A few questions:

J

jakaufman

AC Members
May 22, 2007
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First of all, hi everyone!

I am new to the freshwater plant hobby. I have a 90g saltwater tank and have had some fish-only freshwater tanks in the past. This was back when I was using an undergravel filter and knew next to nothing about how my tank was actually working.

I have been researching what I will need to set up my old tank for plants in my new apartment and have a few questions.

1. Flow - I haven't read much at all about flow or powerheads. This is a huge factor in saltwater and I figured I would need some powerheads in freshwater as well. What kind of flow do I need and how direct/powerful should it be?

2. Substrate - I am unsure about what is best for a beginner. Should I put extra money into the fancy substrates? Do they need peat under them? If I don't need that, where is a good place to get a reliable and safe substrate?

3. Co2 - This is new to me. I read the sticky about DIY Co2 systems and that seems pretty straightforward. But.. I have also read about pressurized systems. What is the cost of a pressurized system and how would I set one up? What are the advantages? Should I be ok with a simple one for my 30g tank? Also, what is the bubble counters and diffusers? I am not exactly sure how to set up the system to put the Co2 into the tank. Do you attach an airstone on the end of the tube and just let it bubble?

4. Fertilizing - It appears from what I've read that "bulk" is the cheapest/most effective method of adding nutrients. What should I be testing and adjusting on a regular basis? I currently have the following test kits on my list: pH, dH, kH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, potassium. What other test kits do I need? And back to the fertilizers, where is a good place to buy them and how do I actually dose the tank?

5. Stocking - What are some good categories of plants that are popular and look good? I don't even know where to start with the plants. Next, what kind of fish can I put into a planted tank? Again, where should I start with planning the livestock?


I am sure I will add more to this list when its not 3 AM.

Thanks in advance for the immense amount of help I am sure these forums will provide.

-Joe
 
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1 not as important. i dont have any power heads in my tank just the canister filters.
2 its not going to hurt. i have had great growth and luck with very cheap gravel from lowes. eco complete is nice plant gravel. there are a few others also sand can be used.
3 cost depends. i have got used set ups for $100. you would be able to get one for 150-200 depending on where you get it. if you went diy it would prob need a couple bottles on the tank. bubble counter is just that something used to count how many bubbles are getting into the tank. diffuser breaks the co2 up so it gets into the water. you want to break the co2 up as much as you can. the intake of a powerhead intake of a filter diffuser reactor many ways to do this.
4 thats all the test kits you need. you adjust by a few factors such as the tests or the growth rates or many factors.
5 you have many options. as long as you keep away from fish that are known to dig you should be fine.

you can order ferts and a good regulator here. (never order my self before but know many who have.... havent heard anything bad yet.... lol)
http://www.bestaquariumregulator.com/

also explains more about plants
http://www.rexgrigg.com/index.html
 
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I was looking at ahsupply and plan on getting my lighting from there. My tank is a 30g and I am unsure if I should go with 2x55w (which is a lot of light.. 3.6 wpg) or 1x55w (just under 2wpg). I don't have too much extra money and haven't gotten into the research for CO2 injection..but it sounds confusing! That led me to feel that I may go for the lower wpg and just get the lower light requirement plants. Is this the way for me to go? Honestly, I just started the research tonight and my tank has at least 2 weeks before its even got water in it.. let alone substrate, lights, or plants!
 
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That is what I wanted originally, but I would rather buy a pre-built enclosure and my tank is 30" long. The 36w lights don't fit in the 30" enclosures.

I guess I could hang it or something like metal hallides but that seems like overkill
 
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A planted tank creates a lot of resistance to flow. So you need more water movement than a fish only tank but less than a reef tank. If you don't have good water flow though the tank you will end up with dead spots.

Mgamer has already linked to my Guide. It is a good place to start to get the basics.
 
I read the whole guide Rex :) that was very helpful and answered a lot of my questions.

As for building my own top.... I haven't ever really tried that before. I'm sure it would look like crap but I could probably get it functional at least. Any resources on fabricating enclosures?

As for the CO2, would it make sense to start with just a basic DIY one and then upgrade in the future?

And substrate: if I buy some gravel at loews or home depot, what do I need to check to be sure it will be aquarium-safe?

EDIT:
another 2 questions I thought of -
Where are some good places to buy plants online? Is LiveAquaria good for freshwater? (I love it for my SW tank)

Second - Should I stock inverts in a freshwater tank? Are snails or anything recommended or are they a nuisance?
 
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www.ahsupply.com has plans for building a basic enclosure.

DIY CO2 can and will work fairly well on smaller tanks. But personally after having done it for quite some time I would just go right to a pressurized system.

Unless you are lucky most of the gravel at a hardware store is going to be too large for use in a planted aquarium. To test it you use muriatic acid. If it bubbles or fizzes then it will affect the water chemistry. If you have pool stores you can use pool filter sand. It works quite well.

I buy all my plants from www.aquabotanic.com (they are local to me but have great prices and selection) or from the Swap and Shop forum at www.plantetank.net

Many people run snails in a planted tank. Not always by choice. Most everyone that can has some form of shrimp.
 
Aqua Botanic seems like an excellent place to buy plants. How does shipping affect the plants? Of course I am going to look for a LFS that I can pick and choose at, but online ordering is definitely a good alternative.

New question: Decor
Where is a good place to get some driftwood or rocks? How do you get plants to attach to them?
 
Gah I am confused again.

I found this on a site which had a discussion of how to create "Amano" style aquariums:
"
1. Never add untreated tap water to your aquarium plants.
Even if the aquarium has no fish; NEVER add chloramine laden tab water to your aquarium. Chloramine is deadly to aquarium plants! Within 2-3 days of adding chloramine to your aquarium, your plants will begin to show the initial damage in the form of "melting" . When using tap water, pre-treat it first in a separate container w/ AMQUEL and THEN add it to the aquarium. Damage can also be done to plants by chloramine if added untreated to an aquarium after a large water change."



BUT
On Rex's site it says:
"So long as you are able to drink your tap water without harm it can be used to grow plants."

Whats this thing about chloramine? Should I just ask my water company if its in the water or something? (I am used to RODI water for my saltwater tank but won't have that as an option in my apartment)
 
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