricky. Some rocks can drive up the pH in your tankso are not recommended. You can put a drop of vinegar on any rock you want to check and if it sizzles or bubbles, then the rock would likely not do well for aquaria. I do know slate is fine to use, but I am unsure about other rocks.
I think a planted tank should have ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, ph, gH, KH, and phosphate tests myself. I use the Hagen/Nutra Fin Master Test Kit myself. Here is a link to it at Big Al's:
Master Test Kit.
Finally, don't be afraid to start. You have to get your feet wet (pun intended) at some point. I mean, if I can do this, you can.
