Starting out with plants

C

CaptnDan

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Oct 21, 2004
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I've had plants in the past, but not very many. I'm trying something a bit different now...

This is one end of my tank... other end is unplanted, but when I find decent plants it will get taken care of. Selection has been really poor around here lately. It's a 55g, running about 1.5 WPG plus reflectors for the little extra kick.

By the way, how do you keep Banana plants from drifting from where you place them?

I'm fertilizing with Flourish, but I am concerned that I may have to do something else too.... my tap water is conditioned so it's super soft.

Here's a look...

P1010015.jpg
 
I dig a small hole in the substrate and put the banana plant in making sure to leave a small portion of the green bananas sticking out and then fill the hole in. The plant as it roots will lock itself into the substrate.
 
You can use a general hardness additive, Kent makes one. I also use Kent Freshwater Plant, which is similar to flourish.
 
Okay, I'm a newbie and decided to check out the aquatic plant forum. I love that huge leaved plant in the middle of your tank. What is it, and is it one of the harder plants to grow? Right now I have 90% fake plants, but after seeing your tank, I think I need to switch over to real plants - and soon. :)
 
Ratherbe : Here's a link to it...

http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_martii.php

It's supposed to be relatively undemanding... we'll see. I love the way it looks, it's a great centerpiece plant.

By the way, all the plants in the pic represent a total investment of just over $20 so it's not a real bank account breaking project... And the look they give the tank can't be rivaled by even the best of fakes... IMHO.
 
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Dan, it looks AWESOME! I'd say you're doing very well.

In addition to Flourish (that supplies only trace nutrients) you may want to think about Excel as a source of carbon, can be used instead of CO2 injection. Also, you probably want your macronutrients, nitrogen phosphorus and potassium. Flourish also makes a line of all the macros, but for a 55 gal, dry powdered ferts may be the way to go. They're much cheaper. gregwatson.com has them for ridiculously cheap! I got almost a lifetime's supply of potassium sulfate powder for $2.17!

BTW, I prefer Flourish for my traces because it's more complete than any other I've found, Kent FW included.
 
plah831 said:
Dan, it looks AWESOME! I'd say you're doing very well.

In addition to Flourish (that supplies only trace nutrients) you may want to think about Excel as a source of carbon, can be used instead of CO2 injection. Also, you probably want your macronutrients, nitrogen phosphorus and potassium. Flourish also makes a line of all the macros, but for a 55 gal, dry powdered ferts may be the way to go. They're much cheaper. gregwatson.com has them for ridiculously cheap! I got almost a lifetime's supply of potassium sulfate powder for $2.17!

BTW, I prefer Flourish for my traces because it's more complete than any other I've found, Kent FW included.
Click to expand...

Thank You!

I was definitely wondering about the Macros... I read the label on the Flourish and the amounts they quoted seemed really small... fractions of a percent, though I'm not even sure what unit of measure they are even referring to.
:huh:

What products do I need to get for the Nitrogen and Phosphate? Also, is it possible to mix them together into a soup that I can just dose when needed? (Whenever that may be.. LOL)

I read some of the stickies here and all, but unfortunately due to the fact that I have been on muscle relaxers and narcotic pain relievers for the better part of six weeks now my comprehension isn't what it should be with complex subjects... I'm a bit dulled to say the least....

Thanks again!
 
you can mix macros all together. I've heard not to dose micros and macros on the same day as they might precipitate out of solution. However, mixing them together makes it harder for you to dose specific amounts of each.

For N you can get KNO3 and for P, KPO4 (or whatever the chemical abbreviation for monopotassium phosphate is :D ). Obviously, those two will add some potassium, so you might be able to get away without the need for an extra K supplement. However, K is very hard to overdose so I just add some anyway.

The ideal ratio of macros is 10:1:10, N:P:K. Most people keep N in the 5-10 ppm range, and so P would be 0.5-1.0 ppm.

Here's a couple links to help you dose (I tried doing the calculations by hand, and those definitely were worse than being on pain meds!)
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...fertilator.php? (You'll need to register)
or http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm (no registration required :) )

Welcome to the world of EI dosing (Estimative Index)! Don't you feel like a big boy now?


edit: It's KH2PO4. I remember my chemistry! :D
 
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Thanks for the great info! I really appreciate it.

For Nitrate, as long as I keep the proper level in my tank I shouldn't have to dose it, right? I mean, the fish can handle that part for me?

Under normal circumstances, I am pretty sure I wouldn't be quite so thick, but for a person who considers Aleve to be a heavy duty pain killer, Lortab10 for an extended period has really got me off my game...
 
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Being that your tank is low-light, I wouldn't start dosing Nitrogen and Phosphate until you see indications of needing it (ie. your nitrate reads 0 or you see green spot algae on the tank glass indicating possible low phosphate or the plants show deficiency, etc). Your low light situation will make for slower growing plants and reduced nutrient uptake. The fish waste may provide enough of N and P for you in this case, and any excess you add could benefit algae. Do watch for algae and ID it - this is a great gauge for telling you what the plants may need a boost of.

Flourish is good for the micros, and it's not a bad idea to dose Potassium as well.
 
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