# advice please new setup el naturale



## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

i bought the book ecology of the planted aquarium - love it BTW - this is what i have done so far - 55 gal tank - 2x55 ah supply with ge 9325 bulbs - 1 inch of potting soil amended with some lime - when i tore the tank down to add the soil i left about an inch of mulm water and mixed it thoroughly with the soil - i used my old bacteria laden gravel for a top coat - and about a third of my old tank water - i havent had any cycling issues - 1 inch gravel - 12 hour light duration - no filters - plants are java fern , java moss , water sprite , hornwort , cabomba , and a small variety of swordplant - temp at 88 for another week due to ich infestation - 

GH - 6
KH - 2
PH - 7.6

as for fish i have 2 plecos , 3 black mollies and 3 pictus catfish

so..... - what , if anything else do i need to check or do with this tank ? it is in front of a window and gets some good indirect light - been set up like this since thursday - i did a good water change today - because it was cloudy and also because i had doped it a bit over the week before with salt and malachite green - i didnt want to do that - but i was forced to act in order to save the pictus cats - my record with growing plants is abysmal - hahahahahahaha - i would like to thank you for any help you are willing to give - any advice ? and other plant species to try ?

i am willing to make whatever changes you advise


----------



## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

dont all speak at once - i must be getting something right - i'm getting lots of oxygen bubbles off my plants right now


----------



## colinsk (Dec 29, 2008)

I find this forum is slow but the posts are worth the wait. The people who frequent here have some very thoughtful replies. 

You have a lot of light. Your kH is quite low so I would watch the pH for a while. If it crashes you may want to think of adding a carbonate buffer. My kH is 4 and I use some crushed oyster shells. If you live near a feed store they sell it for chickens. 1$ worth was more than enough for both of my aquariums. If you are looking to change the water chemistry more quickly baking soda would increase your kH. 

I don't use sunlight but there is a warning in the book about shielding the soil from direct sunlight to keep the soil from releasing iron.

The only advice I can give is to make small changes at a time and wait for weeks before you decide if they have worked. If you give the system time to respond it will often surprise you and behave just like the book says.


----------



## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

what KH and GH should i adjust it to ? i have magnesium sulfate , calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate on hand - and i found the dosing procedure - what i dont know is what kind of numbers to shoot for ? my tank gets indirect sunlight only from a north facing window - so i dont think i will get too much sun on the soil substrate - the book and this site are really putting me on the right track i believe - as far as light i went with the recommended 2 watts per gallon - give me some numbers to work with - i will make the necessary adjustments - thanks !


----------



## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

cmon guys - talk to me - hahahahahahah


----------



## EMc/ (Feb 20, 2006)

This will probably not be one of the thoughtful replies that you hoped for....

I don't check my water parameters. I just add lots of plants & lots of light- mostly sunlight- & I let the tank work out the rest. You are augmenting light, so that should work. My advice- be patient.

Marty


----------



## Alex123 (Jul 3, 2008)

You will find that there is not a lot of people to this site and so there will not be a lot of comments. I would like to see some pictures. It's always nice to see them and we will provide more comments. You seem to have very soft water with low buffer, so your PH will drop easier with time. I have the opposite. I prefer yours over my but what I have learned is that unless you want to spend money, don't mess with the water chemistry. Your water looks to be ideal for most plants and fish. You have a decent light so you can grow many plants. You have a bunch of fast growers so will absorb excess nutrients. You have sword plants so you will have lots of root to prevent dead spots in tho soil. Don't change anything unless you have problems which you don't right now. So just relax and enjoy.


----------



## 1aqumfish (Jul 28, 2008)

This is probably not what you want to hear but NPT's work very good but they are slow and steady just do your start-up water changes and enjoy don't worry too much. Maybe a pic for your thread...

Tony


----------



## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Your tank sounds find to me. Like Tony mentioned, NPT tanks are a kinda slow process, but once they get going, they look great and require minimal maintenance. Unless something starts to go wrong (plants dying, algae growth, etc...) I would leave well enough alone. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

-ricardo


----------



## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

pic of swordplant


----------



## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/displayimage.php?imageid=6068


----------



## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...4/4/5/0/aquarium_plants_3_30_09_002_thumb.jpg


----------

