Planning first 20g el natural - El Natural

oheresy · 11-10-2009, 08:28 PM

In the next few months I'll be starting a 20g tall el natural tank. I plan on using miracle grow organic soil and Seachem flourite. I'd like some suggestions for plants and lighting. I'd like to use no more than 1.5 watts per gallon. I do plan on light dry fert dosing but no co2 injection.

This will end up being an RCS tank. I'd like to have a carpet plant. What are good low light hardy plants that can be used as carpets? I'd like to grow the carpet out emersed at first then go submersed.

Also, what other low light plants would you suggest for a tank of this size?

I also plan on using a fluval 205 which I will be adding to my 26g bow front tank to seed.

For lighting, I have a Single GLO Life-Glo T5 HO 24W 6700K laying around. Would that be a good light for this?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

davemonkey · 11-10-2009, 08:42 PM

If you go with that light, I would supplement with window light, otherwise the plants may not photosynthesize fast enough to keep up with initial bioload. (I only half-way know what I'm saying there, so get some more opinions.

)

Plants that do well in lower light are Crypts (there are MANY crypts you can use in a wide variety of sizes, textures, colors). I don't think you'll get a good carpet to grow unless you have more light or the window light. I have Marsilea in 2 NPT's, but it is a Phosphate hog, so I only "kinda" recommend it. You plan on light fert dosing, so that would certainly help.

The other low light plants like Java Fern and mosses and Anubias will all do well. The Anubias especially if you let the roots grow into the substrate.

-Dave

mudboots · 11-12-2009, 12:14 PM

One potential carpet for low lighting is "MAYBE" veilwort. It grows in nature emmersed and forms carpet-like mats, usually with a small moss mixed in. The moss is similar to Christmas or Taiwan moss, and the veilwort is Pellavicinia (species will depend on where you find it).

The reason I say "MAYBE" is that I don't know anyone currently using this species. There are a couple of us testing it in various scapes to see how it does submersed. So far it seems to hold up under submersion, but more data is required before it can be recommended. All that said, you should be able to find it for free in the woods in wet environments where the shading is heavy. If it does well you've got your carpet, if not, at least you aren't out any money. If you want to see a pic of it I have posted several in the Journals forum in the the "Wetland-n-a-Box" thread. Next week (or today if I get around to it) I'll be posting pics of some submersed in a pico where I'm temporarily maintaining a blackwater newt larvae hatch.

oheresy · 11-12-2009, 06:03 PM

What about something like a 24" Aqualight High Output T5 Dual Lamp Fixture? 48 watts is 2.4 watts per gallon though. Would I be able to keep this an el natural with that much wattage?

I was looking for a system that I could use spiral CFL bulbs, but haven't been able to find any fixtures for that.

Qwertus · 11-13-2009, 04:46 PM

I'd just try it if you see algea start to grow cut back on the lighting periods.

davemonkey · 11-13-2009, 06:49 PM

2.4 WPG of t-5 is not too much for El Natural. Plant heavily with a variety of plants and they will do the rest.

mudboots · 11-13-2009, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davemonkey

2.4 WPG of t-5 is not too much for El Natural. Plant heavily with a variety of plants and they will do the rest.

I wish someone had told me what "heavily" meant when I was setting up my tanks. Basically, there should be little to no uninhabited ground.

So THAT'S why I'm so good at growing algae...

Just kidding (not really though). I've got similar wpg on my tanks and only have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad algae in the 10 gallon.

oheresy · 11-14-2009, 05:35 PM

If I were to go with the Single GLO Life-Glo T5 HO 24W 6700K (which I'm probably going to do) and natural light from the window, what photo period should I go with? 12 hours?

dwalstad · 11-20-2009, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oheresy

In the next few months I'll be starting a 20g tall el natural tank. I plan on using miracle grow organic soil and Seachem flourite.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I would definitely leave out the flourite. Its going to react with the organic soil, release iron into the water, and stimulate algae. Stick with a pure soil covered with gravel or sand. One inch soil + one inch sand or gravel.

If you plant heavily with robust plants (Water wisteria, WaterSprite, Rotala rotundifolia, Swordplants, S. subulata, FrogBit, etc) and you get lucky, you may get by.

Please keep carpet plants to a minimum. They'll never grow fast enough to keep up with the nutrient release from a MGOC potting mix, much less the soil mix you're contemplating. You want fast-growing plants to dominate this tank.

I would go with a 12hr photoperiod. Your lighting sounds fine.

Good luck!

oheresy · 11-20-2009, 06:44 AM

Thanks for the reply! No, I haven't started this tank yet. In fact, I started seeding my new canister filter maybe 2 days ago. I haven't fully decided what plants to go with.

I didn't know flourite would have that effect with the soil. Good to know. I might look into sand. I do plan on planting heavily, and I've reconsidered trying a carpet.

Thanks for the help. I probably won't start setting this tank up until at least January. I want to get the new filter fully seeded and the bacteria matured.