Hi! I've searched a little, but are there any posts about basic info? I have a single amazon sword plant in my tank that I just stuck in there, but I know nothing about aquatic plants, and would like to add many more, but thought I better do some research. I'm mostly confused about the whole CO2 thing, if I need to be adding anything to my tank to help them grow, etc. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Beginning plant info
- Thread starter dewilde2
- Start date
Gravel substrate
Just plain gravel in the bottom, about 1" deep, maybe 1 1/4"
I have one plant right now that I've had for a couple months and has grown, but I would like to add 6-7 more.
I'm not really sure what kind of lights I have- whatever kind typically come in a hood- fluorescent?. I'm not at home right now to check but I can and post that later. Thanks!
Just plain gravel in the bottom, about 1" deep, maybe 1 1/4"
I have one plant right now that I've had for a couple months and has grown, but I would like to add 6-7 more.
I'm not really sure what kind of lights I have- whatever kind typically come in a hood- fluorescent?. I'm not at home right now to check but I can and post that later. Thanks!
I think the first question you should ask yourself is how "into this" do you plan on getting. Do you want to just get by cheap for now, or do you want to set yourself up with "the perfect stuff" right away?
Here's my take on the basics:
Lighting: Watts per gallon is a good general estimate of adequate lighting in your tank. It quickly breaks down in very small or extra large tanks. For your tank I would steer for 2-3 watts per gallon. You would be able to grow quite a bit with that.
The type of bulbs don't really matter unless you can't fit them over your tank, or if your tank is extra deep (like over 24") and it has a hard time reaching the gravel through all the water. You mostly just need to worry about the K rating. Plants need "broad spectrum" bulbs. Marine bulbs are high in blue coloring, and the plants can't utilize this. Steer for around 6700K you can go as low as 4500 and as high as 10000K, but outside of that the plants won't utilize it well.
Gravel - You can easily make do with your plain old gravel... but then you should add some sort of tablets in order to provide substrate fertilizer. One option is to mix laterite with plain gravel. I personally have used eco complete in my 38g. It has the substrate nutrients, and needs no rinsing. There are other good options out there as well. Do some searching around.
Fertilizers - Other than light and substrate fertilizers, plants need water colum fertilization. You will need to account for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and micro elements. There are two main options for this.
1. liquid fertilizers - There are a variety of lines.. one is the flourish line available here: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2004+113221 I have used these with success... but I do hate paying for the water the fertilizer is mixed with.
2. A dry mix your own option is available here: http://www.gregwatson.com/
Do some searching around on that site for links to more info on amounts of each nutrient to give. Tom Barr has excellent info on what is called the "Estimative Index" in which you dose the estimated maximum amount of nutrients that plants will uptake 3x weekly. Then you "reset" your tank with a weekly 50% water change, and then start all over again.
Lastly you will need to dose CO2. Search around for DIY CO2. Pressurized is great, but it is also costly at first. DIY is a great option, and you will only need really a pop bottle, sugar, yeast, a little tubing, and some sort of diffuser to dissipate the CO2 into the tank. I have this system...http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=8981&N=2004+113779 but I do not buy the "activator" and "stabilizer" packets from them. Instead, I just do a DIY recipie in their container. I do find that in my 38, it really doesn't provide enough CO2 to keep algae away.
I think the critical point to summarize is that: The key to preventing algae is to steer for optimum plant growth by providing optimum nutrients. Good Luck!
Good resources are also found at:
www.barrreport.com
www.plantedtank.net
www.aquaticplantcentral.com
Here's my take on the basics:
Lighting: Watts per gallon is a good general estimate of adequate lighting in your tank. It quickly breaks down in very small or extra large tanks. For your tank I would steer for 2-3 watts per gallon. You would be able to grow quite a bit with that.
The type of bulbs don't really matter unless you can't fit them over your tank, or if your tank is extra deep (like over 24") and it has a hard time reaching the gravel through all the water. You mostly just need to worry about the K rating. Plants need "broad spectrum" bulbs. Marine bulbs are high in blue coloring, and the plants can't utilize this. Steer for around 6700K you can go as low as 4500 and as high as 10000K, but outside of that the plants won't utilize it well.
Gravel - You can easily make do with your plain old gravel... but then you should add some sort of tablets in order to provide substrate fertilizer. One option is to mix laterite with plain gravel. I personally have used eco complete in my 38g. It has the substrate nutrients, and needs no rinsing. There are other good options out there as well. Do some searching around.
Fertilizers - Other than light and substrate fertilizers, plants need water colum fertilization. You will need to account for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and micro elements. There are two main options for this.
1. liquid fertilizers - There are a variety of lines.. one is the flourish line available here: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2004+113221 I have used these with success... but I do hate paying for the water the fertilizer is mixed with.
2. A dry mix your own option is available here: http://www.gregwatson.com/
Do some searching around on that site for links to more info on amounts of each nutrient to give. Tom Barr has excellent info on what is called the "Estimative Index" in which you dose the estimated maximum amount of nutrients that plants will uptake 3x weekly. Then you "reset" your tank with a weekly 50% water change, and then start all over again.
Lastly you will need to dose CO2. Search around for DIY CO2. Pressurized is great, but it is also costly at first. DIY is a great option, and you will only need really a pop bottle, sugar, yeast, a little tubing, and some sort of diffuser to dissipate the CO2 into the tank. I have this system...http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=8981&N=2004+113779 but I do not buy the "activator" and "stabilizer" packets from them. Instead, I just do a DIY recipie in their container. I do find that in my 38, it really doesn't provide enough CO2 to keep algae away.
I think the critical point to summarize is that: The key to preventing algae is to steer for optimum plant growth by providing optimum nutrients. Good Luck!
Good resources are also found at:
www.barrreport.com
www.plantedtank.net
www.aquaticplantcentral.com