Hello! suggestions please!

S

SuzH

AC Members
Oct 7, 2010
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Anderson S.C.
Real Name
Suzanne
(I moved this post from the "introduce yourself" forum)...

I already have substrate down, 2 1/2 inches of aquariumplants.com substrate. I really want a grassy look with a rock or two. Minimalistic but full layer on the bottom of the tank.
I'll move this to the planted tanks section...

I have a 30 gal, long, that I want to plant. I have a few tetras, tank is cycled..
I need proper lighting. The tank is in a moderately bright window. I would like to find lighting that will supplement, but not over heat. As most, I would like the tank to be as low maintenance as possible.
Once I find the right lighting system I'm looking for, then I will purchase the plants. As mentioned above, I would like a "grassy field" type aquascape. I may also play around with creating a "tree" form.
Any suggestions will be more than welcome!
 
I'm beginning to narrow things down with a little research. I'm thinking of using either dwarf hairgrass or crystalwort with willow moss in a place or two as the carpet. Then I would like to have something tall (with a rock and driftwood) as a centerpiece, such as Tape grass, corkscrew Val. or African water fern. Once I decide on this, I guess I'll figure out the best lightning system.
I'm new to the planted tank world so would welcome any and all advice.
 
I'd recommend dwarf hairgrass over the riccia/crystalwort. Submerged riccia needs higher light & added co2, and maintenance can really be a pain.

If you add rocks, make sure they're bigger than what you think you want. Once plants/grass grows in, your rocks will shrink in stature.

I cannot give you lighting advice, but others here can. You need to also look into adding ferts (recommend EI dry dosing per the sticky at the top of this section) and whether or not you'll need additional carbon source (diy co2, flourish excel, etc).
 
For compact fluorescents, I would look at ahsupply.com. For T5s, I would look at catalinaaquarium.com. Both provide quality fixtures at an affordable and fair price. Actually, AH supply only sells kits, but if you're handy, you can retrofit Perfecto style hoods with their kits. It's not as difficult as you think. Both owners of these stores are very helpful. If you want low maintenance, 1.5-2 wpg should be your upper end limit. Also take into consideration that T5s are more efficient so wpg will be even less when using them.
 
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pssst... fishycat... riccia is a weed... the common type does not need co2... just the right parameters.... however... you are certainly correct... it is a weed that needs serious diligence to be kept in check. ;)
 
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