# [Wet Thumb Forum]-just joined the forum, trying to figure out what i need



## 666power (May 5, 2005)

hello everyone

i joined the forum a few days ago and have been reading everything i can, trying to figure out what i need to do, and after going through all the other sections i think naturla sounds like the way to go, but im not sure i understand it

i have a 55 gal (48" x 18" x 12") with regular hoods on it, a HOB filter, undergravel filter (disconnected b/c the fish store guy said u shouldnt use it when u do plants, and i plan on removing it when i put in my new gravel and whatever else i need down there) i have a heater, CO2 (hang on the back thing with the step defuser) and i think thats it.

for fish i have:
1 south american dragon
9 neon tetras
7 hi-glo tetras
7 painted tetras
3 humpback catfish (dont remember real name)
3 bala sharks
1 golden snail (who has had a few babies)

i was planning on getting 2 110W 6500K VHO lights, but read a post about some home depot lighting systems and plan on looking into them this week, i have black and green rocks atm but plan on replacing them with some rolled rock for a more natural look.

i dont know what i need to do for soil, do i just dig some up, go buy something?

i guess i need to set up my old 29 gal to move the fish into while i do the change, but aside from that i dont know what steps i need to take

thanks for all the help in advance

Ken


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## MyraVan (Feb 13, 2005)

Hmmmmm. I suspect you won't find much help here... Most of us don't have that much light (you're planning on 4 watts per gallon!!!), nor do we use CO2. 

If you do want to do a soil + gravel substrate, sure you can dig up some from your garden, but I use bought stuff. In one tank I used topsoil bought from a garden center, plus some potting compost, but that had too much organic matter in it so my water is quite yellow. For my new tank I'm trying a half & half mix of aquatic soil (real soil meant for potting up lilies in ponds) and topsoil. So far the new tank isn't yellow, but then it's been set up for less than a week.

For gravel I use garden gravel meant for alpine plants, which has small grain size.


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## 666power (May 5, 2005)

this has just been my plan till now, i can take the CO2 out, and would leave a less expensive solution for the lights. The best ive found so far was $110 for 2 6500Ks and a ballast. And the substrate and fertilizer my LFS was recomending was about $37 a bag and $17 a bag i think, so i didnt want to have to buy that either


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

you should probably choose eather a high tech approach or a low tech approach. 

high tech = high lighting 2.5 - 4wpg, co2 injection, fertilization, good (usually gravel) substrate.

low tech = low lighting 1 - 2.5wpg, usually no fertilizers, no co2 injection, usually a soil type of substrate plants get nurishment from.

now, in my openion, this is the only thing you should base your openion on. what type of plants do you want to keep?

high tech has a larger variety of plants, but there are still tons of plants that are great in low tech tanks.

also, you should consider how many plants you want to keep. if you want to fill the tank up with plants, you should probably go high tech, if you want fewer plants (generally) you should go with low tech.


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## 666power (May 5, 2005)

i dont really know which plants i want, i just go into the LFS and find some i like, but i do know i want a lot of them, i just wanted to get away from expensive substrates and lots of huge water changes

here are some pics of what i have now


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## 666power (May 5, 2005)

another view


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

well, high tech is definately a hastle, so it sounds like you should read around on this el natural forum. they know more about low tech than i do.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

> Originally posted by 666power:
> another view


I took a quick look at your tank. Those plants look like they need a soil layer. Also, the second picture shows stem plants (Ludwigia?) all bunched up together. You need to spread them out a little, planting each stem separately giving each stem more space.

Today I opened a new folder with advice on using ordinary soils. This may be helpful to you (and others)

Remember that those expensive packaged substrates are designed to be used with CO2 injection. Because they have almost no organic matter, they can't provide plants with natural CO2 (decomposition of organic matter by soil bacteria releases CO2).

I only do water changes every 3-6 months. If you set your tank up right and the plants grow well, you can do water changes much less frequently.


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## 666power (May 5, 2005)

thanks for the tips, how do i access this foler you put up on ordinary soils?


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## imported_shalu (Feb 13, 2004)

I have a 55 gallon low tech, though not "el natural". I used play sand and added a bit schultz aquatic planting soil when I ran out of play sand.

No CO2. No water change for months now. But I do dose some KNO3, K2SO4, KH2PO4, CMS+B weekly. No algae. Spent total of $18 upgrading the lighting: replace the ballast with a 4x ballast to do ODNO, a single 40W T12 bulb, cheapest from Home Depot, $2.

On the other hand, I spent probably $5K on my high tech planted discus tank so far. Different tanks bring different kind of enjoyment.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

> Originally posted by 666power:
> thanks for the tips, how do i access this foler you put up on ordinary soils?


Advice on Using Soils

You can also find it by scrolling down through recent folders in the El Naturale Forum. The last posting was June 1, 2005.


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## 666power (May 5, 2005)

ok i drained the tank, put dirt in the bottom, some new rocks in, a piece of drift wood, and a lot of new plants, i took the CO2 out, and then put the fish back in, all are still alive and seam fine, ill post a pic soon


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Sounds like you've made some headway.

We look forward to seeing photos of the tank.

Good luck!


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