55g low light - low tech recommendations - suggestions much appreciated

t4runnr

t4runnr

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Sep 20, 2008
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Well, my tank is finally cycled (been a week at 0/0/4). Started out by transplanting my bolivian ram from my old 20g tank this one. The pair of bn plecos will follow. Then I'll follow that up with more fish later (haven't decided what to add yet but I will worry about that later).

What I want to do is put some low light plants. I don't have as much time as I would like to do a higher light/tech setup so I gotta start somewhere. I've done a lot of reading here and elsewhere. Its so much to take in that I don't even know where to begin.

Any suggestions on what I can put in the zones that I labelled in my photo? I'm assuming java fern, anubis, and crypts would be a good start but I don't know how/where they should be placed. Consider zones E and F as taller background type plants.

Current setup:
Fluval 406 canister filter
Aquaclear 50 HOB
150 watt heater - set to 76 deg
Tahitian black moon sand/flourite black sand mix
The lights are currently just a pair of 18w lights but my coworker is selling me a pair of 48w T5 fixtures within the week.

Your help/suggestions will be greatly appreciated and seriously considered.

Thanks in advance.


new tank.jpg

new tank.jpg
 
I helped my brother with the plants in his tank and i personally believe some type of anubias would look great in zone C. I havent ventured far into plants at all as i just started my first planted tank so i cant really say anything else for any of the other zones.

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A) A large amazon sword and maybe a few micro swords in front of it? OR blyxa(aubertii does fine in my low light) OR various crypts? Wendtii, pontedirifolia parva, etc...

B) Perfect spot for some anubias or java fern OR both! Use brown or green string and tie it securely to the wood, and after 1-2 months, remove string as the plants will root onto the wood:)

C) Maybe a carpet like plant such as hydrocotyle? I own tripartita sp 'japan' and it stays maybe a max of 4" above my substrate in my low light tank...pretty nice...OR maybe blyxa aubertii?

D) Ludwigia repens or some other type? Also a crypt or two in front of the rock near the marimo moss ball...

E) Jungle Vals would look nice and do well with the medium lighting(the T5's you said you're getting) OR Rotala Indica or Rotala Rotundifolia

F) Jungle Vals OR Rotala Indica or Rotala Rotundifolia


SIDE NOTE:)

For C & D you could also attach some anubias/java fern...

Hope that helps somewhat? :D
 
48W of T5 light makes this not a low light tank. Your pushing medium to high light.

That means that without CO2 you've got a bit of a challenge on your hands. You'll need to get some fast growers or something that covers the top to knock down the light levels.

So anubus or a moss is fine on the drift wood.

I personally like vals for a background plant. Spiral vals would probably work best.

On the left I'd look at something with a bit of a red color. Crypts won't grow fast enough but there's not much room for a large species. Maybe a stem plant you can trim to keep under control. Ludwigia might work.

A bacopia on the right side of the tank might give a good contrast.

Really anything you want can go into the tank but remember to try to stick with faster growers.
 
THE V said:
48W of T5 light makes this not a low light tank. Your pushing medium to high light.

That means that without CO2 you've got a bit of a challenge on your hands. You'll need to get some fast growers or something that covers the top to knock down the light levels.

So anubus or a moss is fine on the drift wood.

I personally like vals for a background plant. Spiral vals would probably work best.

On the left I'd look at something with a bit of a red color. Crypts won't grow fast enough but there's not much room for a large species. Maybe a stem plant you can trim to keep under control. Ludwigia might work.

A bacopia on the right side of the tank might give a good contrast.

Really anything you want can go into the tank but remember to try to stick with faster growers.
Click to expand...

I just spoke with my co-worker and I'm holding off on those lights. I'll look for something else. Thank you so much for that heads up. And thanks for the suggestions!
 
TheFishBoss97 said:
A) A large amazon sword and maybe a few micro swords in front of it? OR blyxa(aubertii does fine in my low light) OR various crypts? Wendtii, pontedirifolia parva, etc...

B) Perfect spot for some anubias or java fern OR both! Use brown or green string and tie it securely to the wood, and after 1-2 months, remove string as the plants will root onto the wood:)

C) Maybe a carpet like plant such as hydrocotyle? I own tripartita sp 'japan' and it stays maybe a max of 4" above my substrate in my low light tank...pretty nice...OR maybe blyxa aubertii?

D) Ludwigia repens or some other type? Also a crypt or two in front of the rock near the marimo moss ball...

E) Jungle Vals would look nice and do well with the medium lighting(the T5's you said you're getting) OR Rotala Indica or Rotala Rotundifolia

F) Jungle Vals OR Rotala Indica or Rotala Rotundifolia


SIDE NOTE:)

For C & D you could also attach some anubias/java fern...

Hope that helps somewhat? :D
Click to expand...

Thank you!! I will definitely look into those suggestions.
 
t4runnr said:
I just spoke with my co-worker and I'm holding off on those lights. I'll look for something else. Thank you so much for that heads up. And thanks for the suggestions!
Click to expand...

You could still make it work with those lights! I had 4X54 T5 HOs on my 72G(same depth as your 55G) and had minor algae issues(quite a bit on rear glass with a little on plants)...I'd say just 48 watts is maybe just into the medium range or so...As long as you dose flourish excel or something similar, you shouldn't be having that much algae(maybe a little on rocks/dw, but not really on plants)...Check out this SUPER CHEAP LED LIGHTING THO:D

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Fi...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item3f175ea5d9

I have some on my 10Gs and it works pretty nicely for my low-med light plants...I even grew some rotala nanjenshan(high light) for a while...

t4runnr said:
Thank you!! I will definitely look into those suggestions.
Click to expand...
no problem!:)
 
My progress so far. I tweaked the placement of the driftwood and rocks. I have anacharis in the right corner and Anubias on the driftwood. I have 3 more Anubias (frazeri) in my other tank getting treated for bba (grrrrr). I'm planning on some amazon swords, crypts, and more Anubias within the next couple months. I do like the Val idea as well.

DSC_0913.JPG



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Looking good! the one suggestion I have is regarding the 1st piece of DW on the left side in the pic...

it looks somewhat awkward so maybe push it in deeper(down if possible) OR tilt towards the left more? the middle piece looks perfect, just the 1st one seems a bit off balance if you see what I mean?
 
TheFishBoss97 said:
Looking good! the one suggestion I have is regarding the 1st piece of DW on the left side in the pic...

it looks somewhat awkward so maybe push it in deeper(down if possible) OR tilt towards the left more? the middle piece looks perfect, just the 1st one seems a bit off balance if you see what I mean?
Click to expand...

Thanks. Unfortunately those 2 pieces of dw that you see are actually one big single piece. The whole piece is pushed down quite a bit into the sand. I changed out the big rock on the left yesterday but haven't had a chance for any pics.


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