# first shot at a planted tank



## angry gary (Jul 26, 2007)

hello all!
i am going to do my first planted tank. i have been keeping saltwater reef tanks for 15 years and wanted to try something new. i am not looking for something that requires the time and attention that my 180 reef tank requires. my goal is a heavily planted tank with a large shoal of cardinal tetras and a couple other necessary critters.
i currently have an extra 55 g tank and oak stand, a current 4x65w power compact fixture,( with soon to order 4 6700k bulbs), i have heaters and the such.
i have been reading alot on the subject the last couple weeks. the all natural approach is very fascinating since the last 15 years of reefkeeping at times seemed anything but natural! i at first was going to go with the kitty litter sand substrate, i am now considering the eco- substrate mixed with sand. i am not comfortable with the idea of no filtration and no power heads but in the same breath don't want to go "reef extreme" on it.
now the question comment portion of the show:
1) pros and cons of the eco- substrate mixed with sand. i also have a fondness for small gravel on top of the sand. not an inch deep but just a smattering here and there. is this okayl 
2) i don't want to spend alot here but a decent filter. just for y'alls info i personally HATE fluval.
3) a power head for light current flow. okay or bad for CO2.
4) and for initial stocking i am planning on using a mess of anacharis and vals.(other rookie starter plants recommendations and suggestions welcome), then remove the anacharis gradually as i add other plants. i am not one to "design" my layouts, i just wing it. i will add the standard small piece of driftwood and go from there.

my biggest issues are the substrate. the rest i can work on as i go. i just need to get that hammered out so i can get it up and running. i am in no hurry to add fish. one thing i have learned from reef is you gotta patience and wait it out and when you are done waiting...wait some more.

thank you everyone in advance


angry gary


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Welcome to APC :mrgreen: 

Since you want a low maintenance tank, I would first reduce the amount of light by using 2 or 3 bulbs, instead of the 4x65. 

As far as a substrate, mixing Eco with pool filter sand will work. I did just that in my 20G tank. The only thing about adding a fine gravel to the top is that it will eventually get mixed in with the rest.

I like the Rena Filstar filters. You could get the xp2, which will give you plenty of circulation for your 55G tank. There really is no need to use a water pump/power head for extra flow.

When you first start out you want lots of fast growers instead of slow growers (Anubias). You can mix slow & fast growers together, but have fast growers as the majority.


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## dapellegrini (Jan 18, 2007)

How flexible do you want your setup to be - in terms of what plants you could potentially keep? I tend to fault on the side of overkill. I second the idea of a Rena Filstar but would recommend perhaps an XP3 instead. I run 2 XP3's on my 72-gallon.

Also are you planning on injecting CO2? If so your high-light should be fine.

http://www.gpodio.com/co2_setup.asp

And buy this E-book - should help you enormously in understanding fertilization of aquatic plants:

http://www.aquaticplantnews.com/

Finally, I would not mix your Eco. Just buy enough to do it right. You won't regret it!

Of course, what I am advocating is a high-tech tank that will let you take the hobby as far as you would like with out further hardware updates. If you want to start small and natural, I am not the best to give advice


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## angry gary (Jul 26, 2007)

i understand the correlation between lighting and the extra needs it puts on you when i use alot of wpg. the fixture is set up with two seperate circuits. each controlling 2 65 watt bulbs. most of what i have read seems to imply at least 3-4 wpg. using 2x65w would give me 2.3 wpg. is this sufficient? would it be practical or overkill to have say 130w of light from say10 am-8pm and the other 130 w to come on from say 2 pm to 6pm. sorta of simulating a noontime brightness?.

as for the eco. how many bags for a 55? and would you use only the eco or say a 50\50 with pool sand? and would you mix it all together or sand over eco? 

what is it about the rena that you prefer? i am not familiar with them.i take it the return flow enters below the surface. i would think a spray bar dispersement would diffuse the return flow and more beneficial than a single jet flow.

what would be good starter plants fo me? i work part time at a pet store maintaining its saltwater systems and i am pretty sure i can order a good variety of plants. so i guess the common name along with the scientific name would be too cool. from what i have read corkscrew vals fall into this category.

thanks again

AG


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## dapellegrini (Jan 18, 2007)

The Rena's are good canisters for the money. Value leader IMO. Their weakest suit is the intake - which is kinda cheap - but works fine. If you want nice - look into the Eheim line of canisters.

Your lighting sounds fine to me, though I would reduce it during the initial setup to avoid problems with algae. You also need to look into pressurized CO2 as I mentioned. Your tank will benefit enormously at any lighting level. Keeping your CO2 and nutrients stable and higher will help you avoid algae in a huge way...

I would not mix Eco - all you would be doing is diluting it. I put 9-bags in a 72-gallon - maybe start with 6 in a 55 and see where that gets you. You should look through the plants on these sites to decide what you might like to try:

http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_all_gallery.php

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I suggest forgetting about 4+ watts per gallon. It is unnecessary and does very little of benefit for you. Growing plants isn't a race, where the fastest growth is the winner. It is an attempt to arrive at a steady state, whether slow growth, medium growth or fast growth. There are very few plants that wont grow for you at 2 to 2.5 watts per gallon, and do very well.

The substrate is largely an appearance issue. What looks the best to you, assuming you are talking about commercial aquarium substrates, is the best for you. You can use water column fertilizing with great success with any of those substrates. In fact, if pool filter sand appeals to you you can use it successfully too.

For plants, there is no better reference than you will find right at the top of this page, the "plant finder". I have been using that steadily and consistently over the past two years, which is since I discovered it. The trick it to pick several plants that you want, then shop for the ones you can find at the price you can pay. For starting up a new aquarium, use lots of fast growing stem plants, whether you really like them or not. They are what keeps algae from taking over very quickly. Once the tank is established, in say 3 to 6 months, you can start replacing them with the plants you really like. Lots of plants means you want over half of the substrate to be covered with plants, or have lots of floating plants, understanding they they do shade the plants below.


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## mhoy (Jun 12, 2007)

Having just started a planted tank a month or two ago, here are some tips on what I should have done before adding water. Figure out if what you need from the following:
-if CO2 -co2 tank, regulator, airline tubing, diffusor etc, (DIY method is hard on a large tank). 
-Read up on dry fertilizing methods, order some plus have a scale capable of grams and some plastic bottles (and labels). 
-Buy your drift wood now and start soaking it for a month or two.
-since you've got SW, you know about buckets, hoses, etc.
-24 hour timer for the lights
-perhaps some fresh water test kits 
-source of Iron for the plants

BTW: For the CO2 I got it off the forsale area on this list and it has worked flawlessly. It was a local pickup due to the weight of the 5 lb CO2 tank.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

angry gary said:


> i understand the correlation between lighting and the extra needs it puts on you when i use alot of wpg. the fixture is set up with two seperate circuits. each controlling 2 65 watt bulbs. most of what i have read seems to imply at least 3-4 wpg. using 2x65w would give me 2.3 wpg. is this sufficient? would it be practical or overkill to have say 130w of light from say10 am-8pm and the other 130 w to come on from say 2 pm to 6pm. sorta of simulating a noontime brightness?


You could take this route. But a steady wattage with 130 watts will be more benificial and work for your needs. I use a 2x65 on my 55G tank with great success.



> as for the eco. how many bags for a 55? and would you use only the eco or say a 50\50 with pool sand? and would you mix it all together or sand over eco?


If you want to save money then go with a 50/50 mix, if not use all eco. Or you could divide the tank by putting eco in the back and sand up front. It's really about the look you want.



> what is it about the rena that you prefer? i am not familiar with them.i take it the return flow enters below the surface. i would think a spray bar dispersement would diffuse the return flow and more beneficial than a single jet flow.


Its very easy to setup, prime, clean & maintain. It does come with a spraybar.



> what would be good starter plants fo me? i work part time at a pet store maintaining its saltwater systems and i am pretty sure i can order a good variety of plants. so i guess the common name along with the scientific name would be too cool. from what i have read corkscrew vals fall into this category.


Fast growers...Bacopa caroliniana, Ceratophyllum demersum, Hygrophila species, Ludwigia repens, Rotala rotundifolia, Bolbitis heudelotii, mosses, Nymphaea lotus, Echinodorus species.

Check out our "PLANT FINDER"


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