Newbie Questions: Getting Started.

Manix

Manix

Local Psychopath
Jan 3, 2002
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I want to have my 20 gal. lightly planted. I know nothing about live plants. Can you help me get started?

This is what I know about the tank:
I currently have an inch or so of estes medium gravel. Thats there to help get the tank started, I'm willing to change if need be.

Filtration is a Emporor 280 PF. I also have a Pinguin 170 in there temporarily.

The tank is a 20 gallon tall intended for two fish. A male betta and a 4 1/2 in. Rhino pleco (obviously he'll get bigger).

Lighting is a 24" 19 watt Fluorescent bulb. with glass hood. the majority of the time the light is left off in a very dim room.

My average water readings are:
PH 8.0 Striaght from tap.
Amm. 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
KH 5 dGH

Please let me know what I need to change in my tank to help get started with some simple plants.

Thankyou!
 
You could get started with plants without changing anything if you wanted. You could go with low-light plants such as watersprites, cryptocoryne, java fern. If you want to expand your options the first thing to change would be your lighting. You currently have less than 1w/g and the fact that you have a 'tall' aquarium compounds the problem. If you upped your lighting to 2w/g you would expand the types of plants which would thrive in your tank. Once you've done that maybe consider CO2 injection.

HTH.

Have fun.
 
more like welcome back manix.

but so as to not cause confusion with the newbies, welcome manix.

but, up the light to 2/wpg
add co2
if you want stalk plants you might consider taking out the gravel and adding a layer of pond soil and then adding the gravel on top of that. warning for this type of fertalizer: add soil and gravel when tank is dry. make sure there is at least 1 incho f soil and maybe 3 inches of gravel. then add water by sticking a container in the tank and filling the container by means of hose and letting it overflow over the sides, rather than dumping buckets of water and disturbing the gravel and dirt.

im no scientist or expert of ferts, but diane walstead (sp?) says that your flake food, if left to be broken down in the gravel over time, provides ample nutrients for the plants. your filter and plants will make sure the ammonia and nitrites are down durring the decomposing stage of the fish food.

maybe add a log if you want to lower pH. CO2 will help, but not considerably. your low kh will help to keep the pH down once it reaches a certain pH. my 50 has 3 new logs in it and the pH is down from 7.8 to 6.5. I have CO2, but its not a consistent supply. I also have the dirt under my gravel, which could add to the acidity do to organic matter. the siol wasnt very organic tho, so im judging the lowering of pH in my tank is caused by the logs.

good luck.
 
Simpler idea: Since your tank already has a glass top, you can get another 20-watt strip light and keep it side-by-side with the one you've already got. That's my set-up, and it's working fine. Since yours is a tall tank, I would definitely add more light, and this is the simplest way. And for plants, you'll need to leave your lights on all day (12-14 hours is good).

Here's a couple of 24" fluorescent bulb suggestions that don't cost much: I'm using a "plant-grow" 24" bulb I got from Lowe's for $6, alongside a 24" bulb called "Sunlight" I got at Walmart for $6 (made by GE, I think. I'm pretty sure the name is "Sunlight"; it comes in an orange tube, and puts out 5000K). By shopping around, you can get light that's just as good from places like Home Depot or Lowe's, instead of paying for overpriced bulbs at your lfs. You should replace them every six months or so, because they lose potency after that time, even though they haven't burnt out yet.

The Lowe's plant-grow bulb is dim to the human eye, but puts out a great spectrum for plants; it also looks great in the evening, when I turn off the other light. The Sunlight bulb looks great for the human eye during the day, and the 5000K is also good for plants.

I noticed your tapwater is 8.0--that's high. I also noticed that you've got Estes medium (brown?) gravel in your tank. Look closely--I think that stuff contains crushed shell pieces. If it does, that will drive your pH up even higher. You might want to change gravel to, say, the Estes dark brown color, which is the same size gravel but contains no shells. Most aquarium plants don't do so well in a pH above 7.4, they say, but I've got 7.8 and my plants are doing okay.

I just use gravel in my planted tank--but make sure it's the small variety (1/8" to 1/4" size), about 2"-3" deep. It's a good size for holding down new plants when you plant them, and it's easier for them to send out roots, too. Because I only have gravel in the substrate, I add a dose of liquid fertilizer once a week, too. Everybody seems to swear by Fluorite, so I'm trying that now.

You will LOVE live plants. So will your fish.

-- Pat
 
Groovy. Thanks for all the help. I'm gonna try to find some Java Fern first. Low light plants are still my best option, I can't really leave the lights on all day with me being out of the house.
I'll read back over your posts and links and post questions as I think of them.
Thanks Again!
 
Timer

I just use one of those timers that plugs into your wall outlet. You can get them at any hardware store or even your basic Target/WalMart/FredMeyer type place. Lights turn on at 7, off at 9 (for me that is - you can set whatever times you want).

This won't work if you've got a non-electronic ballast, i.e., the kind where you have to hold the button down while the light sputters on.

HTH.
 
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