Starting a High Light Tank with Rare Plants

[Roan Art]

I'm working on a web page and article (for here) on creating Papua New Guinea and Australian biotopes. Most of the PNG plants are very high light and VERY hard to get. I've found out -- the hard way -- that a lot more planning is involved with this type of thing. So, is this the best way to do it:

Assuming the tank is brand new --

1) Get tank, lights, CO2, ferts
2) Plan aquascape
3) Get a ton of fast growing, algae out-competing plants
5) Plant the fast growers in the tank in basically the same pattern you want your "good" plants to go in
6) Get your CO2 and lights going, start dosing ferts on an appropriate schedule
6) As each of your new plants arrives, replace the plants with the new ones and move the old ones to another part of the tank
7) Repeat #6 until you are waiting on your last few plants or run out of space
8) Begin removing the old plants until all your new plants are in the tank.

Is this feasible? Is this a good course of action?

Roan

 

[reiverix]

Sounds like a plan. I'm assuming this is all being done in preparation for the fish. A silent cycle?

You have number 6 twice and no number 4

 

[Riso-chan]

Sounds like it will be an achievement worth bragging about if you really pull it off. I can imagine how the rare plants are going to hurt your wallet. Unless of course, if you could find someone nice enough who is a native to Austrailia or Papua New Ginea that would collect and ship them to you that would be helpful. Good luck though.~Angela

 

[Roan Art]

Sounds like a plan. I'm assuming this is all being done in preparation for the fish. A silent cycle?

You have number 6 twice and no number 4

Away wi' yah!

Yes, done in preparation for fish, but can be done for previously cycled tank with little or no plants or very low lighting. Can do a silent, but I've never done one. I just throw Bio Spira in with the fish.

It assumes that the lighting will be new and 3.5wpg and up and helps guarantee no rampaging algae like I had (HAVE, I think the BGA is coming back) in the first tank I tried to do.

Any words of advice or corrections? Other than my numbers being wacked?

Roan

 

[Roan Art]

Sounds like it will be an achievement worth bragging about if you really pull it off. I can imagine how the rare plants are going to hurt your wallet. Unless of course, if you could find someone nice enough who is a native to Austrailia or Papua New Ginea that would collect and ship them to you that would be helpful. Good luck though.~Angela

It's not so much the cost as finding them. That's the frustrating part! I've a long list and the plants aren't *that* expensive (to me), but locating sources of GOOD plants is very difficult and it's impossible to source them all from one place or person. It's taken me close to 5 months to find all the plants I wanted. Sigh.

Most of the stem plants I get are 1-2$ per stem, but one I found was $13 --PER STEM! That's too expensive for me. Plants are risky and there's no guarantee that they'll even survive in my tank, let alone propagate.

Also, there have been a couple of occasions where I had to buy a plant in "bulk" in order to get it. Ie: 10 bunches of 5 stems for 50 plants. That's okay for me since I have five tanks to put them in, but if you only have one tank . . .

As for finding someone to ship them direct, I've got a line on a dude who knows a dude who knows another dude who lives in PNG and I'm hoping something will come of it. You never know

Roan

 

[reiverix]

Any words of advice or corrections? Other than my numbers being wacked?

You seem to know what you're doing and have been more than patient waiting for the plants. Go for it

 

[got_nailed]

I have found that for a lot of the more exspive plants need to have the substrate well used before they grow good. I try for at least 3 months before adding anything to pricey. PM me a list of what your looking for and I’ll talk to some of my friends to see if anyone has any of them. I do know someone that has a lot of stuff form over sees.

 

[Tom.E]

Roan, if you main goal is propagation, you might want to try growing the plants emmersed. Solves all CO2 and algae problems.

And make sure the imported plants aren’t on any no-no lists.


Tom

 

[Roan Art]

Hey, Tom! Long time no hear

Roan, if you main goal is propagation, you might want to try growing the plants emmersed. Solves all CO2 and algae problems.

Dang. This is why I like it when you pop in here. You have great ideas I do want to propagated these plants since I need to supply five or six tanks with them. I've never grown emersed so I'll have to read into it.

And make sure the imported plants aren’t on any no-no lists.

Another good point. The ones I've gotten thus far were from American on-line companies, so they should be kosher. I've ordered a few from AquaBid and one of them appears to be on the noxious list. Interesting. Limnophila sessiliflora is apparently Federally banned:

http://plants.nrcs.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi?earl=noxious.cgi

however, it does not exactly say what the ban relates to. I mean, does that mean aquaria or in the wild or what? From what I've gathered so far you need a permit and there are special conditions for bringing the plant into the USA.

Dunno. Gonna email the guy I bought it from and see what he says.

Roan

 

[RTR]

RA - as new member in GWAPA, just FYI, but lots of rare to rarish stems come in for dirt cheap auction routinely, plus other goodies. Hmm - Australian biotopes? Val nana on the wish list? Three members have it and one more is trying it currently. A gift from Kasselman (sp?).