Suggestions for my new 37 Gallon
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Go slow, learn about growing plants before you plunge head first into a high light tank. Starting out with 4-5wpg is a surefire way of quitting the hobby, talking from experience here.
At 4wpg you have very little room for mistakes. Consistent CO2 is a must, the DIY method won't cut it. Ferts on a daily basis is a must, you forget a few days and algae will become a major problem quickly. Lighting is only one part of the equation to plant growth, you skimp on the others and you're doomed to fail.
You can have a nice tank with 2wpg. Want an ADA iwagumi setup with lush groundcover? Entirely possible with HC, dwarf hairgrass, marsilea, or E. tenellus at 2wpg. Want red plants? Also possible with around 2wpg. Growth will be slower, but demands on CO2 and ferts are also less.
Plants grow best at around 70-85 deg, if your room dips below that then get a heater.
1. Substrate. ADA Aquasoil is best. It's nutrient rich, moreso than any other substrate out there. Flourite is decent, better than plain gravel or sand. Comparable to Flourite is Eco-Complete and Onyx Sand. There's Schultz Aquatic Soil used in home gardens, which is a little better than Flourite.
2. Its a good idea to cool overdriven lights, will prolong the bulb life.
3. CO2 is an extremely important part of growing plants, it's the other half of photosynthesis. If you want to grow a wide variety of plants you're going to need CO2. The DIY yeast method is only really suitable for small tanks with low to moderate lighting. You need pressurized if you want high light.
4. Ferilizers are important. Plants need their all of their nutrients in order to grow. The more light the higher demand on nutrients.
At 4wpg you have very little room for mistakes. Consistent CO2 is a must, the DIY method won't cut it. Ferts on a daily basis is a must, you forget a few days and algae will become a major problem quickly. Lighting is only one part of the equation to plant growth, you skimp on the others and you're doomed to fail.
You can have a nice tank with 2wpg. Want an ADA iwagumi setup with lush groundcover? Entirely possible with HC, dwarf hairgrass, marsilea, or E. tenellus at 2wpg. Want red plants? Also possible with around 2wpg. Growth will be slower, but demands on CO2 and ferts are also less.
Plants grow best at around 70-85 deg, if your room dips below that then get a heater.
1. Substrate. ADA Aquasoil is best. It's nutrient rich, moreso than any other substrate out there. Flourite is decent, better than plain gravel or sand. Comparable to Flourite is Eco-Complete and Onyx Sand. There's Schultz Aquatic Soil used in home gardens, which is a little better than Flourite.
2. Its a good idea to cool overdriven lights, will prolong the bulb life.
3. CO2 is an extremely important part of growing plants, it's the other half of photosynthesis. If you want to grow a wide variety of plants you're going to need CO2. The DIY yeast method is only really suitable for small tanks with low to moderate lighting. You need pressurized if you want high light.
4. Ferilizers are important. Plants need their all of their nutrients in order to grow. The more light the higher demand on nutrients.
thats the reply i was looking for.
ok so then i'll settle for this:
2-2.5 WPG with 2-3 2L bottles of DIY co2, some fertz and good substrate and a fan.
is there anything wrong with this? let me know if there is. I'll hang with this setup, get the hang of it and if need be, move on to more advanced tech.
ok so then i'll settle for this:
2-2.5 WPG with 2-3 2L bottles of DIY co2, some fertz and good substrate and a fan.
is there anything wrong with this? let me know if there is. I'll hang with this setup, get the hang of it and if need be, move on to more advanced tech.
Regarding ferts, make sure you cover all bases. Plants need nitrates, phosphates, potassium, and trace minerals. If you have soft water then you'll also want to add extra calcium and magnesium. The cheapest way to do ferts is with dry ingredients. Rex Grigg has a nice tutorial on his website on dry ferts and he also sells them, www.rexgrigg.com. www.aquariumfertilizer.com also sells them.
well said phanmc. Your new idea seems like a much better start. Plantgeek.com is a good site to get some ideas for plants.
Ok heres the update:
I bought a 20# co2 tank/regulator setup. It comes with the solenoid, needle valve, bubble counter.
Im stuck between getting the 36" 2X96W Power Compact lights+fixture for $50 or making a DIY ODNO 48" (4) bulb fixture. My tank is only 30" but because of cost, the power compact seems the way to go. If i do a odno with the 48" t8, i will be getting 3.24 WPG. If i go with the PC i get 4.32WPG with both lights on. Any suggestions here would be appreciated.
Also, i do realize that I will need to dose fertz on a regular basis so I've been doing a lot of research and came up with this..
http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizers-supplements/micro-macro-fertilizers.html
Is this the stuff to get? I also have the dosing calculator and should be getting a digital scale very soon.
Any suggestions is greatly appreciated.
I bought a 20# co2 tank/regulator setup. It comes with the solenoid, needle valve, bubble counter.
Im stuck between getting the 36" 2X96W Power Compact lights+fixture for $50 or making a DIY ODNO 48" (4) bulb fixture. My tank is only 30" but because of cost, the power compact seems the way to go. If i do a odno with the 48" t8, i will be getting 3.24 WPG. If i go with the PC i get 4.32WPG with both lights on. Any suggestions here would be appreciated.
Also, i do realize that I will need to dose fertz on a regular basis so I've been doing a lot of research and came up with this..
http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizers-supplements/micro-macro-fertilizers.html
Is this the stuff to get? I also have the dosing calculator and should be getting a digital scale very soon.
Any suggestions is greatly appreciated.
