# Need help with my 20 Tall



## sampster5000 (Jul 24, 2010)

Hello everyone. I am new to these forums and to planted tanks and would like some help setting up my 20 gallon tall planted tank. I will be moving everything from my 10 gallon into my 20 gallon. I think I have finally figured out everything I am going to get for my tank but like to make sure I am doing everything the right way. I do not want to buy something and have to get something else later on because it was the wrong thing or not as effective. My goal is to have a moderate to high lighting tank but with DIY CO2. Here are my future tank specs:

Tank: 20 Gallon Tall
Lighting: Nova Extreme SLR T-5 Fixtures 24" x 5-1/2" Freshwater; 48 watt - 1 24 W 10,000°K 1 24 W Freshwater with 2.4WPG (on for how many hours in the day??? im currently doing 10)
Substrate: Seachem Flourite or Eco-Complete Plant Substrate mixed with CaribSea Tahitian Moon black sand
Heating: Marineland Stealth Pro Heater to keep the aquarium water in the 76 to 78 F range
Filter: AquaClear Power Filter 30 (150) - Using Marinelands Diamond blend of Carbon/Ammonia Neutralizer in the filter along with the sponge
Fertilizer: I am currently dosing Flourish and Excel in my 10 gallon daily and also use seachems root tabs but I am not having much success. Im using a 6700k 15 watt fluorescent light for 1.5wpg and I thought it would do good. I was trying to get away from spending more and more money but that doesnt mean I wont. Just experimenting. I am running low to moderate light plants (I guess thats what you call them) like Java Fern, Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Hornwort, Anubias Barteri and Anubias Nana and 2 unknown plants (which are strangely doing the best). For the last month they have been turning pretty brown so I'm assuming that I need to dose NPK and maybe actual CO2 instead of Excel.

So for my 20 gallon I need help figuring out what fertilizers I need to do FOR SURE. I dont want to deal with any dying or browning of ALL of the plants at the same time. I am planning on dosing Flourish, Excel, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, and DIY CO2 (I found the guide on this forum for a small DIY CO2 system for smaller tanks). I dont think root tabs are necessary because of the substrate with nutrients in it already but let me know if I should use them. How does this all sound and what could I change?

Plants: All of the plants I labeled above except im adding in some Water Sprite, Java Moss and maybe Wistera. Are all of these plants good for my lighting? Should I improve my lighting or reduce it? Again, I do not mind spending money on the right kind of lighting. I want some expert advice on the right kind of lighting for these plants exactly. I want to add in some dwarf baby tears for my foreground and do a background wall of christmas moss so I really want lighting that WILL grow them full and healthy with the help of the ferts and CO2.

Fish and Aquascaping: So I have been reading a lot of articles/guides on this forum and other sites and have found that nobody sets the focal point of the tank in the center. I want the focal point to be my crypt wendtii but not sure if I should set it on the left or the right side of the tank. I would have some of the background plants grouped behind it I assume to create that focal point. Also, I am using 2 small pieces of mopani driftwood that sit to make little caves for my corydoras to hide under. I am not quite sure how to set these so they dont take away from the focal point. I am still a noob to aquascaping. I am not a fan of plants all crammed into one side/corner of a tank so I'll have to figure out how to make this work.
~For fish/inverts I am using either a school of guppy's or neons or neons and hatchetfish. Next is my group of panda corydoras (i have 3 right now but will probably add 2 or 3 more). I recently added in a mystery snail that is very fun to watch. They are so active and fearless! Lastly, I am going to add in cherry shrimp. I have heard that you can have as many as you want in a tank but I think that sounds kinda crazy. I am going to start off with 10-12 and see where that goes.

Other: So overall I am just looking for a moderate to high lighting planted tank that my cory's can be happy in. I LOVE corydoras so the tank is really all about them. I do not mind spending the correct amount of money for this tank because it will be my only planted tank.

Questions: Is my lighting enough to grow moderate to high lighting plants or do I need to upgrade it a little or get different lights?
Do I NEED to fertilize with everything I posted even if I'm doing DIY CO2? Dont want to spend more money than I have to but I will if needed.
Is there anything else I can do to make sure I have healthy growing plants and no decay or dying problems with them?
How many hours a day should I keep the lights on?
Should I set a layer of peat under my subsrate or does this not really matter?

Any help would be awesome! Thank you!


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

I think your lighting will be fine (10 hrs at 2.4 WPG). 

You'll have DIY CO2 and you've got the micro-nutrients covered, but you'll also need N,P,K. If you only have CO2, your plants will grow fast enough to run out of other nutreints and start to die off. 
Seachem makes those in liquid form (Flourish nitrogen, Flourish phosphorus, Flourish potassium) and you should be fine dosing them according to the label instructions. OR, you can buy dry ferts (KNO3, KH2PO4, etc... ) and dose according to EI method...maybe get by with a little bit less than EI recommendations.

A layer of peat might give you some benefits, but it's not necessary.


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## sampster5000 (Jul 24, 2010)

Ok thank you! I will have this all set up within a few weeks (waiting for pay day!) so we'll see how it goes. I'm ordering Seachems NPK, or enhancer pack, tomorrow so I can start dosing asap. 

I have a question about the DIY CO2... How do I know how much is going into the water? How do I measure it? Do I need to order GH/KH test kits to go along with my PH tests so I can use a chart to figure it out? I think that would be a TON of tests per week or month. What does everyone else do to measure the amount of CO2 going into their tank and what do they measure it in? (ie ppm)

Thanks for the reply again, fellow Texan. I was actually born in Tomball and grew up in Houston. We are visiting family there this weekend! Lovely humid weather


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## flashbang009 (Aug 6, 2009)

One of the easiest ways to measure CO2 is a drop checker. Many can be found on ebay for cheap. As for DIY, it can change very quickly, and it is a good idea to have some way to measure it to know when to change it out. If you ever have the option to upgrade to pressurized CO2, you should think about it if you haven't already. Well worth it in the long run, and without all the hassles of DIY. However, if DIY is still your only option, research different "recipes"; again, only if you haven't already.

As for everything else, it seems that you've done your research and thought through your options, and that will pay off in the long run!


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## sampster5000 (Jul 24, 2010)

I will look into a drop checker and will look at other DIY recipes. Pressurized would be amazing but that is for sure something in the future. I dont mind more work if I'm saving money!


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## sampster5000 (Jul 24, 2010)

Very odd thing happened today... My water sprite was pearling! Or so I think from what pictures of "pearling" I have seen. Is it weird that my water sprite would be thriving but my cryptocoryne is dying? The java fern is even doing pretty bad.


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## flashbang009 (Aug 6, 2009)

Well, it's possible that your sprite was pearling. Although, in my experience it's more from a bubble getting caught under a leaf. Crypts can be subject to "melt" where they'll slowly or quickly melt away, sometimes to grow back, sometimes to die off. What exactly does your java fern look like? Distorted edges, discolored, stunted growth?


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## sampster5000 (Jul 24, 2010)

Distorted edges and discolored. Actually all. Its not growing either. Here is 2 pictures of my sprite.


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## aquatic_clay (Aug 17, 2009)

that looks like pearling to me


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## flashbang009 (Aug 6, 2009)

Yupp that's pearling. Any pics of the Java Fern?


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## sampster5000 (Jul 24, 2010)

Here is my Java Fern. I might have figured it out but I'm still a noob. Should I not have the roots covered? Or does it not matter?


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## tug (Jul 23, 2009)

It takes a nice photograph. Now, uncover the roots and attach, loosely, to that nice wood. :biggrin:


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## sampster5000 (Jul 24, 2010)

Is there any problems with it being in the substrate? I was wanting to attach my anubias nana to the wood instead but if I need to switch them that is fine.


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## flashbang009 (Aug 6, 2009)

Yes there is. Java Fern has a rhizome, which if buried can rot. The plant does much better if you put it on wood or stone, so that it's roots can grab onto said surface. One popular technique is to use super glue or crazy glue (I use the Gel kind) to attach java fern to rocks or wood. As long as it dries, it won't harm anything in your tank.


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## sampster5000 (Jul 24, 2010)

That makes sense now why it would be dying. Thanks! I think i'll try the tying it on technique.


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