First planted tank

Tyler718

Tyler718

AC Members
Feb 17, 2002
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Stafford, Va
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David
My wife got me a 20g tank for Valentines Day. I'm planning on trying my hand at plants for the first time. The lighting that came with it is a roughly 2.5 watts per gallon. I'm ordering enough Flourite for the substarte by itself. I am also planning on using CO2. For filtration a Penguin 125 came with it and a 100 watt heater.

What kind of plants can I keep in this tank? Is this enough filtration or the right kind of filter? Is there anything I missed?
 
At 2.5 wpg you can probably grow just about anything you want. Everything sounds good, just keep any eye on how much surface agitation that Penguin causes. That will lower your CO2 concentration. What method of CO2 injection do you plan on using?
 
I'm gonna keep up with this post! I have the same setup except for two differences: I have 50/50 Flourite/Sand, and I only have 2wpg. I just built my own light setup and I am using one 20watt Phillips "Natural Color" bulb (5000K, 92 CRI), and one 20 watt Phillips "Daylight Deluxe" (6500K, 84 CRI). Both of these are from Home Depot and I just got a standard 24" double flourescent strip light (I'm sure it's a magnetic ballast:( ) I am on limited funds and this should get me started in the plant arena, anyways! I think I will try out the Nutrafin "Natural Plant System" which is just a glorified DIY CO2 setup, but it's got a nicer look to it than a soda bottle and it has a decent diffuser for a small tank.

I also have a Penguin 125, and a Hagen 100w Heater. I'm building a simple wood canopy to support the strip light fixture. Let me know any ideas you all have! I don't think the surface agitation is too bad with my HOB, so I think this is fine, I wanted limited water current, but a good bio-filter. I have a betta that will be an inhabitant! I also am thinking about a Duetto DJ-100 (up to 76gph) to help with bottom circulation a bit. I will probably aim it near the CO2 diffuser to help mix it into the water column some more. Anyone have experience with these small internal filters?
 
Originally posted by bodine
What method of CO2 injection do you plan on using?
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Right now that is what I'm researching. So many choices.:) Any suggestions that won't break my bank?
 
i'd ditch the biowheel. causes co2 losses, and you wouldn't really need it anyway (plants will be taking care of your nitrogen compounds).

you could just do a diy co2 setup and use the impellor on the power filter as a very easy way to break up the bubbles. not quite as effective as other methods, but much less obtrusive.
 
Originally posted by tyler
i'd ditch the biowheel. causes co2 losses, and you wouldn't really need it anyway (plants will be taking care of your nitrogen compounds).
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The way it's returning the water to the tank right now is pretty smooth. It's not disturbing the water that much at all, but I never though of that. I have an extra AC200 on another tank that I can change it out with. That is probably what I'm going to do. Since this is the only filter that is going to on this tank.


you could just do a diy co2 setup and use the impellor on the power filter as a very easy way to break up the bubbles. not quite as effective as other methods, but much less obtrusive.
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I just found this on Big Al's site. Does anybody know anything about this PLANT GRO CO2 NATURAL SYSTEM by Hagen. It looks interesting, but this is all new to me.

I need advice on this. Thanks.
 
Hey Tyler,
I actually use two of them on my 55 gal planted. (co2 system)I think that it does a good job, and my plants pearl everyday. I started using them about 3 weeks ago and they are going strong. I did start one 3 days later to offset the delay of the yeast creating co2. But I like them because I don't have to have a (potentially) dangerous CO2 container around my family.

I also use Flourish Iron, Trace, Potassium, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Excel. My plants are under 220 watts of light and they grow like mad. In fact, I just took some plants to the LFS because I was overgrown. I have a Flourite bed as well. No algae.
 
The Hagen Plant Gro system works on the same principle as DIY co2 (its ingredients are just fancy names for yeast, sugar, and baking soda) that many of us use. It is more expensive, but comes with a good diffusor (I hear). I do think its a bit too small since how long the yeast can generate CO2 is proportional to the ammount of water diluting their metabolic wastes (alcohol). Look into DIY CO2 too, it may save you some money. For larger tanks with higher ammounts of light, i highly recommend using the pressurized set up. It made a world of difference in my 55G.
 
Originally posted by Tyler718
The way it's returning the water to the tank right now is pretty smooth. It's not disturbing the water that much at all, but I never though of that. I have an extra AC200 on another tank that I can change it out with. That is probably what I'm going to do. Since this is the only filter that is going to on this tank.
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It's not so much the return path, but the 'wheel itself. All that surface area, and exposing water to air is the problem. CO2 outgasses pretty easily.

The aquaclear will be excellent - buy an extra piece of the sponge foam. Two foam blocks is all you need in the filter for a plant tank. One thing you can do to make it even better is take a piece of plexi about 1" long and as wide as the 'waterfall' and silicone it to the outflow at a shallow angle. I've done this on my 20g, and it cuts down on the ripples even further. Be sure that you fill the tank at least to the bottom edge of the outflow path.
 
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