# Here goes nothin'...



## Vivid-Dawn (Apr 12, 2005)

Well, actually, if this fails... there goes about $55 ;p

I've really wanted plants. I tried Hornwort and Java Fern in my 10gal/38L tank, but the Hornwort died and the Java moss is _barely_ surviving (the biggest leaf is all brown, the rest are green but withery).

I've read conflicting things about plant "stuff" (fertilizers, supplements, etc.) being bad for some fish. So I figured I'd do a little tank with just plants and no fish, frogs, shrimp, or anything like that. So I put to use my spare 2.5gal/9.50L tank.

Bought a hood, a 10 watt bulb (Eclipse Compact fluorescent), and I have a little hanging filter made by Red Sea ... I have a heater, but I dunno if I really need that? And "Leaf Zone" plant food from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Cheap stuff, but I'm hoping it'll work alright.
And of course, plants. Now that I'm home, I forget what they are - I didn't have anything to write names down. I'll check tomorrow after work. They cover about 50% of my tank, since I bought 2 bunches of 3 kinds of plants.
Right now, I just have epoxy-coated gravel (about the size of a pea), but maybe next paycheck I'll invest in some better stuff, like sand that has nutrients in it.

I just want them to survive, for now. I'll try for thriving later, when I have more money and can buy more expensive "food" and CO2 equipment.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

The main component in keeping plants alive is the proper lighting, every thing else is secondary. If you have low light less than 2WPG choose low light plants, 2-3WPG is medium light and 3+ is high light. Also the type light fixture you have is important, either use power compacts or fluorescent plant bulbs. The bulbs that come with the tank setups are insufficient for growing plants. 

If you have under 2WPG you will not need to use C02, you can use Seachem Excel instead for a carbon source. If you have no fish or other inhabitants you will have to dose a little more to supply your plants with nutrients. Dose with a good micro & macro nutrients and a little iron, that should be all you need in a low light setup. Of coarse the more light you have the more nutrients you will need to dose and the use of C02 will be needed.

Also I would change out the gravel you have for a smaller gravel of 2-3mm. Better yet use a planted substrate like Eco-complete.


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## Vivid-Dawn (Apr 12, 2005)

*pet project*

So, I went to the pet store again (PetSmart, actually), and got some new info.
My plants:
"Anacharis" - Egeria densa
"Cabomba" - Cabomba caroliniana
"Frill" - myriophyllum scabratum

They didn't have Eco-complete, or whatever it's called... but they do have "First Layer Pure Laterite" by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. I didn't buy any, I'm not sure if that'll work, since it says it's just Laterite. I may go to PetCo tomorrow... and there's another pet shop near I work, I could look at on Monday.

I think I have enough light, as it's 4 to 5 wpg - depending on how full the tank is (right now, it only has two gallons in it (5wpg), but I could fit another half in if I wanted).

The CO2 thing is $35 and I won't have any more spending money until May 15th. I hope that won't be too long for the greenies!


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Here's my take on what you might find useful for a low-budget set up that should get you going.....

Lighting aside, you should need(in terms of importance in this order IMO)

1)CO2---Go with the Nyberg Yeast Method, which is nothing more than:
-One 2-L bottle
-1 cup of sugar
-1tsp baking soda
-1tbsp molasses
-2tsp protein powder(go with soy powder which is very inexpensive)
-1/4 or less wine or bread yeast
***You can play with the above ingredients(ie:can sub honey for sugar, etc)
-Fill with lukewarm water, drill a hole large enough on the cap to fit the connector(nothing more than a plastic piece of object you can easily find at LFS), a silicone tubing to connect the connector and the other end goes into the tank bottom(on this end some people fit it with some kind of diffuser for CO2 gas to disperse more readily in the water)
***Everything should be less than $5-10, or free if you have the materials already at home.

2)Mix and match liquid ferts or get the PMDD(type this in the search and you will know what I'm talking about; a simple DIY fert mix)

Hope this helped. I'm a beginner when it comes to aquascaping, but a semi-pro when it comes to 'economic' aquascaping


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## New 2 Fish (Dec 31, 2004)

I'd like to second what Trenac and Paul said. I'm a full time student, so $ is tight for me.... Lighting is the biggest expense, and I'd suggest saving up and getting lights from AH supply or Hellolights.com .I tried the shoplight, etc. method and wound up with an ugly mess that wasn't effective. 
As for fertilizers- a $20 or so order from Greg Watson will have you set with all you need. As you get further into this, you'd probably wind up going there anyways, so might as well start there and not buy a bunch of things that will just collect dust later.
The Do It Yourself method of making CO2 is awesome! Cheap and really helps your plants take off!
Good luck and enjoy!


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Vivid... As suggested for C02, I would go DIY in your small tanks. I myself used a 20oz pop bottle on my 12G tank and that gave me plenty of C02 saturation. That way you can save the $35 you would spend on the Hagan C02 system and put toward another upgrade to your tanks.

The Laterite can be used under regular gravel to create a good planting medium. If you cannot find Eco or Fluorite locally you can use a small natural regular gravel (2-3mm) over the Laterite. On the side of caution, some of the gravel bought from Petsmart and others may leach out causing KH to rise. I would suggest testing the gravel first before using to avoid problems down the road.

_Do you still have your 10G tank setup or just the 2G tank? _


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## Vivid-Dawn (Apr 12, 2005)

*"Junk" as my dad calls all this!*

The DIY CO2 system is nice and all, IF you're not lazy...like me. I really don't mind spending the $35 and having everything already done for me. Though I figure I gotta spend a little more for the stuff to put _into_ the already-made system... I don't mind that, either. The only reason I was tight on money, is I still need to pay my bills. But the paycheck on the 15th, I'll have $100+ to spend on whatever I want.

I may have to order a test kit package online, since I can't find any at the store that do high PH (which is what my water is), or the hardness/softness stuff! The only thing I hate about ordering online, are the rediculous shipping prices. :neutral:

The bunch of plants I got now, are in the 2.5 gallon set-up. My 10 gallon just has fake plants (because it's got a blue and black theme, so I have the black/silvery plastic plants).
I could move them to my 10 gallon, I suppose. The light that's in there, is "18 inch fluouresent tube" - is all the box says. I did buy a 18" CoraLife NutriGrow 15 watt plant lamp, I could try instead. The only problem with that, is my plants would only get 1.85 wpg (my "ten" gallon only holds 8 gallons, actually)... compared to the 5 wpg they're getting in my small tank.

Also, I wasn't going to put fish in it, but I broke down and did. Wanted 3 Zebra Danios, but got home and realized I had 2 with a Leopard Danio. I hear they're nice sturdy fish, and they might help give the plants some CO2, too... right? Anyway... they're the longfinned ones, so they're purdy at least ^_^
Some people say it might be overcrowded (since it's only 2.5 gallons, with 6 inches (eventually, anyway) of fish), but I plan to do a 10% water change every 72 hours, plus I have a filter that does up to 5 gallon tanks, and all those plants. I think it'll be okay.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Try Big Al's for the test kits you need, I've found them to have the best prices and the shipping is reasonable. You can also buy the Hagan C02 system from them a lot cheaper than your local fish store.

The Hagan system will fit in your 10G tank but I think the ladder will be to big to fit inside the 2G tank.

If you go with the 10G tank with plants you will need to keep low light plants and the plants you have now require higher light. There is also that breakdown thing for smaller tanks, read about it here.


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