# Failing for years =(



## Varien101 (Jul 23, 2012)

Hello everybody! This will be my first ever thread/post on these forums but i've been reading them in the dark for years lol.

I've had fish tanks all my life, but my interest really sparked around 3 years ago. I currently have my 90 gallon set-up and a 110 in storage due to a smaller place. 

My wife says I only get one more attempt at growing plants in the fish tank before she cuts me off =( The 90 gallon is 4ft wide and 2ft deep. The light on top goes all the way across with 2 bulbs that are 28W each.

I've tried using the substrate/peat in the past and the plants I placed there never actually died, more of just clung to life. (most recent attempt)

Needless to say, i'm not allowed to use that anymore lol. So now i've got some larger pebbles around 2-3 inches thick throughout the bottom of the tank, with 1 side of the tank around 6 inches to give it some dimension.

I've always just bought plants from Petco or Petsmart and IMO they've always looked less then amazing. This time around I was thinking of going with Dwarf Hairgrass since i've always read it's an amazing grower and hard to kill. 

I put a pic below of the current set-up and would appreciate any advice =)


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## Silvering (Jun 10, 2011)

I wouldn't worry about not having a fertile substrate - use root tabs and only gravel-vac the surface of the substrate lightly when necessary. I started out with plain sand and ramped up slowly as the substrate "came alive" on its own! (Additional benefit: never having to worry about substrate becoming exhausted or needing to be replaced. LOL)

Your problem with that tank is probably going to be lighting - 2 feet is pretty deep and your current lights really aren't going to be enough.

What are livestock are you thinking of getting?


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## mcg177 (May 28, 2012)

IMO. With only 2 28w lights I think your gonna have a hard time growing almost anything unless the tank gets some direct sunlight. With 4 28w lights that would put you at 112w that's still not 2w a gallon but you should be able to get some growth from the low light plants like Anubis and Java fern. If you can get to the 2w a gallon range they would grow better and you might get a big amazon swords to grow.

Sent from my Inspire 4G


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## Varien101 (Jul 23, 2012)

http://www.aquatraders.com/48-inch-4x54W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52305.htm

or?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-51-Aquar...ish-Tank-Hood-CE-NEW-/380411308001#vi-content

The top one is 2.4 watts per gallon, and the bottom one, i'm not quite sure what it is lol. In the end I am willing to spend 100$ on a light if it will make plants grow. I'm not trying to be a plant growing guru or anything, but a carpet of Dwarf Grass would make me the happiest hobbyist in the world.


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## mcg177 (May 28, 2012)

That light would be a good light check on eBay too sometimes you can get some good lights cheap

Sent from my Inspire 4G


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## Silvering (Jun 10, 2011)

Not necessarily. I'm using a state-of-the-art $10 Wal-Mart shop light on my tank.  Look into some of the DIY lighting stuff around here for what others with deep tanks have used! I know there are a lot of creative options.


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## mcg177 (May 28, 2012)

As far as LED go's I would look through the DIY section the single bright and double light setups that I have seen I don't think it would be enough on your tank because of how deep it is

Sent from my Inspire 4G


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

How large are those individual pebbles? They look like pea gravel, which is really difficult to grow anything in. Ordinary aquarium gravel would be better. Better still, get something that has some cation exchange capacity (CEC), like Flourite, Eco Complete, Turface, Safe-T-Sorb, or even plain kitty litter. Safe-T-Sorb is sold at Tractor Supply and is very inexpensive.

The jury is still out on LEDs, we just don't know which ones work and which ones don't. I think you will need at least 2 T5 HO tubes over your tank. If you get a 4 tube fixture, be sure it will work with less than all four tubes installed, or has two switches so that you can use just 2 tubes at a time. This gives you more flexibility on how much light you a putting on the tank.


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## Varien101 (Jul 23, 2012)

I would like to make it primarily a Rainbow tank, i've always found them to be very pretty fish.

All the LFS sell them, but they are huge. Every once in a while I can find a good deal at the larger fish stores. I was also contemplating goin and catching a bluegill or a baby trout to throw in there instead lol.


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## Sjb1987 (Aug 2, 2011)

i agree with michael..hair grass wont do so well in that...if you want something sandy like, tractor supply also sells black blasting sand..but i would definitely try to go with a substrate high in CEC


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## Varien101 (Jul 23, 2012)

http://www.tractorsupply.com/black-diamond-20-40-blasting-media-50-lb--3905403

Is this what you would say for a base instead of the rock?


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## dladyd0522 (Dec 10, 2011)

that's it. just be sure to wash it good in plain water before putting in your tank


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

On lighting in a deep tank I had great results using T5HO fixtures on a 125. I'd run 234 watts (6 bulbs) when I was home and 156 watts (4 bulbs) when we went out of town, and kept a pretty heavy plant mass in there to prevent algal unhappiness. I gave this tank away when I had to make two back-to-back moves, so I can't vouch for what it looks like now.

I would recommend over-doing it on filtration by the way. I use a sump system on a test-tank where I have been running micro experiments with filtration capacity. The bottom line is that the more surface area you offer bacteria the more sps you end up with, so no matter what problem your water has there is a colony ready to take care of it. I would recommend a water-volume capacity of no less than 10% of your aquarium's vloume running at approximately 10x the flow rate. It's just a suggestion, so don't get frustrated trying to build a sump because "mud" made some crazy recommendation.

There is a great thread in the Equipment section called Biological Filtration that Yo-han translated from Dutch. It explains what I'm talking about in detail. You might read it before getting started if you already know you have a history of frustrations.


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## Varien101 (Jul 23, 2012)

I have 2 more of those big attachment filters in the garage I could break out, was thinking of putting a larger sponge for the bottom suction and create a kind of algae sponge I guess you could call it?


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## Varien101 (Jul 23, 2012)

Alright, so i've been lookin around for a few hours on the net and i've decided on 1 of these 3 lights, but would appreciate any input on them. I understand what I need, and the values of everything. The actual why is this product better then that one, not so sure =)

http://www.aquatraders.com/48-inch-4x54W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52305.htm

This is the cheapest 1 and I don't really see why it wouldn't suit my needs.

http://www.amazon.com/260w-Aquarium...r=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=48"+T5+260+watt+HO+light

Second cheapest one and it has an additional 50watts over the other two, which imo would be the best option. But i'm also here for a reason and my opinion isn't worth much atm lol.

http://www.aquatraders.com/48-inch-4x54W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52325p.htm

This is the most expensive one and it has a timer to set the lights. But besides that and it looking a little more professional is the only ++ I can see for the extra money.

I appreciate everything you all have told me so far! I've already replaced the "pea stones" with some regular little pebbles and mixed in a bag of aquatic compost? Dug the lights out of the garage for my 110 gallon and now i'm up to roughly 160 watts. There are 5 total lights on the tank, but it's a start =) One of the LFS gave me some plants for free to try out and we'll see how it goes with the extra 100 watts. ((The LFS I went to was to get a baby pleco, but there shady hardcore shady lol. 22$ for a turquoise rainbow))

Again thank you all!


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## Varien101 (Jul 23, 2012)

Pic of the new gravel! All the rocks in the tank were taken from a small stream up in the mountains here in Colorado, to include the lil piece of drift wood =)


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## Silvering (Jun 10, 2011)

If you like that color gravel, more power to you!  Great thing about the internet is you can't hear people's horrified shrieks when they see it on their monitors. LOL j/k

I'd think any of those lighting strips would work - I personally would go for that last one; I like the LED moonlight effect wherever I've seen it used, and the marine hood doesn't have the right bulbs for planted tanks, you'd have to either buy replacements or get the company to swap bulbs for you before they shipped.

Also, when you do get a T5 hood - make sure you fill the tank with lots of fast growing stems so the increased light doesn't give you the algae bloom of doom!

It also occurs to me that no one seems to have mentioned CO2 - what are your plans for carbon supplementation? If you have $100 to spend, I think it's better to put it toward pressurized CO2 and go for a cheaper diy light option for a while. And if you want dwarf grass, I think you're going to need the high light _and_ pressurized CO2.


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## Varien101 (Jul 23, 2012)

I'm thinking a CO2 system is abit much for me atm, I like to take things nice and slow =) A light I can do lol. Eventually when I wanna go crazy all out, i'll dip my toes into CO2.

The reef light, what is wrong with the bulbs? (Will they fry plants or something?)

Thanks


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## Silvering (Jun 10, 2011)

Wrong light spectrum, as I understand it. Corals use different wavelengths than freshwater aquatic plants. If you want more detail, try using Google to search, with the parameter "site:aquaticplantcentral.com" before whatever word you're looking for (such as "actinic") - I find this forum platform's own search engine to be lacking, so I use Google instead. 

As far as CO2, perhaps two T5s won't put a 90 into the light range where you'll need it, you'll have to consult someone else about that! I've not yet managed to acquire such an aquarium myself.


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